Windows Server 2012R2: missing Power and Search Button on Start screen.

Recently, after installing a Windows Server 2012R2, I noticed the Start screen was missing the Power and Search buttons. All of my previous Windows Server 2012R2 installations had the Power and Search button on the start screen, I used the same ISO to install, and Windows was up to date. After researching, this issue can affect Windows Server 2012R2 as well as Windows 8.1. Here is a screenshot of my Start screen missing both the Power and Search buttons:

The solution is simple: KB2919355 needs to be installed. However, you need to make sure you install the following updates in this order:
1. Prerequisite: KB2919442
2. Install KB2919355 that has multiple downloads in it, which can be directly downloaded from the Microsoft Download Center:
– Windows 8.1 x86
– Windows 8.1 x64
– Server 2012 R2 x64
Important note: once downloaded, these updates need to be installed in the following order:
– clearcompressionflag.exe
– KB2919355 (reboot after installation, if fixed you can skip the rest)
– KB2932046
– KB2959977
– KB2937592
– KB2938439
– KB2934018

Once KB2919355 is installed and you reboot, you should now see the Power and Search buttons on the Start screen as displayed below:

And one more final note: once KB2919355 is installed, run Windows Updates and you’ll probably need to install a few hundred updates again.