Problem With Sidebar & Gadgets

OS: Windows Vista Ultimate SP2, fully patched & updated
System: Dell Inspiron 1545, 4 GB ram, 320 GB hard drive, Intel Core 2 Duo
processor 2 GHz.

Initially, I had a problem with my sidebar gadgets getting out of order each
time I turned on or restarted my computer. I hacked the registry, which
enabled me to keep my sidebar gadgets in order, but now I can't add any new
gadgets except for the ones that either I already had downloaded and
installed (WoW Explorer and App Launcher), or that came with WinVsta
Ultimate.

Allow me to explain: I go to
http://vista.gallery.microsoft.com/v...aspx?mkt=en-us and
download, for example, Fb Explorer. It saves to the Downloads director just
fine, but when I double click on it to open/install, I get the error
message:

Windows cannot open this file.

File: Fbexplorer.gadget

To open this file, Windows needs to know what program you want to use to
open it ...

It's the standard error message one would get when trying to open an
"unassociated" file. My question is this: To what program to I associate
the *.gadget file so that it will open properly and give me the option of
installing it to the list of available gadgets?

Thank you in advance for your time and assistance.

Sincerely,
Debby Hanoka

Gadgets are opened by Windows Sidebar.
That should be Program Files\Windows Sidebar\sidebar.exe

....Alan
--
Alan Edwards, MS MVP Windows - Internet Explorer
http://dts-l.com/index.htm



On Thu, 7 Jan 2010 20:22:00 -0500, in
microsoft.public.windows.vista.general, "Debby Hanoka"
<> wrote:

>OS: Windows Vista Ultimate SP2, fully patched & updated
>System: Dell Inspiron 1545, 4 GB ram, 320 GB hard drive, Intel Core 2 Duo
>processor 2 GHz.
>
>Initially, I had a problem with my sidebar gadgets getting out of order each
>time I turned on or restarted my computer. I hacked the registry, which
>enabled me to keep my sidebar gadgets in order, but now I can't add any new
>gadgets except for the ones that either I already had downloaded and
>installed (WoW Explorer and App Launcher), or that came with WinVsta
>Ultimate.
>
>Allow me to explain: I go to
>http://vista.gallery.microsoft.com/v...aspx?mkt=en-us and
>download, for example, Fb Explorer. It saves to the Downloads director just
>fine, but when I double click on it to open/install, I get the error
>message:
>
>Windows cannot open this file.
>
>File: Fbexplorer.gadget
>
>To open this file, Windows needs to know what program you want to use to
>open it ...
>
>It's the standard error message one would get when trying to open an
>"unassociated" file. My question is this: To what program to I associate
>the *.gadget file so that it will open properly and give me the option of
>installing it to the list of available gadgets?
>
>Thank you in advance for your time and assistance.
>
>Sincerely,
>Debby Hanoka
>

Alan,

Thank you for your response. I forgot to mention that I am using Vista
Ultimate 64-bit.

I took your suggestion and "associated" the *.gadget files with c:\Program
Files\Windows Sidebar\sidebar.exe, and double-clicked the file to install
it. It did nothing. I got the hourglass for a few seconds, the CPU Meter
gadget fluttered, but the gadget did not open or allow me to install it to
the sidebar. Do you or anyone else have any other suggestions?

Thank you,
Debby Hanoka



"Alan Edwards" <> wrote in message
news:...
> Gadgets are opened by Windows Sidebar.
> That should be Program Files\Windows Sidebar\sidebar.exe
>
> ...Alan
> --
> Alan Edwards, MS MVP Windows - Internet Explorer
> http://dts-l.com/index.htm
>
>
>
> On Thu, 7 Jan 2010 20:22:00 -0500, in
> microsoft.public.windows.vista.general, "Debby Hanoka"
> <> wrote:
>
>>OS: Windows Vista Ultimate SP2, fully patched & updated
>>System: Dell Inspiron 1545, 4 GB ram, 320 GB hard drive, Intel Core 2 Duo
>>processor 2 GHz.
>>
>>Initially, I had a problem with my sidebar gadgets getting out of order
>>each
>>time I turned on or restarted my computer. I hacked the registry, which
>>enabled me to keep my sidebar gadgets in order, but now I can't add any
>>new
>>gadgets except for the ones that either I already had downloaded and
>>installed (WoW Explorer and App Launcher), or that came with WinVsta
>>Ultimate.
>>
>>Allow me to explain: I go to
>>http://vista.gallery.microsoft.com/v...aspx?mkt=en-us and
>>download, for example, Fb Explorer. It saves to the Downloads director
>>just
>>fine, but when I double click on it to open/install, I get the error
>>message:
>>
>>Windows cannot open this file.
>>
>>File: Fbexplorer.gadget
>>
>>To open this file, Windows needs to know what program you want to use to
>>open it ...
>>
>>It's the standard error message one would get when trying to open an
>>"unassociated" file. My question is this: To what program to I associate
>>the *.gadget file so that it will open properly and give me the option of
>>installing it to the list of available gadgets?
>>
>>Thank you in advance for your time and assistance.
>>
>>Sincerely,
>>Debby Hanoka
>>

