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General discussion

"Show Desktop" button hides all my gadgets

Sep 30, 2010 3:14AM PDT

Anytime I click the Show Desktop button at the bottom-right in Windows 7, it shows me the desktop, BUT my sidebar gadgets all disappear. They all re-appear as soon as I un-minimize anything on my taskbar. Rebooting doesn't change this behavior. Anyone heard of this glitch and know a fix for it?

If the problem isn't clear, here's more of a step-by-step of what's happening:
-I have a few Google Chrome windows up, let's say.
-I *hover* over the Show Desktop button, and it shows my desktop, and my sidebar gadgets are all there. No problem so far.
-I *click* on the Show Desktop button, and it shows the desktop, *and* the sidebar gadgets are suddenly gone, as if the sidebar has also been hidden in order to show the desktop.
-Let's say I click on the Start menu and open sound recorder...The sidebar gadgets re-appear at this point. Likewise if I restore one of the windows that's minimized on the taskbar.

Thanks for your time, everyone.

Discussion is locked

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Show Desktop button problem
Sep 30, 2010 7:48AM PDT

The reason for this, I expect, is the right-click option "Always on top". By right-clicking any gadget, and selecting "Always on top", it seems to also make the gadget resist the show desktop command... sometimes. This is the pattern that I can make out:

Press win-D once: Other windows disappear, sidebar gadgets remain visible.
Press again: Other windows return.
Press a third time: All windows and gadgets disappear.
Press a fourth time: Windows become visible, gadgets remain invisible.
Press win-G (which I discovered purely by accident): Sidebar gadgets return to visibility.

However, it seems that sometimes the gadgets survive the third step anyways.

If the "Always on top" option is not checked, then the gadgets behave as a normal window would.

Note that I am referring to the right-click option of each individual gadget, not the option in the gadget properties.

Source: http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/sidebargadfetdevelopment/thread/d40a3ee8-66f8-4804-a41f-e190d7b3a78f

I hope this helps!

Brett M,
Windows Outreach Team

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Still Not Working :(
Sep 30, 2010 10:29AM PDT

Thanks for the Win+G tip, which is useful for bringing the gadgets back temporarily, but I'm still having the problem. It's a problem/glitch with my Windows 7 rather than a user error. I have one gadget (volume indicator) which is set to "Always on top". The rest of my gadgets have the "Always on top" option unchecked. Everything works properly when the computer boots up. If I open a browser window, the gadgets will all stay on the desktop, with my Volume Indicator Gadget appearing on top of the window alone. I can minimize the window and see all the gadgets there on the desktop. All is well so far...

The problem is when I enter the world of Show Desktop. Any time I hit Show Desktop, my sidebar gadgets become hidden (including the one with "Always on top" checked) along with everything else, leaving me with Just the desktop. If I hit Show Desktop a second time (exiting the world of Show Desktop), everything is returned to the way it was, but I actually also have reset, as it were, my "Always on top"'s for them to work again (I have to uncheck "Always on top" on the gadget, and then re-check it, in other words).

In reply to Brett's above solution-- in short, sidebar.exe is technically another program open and running in front of the desktop, but it is always meant to appear "on top" of the desktop no matter what, even if Show Desktop is clicked. The "always on top" option for individual gadgets is for the purpose of having that gadget appear in front of all open windows--no matter how much stuff you have open, that gadget will always appear in front/on top of it all. Otherwise, if the option is unchecked, a gadget should only appear "on top" of the desktop at all times. The gadgets should never be hidden unless one hits Win+G, or at least that is my understanding of how Windows 7 works.

Extra tidbit: When I click Show Desktop and then hit Win+G in order to get the gadgets to re-appear, clicking the desktop causes the gadgets to disappear again...

My Windows 7 is being sticky and strange. Anyone know of this problem and its solution?

Thanks again.

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The solution
Oct 5, 2010 11:41PM PDT

Uninstall internet explorer 9 beta! Wink

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PROBLEM SOLVED
Oct 6, 2010 9:10AM PDT

Thanks, tibmanus, that did the trick. Very grateful! That was an annoying problem.

For anyone who can't figure out how to uninstall IE9 Beta in Windows 7, go to Control Panel > Programs & Features > View Installed Updates (top-left) > Find IE9 Beta and click > Click the Uninstall button.

Then give it a minute.


Over and out.

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Problem likewise solved
Feb 14, 2011 10:40PM PST

I'll be darned - that is so weird. I had the exact same problem with the gadget sidebar in Windows 7 (Show-Desktop command would hide not only all open windows but also all the gadgets on my desktop, for which I had deliberately NOT enabled the "always on top" option), and when I saw uninstalling IE9 Beta proposed as a solution I thought, "Seriously? There's no way that could do it." Tried it anyway, though, and now I'm back to IE8 and the sidebar works like a dream... Go figger. Thanks tibmanus!

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Solved. IE11
Aug 24, 2015 1:20PM PDT

what a weird fix, I didn't have the IE9 Beta so I uninstalled IE11 and it fixed it Laugh

thank you tibmanus!