Weather widget replacement for Windows 7

gregrocker · Feb 9, 2015

Is there any problem with this file now as downloaded from http://thefilmreel.tk/Config.xml and if so would you please replace that link in post #15 before it gets any more widely distributed?

bk4him · Feb 9, 2015

The file thefilmreel.tk/Config.xml is the repaired version of Config.xml and there are no problems with it. The instructions provided were so those interested or skeptical about the changes made by the new Config.xml could perform the changes manually.

gregrocker · Feb 9, 2015

Thanks. This thread will soon find it's way to the top of search results for Win7 gadget fix, so we want to be sure that file continues to work as it has for me on 4 out of 5 PC's here so far on the Win7 weather gadget.

It has also worked to revive that weather gadget on Windows 10 installed as part of 8GadgetPack. Strange that only that weather gadget, originally the stock gadget on Windows 7, got corrupted as the one in Windows 7 did:

bk4him · Feb 9, 2015

This will work on any OS that is 7+, including 10TP. Glad it worked out for you!

21546041 · Feb 10, 2015

bk4him post #20 works

I'll admit it I was skeptical after trying so many other things posted around the Internet. I modified my config file as posted by bk4him in post #20 of this thread. I didn't have to reboot, just gave it a few minutes and it came alive. I needed to change the location back from NY because I had deleted the original, but it is working fine now.

Thank you bk4him!!!

Anak · Feb 10, 2015

I am being honest in saying that I am naive in the ways of compiling and config.xml files, but this is what I see in this last round of conversation; I understand that linux has been mentioned, but I am assuming that we are all using Windows.

Quote: Originally Posted by maxseven
What is bizarre to me is that there isn't anything else that is different about the contents of the file; nothing else to suggest why the gadget starts to work again.

There may have been considerations made with the way the config.xml file, with an unsupported gadget and recent Windows Updates interact that a reworking of the config file was necessary, but that is speculation on my part.

Quote: Originally Posted by bk4him
Hi folks, just to clear up the confusion, here's the manual process for repairing your Config.xml. I just compiled one myself to save you all the hassle.

Open "%userprofile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Live\Services\Cache\Config.xml" in Notepad or other plain text editor.

Change the values in these lines at the top of the file:
<services refresh="60"> -- change from 60 to 45
<service name="weather">
<operation interval="30"/> -- change from 30 to 15

and also the values in these lines at the bottom:
<service name="stocks">
<operation interval="15"/> -- change from 15 to 10
</service>
<service name="currency">
<operation interval="30"/> -- change from 30 to 15

Upon restarting your machine or sidebar.exe, all gadgets should function properly.

bk4, The values you say need changing are already in place on the filmreel link, but you seem to be using them as your own, and you're evading maxseven's question. Can you verify why a reworking of the config file was necessary?

Quote: Originally Posted by gregrocker
Is there any problem with this file now as downloaded from http://thefilmreel.tk/Config.xml and if so would you please replace that link in post #15 before it gets any more widely distributed?

Greg I believe you meant post #14

Quote: Originally Posted by bk4him
The file thefilmreel.tk/Config.xml is the repaired version of Config.xml and there are no problems with it. The instructions provided were so those interested or skeptical about the changes made by the new Config.xml could perform the changes manually.

I found no instructions at thefilmreel.tk ; when I click on your link:

there appears to be an XML file that does not appear to have any style information associated with it. The document tree is shown below,

and that tree has nothing but service and language elements associated with it.

Can you provide a link to the instructions other than the link in post#14 that you provided?

Replace this Config.xml file with the one located at http://thefilmreel.tk/Config.xml
(right click, save link as or save target as)

Quote: Originally Posted by gregrocker
Thanks. This thread will soon find it's way to the top of search results for Win7 gadget fix, so we want to be sure that file continues to work as it has for me on 4 out of 5 PC's here so far on the Win7 weather gadget.
It has also worked to revive that weather gadget on Windows 10 installed as part of 8GadgetPack. Strange that only that weather gadget, originally the stock gadget on Windows 7, got corrupted as the one in Windows 7 did:

Attachment 349266

That maybe due to Windows Updates or an unsupported gadget Greg, again that is speculation on my part.

Quote: Originally Posted by bk4him
This will work on any OS that is 7+, including 10TP. Glad it worked out for you!

