Windows 7: Desktop Gadgets not working.

Hi. I am having trouble with my desktop gadgets. I try to run it but the response is Settings.ini is being used by another process. Close the program and then click Retry, or click Cancel to exit.

Please help me. Thanks a lot.

Welcome
MS has warned that gadgets should be turned off, as they are a security threat.
Run a full anti virus scan
Download and run a full scan with Malwarebytes. If negative disable gadgets.
Gadgets - Enable or Disable

Thank you for your advice. I ran a full scan but the same problem appears. Settings.ini is being used by another process. Close the program and then click Retry, or click Cancel to exit. I couldn't even enable or disable the desktop gadgets. There is also a balloon which says Browser Companion Helper crashed. Please help. I don't know what to do.

Welcome to Seven Forums MariTes. Rich was mentioning that Microsoft has recommended disabling the sidebar for security reasons

Microsoft Security Advisory (2719662): Vulnerabilities in Gadgets Could Allow Remote Code Execution

That said, should you choose not to, here is an attempt to fix your problem. navigate to

C:\users\(Your user name)\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Sidebar

and rename the Settings.ini to Settings.old , and reboot. See if this has fixed it. If not, you can rename back to Settings.ini. I would then suggest creating a new user account and see if it works correctly there. A Guy

Thank you very much for your reply. It really helped. Now my window gadgets are working properly. But, another problem occurred. It say that my Browser Companion Helper has crashed. And also I cannot access my folders Desktop, Download and RecentPlaces (c/o Favorites). It says This file does not have a program associated with it performing this action. Please install a program or, if one is already installed, create an association in the Default Programs control panel. How do I do these things. Kindly help me. Thank you.

Oh boy, sorry to say 99.9% you are infected. Suggest you post in the security forum here, I am far from a security expert, but these infections can be quite insidious.

System Security - Windows 7 Forums

A Guy