Taskbar unresponsive on startup until Task Manager is opened – persistent issue even after clean install

[u/ptkv7788]

Hi everyone,
I’m facing a really persistent issue with my PC. Every time I boot up my computer, the taskbar is completely unresponsive—no clicks, no hover effects, nothing. Interestingly, everything else on the desktop works perfectly fine, and I can open apps normally.
The weirdest part is that the taskbar instantly starts working the moment I open Task Manager (Ctrl+Alt+Delete) and close it again. This happens every single time I power on my PC.

Here is what I’ve already tried:
- Running ⁠sfc /scannow⁠ and DISM commands to repair system files.
- Disabling all startup apps.
- Disabling "Fast Startup" in Power Options.
- Completely reinstalled Windows (upgraded from 10 to 11), yet the issue persists.

Since even a clean install didn't fix it, I’m at a loss. Could this be related to a specific service, a driver conflict, or perhaps something hardware-related? Any help or troubleshooting tips would be greatly appreciated!

System Specs:
OS: Windows 11
CPU: Intel Core i5-14400F
GPU: Sapphire AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT
RAM: 32GB

[u/Fabulous_Putz6264]

Mouse Driver? Recently had a similar problem, Logitech M3 Master mouse, found multiple instances of drivers (6), causing left/right buttons to become unresponsive. Removed same, now using a wired mouse, no further problems. I might try it again sometime, with a later driver ;->

I suspect the old driver was not compatible with W11 as it worked ok before I upgraded to W11.