Sidebar will not launch

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  • Start date Start date
G

Guest

Sidebar does not start with Windows. When I double click on the icon etc it
does nothing.

Any suggestions?
 
Ms. or Mr. Cows--

It's a bit interesting that you can't turn off the side bar until it loads,
although I suppose you could regedit it not to load or take it out of a
start folder.

Do you have the sidebar icon in the notification area? If so right click it
and left click properties and make sure you have a checkmark in the box
"Start sidebar when Windows starts."

If this does not help, I suggest using system restore (try several
appropriate points or Win RE's Startup Repair--or system restore from
startup repair which sometimes works when the system restore at the F8
Windows Advanced Options menu does not).

You run the startup repair tool this way:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/925810/en-us

How To Run Startup Repair In Vista Ultimate (Multiple Screenshots)
http://www.windowsvista.windowsreinstall.com/vistaultimate/repairstartup/index.htm

Note The computer must be configured to start from a CD or from a DVD. For
information about how to configure the computer to start from a CD or from a
DVD, see the information that came with the computer.
2. Restart the computer. To do this, click Start, click the arrow next to
the Lock button, and then click Restart.

This usually means that you enter bios setup by whatever key or keys
(sometimes there is more than one key that will do it for your model--go to
pc manufacturer site) and configure CD to be first in the boot order.

See for ref:
Access/Enter Motherboard BIOS
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/bios_manufacturer.htm

Note If you cannot restart the computer by using this method, use the power
button to turn off the computer. Then, turn the computer back on.
3. Set your language preference, and then click Next.

Note In most cases, the startup repair process starts automatically, and you
do not have the option to select it in the System Recovery Options menu.
4. Click Repair your computer.
5. In the System Recovery Options dialog box, click the operating system
that you want to repair, and then click Next.
6. In the System Recovery Options menu, click Startup Repair to start the
repair process.
7. When the repair process is complete, click Finish.

Additional References for Startup Repair With Screenshots:

How to Use Startup Repair:

***Accessing Windows RE (Repair Environment):***

1) Insert Media into PC (the DVD you burned)

2) ***You will see on the Vista logo setup screen after lang. options in the
lower left corner, a link called "System Recovery Options."***

Screenshot: System Recovery Options (Lower Left Link)
http://blogs.itecn.net/photos/liuhui/images/2014/500x375.aspx

Screenshot: (Click first option "Startup Repair"
http://www.leedesmond.com/images/img_vista02ctp-installSysRecOpt2.bmp

How To Run Startup Repair In Vista Ultimate (Multiple Screenshots)
http://www.windowsvista.windowsreinstall.com/vistaultimate/repairstartup/index.htm

3) Select your OS for repair.

4) Its been my experience that you can see some causes of the crash from
theWin RE feature:

You'll have a choice there of using:

1) Startup Repair
2) System Restore
3) Complete PC Restore

Good luck,

CH
 
Curiously, sidebar wouldn't run for me either. But after typing "sidebar"
minus quotes in START>RUN, it's been working since.
 
Do you have gadgets detached from sidebar? I have 3 gadgets detached from
sidebar and if I double click on the sidebar icon in the task tray, nothing
happens. I have to right click on the SB icon and select the Open menu
choice.

Oh, yeah... FrogsLegsBend.

Lang
 
Hi,

I have installed and running fine a Vista Ultimate ed. in my laptop.
Everything was working fine for me ( well everything but the UAC to be
honest.. :-) ), bbutt one day, without apparently reason, my sidebar
disspaeared of my desktop. I Have tried everything, running from command
line, running from start menu, my sidebar is not hided in my task bar..., i
have tried to enable sidebar to open at windows start but didn´t worked
too.... i think that i have tried almost everything that i could do, but
unfortunately everything seems to be unusefull :( any idea about this
issue??

Any comment will help.

Regards.

Pedro Gil
 
I have the exact same problem. It worked fine for about 2 weeks. Then all of
sudden it just died. I have tried everything but have been unsuccessful in
reviving the sidebar.
 
Same problem here.... Judging by the results of the System Process monitor
from MS / Sysinternals it looks like something to do with registration, maybe
feature enablement... ALso, the ownership of the files in my case has been
set to 'TrustedInstaller' which doesn't quite seem right. Although changing
perms and ownership has had no effect...
 
Registry access fails for HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\App
Management , does anyone with a working copy have any keys/values for this ??
 
I've also had this problem for the last few weeks, though happily I fixed it
today.

This was in part with a call with MS support, and in part watching what
sidebar.exe was doing with Procmon. I'm not certain that my reasoning is
correct below, but you may get some mileage from it.

I suspect that an application had installed a duff copy of atl.dll (in my
case I think it was from HP's IPaq Choice Points program - as procmon showed
a reference to an HP directory when sidebar tried to start up).

I uninstalled the HP program to be sure. In the same way you may wish to
search your machine to see if you have multiple copies of atl.dll before
starting.

Upon the advice of MS support, I unregistered a couple of sidebar DLLs. This
took me a little while as I didn't realise the DLL's are in Program
Files\Windows Sidebar directory (windows search never found them for me,
which is a touch annoying). Anyway to do this bit:

1. Start an elevated privileges command prompt
2. cd "\Program Files\Windows Sidebar"
3. regsvr32 -u sbdrop.dll
4. regsvr32 -u wlsrvc.dll


I then tried to re-register them, but it wouldn't work - I just got an error
message. After some hunting around, I decided to first register (re-register
?) ati.dll. I didn't try to unregister it first, and as I definitely only
had one ati.dll now, I didn't have to go looking for it to check I had the
right one - but you might have to. I don't know what will happen in you
unregister ati.dll so be warned.

