Rainmeter is a free, open-source desktop widget platform with a large community of people making desktop gadgets, known as “skins”. While other desktop wiget platforms like Microsoft’s desktop gadgets, Google Desktop gadgets, and Yahoo! Widgets (formerly known as Konfabulator) have all been axed by their parent companies, Rainmeter is still going strong. Instead, we recommend downloading Rainmeter. Not only are there security concerns, but Microsoft’s desktop gadgets are a dead platform, so it will be difficult to find solid gadgets for it. There is a way to re-enable desktop gadgets on Windows 8 and 10 if you really want to. RELATED: How to Use Rainmeter to Customize Your Windows Desktop What You Should Do: Get Rainmeter for Modern Desktop Gadgets But, if live tiles aren’t good enough for you, there’s a better desktop gadget platform. Yes, Microsoft is trying to push its own live tiles instead of desktop gadgets.

That’s why Windows 8 and 10 don’t include desktop gadgets. Even if you’re using Windows 7, which includes desktop gadgets and the Windows Sidebar functionality, Microsoft recommends disabling it with their downloadable “Fix It” tool. But many Windows users may not realize installing a gadget is just as dangerous as installing a program. Gadgets are full Windows programs with full access to your system, and there are third-party gadgets with known security vulnerabilities that will never be fixed. In other words, the desktop gadgets aren’t just a lightweight gadget platform. Install a gadget and it can run any code it wants on your computer with your full system permissions. Second, your computer could be compromised if an attacker creates a malicious gadget and gets you to install it. Attackers could exploit a vulnerability in a gadget to gain control over your entire computer, if you’re signed on as a user account with administrator privileges. First, Microsoft says it’s aware of legitimate desktop gadgets that contain security vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers. Microsoft’s official security advisory on the subject explains two big problems. That’s not just our opinion–that’s what Microsoft says.

There’s a reason these were discontinued in Windows 8 and 10: Microsoft’s desktop gadget platform has a variety of security problems.

Windows Desktop Gadgets Were Discontinued Because They’re a Security Risk

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