As someone who used to like Windows, you must be living in some alternate reality. I can't tall you the number of things that routinely break in Win10 and then cannot be fixed without an in-place upgrade. Do a search for "Windows 10 start menu doesn't work". That one has happened to me a number of times and none of the "helpful" suggestions from MS ever work except reinstalling the entire OS.
Windows 7: http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2008331/windows-start...
Windows XP: http://www.instant-registry-fixes.org/fix-windows-xp-start-m...
As for the problem you've been experiencing maybe this will work?
https://www.reddit.com/r/Windows10/comments/7olecs/start_men...
I'm not a hardcore Windows tweaker, most of the applications I use at work are either portable[0], or made by Microsoft.
I don't believe I've tried the method outlined in that post, I'll keep it in mind for the inevitable next time that this occurs. Though it does force one to wonder WTF is wrong with Microsoft that they keep suggesting steps that don't work and then reinstallation, while some random internet has to provide the actual solution in the comments[1]. That seems to happen way too often.
[0] Because it's the right way to distribute and manage applications. Case in point: all I had to do was point a toolbar at my Portable Apps folder and as far as my workflow was concerned it was like nothing had ever happened.
[1] Somebody aught to start a charity that seeks out these heroes and buys them beer on behalf of all the people they've saved from pulling their hair out.
[1] - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140806183208-12100070-why-d...
[2] - https://www.computerworld.com/article/2878026/microsoft-to-b...
[3] - https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2014/08/how-m...