CapnNemo100

Join Date 01/0001

Start10 and Start11 are preventing me from updating Win 11 to 24H2

I cannot upgrade Windows 11 to 24H2 due to uninstall problems with Start10 and Start11. Please do not respond to this post with a copy/paste reply because I have tried everything I can find on this website and the forums, and I need a NEW idea about what to do that I have NOT tried already.

I had Start10 installed on Win10. I purchased Start10 on Steam and installed through Steam. I upgraded to Win11. I have used Windows update to bring Win 11 to this:

Windows 11 Pro
Version    23H2
Installed on    ‎Fri, ‎6/‎28/‎2024
OS build    22631.4602
Experience    Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.22700.1055.0

When I tried to update to 24H2 I got a pop-up window saying that the upgrade could not continue because I had Start10 installed. I uninstalled Start10 through steam, rebooted, and tried again. Same upgrade problem. I tried to re-install Start10, and it seemed to install back into the Steam library, but of course it could not fully reinstall because it can't be installed to Win11. So I uninstalled it again.

After the upgrade to 24H2 failed again and again, I tried the Purge_ALL.bat solution listed here: https://forums.stardock.com/486022/start10-support-faq#reinstalling. It failed. I tried many times, running it as administrator, and in safe mode, and rebooting between attempts. I get the same message from 24H2 that it can't upgrade because Start10 is installed and I need to remove or upgrade it to proceed.

So I installed a trial version of Start11. 24H2 wouldn't work. I uninstalled it, ran Purge_ALL.bat again, 24H2 still wouldn't work.

So I PAID FOR Start11 even though I don't need it or want it. 24H2 STILL won't work. Win tells me that Start10 is still installed and it can't upgrade to 24H2.

I did this whole multi-step process several times, not just with the regular install, but also with Revo Uninstaller (removing all residual files) and Geek Uninstaller (same), rebooting, etc. I have also gone through the registry manually, searching for Stardock, Start8, Start10, and Start11. There are some keys remaining, but I am nervous about deleting them manually. I am guessing that there are hidden anti-piracy keys put in the registry that I can't find, that are not removed by Purge_ALL.bat, that are telling Windows that Start10 is still installed. Maybe I'm wrong, but I can't think of any other explanation for this upgrade problem.

I have done the whole install, uninstall, Purge_ALL, reboot, etc. many times. I have spent over 10 hours just trying to fix this problem caused by Stardock and its software.

Please tell me how to proceed.

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Hello,
Sorry to hear you are having issues. I believe you're having the same issue as this poster: https://forums.stardock.com/530476/get;3956283 (reply#136). Please read through his post and the responds from the community and the Dev himself on his and probably your issue too.

Thank you.
Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant.

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Perhaps someone else, even the dev himself, can offer advice? The Windows message says to update to 24H2 I need "the latest version of this app", and I paid for Start11 just so I could update from Start10 and continue to update my Windows machine. I was thinking that paying $15-20 was worth saving myself another 10 hours of wasted time trying to get the software to properly uninstall, so it's really frustrating it did not work.

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DrJBHL

Join Date 04/2002

+4030

Have you tried running sfc /scannow from an elevated command prompt?

Sometimes, missing/damaged system files cause problems updating to 24H2. That's what happened to me, and sfc /scannow fixed the problem.

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Quoting CapnNemo100,

reply 2

Hi, thanks, I read through that thread and tried deleting the folders mentioned. It didn't work for me. I'm not sure who the Dev himself is in that thread, but if he is the person saying that the poster should contact Microsoft because Start11 is compatible with Win11, then that does not apply to my issue, because Start10 is not compatible with Win11, and it is the responsibility of the Start10 dev to provide a way to uninstall the software. I cannot believe that Purge_ALL.bat run in normal mode, as admin, and in safe mode as admin does not actually sufficiently uninstall the software for Windows to recognize it as uninstalled.

Perhaps someone else, even the dev himself, can offer advice? The Windows message says to update to 24H2 I need "the latest version of this app", and I paid for Start11 just so I could update from Start10 and continue to update my Windows machine. I was thinking that paying $15-20 was worth saving myself another 10 hours of wasted time trying to get the software to properly uninstall, so it's really frustrating it did not work.

The problem here is we have absolutely no information on what on earth Microsoft are looking for to 'detect' the installation of Start10.

The only people who know are Microsoft. If you have uninstalled the software then it is not installed so it is up to them to make their software work correctly. It is true that Start10 itself is not compatible with Windows 11 (being designed for Windows 10), but that should not stop you upgrading from 23h2 to 24h2 as if it were to cause a problem it would have been doing so in 23H2 too! It being installed will not cause crashes in the OS, it will just not work as designed.

As a note on how terrible their system is, in the past they have detected a folder named Start11 (and perhaps Start10) anywhere on your system, copies of files from other OSes in dual boot setups, files in backups etc. Why exactly they don't simply look in installed apps, or program files for the exes I have no idea. Contacting the developers would also make some sense you would think...

We will be contacting them about their awful detection systems though as this is an appalling mess they have made of it all.

What I would do is check you do not have any files or folders named Start10 anywhere on your system.

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