Repeat problem with Windows Spotlight, after fix from last year doesn't fix anymore. UPDATE *FIXED*!
Last edited Sun Jan 21, 2024, 08:14 PM - Edit history (1)
*** ON EDIT: *FIXED*, Spotlight is back. See Post #4 below. ***Well, last year I didn't even know the name of the program (Spotlight) to get fixed. Now I do but this time the problem is worse.
I've learned some really basic things - like the difference between the Login screen and the Lock screen Background/Desktop screen.
*** So the 3-4 years with this laptop, there has been this nice feature, now I know as "Spotlight", that upon Powering On puts beautiful pictures of whatever (landscapes, architecture, animals) with the option to Like/or Not, and if Not, immediate replacement with something else. That's on the Login screen, then at logging in sent to the Desktop where you have a SEPARATE option of your own personal Picture choice permanently Background.
*** So the problem last year and now: The Spotlight beautiful picture feature is gone. The fix was to go to Settings, selecting Personalization, then setting both (separately) the Lock Screen (Log in) and the Background (desktop) visuals. Last year this fix worked, getting Spotlight in the Log in screen and the personal picture in the Background screen. Can do this - keeping each separately. But the CHANGING Spotlight doesn't CHANGE, and shows not a beautiful visual, but rather a screen-saver type frozen abstract image.
*** Last time discovering all those options, via Google, worked. This time I did all those things and couldn't achieve the working Spotlight. And this time went through the Windows Chat for two hours, with the chat-ER tech going through (for himself) all of those things I had already done, then finally in exasperation getting into those Advanced little black box typing formulas including some kind of Advanced scanof the System that resulted in finding and fixing some Corrupt files. And the result was THE SAME non-working screens for Spotlight. So the Tech went to a Download page to (re-)install Windows 11 and said my internet connection is slow and will take a couple of hours that he's not allowed to sit through, and signed out just telling me to leave the computer On and when done, get back to them if needed.
I could see ZERO downloading activity going on but left it on all night. FEARING that my documents and pictures and programs would be gone. When it was all over there was ZERO downloading activity evident, my stuff is still there sort-of with some re-Opening needed, but the Spotlight still not working.
Anybody's insight will be appreciated.
= new reply since forum marked as read
But I think a very recent Windows update is responsible for this strange behaviour.
Suspecting as much when I read your post, I went to Personalization and changed from my normal, neutral grey background to Spotlight and it seemed to work OK. I noticed that I could alter the destop picture from the Settings home screen - no need to go into Personalization. This is new.
Fun and games when I tried to change it back. I have a dark bluish grey accent colour for taskbar and windows. Taskbar text should be white. All of a sudden the taskbar and window text was half white, half black (and almost unreadable). I silently cursed you. 
Anyhow, after fifteen minutes of trying various combinations I restored my neutral, easy-on-the-eyes colour scheme and made a restore point.
So I guess, the only thing I can suggest is play around with it. You can chose to combine elements of various Schemes for the look you want. But I can attest that Spotlight is still working, at least on my machine.
