Startallback Reset 2021 May 2026

Before you reset, ask yourself: Is it worth it? For the power user, yes. The 15 minutes spent purging registry keys and re-pinning icons is a small price to pay for a workflow that saves hours of frustration with the native Windows 11 interface.

Consequently, the "reset" is often a ritual of patience: Uninstall SAB, install the Windows update, reboot, reinstall the new SAB version. This is not a bug; it is the inevitable cost of deep system customization on a moving target. Because manual registry cleaning is tedious, the community has created PowerShell scripts that automate the Tier 3 reset. A typical script looks like this (simplified): startallback reset

And if you choose to reset? Backup your registry first. You have been warned. Before you reset, ask yourself: Is it worth it

Stop-Process -Name explorer -Force Stop-Service -Name StartAllBack* -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue Remove-Item -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\StartIsBack" -Recurse -Force Remove-Item -Path "HKCU:\SOFTWARE\StartIsBack" -Recurse -Force Remove-Item -Path "$env:ProgramFiles\StartAllBack" -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue Start-Process -FilePath "C:\Windows\explorer.exe" Write-Host "Reset complete. Reinstall StartAllBack." Never download such scripts from random forums. They could contain malware that deletes shadow copies or steals data. The only safe script is one you write yourself or one from the official StartAllBack support forum. Part 6: The Last Resort – The Clean Windows Install There is a dark truth: sometimes resetting StartAllBack is not enough. If the software has been installed across multiple Windows feature updates (e.g., from 21H2 to 23H2), the registry becomes layered with obsolete compatibility shims. In these cases, the nuclear reset fails. Explorer remains unstable. Consequently, the "reset" is often a ritual of

But if you find yourself resetting StartAllBack more than once a month, the problem is not the software—it is the tension between customization and stability. At that point, consider switching to a different customization tool (ExplorerPatcher, or the open-source Windhawk) or simply learning to love the Windows 11 Start Menu. The choice, as always, belongs to the user holding the mouse.