My aunt was trying to take a screenshot on a Windows 11 HP laptop and followed a suggested keyboard shortcut. Afterward, Outlook, Microsoft Store, and other Windows apps became gray and show an "Explorer.exe class not registered" error whenever they are opened. The Windows search box and Start button also no longer work. Restarting Windows Explorer through Task Manager did not fix anything, and restarting the computer also had no effect. I would like to repair the system without formatting it. The screenshot shortcuts she tried were Fn + Windows + Shift + S, Fn + PrtSc, and Windows + Shift + S.
2 Answers
What exactly appears when you try to open one of the affected apps? A screenshot or the full wording of the error would help identify whether this is only an Explorer issue or a broader Windows component problem.
Have you already restarted the computer, rather than only restarting the Explorer process in Task Manager? If a full restart has been tried and the error remains, the exact message and a screenshot of it would be useful before attempting repairs.
Yes, I restarted the computer and the problem is still there.
It shows the same “Explorer.exe class not registered” message, and restarting the computer did not change anything.