So the next bit as I did it is:

1. From the same elevated command prompt (still in the C:\Program
Files\Windows Sidebar) directory
2. regsvr32 ati.dll
3. regsvr32 sbdrop.dll
4. regsvr32 wlsrvc.dll

With the ati.dll done first, the Sidebar DLLs registered fine. Then I tried
to start sidebar.exe again and it came up fine.

I had over previous weeks deleted all the sidebar settings and such like in
an attempt to get it working, so I guess that might still be necessary as
well - but my feeling is that it's really to do with the dll's above and the
settings removal isn't important.

Hope it works out for you, because this was annoying the heck out of me for
weeks.

Craig.
 
Oops, I typed in ati.dll, it should be ATL.DLL

SStarman said:
I've also had this problem for the last few weeks, though happily I fixed it
today.

This was in part with a call with MS support, and in part watching what
sidebar.exe was doing with Procmon. I'm not certain that my reasoning is
correct below, but you may get some mileage from it.

I suspect that an application had installed a duff copy of atl.dll (in my
case I think it was from HP's IPaq Choice Points program - as procmon showed
a reference to an HP directory when sidebar tried to start up).

I uninstalled the HP program to be sure. In the same way you may wish to
search your machine to see if you have multiple copies of atl.dll before
starting.

Upon the advice of MS support, I unregistered a couple of sidebar DLLs. This
took me a little while as I didn't realise the DLL's are in Program
Files\Windows Sidebar directory (windows search never found them for me,
which is a touch annoying). Anyway to do this bit:

1. Start an elevated privileges command prompt
2. cd "\Program Files\Windows Sidebar"
3. regsvr32 -u sbdrop.dll
4. regsvr32 -u wlsrvc.dll


I then tried to re-register them, but it wouldn't work - I just got an error
message. After some hunting around, I decided to first register (re-register
?) ati.dll. I didn't try to unregister it first, and as I definitely only
had one ati.dll now, I didn't have to go looking for it to check I had the
right one - but you might have to. I don't know what will happen in you
unregister ati.dll so be warned.

So the next bit as I did it is:

1. From the same elevated command prompt (still in the C:\Program
Files\Windows Sidebar) directory
2. regsvr32 atl.dll
3. regsvr32 sbdrop.dll
4. regsvr32 wlsrvc.dll

With the ati.dll done first, the Sidebar DLLs registered fine. Then I tried
to start sidebar.exe again and it came up fine.

I had over previous weeks deleted all the sidebar settings and such like in
an attempt to get it working, so I guess that might still be necessary as
well - but my feeling is that it's really to do with the dll's above and the
settings removal isn't important.

Hope it works out for you, because this was annoying the heck out of me for
weeks.

Craig.
Click to expand...
 
SStarman,

Thanks for the solution!! I had this problem for weeks and searched
everywhere for an answer - I tried your approach and it worked!

Thanks for taking the time to share the solution.

RDB
 
Great, glad it helped !

RDB said:
SStarman,

Thanks for the solution!! I had this problem for weeks and searched
everywhere for an answer - I tried your approach and it worked!

Thanks for taking the time to share the solution.

RDB
Click to expand...
 
Hell yes! It works !

SStarman said:
I've also had this problem for the last few weeks, though happily I fixed it
today.

This was in part with a call with MS support, and in part watching what
sidebar.exe was doing with Procmon. I'm not certain that my reasoning is
correct below, but you may get some mileage from it.

I suspect that an application had installed a duff copy of atl.dll (in my
case I think it was from HP's IPaq Choice Points program - as procmon showed
a reference to an HP directory when sidebar tried to start up).

I uninstalled the HP program to be sure. In the same way you may wish to
search your machine to see if you have multiple copies of atl.dll before
starting.

Upon the advice of MS support, I unregistered a couple of sidebar DLLs. This
took me a little while as I didn't realise the DLL's are in Program
Files\Windows Sidebar directory (windows search never found them for me,
which is a touch annoying). Anyway to do this bit:

1. Start an elevated privileges command prompt
2. cd "\Program Files\Windows Sidebar"
3. regsvr32 -u sbdrop.dll
4. regsvr32 -u wlsrvc.dll


I then tried to re-register them, but it wouldn't work - I just got an error
message. After some hunting around, I decided to first register (re-register
?) ati.dll. I didn't try to unregister it first, and as I definitely only
had one ati.dll now, I didn't have to go looking for it to check I had the
right one - but you might have to. I don't know what will happen in you
unregister ati.dll so be warned.

So the next bit as I did it is:

1. From the same elevated command prompt (still in the C:\Program
Files\Windows Sidebar) directory
2. regsvr32 ati.dll
3. regsvr32 sbdrop.dll
4. regsvr32 wlsrvc.dll

With the ati.dll done first, the Sidebar DLLs registered fine. Then I tried
to start sidebar.exe again and it came up fine.

I had over previous weeks deleted all the sidebar settings and such like in
an attempt to get it working, so I guess that might still be necessary as
well - but my feeling is that it's really to do with the dll's above and the
settings removal isn't important.

Hope it works out for you, because this was annoying the heck out of me for
weeks.

Craig.
Click to expand...
 
SStarman,
I am not a computer wiz - I know how to open the command promt, yet I am
clueless after this point. I am having issues with my sidebar and would like
to attempt to fix it by what seemed to work for you, could you please
instruct me step by step? I tried typing in "program files\windows sidebar"
after the C:\ promt, yet it kept saying that "program" is not recognized as
an internal or external command, operable program or batch file. I dont know
what I am doing wrong, and am unsure how to proceed. Thanks.
 
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