StardockWeather.ocx - BAH!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 by LizMarr | Discussion: Personal Computing
Because of hard drive failure on my main laptop, I'm running off of the second while I wait to afford a new drive for the first. It happens to have Windows 8 installed instead of its usual Windows Vista 64. So, I'm in the process of re-installing all my software and then finding out during installation or first time I run it which works and doesn't. Funny thing, all the old apps I still use (XP and a few older) run great. Stardock is running about half and half. One of the half-nots was WindowBlinds (sigh) so that meant Theme Manager was neutered in a major way. DesktopX seems pretty content, my happy little fishy and Kumanoi, all favorite OMNI analogue clock, and must have Viper Volume are running great (whew) BUT immediately after uninstalling Theme Manager, the desktop weather gadget/widget (I get confused) says it can't live without having StarDockWeather.OCX installed. There is still one in two different places so I registered the newest one. Wonderful Windows 8 gives me an error that it registered it but won't run. Research says something about permissions. That is one of the major pisses I have with 8, it takes away any ability to control permissions. But, anyway, I thought that since DesktopX runs the widget/gadget department then why did removing Theme Manager (or WindowBlinds, I did both at once) have anything to do with the weather docklets? The error that the weather docklet gives mentions MyColors, which I didn't even try to install. Since these weather toys (see, I got around saying it) came with a couple of themes/skins, perhaps a non-affiliated one might work. I haven't got any of those yet because I'm still sorting. I haven't worked on either web pages or books as I've been too frustrated by Windows 8 to do either. Windows 7 was a joy compared to this. Now I know why software is so buggy when it comes out. The folks developed it on a foundation that wasn't set and then in the polish faze some of the things they worked off of were changed or removed. Don't get me wrong, Windows 8 would be great for my mother (75 years) or someone who needs simple and doesn't install or tweak. Or perhaps a touch screen.
Reply #2 Tuesday, February 21, 2012 9:11 PM
Ryan's Rapture calendar - both widget and gadget - run great. Perhaps it is the creator that makes the difference.
I was just wondering 1) why it cared about MyColors (isn't it obsolete?) and 2) if I could get it to the ocx to register, would it work then?
Reply #4 Tuesday, February 21, 2012 10:37 PM
i guess you already answered yourself the question... if windowblinds didnt work completely how should Mycolors ? also how in the holy did you install windows8? there is only the dev preview atm and thats uninstallable... or at least a pain in the butt to really kill it from your disk completely the consumer preview isnt even out yet..
My tip would have been updating redist packages and netframework--- BUT since there is no version for windows 8
Reply #5 Wednesday, February 22, 2012 5:04 AM
Win8 had a developer preview, sort of a pre-beta, for road tests before the actual beta testing which should be going on now. RTM I believe will be available, maybe, by June or so. Me ...... not touching that puppy. At least not now.
Reply #6 Wednesday, February 22, 2012 6:00 AM
Various tech articles suggest a "Consumer Preview" (aka Beta) on Feb. 29th during the Barcelona Mobile World Conference.
Reply #7 Wednesday, February 22, 2012 6:05 AM
Interesting. If the preview got such negative reviews I wonder how the beta will be received. Hmmmmm....
Reply #8 Wednesday, February 22, 2012 7:16 AM
Absolutely correct, Jim. Windows 8 itself hasn't been finalized yet, so I would say there should be no expectation that SD software should work flawlessly with the new OS until it's somewhere a good deal closer to finalization. I expect that should apply to games as well. Together with that, the differences between 7 and 8 aren't 'huge' (apart from the tablet touch screen interface).
Reply #9 Wednesday, February 22, 2012 7:35 AM
Wait... you mean there is a chance current SD software won't work properly with the upcoming (in 2023) preview release of Windows 14.1?!! 
Damn you, SD!
Reply #10 Wednesday, February 22, 2012 9:02 AM
Is that the one that looks like Armani shades with the little button between the eyes?
Reply #11 Wednesday, February 22, 2012 2:09 PM
Damn you, SD!
Lizmarr: Posting anything Stardock and Windows 8 is premature and might lead to confusion for others. Just sayin'
Reply #12 Friday, February 24, 2012 1:25 AM
I said that it did it on Windows --> 7 <-- also. And now that Windows 8 has gone bye-bye, it is still doing it on Windows Vista Ultimate. (the OCX thing) I also observed on the fresh install of Windows 7 on the computer that failed (which is buggy as h***) that some of the widget/gadget things, clocks, run without DesktopX. At least I got it up so I could get the files I missed before off of the drive. The format finger is wagging closer to the enter key.
Today's chore was coordinating the full backups and amazing enough the two externals were pretty close. The two thumbdrives, partition, and small corner of the old XP Pro machine were as well, they contain my books.
I miss Windows 7, but not the way my regular machine is behaving. Vista is like stepping aboard an antique car, with levers instead of buttons. Thank goodness for many of the apps or I couldn't stand it. I can't wait to get a new hard drive.
(( Ed. Hum, I guess I mentioned the Windows 7 thing on another thread. Sorry about that ))
Reply #13 Friday, February 24, 2012 12:17 PM
DesktopX gadgets are supposed to run without DesktopX. That is the distinction between a gadget and a widget.
Reply #14 Friday, February 24, 2012 1:46 PM
YAY! Now I know. It came from the chief gadget guy himself. Is there any way to tell by looking? If Gloss Grey clock is a gadget, then it would assume that the weather would be also. But it is looking for StardockWeather.ocx and says the MyColors should have it. (which I thought I didn't need because Theme Manager reads MyColors) Music Weather runs, but I can't for the life of me get it to let me change the location. I realize that these are "package" ones, I think this is why the "widget" "gadget" thing confuses me.
And then there is crazy 61° Weather docklet. Is this silly thing supposed to reflect the current temp? It hasn't on three OS for me, it's always said 61°. I don't know about the flyouts, they all say the same temp and rain. But it is always that temp and rain here - only today is it absolutely beautiful and sunny.
Reply #15 Friday, February 24, 2012 2:46 PM
In regards to the MyColors Gadgets. There were problems with the weather on some of them when MC was supported. That error was common. I doubt they will get fixed now. MC is dead,you know. 
As for the OD weather docklet, go to this thread and follow the instructions in the OP. That should get it updating again.
Reply #16 Friday, February 24, 2012 3:02 PM
Yes.
If you hover your mouse over a widget, in explorer, it'll sat widget in the tooltip. If it's a gadgets, it'll just give you the date it was made and such.
Reply #17 Friday, February 24, 2012 3:03 PM
Reply #18 Friday, February 24, 2012 3:04 PM
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Reply #1 Tuesday, February 21, 2012 8:55 PM
Nothing can be expected to run well on Windows 8 at this point.