Fix Start and Taskbar hangs in latest Windows 11 Dev and Beta builds

Earlier, Microsoft released two new insider builds of Windows 11 for the Dev and Beta channels. Issues at the same moment, the have the build numbers 22449 (Dev) and 22000.176 (Beta). However, there was a server-side issue with the distribution of these builds, which caused many users to fail to get the new releases properly.

Microsoft has update the release notes for both builds, and noted the following.

Windows Insiders in both the Dev and Beta Channels began reporting that Start and Taskbar were unresponsive and Settings and other areas of the OS wouldn’t load. We quickly discovered an issue with a server-side deployment that went out to Insiders and canceled that deployment.

If you are affected, Microsoft comes with the following workaround.

How to Fix Start and Taskbar hangs in latest Windows 11 22449 (Dev) and 22000.176 (Beta)

1. Step 1: Use CTRL-ALT-DEL and choose to open Task Manager.
2. Step 2: Choose “More details” at the bottom of Task Manager to expand Task Manager.
3. Step 3: Go to “File” and choose “Run new task”.
4. Step 4: Type “cmd” in the “Open” field.
5. Step 5: Paste the following command:
   reg delete HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\IrisService /f && shutdown -r -t 0
6. Step 6: Hit Enter, and then your PC should reboot. After rebooting, everything should be back to normal.

Some users report that Microsoft has already fixed the issue and redistributes the updates, but nothing appears on my end.

If you ask me how to deal with Dev builds, I suggest you to pause Windows Update for a few days before installing a new preliminary release. This could save you from critical bugs like this. You can resume it later and get the bleeding edge software after the issues get sorted.