Windows 11 Critical System Corruption – Explorer, Taskbar, and Network Not Working (DLL Errors

Question

Windows 11 Critical System Corruption – Explorer, Taskbar, and Network Not Working (DLL Errors

VFX artist 0

Hello everyone,

I’m facing a serious issue with my Windows 11 system and need help

Device: PC (no recent hardware changes)

Problems I’m facing:

Taskbar is completely missing

Start menu is not opening

Windows Explorer opens but shows nothing / not working properly

Settings app is not opening

Internet/WiFi not working (shows “Disconnected” even when enabled)

Errors I’m getting:

Bad Image Error:

CrossDeviceResume.exe – Bad Image

VCRUNTIME140_1_APP.dll error (0xc000012f)

Network Error:

The following helper DLL cannot be loaded: DOT3CFG.DLL

PowerShell Errors:

Multiple AppX package errors

Missing files / invalid PRI files

Deployment failed (HRESULT errors like 0x80073CF6, 0x80073D02)

What I have already tried:

Restarted Windows Explorer

Ran PowerShell AppX re-registration command

Tried opening network settings via commands

Attempted netsh commands (but DLL error appears)

SFC scan (failed earlier)

Current situation:

System UI is partially broken

Network stack seems corrupted

Many system files/DLLs appear missing or damaged

Thanks in advance IMG-20260407-WA0002

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2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

David-M 109.1K Independent Advisor

In this case, your best option is an In-place Upgrade. But you will need a Windows 11 ISO file to perform the procedure. You can download the ISO file using another device with internet access and then transfer the file to the computer affected by the problem.

In-place Upgrade reinstalls Windows, which helps to fix problems. However, it is a simple procedure, and you have the option to keep files, settings, and apps. Therefore, all your data is kept.

(If you have a third-party antivirus installed, try temporarily disabling it during the entire procedure.)

Download the ISO file to perform the procedure:

Access the link below;

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows11

Under Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO), click Select download and select Windows 11 (multi-edition ISO for x64 devices);
Click Download;
Choose the language and click on Confirm;
Then, click 64-bit Download.
Wait for the download to complete, transfer the file to the computer experiencing the problem, and then proceed with the steps below.

After downloading the ISO, do the following:

Double-click the ISO to run;

(After running the ISO, you may need to double-click the Setup file to start the procedure.)

On the Install Windows 11 screen, uncheck I want to help make the installation of Windows better and select Change how Windows Setup download updates;
On the next screen, select Not right now and click Next;
Accept the terms of use;
On the Ready to install screen, select Choose what to keep and select what you want to keep.

(It is in this step that you must check Keep personal files and apps so that all your data is kept.)

Click on Install and wait for the procedure to finish. Your computer may restart several times.

After completing the procedure, check if everything is working as expected.

If you get any errors or the problem persists, please let me know.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have.

VFX artist 0 Reputation points

2026-04-07T19:16:38.7133333+00:00

Thanks for your response

As I cannot access my disk/window explorer so I cannot transfer the file into my current pc ,I have downloaded the ISO and make it bootable pendrive any further suggestions to keep my files or applications ?

Or what if I connect another hard drive (2nd) which I have running OS installed in that drive I can boot it ,so if download ISO in that 2nd drive can I run the iso from the 2nd drive ?

One more thing - this is my 5th time from the last month I'm reinstalling window for some of error continuously getting till now
David-M 109.1K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-04-07T19:37:23.1933333+00:00
As I cannot access my disk/window explorer so I cannot transfer the file into my current pc ,I have downloaded the ISO and make it bootable pendrive any further suggestions to keep my files or applications ?

Unfortunately, with installation media, your only viable option is a clean Windows installation. I'll leave a tip below the answers to your questions that might help you recover your files.

Do you know how to perform a clean installation, or do you need instructions?

Or what if I connect another hard drive (2nd) which I have running OS installed in that drive I can boot it ,so if download ISO in that 2nd drive can I run the iso from the 2nd drive ?

Unfortunately, it is not possible to perform an In-place Upgrade on the affected drive by booting from a different one. The upgrade process must be launched from within the Windows session you intend to repair.

One more thing - this is my 5th time from the last month I'm reinstalling window for some of error continuously getting till now

If this is the fifth time you've had to reinstall Windows, I suspect a hardware problem. Probably on the disk where the system is installed.

Hardware problems on the disk can cause files to become corrupted over time. If it's a system file, the system exhibits the behaviors you're experiencing.

If you have important files stored on your system drive, you can try to recover your files using the method explained in the steps below.

Start your computer using the installation media;

Choose the language, select "Next", and press "Shift + F10" to open the Command Prompt;

In Command Prompt, type the command below and press Enter.

notepad

Notepad will open. Click on "File" and select "Save As";

A window will open that allows you to browse the files on your computer. Through this window, you can make a copy of your files.

Note: There will be other partitions that are usually hidden in Windows. The system partition, which is usually (C:), should be (D:), and your files will be in the "Users<username>" folder.

After performing a clean install, I suggest checking the disk health using Crystal Disk Info. If you prefer, you can connect the disk containing the system affected by the problem to a working PC and use Crystal Disk Info.

Download it from the page at the link below.

https://crystalmark.info/en/download/#CrystalDiskInfo

(On this same page, there is the download of another app. The "Crystal Mark". Do not download Crystal Disk Mark. Download only the "Crystal Disk Info".)

Download the "Standard Edition" by clicking on the "ZIP" button.

Extract the ZIP and run the file "DiskInfo64.exe".

The health result of your HD/SSD will be displayed. See if there are any alerts.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have.

Standard Disclaimer: There is a link to a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it.
VFX artist 0 Reputation points

2026-04-07T19:43:40.5333333+00:00

Surely thanks for your valuable guidance

I'll do the clean boot as I have done early,but yeah you must be right,my hardware maybe faulty I'll do check using crystal disk

Thanks for your response David!

Answer 2

Hi. I'm David, and I'm happy to help you.

If SFC also failed, the corruption appears to be severe.

Did this happen after installing an update?

Try using System Restore. Use a restore point created before the problem started. This will take your computer back to the state it was in when the restore point was created.

In your case, I believe you won't be able to start the procedure from within Windows. Therefore, start your computer in the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) as instructed below.

Press "Ctrl + Alt + Del" to open the security screen. Select the "Power" icon in the bottom-right corner. While holding down the "Shift" key, click "Restart". Your PC will boot into the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE)

(If you are unable to open the security screen, please let me know.)

After booting the computer into WinRE, on the Choose an option screen, select "Troubleshoot > Advanced options > System Restore" and follow the onscreen instructions.

Note: System Restore does not affect your documents, images, or other personal data.

If the problem persists or you are unable to complete the procedure, please let me know.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have.

David-M 109.1K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-04-07T18:01:18.0966667+00:00

Sorry. Duplicated post.
VFX artist 0 Reputation points

2026-04-07T18:33:16.8266667+00:00

Thanks for your response David

I have tried system restore i found two files over there , successfully I have restored them ,but still I got the error and facing the same issue as early

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Windows 11 Critical System Corruption – Explorer, Taskbar, and Network Not Working (DLL Errors

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