Start button, charms and other user interface elements do not respond

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Symptoms

On a device running Windows 8.1, if you use a mouse, touchpad, or touchscreen to drag and drop an item to either the upper-left or upper-right corner of the screen, one or more of the following problems may occur:

There is no response when clicking on the Start button.
Hovering the mouse pointer over the lower or upper right corner of the desktop does not present the charms menu (Search, Share, Start, Devices, and Settings).
Hovering the mouse pointer over the upper left corner of the desktop does not present a list of running Microsoft Store apps.
Hovering the mouse pointer at the top of the screen while in a Microsoft Store app will not present the options to minimize or close the app.

Note: In this scenario, the touch screen or keyboard still work as expected.

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Workaround

To work around this issue, choose one of the following methods:

Method #1: Restart the Windows Explorer Process

Right-click taskbar and select Task Manager.
Locate and select Windows Explorer in the Processes tab.
Right-click Windows Explorer and select Restart.

Method #2: Sign out and then sign back into Windows

Save all data and close any open apps.
Press the Windows logo key using the touch screen or keyboard.
Tap or click your account picture in the upper-right corner of the Start screen, and then choose Sign out.
Once you've signed out, sign in to your PC using the method of your choice.

To prevent this problem from reoccurring, turn off the Corner navigation setting for "When I click the upper-left corner, switch between my recent apps":

Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, tap Settings, and then tap Change PC settings.
(If you're using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer up, click Settings, and then click Change PC settings.)
Select PC and Devices and then Corners and edges.
Under Corner navigation, tap or click the When I click the upper-left corner, switch between my recent apps slider to set it to Off.
Close PC Settings.