[jmjohnson]

The KB article says I have to install a malign gadget for this to work. Since I only have two gadgets, both from reputable sources, and haven't changed them in years, I'm not going to rush to disable this function.

[ST]

Another form of terrorism, just as bad as 9\11. They need to be hunted down like any other terrorist and dealt with.

[KNRover]

IMO, this is hysterical B.S. While it's probable that having gadgets running on an UNSECURED computer would make it easier for hackers to get in, my computer and those of the people I support have the equivalent of electrified titanium-bar cages around them in the form of a firewall, a high-rated AV that's always up-to-date, SpywareBlaster, MalwareBytes and SuperAntiSpyware. Their ISPs are either Comcast or Verizon, both of which have their own security cages. They all access the Internet thru a router, so their IP addresses are not even visible.

In short, the article appears to an excellent example of an attempt to make a mountain out of a mole hill.

[Richierein]

When you say "Shut down Windows Gadgets", do you mean not to use them or remove them completely?

[fperucki]

I don't use Gadgets but they are installed in my PC. Do I have to uninstall them to minimize my risk?

[MLStrand56]

I have to wonder if this is a Mickeysoft ploy, to urge timid users toward Win8?

MLStrand56

[rgeiken]

I have had gadgets on my Windows Computers since Vista in 2007, and have never had any problems with any of them. They provide me valuable information about what is going on inside my computer and also things like time, weather and calender information. I have both a good firewall and anti virus on my computer, and seems like that should be adequate to correct the possibility of problems like this. Seems that Microsoft wants to throw the baby out with the bathwater. They used gadgets as a promotional tool for Vista and W7, and their trying to gut it in this manner may be the makings of a lawsuit. I guess I will just keep my gadgets going and skip W8. I think that as more and more people find out more about W8, it may make it more undesirable. At my age, maybe I can just hang in there with W7 until my demise.

[preferreduser]

KNRover, on 16 July 2012 - 05:11 AM, said:

IMO, this is hysterical B.S. While it's probable that having gadgets running on an UNSECURED computer would make it easier for hackers to get in, my computer and those of the people I support have the equivalent of electrified titanium-bar cages around them in the form of a firewall, a high-rated AV that's always up-to-date, SpywareBlaster, MalwareBytes and SuperAntiSpyware. Their ISPs are either Comcast or Verizon, both of which have their own security cages. They all access the Internet thru a router, so their IP addresses are not even visible.

In short, the article appears to an excellent example of an attempt to make a mountain out of a mole hill.

[falsedawn]

Gibson295, on 12 July 2012 - 03:14 PM, said:

How many people use the sidebar anyways, In windows 7 You never see it unless you go in and find it and use it. and how many people use vista still? this shows that microsoft DOES CARE, AND THAT CONSUMERS ARE WHINEY BRATS!!

I have Vista on my desktop and Win7 on my laptop and I use gadgets on both. I will continue to do so as I think my system is adequately protected.

[pelicannest]

TheTess, on 12 July 2012 - 11:13 AM, said:

Now I dont get it, this was a HUGE feature for Win 7 and I enjoy the hell out of my gadgets! Especially the networking info ones, omg, I can monitor everything in one little corner of my screen!

Wht cant they get off there lazy booty and issuse patches or fixes for the security holes like they do everything else?

OR is this there way or pushing people to Win 8? To heck with that, I am really enjoying my problem-free 64 bit Win 7 Acer Aspire laptop.

There is a place. I think you mean their-showing possession.

[gzuckier]

I stumbled onto this press release from 2020:

"Rather than fix vulnerabilities with Windows 10, Microsoft is advising users to disable Windows altogether."

[thestickman]

"Busted by Design" never sounded truer, -another Windoze epic fail...

[robori]

This is becoming more of a circus than I thought possible. There is not a hope in hell that I will even load Win 8 on any of my machines let alone use it. This sidebar gadget stuff is a semi-transparent attempt to turn users away from the most useful aspects of windows 7 which is, after all, the stable "fix" arising from the Vista tumble. Now that the support site for the Facebook sidebar gadget is actually closed I am convinced that the citizens of this planet have become brainless sheep. I think that the move to Linux or its younger brother has arrived and my users can simply follow suite now that Android is an established contender. Goodbye Micro-soft-in-the-head. It was a fun journey when you created world-class products.

[scargill]

So in other words this is just a crude attempt to force people to move on - what next - an update to make Windows 7 slow down?

[JerryGreenberg]

The gadgets that come with Windows 7 and Vista should be very safe from what I've researched.

The problem is when downloading and installing gadgets from various sites, this can be dangerous for malicious software problems if the origin of the gadgets is from authors with malicious intent.

With the type of programming code these gadgets use it is not difficult for a knowledgeable malicious author to write operations that can run in the background for the purpose of ID theft, and other types of non desirable activity. This is what the MS warning is all about.

As for myself, I am using some of the gadgets that came with Windows 7 on all of my computers (many of them). I also downloaded a few optional ones that can monitor the Intel CPU and the memory usage.

So-far I had no problems with gadgets.