Basj,

I'm using Windows 10  21H1 OS Build 19043.1165

Start10 (v1.97)

DeskScapes 10 (v10.02c)

I was hoping to find out if these issues were due to the August patch Tuesday or if my PC merely needed a fresh OS install (if it's the latest Windows Update causing it, then a fresh OS install might not do any good).

Before seeing that you'd replied, I got impatient and went ahead and downloaded the latest Win10 version from the cloud and reformatted. After doing so and then checking for Windows Updates (Aug 2021 patch Tuesday was the only update left to install, which I then installed), I then checked with Dell's support website & installed their utility that then checks for any drivers or other updates and did that as well.

I then installed Start10 v1.97 and didn't notice any issues at first; so far so good. I then installed Curtains latest version, and that's when Start10 started acting up again. I didn't mention Curtains last time because Curtains wasn't acting up, so I didn't think it was relevant to mention it. It would seem that either app works fine by itself, but when both are installed (after the Aug 2021 Windows Update) Start10 acts up: the Start10 start menu only appears for 1/2 second no matter how many times I click on it. If I happen to have any other window open (doesn't matter what it is, a browser, Windows Explorer, whatever), the Start10 menu usually will stay open and not disappear after that 1/2 second. I also noticed that certain icons in my taskbar are sometimes totally unresponsive to my left mouse clicks; at other times, they work.

It must be mentioned here that during the July 2021 Patch Tuesday there were issues with come people's taskbar icons disappearing entirely (Google it). Mine were also affected. I did some additional Googling and found that someone had found a workaround for that issue, which I used, and it worked. No problems after that. The workaround involved letting the newly-added icon that Microsoft had added to the taskbar for weather, news, etc to stay visible on the taskbar; end of problem.

However, with this latest August 2021 update, more problems seem to have been introduced.

Although it's very likely Microsoft's fault, and we don't know how long it'll be before they fix issues surrounding it, would Stardock consider tweaking Start10, Curtains and DeskScapes10 to accommodate Microsoft's blunder until they get around to fixing what they messed up?

I uninstalled Curtains and the issue went away.

I then reinstalled Curtains again just to see if anything different might happen. For a little while, the issue didn't return, but did later. I then tried changing the Curtains style to various styles that come with the app when first installing; no difference, the start menu still disappears after 1/2 second and the WiFi icon on the taskbar still was unresponsive when clicking on it (this icon has caused the most issues with unresponsiveness when Curtains is installed). The WiFi icon is the standard Windows app and icon that everybody has on their PC (WiFi, broadband, airplane mode, etc).

I then uninstalled Curtains and everything works normally again.

You mentioned you're using Start11, and that it's supposed to be the same as Start10, but is that more of an assumption? My PC's processor chip is 6th gen, so I can't go to Windows 11 (Win11 requires 8th gen or higher). I just assumed Start11 wouldn't work quite right on Windows 10.

Deskscapes v10.02c seems to be working OK now.

Up until Aug 2021 patch Tuesday, everything worked right and all was well. I just reformatted my PC with Win10 from the cloud & applied essentially the only Win Update that came up when checking for updates after reformatting. Would submitting a support ticket be the next step?

I kept Googling, and may have stumbled upon the solution to my problem: it's a brand new Windows feature called "Potentially Unwanted App Blocking", which the article states is intended to block unwanted software that is sometimes bundled with other apps already installed, although the article said it might sometimes mistakenly block legitimate apps (or in this case, certain parts or functions of legitimate apps). It can be switched on or off by the user.

It's located in Settings (type "App and Browser Control" in the search box); once at the App and Browser Control settings page, click on "Reputation-Based Protection" settings; then scroll down to "Potentially Unwanted App Blocking" and turn it off.

The article stated that this setting isn't confined to only the Edge browser, but is system-wide.

I re-installed Curtains, and now Start10 seems to be acting normally again. I'm keeping my fingers crossed it keeps working. The icons in the taskbar also seem to be responsive again.

All is well with the world again...