Submission details
Gadgets Appearing and Disappearing at Random
When I have multiple instances of a gadget running with different settings configurations (specific examples: AccuWeather.com, Top Processes), when I restart Windows it is a crap shoot as to whether all instances of the gadget appear, or only one or two. Also, if one is missing and I set it up again, then at some later restart the "missing" gadget will come back. I'm not 100% clear on whether this is a Windows bug, or a problem with the gadgets themselves, but I definitely didn't have this behavior in the Vista sidebar.
I've added an image showing "before" (left) and "after" (right), with the disappearing gadgets. So far I have only reproduced it with 3rd party gadgets.
Properly keep track of all instances of a gadget and re-load them when windows is restarted.
Medium
Medium
Rejected
It looks like this IS a problem with the gadget, not a Windows 7 bug. I've contacted the gadget developer, so hopefully it will get fixed (see my post in the comments section).
Discussion (2 comments)
So I think I actually figured this one out, and have emailed the developer of the gadget...it looks like there is an unhandled concurrency issue where two (or more) of the instances are trying to write to the gadget's log file at the same time. I tracked it down to the "log()" method in TopProcesses.js:
function log(content, e) {
var fso = new ActiveXObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject");
var s = fso.OpenTextFile(System.Gadget.path + "\\gadget.log", 8, true); <--------
s.WriteLine(new Date() + ": " + content + (e ? (e.message || e) : ''));
s.Close();
}
So, not a Microsoft issue at all.
Changed status from [Not fixed] to [Rejected]
uzb3k wrote on January 6, 2010, 9:15am
Same problem here. Windows 7 Pro x64. What we both have in common is multiple instances of the Top Processes gadget. It's either that or a windows bug. Most likely multiple instances of "Top Processes" - I wonder if there is a way to install two copies of the same gadget under different names, to trick windows.
Comment edited on January 6, 2010, 9:21am