Not to be brutal bk4, but even after 21546041's validation that your filmreel find works, you are still evading maxseven's question; Don't just say or be happy that what you found works, either corroborate your find with more than saying it has been repaired; Why was it repaired?

maxseven · Feb 10, 2015

I suspect the reason bk4him's changes worked was not because of the interval times, but rather that the edit & save using Notepad changed the "carriage returns". But my basic question, which is NOT a question for bk4him but for anyone is why suddenly the Weather gadget stopped working for everyone, when clearly none of us touched, or had any reason to touch this simple Config.xml file.

This is no big deal in any case, but I'm happy to be able to observe again my Weather gadget, which says we're climbing to 75F today!

jewishnigra · Feb 10, 2015

1. Close the weather gadget.
2. Open the following with your default notepad editor: %userprofile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Live\Services\Cache\Config.xml
3. Make no changes and simply click file->save and then exit.
4. Re-open the gadget and it should work.

Did someone forget something over there at Live.com?

bk4him · Feb 10, 2015

Hi again folks, apologies for the confusion.

I am the owner of thefilmreel.tk, and I have created the modified Config.xml file at thefilmreel.tk/Config.xml. The only changes I made were the ones I had previously listed.

I had found the fix at windows 7 weather gadget cannot connect to service - Microsoft Community

As the above forum states, there is no known reason for why the fix works. My best estimation is that MS changed something on their sever end (MSN possibly?). It's equally strange that not all systems were affected.

jewishnigra · Feb 10, 2015

bk4him said:
I had found the fix at windows 7 weather gadget cannot connect to service - Microsoft Community

Too much misinformation, along with very outdated posts. People are assuming that changing values within the config file is correcting the issue when simply modifying the file by clicking "file->save" with 0 changes is enough to solve the issue.

bk4him · Feb 10, 2015

jewishnigra said:
bk4him said:

I had found the fix at windows 7 weather gadget cannot connect to service - Microsoft Community

Click to expand...

Too much misinformation, along with very outdated posts. People are assuming that changing values within the config file is correcting the issue when simply modifying the file by clicking "file->save" with 0 changes is enough to solve the issue.

Wow, strangely enough that works. I've verified this fix on 2 systems here.

So the new best way to fix this, as you said is to:

in Run Dialog, at command prompt, or in Start Menu search box, paste,

Code:

 notepad "%userprofile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Live\Services\Cache\Config.xml"

and press return.

File > Save or Ctrl+S

Place gadget back on desktop, restart sidebar.exe, or wait for existing gadgets to become operational.

Anak · Feb 10, 2015

bk4him said:
Hi again folks, apologies for the confusion.

I am the owner of thefilmreel.tk, and I have created the modified Config.xml file at thefilmreel.tk/Config.xml. The only changes I made were the ones I had previously listed.

I had found the fix at windows 7 weather gadget cannot connect to service - Microsoft Community

As the above forum states, there is no known reason for why the fix works. My best estimation is that MS changed something on their sever end (MSN possibly?). It's equally strange that not all systems were affected.

Thank you.

0pTicaL · Feb 12, 2015

Been looking for a solution to this issue for over a week now and I can verify that jewishnigra's solution works.

Close the weather gadget and go to:

%userprofile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Live\Services\Cache\Config.xml

Open Config.xml with Notepad then File -> Save/Ctrl+S. Reboot or restart sidebar.exe and wha la!

*edit* - Can someone sticky this thread?

jewishnigra · Feb 13, 2015

A word of caution if more eyes are going to be seeing this...

Using gadgets provides your machine an easy target for attack. The vast majority of gadgets do not implement secure code so if you do not trust either the route to the server or the server itself that the gadget is connecting to, then don't use gadgets. A "coffee shop pineapple" can see gadget traffic and spoof the update server so he can inject his own code as your "update." And, since there's no security certificate mismatch warning because everything is happening over plain-text, the entire attack can be performed covertly in the background. This was well documented over 2 years ago. Take a look around youtube for some hilarious PoC's. Microsoft didn't want to deal with it because I'm assuming that would mean an entire overhaul of the gadget platform to act more like a traditional browser with anti-XSS protection and the prevention of accessing any ActiveX object or PowerShell script. At that time, they were focused on "Metro" apps anyway. #cringe

It's a shame too because of the usefulness of internet-related gadgets. If you still REALLY want to use gadgets then I would suggest only using "local" gadgets and setup a firewall rule to block all outgoing traffic from sidebar.exe. To me, it's a classic case of too much usability access has resulted in glaring security issues.

rb:

groze · Feb 13, 2015

jewishnigra said:
A word of caution if more eyes are going to be seeing this...

