Sidebar is gone

After a couple of weeks running Vista, my Sidebar suddenly is gone. It was
here this AM, but now it's not. When I go to Programs/Accessories/Windows
Sidebar and click, nothing happens. When I go to Contol Panel/Windows
Sidebar I can see that Sidebar is set to start at Windows Start up but the
maintenance options are greyed out. Ideas?
--
Todd Warnke, MCSE
Lynx Networks and Security

Can you start it by typeing sidebar.exe in the start menu (or run command
prompt as admin and run sidebar.exe)?

Todd--

Type sidebar in search above the start button and click sidebar
properties>checkmark in start sidebar when Windows starts.

Nope. Tried it and the HD light flickers for a couple of seconds and then
nothing. Thanks for the suggestion. And further ideas?

Hi Chad,

Sorry, but I tried your instructions and cannot seem to create the screen
you did. I can search but when I do I pull up a bunch of files, not one of
which allows me to click a "start " option on the properties page. What am I
doing wrong?

[doofus88]

I am having the exact same problem. even when I tell sidebar to run as
admin. I get the thinking circle but nothing else. my sidebar properties
are set to begin on start up. I can access the properties but the option
buttons are grayed out.

Same Problem here... Sidebar won't startup anymore! I tried to change the
properties, to start manually but nothing worked! And if you look in the
taskmanager the program isn't working!!! Maybe a bug?

It look like its a general problem with Vista. I have called Microsoft tech
and as usual they have sent me to DELL Support. The person was very nice but
did not know how to solve the problem. My guess is that it has to do with
Windows Easy Transfert. I had a problem with the office Autocorrect file
(which I had to delete) because the imported one from office 2003 was not
compatible with office 2007.

I am assuming that we will have to wait for a Windows Vista upgrade

Uh... I can't find out what the problem is w/ sidebar either. Mine has been
gone since March too. Im thinking that something is blocking it from running.
Mebey Its Windows Defender! Im not sure, but yah nothing opens it. Ive tried
everything except a reinstall of Vista Im just afraid that it will erase my
saved stuff? Could of also had been a Vista Automatic Update that stopped it
from opening. It must be a Windows Error? Anyone thinking what I am?

Here is the link:
http://forums.techarena.in/showpost....06&postcount=5

Hope it helps Thank you

"Todd Warnke" wrote:

> After a couple of weeks running Vista, my Sidebar suddenly is gone. It was
> here this AM, but now it's not. When I go to Programs/Accessories/Windows
> Sidebar and click, nothing happens. When I go to Contol Panel/Windows
> Sidebar I can see that Sidebar is set to start at Windows Start up but the
> maintenance options are greyed out. Ideas?
> --
> Todd Warnke, MCSE
> Lynx Networks and Security

"Todd Warnke" wrote:

> After a couple of weeks running Vista, my Sidebar suddenly is gone. It was
> here this AM, but now it's not. When I go to Programs/Accessories/Windows
> Sidebar and click, nothing happens. When I go to Contol Panel/Windows
> Sidebar I can see that Sidebar is set to start at Windows Start up but the
> maintenance options are greyed out. Ideas?
> --
> Todd Warnke, MCSE
> Lynx Networks and Security

I had the same problem as all of you, but managed to get it working again.

Try this: Open Task manager and go to processes, scroll down until you see
sidebar exe (normally two of them), click to end processes, the warnings will
flash up but don't worry. Then go to your sidebar icon (ive pinned mine to
the start menu), click as normal and it should then start!

Seems that the sidebar is temperamental and starts when it wants to, but if
it wont, follow the above steps, works every time for me.

Hope it helps??

Does anyone know if any Vista updates have actually resolved this? Does
anyone have a solution? My sidebar disappeared a couple of days ago and the
suggestions above have not brought it back. My PC isset to download updates
automatically which I guess answers my first question!

Is anyone else still experiencing this?

What happens when you go to Start/Programs/Accessories and click "Windows Sidebar"

--
Regards,

Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows Shell/User]
Windows® Troubleshooting http://www.winhelponline.com


"pj" <pj@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:8EB3054F-5810-419A-A6B6-B9A2C14B1744@microsoft.com...
Does anyone know if any Vista updates have actually resolved this? Does
anyone have a solution? My sidebar disappeared a couple of days ago and the
suggestions above have not brought it back. My PC isset to download updates
automatically which I guess answers my first question!

Is anyone else still experiencing this?

Nothing at all!

"Ramesh, MS-MVP" wrote:

> What happens when you go to Start/Programs/Accessories and click "Windows Sidebar"
>
> --
> Regards,
>
> Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows Shell/User]
> Windows® Troubleshooting http://www.winhelponline.com
>
>
> "pj" <pj@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:8EB3054F-5810-419A-A6B6-B9A2C14B1744@microsoft.com...
> Does anyone know if any Vista updates have actually resolved this? Does
> anyone have a solution? My sidebar disappeared a couple of days ago and the
> suggestions above have not brought it back. My PC isset to download updates
> automatically which I guess answers my first question!
>
> Is anyone else still experiencing this?
>
>

See if this post from Craig helps.

<quote>

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.

</quote>

Ref: http://groups.google.com/group/micro...67f1868f0de080

Newsgroups: microsoft.public.windows.vista.general
From: SStarman <SStar...@discussions.microsoft.com>
Date: Sun, 4 Mar 2007 06:24:54 -0800
Local: Sun, Mar 4 2007 7:24 pm
Subject: RE: Sidebar will not launch

--
Regards,

Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows Shell/User]
Windows® Troubleshooting http://www.winhelponline.com


"pj" <pj@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:6EE6B07E-4D4C-4442-B15D-203934A202BA@microsoft.com...
Nothing at all!

"Ramesh, MS-MVP" wrote:

> What happens when you go to Start/Programs/Accessories and click "Windows Sidebar"
>
> --
> Regards,
>
> Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows Shell/User]
> Windows® Troubleshooting http://www.winhelponline.com
>
>
> "pj" <pj@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:8EB3054F-5810-419A-A6B6-B9A2C14B1744@microsoft.com...
> Does anyone know if any Vista updates have actually resolved this? Does
> anyone have a solution? My sidebar disappeared a couple of days ago and the
> suggestions above have not brought it back. My PC isset to download updates
> automatically which I guess answers my first question!
>
> Is anyone else still experiencing this?
>
>