Windows Vista

How to Use Sidebar 32-bit Mode in Windows 7 and Windows Vista 64-bit Editions to Run Silverlight Gadgets

In 64-bit editions of Windows 7 and Windows Vista, the 64-bit Mode of Windows Sidebar auto-starts by default. That means the Sidebar Gadgets (Desktop Gadgets) that use Silverlight, do not run, as 64-bit edition of Silverlight isn’t available yet. For example, take the case of BBC News Gadget when run in Sidebar 64-bit Mode, indicates … Read more

Pin to Taskbar and Pin to Start Menu Options Missing from Shortcuts Context Menu in Windows 7

After deleting the IsShortcut registry value in order to remove the shortcut arrow overlay in shortcuts (.lnk) files, you may notice that the "Pin to Taskbar" and the "Pin to Start Menu" context menu items go missing when you right-click on a shortcut. Also one or more of the context menu items may appear twice, as in the image below.Read more

How to Run a Program Elevated via the Right-Click Menu in Windows 7/Vista?

In the Windows 7 Taskbar, you can start a program elevated by holding the CTRL & SHIFT keys and then clicking on a Pinned shortcut. Unfortunately there are no keyboard shortcuts available to start a program elevated via the context menu. To launch a program elevated from the right-click menu, you can add custom entries and launch it using a script or using the NirCmd utility. Earlier we wrote about the new "elevate" command-line argument in NirCmd, which you can implement in the context menu.Read more

Fix Currency, Stock or Weather Gadgets Not Updating in Windows 7 and Windows Vista

Did the Currency, Stock or the Weather Gadget got stuck and stopped updating in your Windows 7/Vista computer all of a sudden? Clearing the Sidebar Gadgets cache using the following steps might help. Clear the Windows Sidebar Cache Folder Press CTRL+SHIFT+ESC to bring up the Task Manager. Exit Sidebar.exe process via Task Manager. Instructions for … Read more

Fix Event Log Service Error 4201 The Instance Name Passed Was Not Recognized

One of our readers faced a problem where the Windows Event Log failed to start, and as a result, a couple of other services failed as well. Attempting to start the Windows Event Log service manually via the Services MMC resulted in error 4201. The complete error message is provided below:

Windows could not start the Windows Event Log service on Local Computer.

Error 4201: The instance name passed was not recognized as valid by a WMI data provider.

Read more

How to Fix Sidebar Crash “Windows Desktop Gadgets has Stopped Working”

Is your Windows Sidebar (Windows Desktop Gadgets) crashing after adding a third-party gadget, with the error "Windows Desktop Gadgets has stopped working" or "Windows Sidebar has stopped working" (Windows Vista) at every start? You can stop the offending gadget from loading by editing the Windows Sidebar Gadgets settings file. Here are the instructions, which apply to Windows 7 and Windows Vista.Read more