Windows Gadget Help

[Prudie]

After 2 weeks switched off my laptop will no longer display my desktop gadgets (weather and currency). Just blank boxes with message 'cannot connect to service. I'm running Win 7 and on searching Microsoft see they say gadgets have been discontinued on 7 and Vista although available on 8.1. Is this true, has it just happened, is there any other way I can get similar without upgrading to 8.1? It's a Dell laptop not an ipad so apple apps no good.

[Old_Geezer]

The weather one I have on the work PC has the same issue. I just thought that maybe the site holding the weather data had gone off the Net maybe ? If they have been deliberately discontinued on one OS only then that seems a spiteful thing to do.

[Old_Geezer]

PS the clock one still works ;-)

[Prudie]

Yes my clock one still works too which is strange!

[Prudie]

This is the paste from MS:-
Gadgets are no longer available on our website because the Windows Sidebar platform in Windows 7 and Windows Vista has serious vulnerabilities. Microsoft has retired the feature in newer releases of Windows. Gadgets could be exploited to harm your computer, access your computer's files, show you objectionable content, or change their behavior at any time. An attacker could even use a gadget to take complete control of your PC. If you're concerned about the safety of gadgets you’ve downloaded, find out more about gadgets and steps you can take to protect your PC.

[Old_Geezer]

Wow. Well there's a confession of security incompetence.

[hc4361]

The gadgets were disabled a long time ago

[Prudie]

Well as said they were working 2 weeks ago - is that what you call a long time?

[gingejbee]

Yes, you can get your gadgets back, with this work-around:


http://www.sevenforums.com/gadgets/360129-weather-gadget-not-updating-anymore-2.html

[Prudie]

Thanks gingebee but once I'd actually found that program the 'save' option was greyed out, only 'save as' is available and I wouldn't know what or where to save it.

[gingejbee]

...probably Nature's way of telling you that you may be better off without them, given the "vulnerabilities". I got rid many moons ago!

[Prudie]

Surely there must be other ways of having personalised desktop icons such as weather on a laptop?

[hc4361]

They were discontinued in 2013, Prudie. I really don't know how you've kept them going that long.
Look at this old thread:
http://discussions.virtualdr.com/showthread.php?261253-Gadgets-discontinued-in-Windows-7

[Old_Geezer]

Mine only stopped recently also. Didn't notice the exact date. About two weeks seems right.

[galeck1947]

Microsoft for sometime did not allow side bar gadgets because of a security problem and removed from their download site. From what I read the were prone to hacking due to the way they were configured . This applied to Windows Vista and Windows 7 .

[Prudie]

Thanks galeck but can anyone explain why I (and Old Geezer) had 2 weather gadgets updating daily on my laptop ( I looked at them constantly)until I shut it down on Sunday 5th July and went on holiday. I returned on Mon 20th July, fired up and they were not available. Certainly on my laptop they have not been gone for a long time.

[hc4361]

I can only guess that the gadgets you had were not Microsoft.

[Old_Geezer]

They came with Windows !

[Prudie]

I haven't really had an answer to my question so I'll give BA to Old Geezer for confirming I'm not talking rubbish :-)