Using gadgets provides your machine an easy target for attack. The vast majority of gadgets do not implement secure code so if you do not trust either the route to the server or the server itself that the gadget is connecting to, then don't use gadgets. A "coffee shop pineapple" can see gadget traffic and spoof the update server so he can inject his own code as your "update." And, since there's no security certificate mismatch warning because everything is happening over plain-text, the entire attack can be performed covertly in the background. This was well documented over 2 years ago. Take a look around youtube for some hilarious PoC's. Microsoft didn't want to deal with it because I'm assuming that would mean an entire overhaul of the gadget platform to act more like a traditional browser with anti-XSS protection and the prevention of accessing any ActiveX object or PowerShell script. At that time, they were focused on "Metro" apps anyway. #cringe

It's a shame too because of the usefulness of internet-related gadgets. If you still REALLY want to use gadgets then I would suggest only using "local" gadgets and setup a firewall rule to block all outgoing traffic from sidebar.exe. To me, it's a classic case of too much usability access has resulted in glaring security issues. rb:

I read some think the security issue is overblown. I don't even have the Config.xml. I installed 8gadgetPack and I am using the weathercenter app without any issues.

What port(s) does sidebar use?

jewishnigra · Feb 13, 2015

groze said:
I read some think the security issue is overblown.

Well, you can believe what you want.

groze said:
What port(s) does sidebar use?

Depending on your IE or proxy configuration settings, 0 to 65535. Sidebar is an IE process.

groze · Feb 13, 2015

jewishnigra said:
groze said:

What port(s) does sidebar use?

Click to expand...

Depending on your IE or proxy configuration settings, 0 to 65535. Sidebar is an IE process.

Using gadgets provides your machine an easy target for attack

https://technet.microsoft.com/library/security/2719662

It doesn't really say "How?"

Jewishnigra you just brought up another security concern for windows 7 users. Since Sidebar is an IE process doesn't that make Internet explorer just as vulnerable?

I still say it is odd Microsoft is not willing to patch the gadget issue. Just my opinion.

Emil Alexe · Feb 13, 2015

bk4him said:
Wow, strangely enough that works. I've verified this fix on 2 systems here.

So the new best way to fix this, as you said is to:

in Run Dialog, at command prompt, or in Start Menu search box, paste,

Code:

notepad "%userprofile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Live\Services\Cache\Config.xml"

and press return.

File > Save or Ctrl+S

Place gadget back on desktop, restart sidebar.exe, or wait for existing gadgets to become operational.

That is CONFIRMED! It WORKS! Some dude on MS community suggested overwriting this file and a whole load of other folders and files from a Windows 7 system with working gadgets, but that was an overkill and you needed a second system.

jewishnigra said:
A word of caution if more eyes are going to be seeing this...

Using gadgets provides your machine an easy target for attack.

That's fine with me. I don't do online shopping nor do I transfer billions of dollars from my PC (actually I prefer real money in my pocket, even for larger amounts, for obvious reasons). What else can these so called "attacks" do to me?

I think this whole security thing is exaggerated, at least for the home user. The worst that can happen for me is a destructive or annoying virus (using RAM or CPU, deleting files etc.), but those are easily avoided with a good antivirus and even if infected, it still usually takes no more than an hour to disinfect, for those rare cases when I do get infected, and last, but not least, my most important files are just fine on my backup external device, so why this whole "security" craziness?

gregrocker · Feb 13, 2015

I'm here 6-8 hours per day, every day since Win7 beta without missing a day, and am still waiting to see a single case of infection traced to gadgets.

Maybe if we wait a little longer?

Randu · Feb 18, 2015

This fix works for the Weather gadget,

but did not fix my currency gadget

.
Anyone figure that one out yet?

Thanks

Weather widget replacement for Windows 7

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