Weather gadget not working- Cannot connect to service

Anonymous
2013-01-14T14:07:43+00:00

original title: Weather gadget not working !!

I have Windows 7 Ultimate 64 - bit and my weather gadget is not working, it is displaying a message "Cannot connect to service .

I have also tried by turning off firewall and antivirus but it still don't works for me .

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Accessibility

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments No comments
Answer accepted by question author
Anonymous
2013-01-15T09:19:57+00:00

Update:

Microsoft has DISABLED the weather and currency gadgets via a recent Security Update, due to concerns over the vulnerability associated with these gadgets running on your computer. You can read more about it here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2719662 . Adjusting your computer's settings and all these other "suggestions" people are making, will NOT work. The function has been REMOVED from the operating system. It has also been removed from the Windows 8 operating system. There are "theorists" that either agree that there is a security issue within the gadgets or Microsoft just does not want to support gadgets (usually third party software) and thus, has disabled them in Windows 7 and eliminated them in Windows 8.

Thanks to DaveNYC for the Info. Spread the word because many people are facing this problem just like you.

Was this answer helpful?

200+ people found this answer helpful.
0 comments No comments
Answer accepted by question author
Anonymous
2015-05-29T15:03:04+00:00

To all having this problem, the following worked for me:

After eading all kind of solutions, I changed the config.xml file according instructions and then I got connected but only to my own location (in my case Amsterdam). Tried everything else, no results, till I only give the exact zip code for the place I like to see the weather in the search menu and guess it worked, then I did the same on my computer in Greece (via teamviewer) and there it worked as well.

I hope it will help you as good as it did for me.

Ron

Was this answer helpful?

200+ people found this answer helpful.
0 comments No comments

632 additional answers

Sort by: Most helpful
  1. Anonymous
    2015-02-23T22:05:10+00:00

    Hi, tried all of these options, its not the link that's a problem, the links open, but its when I click download in the screen shot shown it just goes to a message in a red box saying the item was not found, same if click the next link you sent that goes directly to message saying item not found & even I try manually searching, cant get it to work, you try the first link as shown in the screen shot on here & it should I hope give you the same message, the item was not found, which I think means even MSN has withdrawn there weather app / gadget from being downloaded for as far as I remember it MSN is part of Microsoft  or is or was somehow tied up with them in the days of MSN messenger etc, so my reckoning is if Microsoft is stopping the windows gadget from working they'll have also stopped this from been available to download, just want a weather gadget that is safe to use without the risk of hacks etc & that Microsoft wont find a way to stop it working

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments No comments
  2. Anonymous
    2015-02-23T21:27:51+00:00

    Excellent ! Thank you !

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments No comments
  3. Anonymous
    2015-02-23T15:40:22+00:00

    is this msn weather thing windows 7 compatible? if so how do I get it? when I click download it says the item was not found

    Hi davidj11

    I have tested both these links and both are working for me:

    http://gallery-live.com/sidebar-gadgets/MSN%20Weather%202.0

    %20 is just computer talk for space-bar

    If the above still dont work for you, copy & paste this

    http://gallery-live.com/sidebar-gadgets/MSN Weather 02.0 in to your browser.

    Failing that,

    access the website & search for MSN Weather 2.0

    While i've swapped to this newer gadget, what i find stupid this appears to be the same gadget as the one Win7 uses in their Sidebar Gadgets collection which they say they are no longer supporting (+ removed from Win8+ &

    https://technet.microsoft.com/library/security/2719662?f=255&MSPPError=-2147217396

    ), just a newer version of © Foreca (MSN/Bing) ??!! :/

    As a non-techie reading the knowledge base it suggests there is a security flaw in all gagdets , if you run Vista or Windows 7, so, it is really accademic whatever third-party gadget one might swap to, all will be vulnerable :(

    You just have to accept, if you choose Windows over MAC/Linux, there are people out there whose sole mission it is to try & find vulnerabilities in Microsoft software. Rather than invest in a patch, MS have opted to prefer users to upgrade to Win 8 or the new Win10 (free trial versions available while MS still decides over whether to make its full Win10 o/s package available FOC or by annual subscription

    source: MS emails i subscribe to).

    .....But before doing all this, i was also following a suggestion, creating a shortcut to the config.xml so i could open via edit, thus refreshing & the SAVE the notepad.txt file whenever it hiccuped (usually after accepting an MS software update (which is why in my lay-thinking MS is pro-actively switching off the connection)).

    [] I will let you know if this newer version of © Foreca suffers from the same connectivity switch-off

    P.S. If you elect to use Microsoft windows, you will have ticked a box accepting their T&C's

    which means, effectively, they can do what ever they want (e.g. withdraw service) with their products, and you've agreed to it, Tekmerc .... sorry

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments No comments