Built in Microsoft gadgets "cannot connect to service"

Installed Windows 7 Home premium on a new build...just like I have done a million times before, and for some reason, the weather gadget and currency exchange gadget disable the error "cannot connect to service".

I have tried every single fix that I could find on google and nothing. I know Microsoft doesnt support them anymore, but I still like them....and I hate Windows 8 with a passion (not interested in a debate though). Is it possible that microsoft killed them? They still work on my other machines. I just don't get it...can someone please help.

Thanks

Welcome to sevenforums poomobile.
I think MS have killed the service as both my weather and currency gadgets show the same message.
they worked not so long ago,
i use firefox and have an add on that when i highlight the currency i want to convert and right clic,k it shows the conversion in my context menu. you choose what currency you want it to convert to in the settings, i also have a bookmark for my location on a weather site.
the weather site is better as it gives a hourly breakdown and more detail forecast for the week also.
those gadgets became redundant to me a while back.
there may be other currency and weather gadgets that dont rely on MS to work,

Thanks for your reply. The problem is that on all my other systems, they are running just fine. I wonder if they have done something to machines that have activated windows 7 in 2013?

I'm tempted to reinstall windows to try it....

Same Boat

poomobile said:

... The problem is that on all my other systems, they are running just fine. I wonder if they have done something to machines that have activated windows 7 in 2013?

I'm tempted to reinstall windows to try it....

Click to expand...

I have no advice as I am in a similar situation. I just re-installed Win7 Ult 32 this morning and am now finding my factory-included Windows Weather gadget is giving the same "cannot connect to service" message.

Re-installed the widget between restarts and cleared app data caches without anti-virus and checked connection, as well as various adjustments in User Account Control. I should note that I cleaned my excess Winsxs files from prior to the SP1 update; but I dont see how that would affect it. It was working fine yesterday during yet another OS re-install.

I had just got done tweaking the last program; about 7 hours work, so it was especially disappointing not knowing if it is my end or MSNs weather service.

It might be worth noting that reading another post, I decided to try my factory-included currency converter and it failed to connect as well.

I also downloaded and tried a nearly identical weather widget that is frankly basically the same thing (iWeather Gadget) and it failed to connect also. However my NWS Radar gadget is updating fine.

The issue is ultimately : is it just me or the other end?

I would ask if you are certain the gadget is operating on your other systems or are they just not updating and frozen on the last update, as happens sometimes, making them look functional. • It can be checked, of course, by re-entering your location or a new one and seeing if they are indeed updating/refreshing.

I'm afraid I'm not much help, but I thought I would try to contribute a bit and let you know that another in a very similar situation is having the same problem; you aren't alone.

Kind regards.

An update: I can't get the Weather Gadget to work; but I have accepted a work-around: a substitute gadget.

This website - MSN Weather 2.0 - Windows Sidebar Gadget Gallery - offers a weather Gadget that is equally tasteful and attractive, and perhaps even broader and better in function.

It is called MSN Weather 2.0, and it appears to work just fine on my humble clunky PC. It appears to be patterned off the old gadget, art-wise.

It does trouble me somewhat that I still don't know why the old gadget didn't work, but I am quite happy to use this new one (if for no other reason than it serves to let me escape my attempt at yet another perfect OS re-install), and it seems to be perhaps even nicer.

It would have been nice to know what the problem was with the old one and perhaps learned something, but at least now I can still have a fine desktop weather gadget, and can check over time later to see if the old one ever corrected itself.

I am sorry I cannot provide a more direct solution or answers, but hopefully this provides you with some relief and comfort with our frustrating problem.

Kind regards. ♥

Take a read through this.

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

Try this:

Start> Control panel> Internet options> Connections tab> LAN settings> Uncheck Automatically detect settings



See if that helps. If no help

Open Internet Explorer> File in menu bar> Make sure Work offline is not checked


A Guy

poomobile said:

Thanks for your reply. The problem is that on all my other systems, they are running just fine. I wonder if they have done something to machines that have activated windows 7 in 2013?

I'm tempted to reinstall windows to try it....

Click to expand...

i dont think it is to do with windows7 activated in 2013 as mine was activated a couple of years ago, i think it could possibly be an update that has stopped the services or the server that supplies the up to date info,currency and up to the minute weather .

heres the HTC Home weather gadget it looks good .


HTC Home for Windows - Download

Same situation here, it works perfectly on 3 of my other ps`c. I have changed locations on all those machines and followed the weather for days and they work fine.

It just started happening on my XFX board and I can not fix it. Tried Vista, 7 32, 7 64 none work. Throw 8 on there and it works fine. I hate 8. I have done no changes to 7 and it has always worked flawless for me. Then it just stopped working on the XFX. Found another weather gadget, that`s easy. I never have problems with 7 and this pissed me off. Why does it not connect on only this 1 machine and why just recently :huh: ugh !!

Grab the MSN 2.0 gadget from here it looks just like it, and guess what it works

http://www.thoosje.com/Windows-7-gadgets-weather.html

And here`s another

http://www.adni18.com/gallery/details.php?image_id=276

Or you could just look out the window

This is a shot of it from my Compaq

Just an update:

It started working on it's own. I thought I would check it yesterday and for some reason it was working again.

But now I am using the MSN weather gadget and like it much more.

Thank you to all who suggested ideas and the nice new gadgets.

:3

The solution for Gadgets "Service Not Available" which worked for me today is here:
Weather gadget not working- Cannot connect to service - Microsoft Community

A) Copy the following files and folder from a Windows 7 machine with a working stock weather gadget to a flash drive or network file share:

1. %localappdata%\affected user\local\microsoft\windows\windows live\services\cache\config.xml (just copy the file)

2. %localappdata%\affected user\local\microsoft\windows\windows sidebar\cache\168522d5-1082-4df2-b2f6-9185c31f9472 (copy entire folder which should contain one or more xml files)

3. %localappdata%\affected user\local\microsoft\windows\windows sidebar\settings.ini (just copy the file)


B) Paste (OVERWRITING if necessary) the copied folder and files into the same locations on the machine whose stock weather gadget is not working.


C) Drag the weather gadget back out and this time it should be working

Click to expand...

This fixed both my Dad's Weather and Stock gadget.

It’s interesting as I have only experienced this trouble as of November 1, 2014 with the currency gadget (which makes me wonder if Microsoft was telling the truth about the cancellation date). All the currencies except for the US dollar disappeared and I already know that US$1=US$1! Upon reloading, it gives US$1=€1 (which is definitely not true!). A helpful user on the MS forum suggested switching off the gadget platform, then removing the gadget cache, then restarting the gadget platform, but that’s when I got ‘Cannot connect to service’.

The LAN settings suggestion earlier didn’t work for me. The fact it stopped on November 1 exactly makes me wonder if that was the end-of-life date for the gadgets.

Since MS is no longer supporting its Gadgets in Win7, which are becoming more problematic in IE11, what is working best now here is to install version 12 or higher of 8GadgetPack
which works for Win7.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...Wsxv7tjbji20KOtfGq56Ehg&bvm=bv.78677474,d.cGE

Thank you, Greg! I will check it out!