XWidgetSoft Forum

I downloaded and installed XWidget for the first time about 1 hour ago and I have already had a few issues with XWidget.

I am not normally one to complain and I certainly did not come here to bash this software or it's developers. I am just a bit frustrated about my initial experience with XWidget. :O So far, in the first hour of using the program, I have had it crash as well as frustrate me to the point of coming close to just giving up. I don't want to give up, however, because I have read so many good things about XWidget and I have seen some beautiful screenshots of what it can do.

Again, this is just me venting and fishing for some feedback and/or support...

[Installation]
I started the installation by double clicking the installer that I downloaded straight from the official website. I selected the install folder (changed C: to D:) and de-selected the option to create a quick launch shortcut. The installation started and everything seemed fine until it was almost finished. At this time the installed spawned another window with the message "Please wait" and no controls to cancel/close the window. At the same time the main install window just quit doing anything, as if it was waiting for the spawned window to finish. The Cancel button on this window was grayed out so again I could not cancel/stop the installation. (Note that neither window provided an "X" control in the upper right corner to force close it as is common with most Windows dialogs.)

After waiting nearly 5 minutes with nothing happening I resorted to killing the installation process by using Task Manager. (I actually had to kill 2 separate tasks, InstallManager.exe and XWidget Ver1.91 Install.exe.)

I then rebooted and found the desktop icon and double clicked it and the program seemed to run fine but I wanted to be sure that it installed correctly so I uninstalled it (using Revo Uninstaller) and rebooted. I then started the install all over again and ran into the same exact problem and again had to kill the 2 processes.

On a happier note, even though the installation seemed to fail I was able to run the program so I assume that the crash happened after all the critical program features were already installed.

[Usability]
When I first ran XWidgets I got the hint to add widgets by right clicking the taskbar icon and so I did. I then selected the clock widget and it opened up.

I did not like the black look and feel of the widgets/dashboard so I right clicked the taskbar icon and selected "Manage Themes". This opened a dialog that showed 1 theme, the Default theme.

I wanted to try and figure out how to install/download new themes for XWidget and I figured that it should be pretty intuitive. Just a simple button or menu from the Theme Manager gui right? Wrong, I tried every possible combination of clicks on the Theme Manager window and nothing got me any closer to installing a new theme.

- The "Load" button didn't do anything. (It eventually grayed out after I selected the Default theme so I couldn't click it any more.)
- "Modify" just opened a dialog asking for a Theme Name, Author, and Link.
- The "New" button opened a dialog asking for a new Theme Name.
- "Refresh" did nothing.
- "Package" asked for a File Name and options to include widgets and wallpaper.
- I tried every right click menu item but none of them allowed me to install or download a theme.

At this point I just gave up and closed the program. I am not going to uninstall it I am just going to table it for a while until my frustration level goes down a bit.

I am a smart person who is very fluent with computers and applications and I have never had this much difficulty figuring out how to do something as basic as adding a new theme. This is a program designed to enhance your desktop experience so you would hope that learning how to change the look and feel would be be intuitive.

Thank you for listening and again I am not here to bash anyone or this program. I am sorry that my first post has to be negative. I am, however, going to stay positive and maintain the high hopes I had for this program when I first saw what it could do.

Sincerely,

Jan

Note - I am running XWidget version 1.9.1.402 on a Windows 8.1 Pro desktop PC and logged in on an administrator account.

Hello tackyjan. I'm not the dev of XW but since I'm part of the XW team and I use the program for ~2years I think that I can tell you my opinion.
I read carefully all your post. First of all, all this time no one report installation issues, that's why seems really strange.
As you know microsoft give windows updates that very often causes compatibility problems with programs. Don't forget that win8.1 is a totally new platform so maybe it's a reason for your problem. In the other hand, I suggest you to take a look at the windows installer and the registry for corruption!
XW v2 is under development with new look, new features, so keep in touch..
Now about the rest, you are a new user and is logical that you have some difficulties to understand how the things work!
I suggest you to take a look at these sections:
viewforum.php?f=10
viewforum.php?f=7
viewforum.php?f=8
where you can find tutorials and a lot of help/informations/assistance about the widgets and XW in general.

pm:
Do not confound the "theme" function and installation with the single "widget"!
A theme is a set of widgets that are saved as a single file.
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=2315

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I've had a few issues with crashing but nothing major, especially on Windows 8.1 now. It however sounds like your are trying to access a library to download the widgets which is not a feature Xwidget has. It only shows you what you have installed and by default only comes with the Eker widgets by default. You must go to the gallery and download the widget yourself.... just like with Rainmeter or Vista/7/8 sidebar/widgets. They do not just appear if you do not download and add them.