Widgets Pane loads but without visible widgets

leetron · Jun 25, 2021

The widgets transparent pane displays but without visible widgets. If I mouseover the pane, description bars appear related to articles etc. but the articles etc. are invisible. On a reboot, the widgets show like they're about to load then disappear. Also, if I click on the pop-up description bar, it correctly opens the article in the browser. I'm signed in with a MS Account.

Can anyone help? Many thanks!

johnlgalt · Jun 25, 2021

Question #1: Did you install with local account, or Microsoft account

2) Installation on hardware (aka bare metal) or in a VM?

leetron · Jun 25, 2021

johnlgalt said:
Question #1: Did you install with local account, or Microsoft account

2) Installation on hardware (aka bare metal) or in a VM?

Installed with local account on a partition on my SSD ie hardware

johnlgalt · Jun 25, 2021

Might be the local account thing. That's what I was thinking - but you're the first one to report it, so I'm doubtful that is actually the cause.

Which edition did you install?

leetron · Jun 25, 2021

johnlgalt said:
Might be the local account thing. That's what I was thinking - but you're the first one to report it, so I'm doubtful that is actually the cause.

Which edition did you install?

Thought it might be setting up with a local account. Its 11 Pro.

johnlgalt · Jun 25, 2021

Yeah, only thing I can think of. I assume it has 0 issues connecting to the net and getting files and information and such?

leetron · Jun 25, 2021

johnlgalt said:
Yeah, only thing I can think of. I assume it has 0 issues connecting to the net and getting files and information and such?

Most things working as they should except it tries to install optional features each boot and fails..Bit annoying!

johnlgalt · Jun 25, 2021

That might be the failure right there - it's trying to install optional content that it displays in that widget, fails to install, and thus the widget fails to display.

Heck, you've spent the time already installing it to bare metal on a different drive - try re-installing Windows 11 over itself and see if it can fix itself, a la a Windows 10 in place upgrade.

leetron · Jun 25, 2021

johnlgalt said:
That might be the failure right there - it's trying to install optional content that it displays in that widget, fails to install, and thus the widget fails to display.

Heck, you've spent the time already installing it to bare metal on a different drive - try re-installing Windows 11 over itself and see if it can fix itself, a la a Windows 10 in place upgrade.

That was my next step, install over the top but with a MS account at install. Thanks I'll report back if its successful or otherwise.

johnlgalt · Jun 25, 2021

Actually try without the Microsoft account first time around. See if the optional components it's trying to install every boot actually requirean Microsoft account.

If you're willing to try, that is.

johnlgalt · Jun 25, 2021

Btw, I completely forgot: Welcome, @leetron, to the Windows 11 forum!

From a Hindu living in Atlanta, let me also say - love the avatar!

leetron · Jun 25, 2021

johnlgalt said:
Btw, I completely forgot: Welcome, @leetron, to the Windows 11 forum!

From a Hindu living in Atlanta, let me also say - love the avatar!

Many thanks my friend. Thanks for this new forum and the sharing of your expertise!

Tried an in-place reinstall but it had no effect...The search goes on...

johnlgalt · Jun 25, 2021

I'm assuming you tried with the Microsoft account?

leetron · Jun 25, 2021

johnlgalt said:
I'm assuming you tried with the Microsoft account?

Hi again..Yes with MS account signed in. Its not a biggie, I would never use the widget just wanted to see it tested and working. Also found a cmd to disable language & keyboard optional feature nag so I think thats gone away.

I know its a very early dev build but its more than useable enough for a look-see until more polished builds come along especially with my Win 10 on the other partition. It activated automagically too using my Win 10 key linked, I assume, to my MB.

So far, have to say I quite like it! I don't reckon its very different 'under the hood': Windows 10 with a new party frock?

johnlgalt · Jun 25, 2021

Yeah, in my VM, I actually used the same Windows 7 license key I used to upgrade to Win10 - and it came back activated as well.

I think I'm going to make a full backup of my System and Data drives and then play by upgrading the existing 21H1 install to 11 directly - and see what happens. What apps break. What settings go stupid.

Or maybe not. I'm really, truly, on the fence with this one lol.

I kinda want to, though, as it would be a good test to see if the Win 11 leak could take Insider Preview builds when Microsoft starts releasing them or if I need to revert to 10 and then take the IP builds....

leetron · Jun 25, 2021

Just had a .NET update, rebooted and now the widget pane tries to load the widgets, fails then disappears rather than remaining as a blank pane.
Guess that's progress, maybe of a sort...

leetron · Jun 25, 2021

johnlgalt said:
Yeah, in my VM, I actually used the same Windows 7 license key I used to upgrade to Win10 - and it came back activated as well.

I think I'm going to make a full backup of my System and Data drives and then play by upgrading the existing 21H1 install to 11 directly - and see what happens. What apps break. What settings go stupid.

Or maybe not. I'm really, truly, on the fence with this one lol.

I kinda want to, though, as it would be a good test to see if the Win 11 leak could take Insider Preview builds when Microsoft starts releasing them or if I need to revert to 10 and then take the IP builds....

Wow you're braver than me.

I almost enrolled into the Insider Program from within Win 11 but chickened out at the last check box

johnlgalt · Jun 25, 2021

Lol. I was running Insider Preview builds of Win 10 for a few years on my old Core i7 965 EE rig - No UEFI, no secure boot, no GPT boot, straight up good old fashioned BIOS. That's what imaging software like Macrium and CloneZilla are made for lol.

Something breaks, bring it back to life with a restore.

As far as that .Net update - it took me several tries in the VM to get it to download - only after it installed everything else, and even after the mandatory reboots, I manually rebooted twice more before that thing would DL and install.

IT's definitely buggy, this leak.

leetron · Jun 25, 2021

johnlgalt said:
Lol. I was running Insider Preview builds of Win 10 for a few years on my old Core i7 965 EE rig - No UEFI, no secure boot, no GPT boot, straight up good old fashioned BIOS. That's what imaging software like Macrium and CloneZilla are made for lol.

Something breaks, bring it back to life with a restore.

As far as that .Net update - it took me several tries in the VM to get it to download - only after it installed everything else, and even after the mandatory reboots, I manually rebooted twice more before that thing would DL and install.

IT's definitely buggy, this leak.

Buggy yes, but then you'd expect that from a first developer build.

I'm happy to be tinkering again with Windows after leaving the Insider Program years ago on Win 10. Love that buzz around the community with a new version..Troubleshooting, carping, discovering fixes and workarounds.

johnlgalt · Jun 25, 2021

Uh, pre-developer build. This is a leak, no known official channels to obtain it from. This is about as Alpha as it gets.

But that has never stopped me before. :ROFLMAO:

Widgets Pane loads but without visible widgets

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