Windows 8.1 'Change PC Settings' link won't work?

Infopackets Reader Barry P. writes:

" Dear Dennis,

I'm running Windows 8.1. When I go to the Settings menu and then click on the 'Change PC Settings' link, nothing happens. It shows for a quick glimpse, but then disappears almost immediately after. I simply can't get into the PC Settings to make changes to my computer. Any ideas how to fix this problem? "

My response:

This is a very common problem that plagues Windows 8.1 users, especially those that upgraded from Windows 8 previously. Based on various posts I've read online, the same issue can result in a blank screen when the PC Settings link is clicked, or users are taken back to the start screen afterward, as if nothing was clicked in the first place. Some users have also reported that the PC Settings crashes after it's clicked.

At any rate, you should be able to fix the problem by running a Windows PowerShell command. PowerShell is similar to the Windows command prompt, but is more for geared toward system administrators. Here are the steps to get the Change PC Settings link working again:

1. Using your mouse, highlight the below text, then right click over top of the highlighted text, and select Copy to place it into your clipboard:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $Env:SystemRoot\ImmersiveControlPanel\AppxManifest.xml

2. Click the Start Menu, and type in "powershell" (no quotes). When the PowerShell icon appears in the start menu, right click it and select Run as Administrator. A blue PowerShell window should appear on the screen.

3. Inside the blue PowerShell window, right click your mouse and select "Paste" from the context menu. Note: if you have the Quick Edit option enabled, the context menu will not appear and instead the command you copied above will be output directly to the command prompt. This is effectively a shortcut to selecting Paste, so the output is desirable.

4. Once the command is output on the command line, press Enter on the keyboard to execute the command.

Your issue should now be resolved. Go to the Settings page again (you can press the Windows Key + the letter "I" to access it using the keyboard), then click the Change PC Settings link again. It should now work.

Note: Barry emailed me back to say that this resolved his problem.

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About the author: Dennis Faas is the owner and operator of Infopackets.com. With over 30 years of computing experience, Dennis' areas of expertise are a broad range and include PC hardware, Microsoft Windows, Linux, network administration, and virtualization. Dennis holds a Bachelors degree in Computer Science (1999) and has authored 6 books on the topics of MS Windows and PC Security. If you like the advice you received on this page, please up-vote / Like this page and share it with friends. For technical support inquiries, Dennis can be reached via Live chat online this site using the Zopim Chat service (currently located at the bottom left of the screen); optionally, you can contact Dennis through the website contact form.