Unknown Sidebar
hi all,after running msconfig for a long time i just realized a startup item called : sidebar.exe its says its unknown and its located at program~files....what could that possibily be?i unchecked it anyways but im just so curious about it,i have disabled side bar from Group policy but is it the reason why it shows as unknown? i also have uninstalled this feature ...any thoughts?RR
January 7th, 2010 3:17am
Hi,There is a sidebar.exe exists in Windows 7. It should be located in C:\Program Files\Windows Sidebar folder. It relaetd to Gedgets. However it should not be added to MSCONFIG. Thus I suggest you check if there is any third party sidebar tool installed, or if you installed any third party Gedgets related program. If you cannot confirm, it is recommended to delete the file or rename the file, reboot to see the result. If there is no different after reboot, you can delete the file.In addition, do a virus scan incase it is a virus.
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January 7th, 2010 12:54pm
Hi Shaon Shan,i frequently scan my PC with MSE and i havent installed any 3rd party Gadgets too....i wonder how am i gonna uninstall/remove it? any suggestion?will be looking forward for ur reply !Kind regards.,RR
January 7th, 2010 5:45pm
I have 5 installs of Windows 7, including x86 and x64 Ultimate and Professional. Each one has sidebar.exe shown in startup under msconfig. As far as I can tell this is normal and expected for Gadgets to function.
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January 7th, 2010 7:32pm
Lead3 is absolutely right.Don't touch it; it is not a virus.
January 7th, 2010 7:53pm
Hi Zeus and Lead,i understand that it could be a part of the OS like gadgets howver i dont think it should be shown as Unknown which indicates a not digital signed app or from unknown user etc etc...i remember since vista but i also remember when i installed the OS and after all setups including security policies i ran msconfig and there was no sidebar at the start up and i also made sure i have uninstalled this feature and blcoked via group policy object which ensures something weird is going on...Not necessarily a virus but some kind of open doors ...anyways will be expecting replies and i want to remove that completly from my sytem i dont use them at all(the only kool thing is the CPU usage monitor but i dont want that neither)..so any instructions how to perform such a thing is greatly apreciated and if none will be -provided i might as well try myself!Kind regards,RR
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January 7th, 2010 10:13pm
I checked a test system again. See the screenshot below:
January 8th, 2010 5:45am
Hi Shaon Shan,i dont have it in this second machine that im running now coz i removed it from windows features in the uninstall programs bottom!!anyways am going to check in the other machine later then will remove it but i think it actually exists in normal machines which didnt uninstall this feature unlike mine ...Kind regards,RRPS: thanks a lot for replying folks
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January 9th, 2010 1:37am
Go to Program Files\Windows Sidebar\sidebar.exe and check the properties of the file itself, it'll tell you if it's an MS file or not.
It "SHOULD" show in msconfig as an MS file and not an unknown as Shaon Shan states, but it could still be digitally signed by MS.
If I remember correctly in one of my Vista installs, I had the same entry show as unknown but it was a legit sidebar.exe file. Both my W7 installs show from MS.
January 10th, 2010 4:33am
Hi Chappy,My pc doesnt even have that folder ¬¬im kindof lazy to look that more in depth but certainly tomorow ill be posting here some extra and precise details so u guys can have an idea of what im talking bout..sorry guys for the often lack of info in my posts,thats bcuz i feel lazy to type the 128bits password everyt9ime to get in the admin account and i dont want to perform that from my standard acc coz it adds full admin access to the standard so i like to leave it with less permissions even to admin..Nways tomorow will be posting here the details..path etc etc.Kind regards,RR
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January 11th, 2010 5:17am
How about go to Control Panel --- Programs and Features --- Turn Windows Features on or off, uncheck the box (if it is checked already) of Windows Gadget Platform, click OK. It will ask to reboot the computer. Recheck it after reboot to see if the folder will back.
January 14th, 2010 5:31am
My pc doesnt even have that folder ¬¬im kindof lazy to look that more in depth but certainly tomorow ill be posting here some extra and precise details so u guys can have an idea of what im talking bout
If you don't have the programme here "C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Sidebar" or here "C:\Program Files\Windows Sidebar", you are probably running Windows XP with a Transformation Pack. lolIt really should be there mate, whether you're running a x86 or a x64 version, and you don't need to be in the admin account to find it.RegardsRem
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January 14th, 2010 10:01am
Hi Dude,im sure im running windows 7 hehehe but the thing is in the uninstall or change a program tab if u look in the left side menu u'll have the option ,install or remove a feature(something like that) and theres an option which says : Gadgets so u can uncheck this lil dude then after reboot ur pc ull no longer have that feature sidebar/gadgets !!!anyways i had to reinstall my windows and reconfigure all over again and now it works like a charm and no freaggin unknown side bar hehe but thanks to all for ur efforts!Kind regards,RR
January 14th, 2010 5:07pm
You're welcome mate. C URem
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January 14th, 2010 7:49pm