Sorry, but I have no other suggestions, apart from the obvious, which
would be to undo your Registry hack.

....Alan
--
Alan Edwards, MS MVP Windows - Internet Explorer
http://dts-l.com/index.htm


On Fri, 8 Jan 2010 11:45:33 -0500, in
microsoft.public.windows.vista.general, "Debby Hanoka"
<> wrote:

>Alan,
>
>Thank you for your response. I forgot to mention that I am using Vista
>Ultimate 64-bit.
>
>I took your suggestion and "associated" the *.gadget files with c:\Program
>Files\Windows Sidebar\sidebar.exe, and double-clicked the file to install
>it. It did nothing. I got the hourglass for a few seconds, the CPU Meter
>gadget fluttered, but the gadget did not open or allow me to install it to
>the sidebar. Do you or anyone else have any other suggestions?
>
>Thank you,
>Debby Hanoka
>
>
>
>"Alan Edwards" <> wrote in message
>news:.. .
>> Gadgets are opened by Windows Sidebar.
>> That should be Program Files\Windows Sidebar\sidebar.exe
>>
>> ...Alan
>> --
>> Alan Edwards, MS MVP Windows - Internet Explorer
>> http://dts-l.com/index.htm
>>
>>
>>
>> On Thu, 7 Jan 2010 20:22:00 -0500, in
>> microsoft.public.windows.vista.general, "Debby Hanoka"
>> <> wrote:
>>
>>>OS: Windows Vista Ultimate SP2, fully patched & updated
>>>System: Dell Inspiron 1545, 4 GB ram, 320 GB hard drive, Intel Core 2 Duo
>>>processor 2 GHz.
>>>
>>>Initially, I had a problem with my sidebar gadgets getting out of order
>>>each
>>>time I turned on or restarted my computer. I hacked the registry, which
>>>enabled me to keep my sidebar gadgets in order, but now I can't add any
>>>new
>>>gadgets except for the ones that either I already had downloaded and
>>>installed (WoW Explorer and App Launcher), or that came with WinVsta
>>>Ultimate.
>>>
>>>Allow me to explain: I go to
>>>http://vista.gallery.microsoft.com/v...aspx?mkt=en-us and
>>>download, for example, Fb Explorer. It saves to the Downloads director
>>>just
>>>fine, but when I double click on it to open/install, I get the error
>>>message:
>>>
>>>Windows cannot open this file.
>>>
>>>File: Fbexplorer.gadget
>>>
>>>To open this file, Windows needs to know what program you want to use to
>>>open it ...
>>>
>>>It's the standard error message one would get when trying to open an
>>>"unassociated" file. My question is this: To what program to I associate
>>>the *.gadget file so that it will open properly and give me the option of
>>>installing it to the list of available gadgets?
>>>
>>>Thank you in advance for your time and assistance.
>>>
>>>Sincerely,
>>>Debby Hanoka
>>>

I too am using Vista Ultimate 64 with all updates. Initially, back i
Feb/Mar 2009 I had problems with gadgets to stay locked on the deskto
or opening at start. Am now using the CPU Usage/Calander/Wheather/ an
clock
What I ended up doing was undocking the gadgets from the side bar t
the desktop and then closing the sidebar. Somewhere along the line
probably with an update, not only do the gadgets stay where I locke
them on the desktop but they open when I have to do a start/resart

I would go back and re edit the registry to back to normal and do a
update just in case and then lock them (the gadgets)to the desktop
forget the sidebar

--
cwl7454