Solved Edge and Store Apps have disappeared

[Star777]

Hello,
For a long time my computer was running very slowly but did not have time to do anything about until lately I have been receving a lot of junk emails and started feeling suspicious and searched the web.

Yesterday night I have downloaded Malwarebytes and after scanning, it detected 14 issues which have been quarantine. Today when I started the computer the Edge and Store icon were gone from the task bar and all Apps downloaded from the Store and already installed by Windows like Calendar etc. have gone too, not even in the list of the Apps. The whole configuration of Start has changed and all the apps present are defined new, and on recent used, there are apps I have never downloaded and never used. Those apps that were in the Start Menu on the right have completely gone.

Edge works because when I try to open a file from Windows Mail, as Edge is default browser, it opens but when i narrow it, it just disappears and cannot find it anywhere.

When I opened Windows Mail there was a bill from my telephone company and just after some minutes another arrived which looked just the same but when I opened it ,it had an attachment rar file and it was obvious it was not from the company, (they never send me the bill I have to log into their website to download it) so discard it as junk. But for sure there was a virus in there. So I am starting to freak out that there is something going on in the computer.

If I use another account user in the same computer Edge and Store are there and are working fine.

I have run the troubleshooter for Windows apps, this is the result.

"Windows store cache maybe damaged" Not resolved

The Store app opened and when I tried to download an app that I used to use, it only gives me the option to open it, (I suppose recognizing that I have it already installed) which it does but when I close it, it disappears again and cannot find it. Same as the Store app.

This is what I have done so far:

- Deleted Malwarebyte from Uninstall programs.

- Carried two System restore from different dates and both times it states the following:

Impossible to complete System restore. Error during restore of directory from point of restore.

Origin: AppxStaging

Destination: %ProgramFiles%\WindowApps

Error not specified during system restore

(0x80070091)

- command prompt admin

I have run sfc / scannow and it revealed nothing

- Windows PowerShell with following 3 times:

Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers| Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml”}

Rebooted but no difference. It states the following:

Get AppxPackage: denied Access

Category info: Not specified unathorized access exception

FullyqualifiederrorID: system unauthorizedaccess exception. microsoft.windowsappx package manager command get appx package

- in Command prompt Admin I run the following:

dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth

Reboot and nothing happened.

- I have found Edge in the SystemApps folder and pinned it to Start from there, it appears but when I click on it nothing happens, same if I put it in the taskbar.

- last thing I just tried from PowerShell the following command:

Add-AppxPackage -Path "C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe\AppxManifest.xml" -Register -DisableDevelopmentMode

But nothing has happened again. Is this problem due to some virus I have in the computer, at the moment it is much slower than before.

Thank you for your help.

 

[TwinHeadedEagle]

Hello,

Do you have MalwareBytes scan report that shows what 14 threats were detected?

 

[Star777]

Thank you for your reply. No, I have not saved it, I got so scared and deleted the program, so I do not know if it can be retrieved from the computer.
Yesterday I have created another user account and everything seems to work fine, all windows apps are there and was able to download the apps from the Store. The only thing that the computer is far to slow in opening anything.

The problem seems to be only with the user account I have been using all the time. I run App troubleshooter again and says that Apps cache is damaged cannot resolve.

I could move all files to the new created account and cancel this one but that does not solve the problem if there is some virus or malware.
I have been advised to reset the computer but I am scared to lose something in the process. This is an oldish pc which had windows 7 and got upgraded to Windows 10.
Don't really know what to do.
Thank you.

 

[TwinHeadedEagle]

Fix with AdwCleaner

Please download AdwCleaner by Xplode and save the file to your Desktop.

• Right-click on
  
  icon and select
  
  Run as Administrator to start the tool.
• Accept the Terms of use.
• Wait until the database is updated.
• Click Scan.
• When finished, please click Clean.
• Your PC should reboot now.
• After reboot, logfile will be opened. Copy its content into your next reply.

Note: Reports will be saved in your system partition, usually at C:\Adwcleaner

 

[Star777]

Thank you, I will that now.

 

[Star777]

I found two reports in c:\Adwcleaner.

 

[Star777]

May I also ask for your advise with the following. During the past year, on two occasions I could not access the Internet through this computer (ok with smartphone) from the Internet provider, both times, they had me uninstall the Network adapter and install it again and it has worked, but the technician who was over the phone was surprised as to how slow the computer was and told me that maybe these needed to be changed. Could this be the reason? It takes 1 minute to enter Chrome and a bit more to open fully Gmail. With Edge is a bit less. But now that I am going from one account to another it takes about more than 1 minute to open. Maybe it is normal for such a small computer?

 

[TwinHeadedEagle]

If it is an old PC that is very possible.

 

[Star777]

I was hoping that you could tell me, from the reports, why the apps disappeared after scanning with MalwareBytes and if there was something wrong with the computer and if there is anything I can do to prevent it from happening again. Thank you

 

[TwinHeadedEagle]

Perhaps I would have been able to tell you if you hadn't deleted MalwareBytes, but you people can't understand that deleting a program and its quarantine won't solve the problem and that quarantined items can't harm you. When some program causes a problem you should keep it so that experts can see what caused the problem. So my answer is no I cannot answer this question.

 

[Star777]

Thank you anyway.