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Weather Channel Sidebar Gadget for Windows Vista

WChannel FAQ
Download Info

What is it?

The Weather Channel Sidebar Gadget from GreyCastle (called WChannel) provides current and forecast weather information from weather data provided by weatherchannel.com®.
WChannel screenshot

How it works

Greycastle has a partner service account with Weather Channel® which is used to retrieve the data for the WChannel gadget. Unlike most desktop weather gadgets, WChannel provides not only the current conditions for the selected area, but also the immediate (approx. 12 hour) forecast, all in the default 'no touch' display.

Show me more

The extended forecast can be seen by clicking the dropdown navigation tab which appears when your mouse is over the gadget. The flyout shows the extended forecast, along with Weather Channel required links:
WChannel screenshot

Downloading WChannel

Listed below is the latest version of WChannel available for download.

To install or upgrade WChannel:

  • Download/save the file below on your computer; this will show as a compressed folder called WChannel
  • Double-click this folder to see the wchannel.gadget file
  • Close any existing WChannel gadgets you may have running
  • Double-click the wchannel.gadget file to install/upgrade the gadget.
  • After installation, you may delete the WChannel compressed folder.

    • Support Late-Night Buffalo Wing Powered Development!

    As you all know, WChannel is totally free and I aim to keep it that way. However, every self-respecting open source developer begs for a handout, so I am no different. Help me buy some pizza and Buffalo Wings and keep WChannel rolling along! Hey, I don't ask much - even one dollar is a generous donation for Freeware, right? And if you don't want to donate, don't worry, I won't hold it against you when you ask for a new WChannel feature...probably...
    And as always, thanks to everyone for making WChannel a success!

    If my persuasive arguments have won you over, click the button below!!!



    Join the WChannel User Group!

    Click here to visit the web page of the WChannel User Group and see discussion about past versions, and get early trial access to future releases!


    WChannel Version History

    Version 5.21

    Download Version 5.21
  • Theme Preview on Setting Page!
  • Drag-n-drop background and text color overrides!
  • New themes

    • Version 5.15

    Download Version 5.15
  • New quick location selector!
  • AM/PM after midnight fix
  • Fix automatic update notification control

    • Version 5.11

  • Patch release to accomodate changes in weather.com serice
  • Fix for excess internet traffic

    • NOTE: Due to restrictions from weather.com, older versions of WChannel do not work correctly, and are no longer available for download



    Frequently Asked Questions

    • Why does WChannel just show "Unknown" or "N/A" for weather conditions?

    • Why do I get an error when I try to search for my location?

      • These common problems are usually caused by one of these issues:

      1. Internet Explorer is unable to connect to weather.com
        2. WChannel (like all Vista Sidebar Gadgets) uses the connection settings of Vista's Internet Explorer (IE) Web Browser. You must make sure IE is configured correctly for WChannel to work properly. If you can't read this page using IE, it is probably mis-configured. You can test the connection to Weather.com by opening IE at the following URL:
        You should see a page that starts with something like this:

        <?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
        <!--This document is intended only for use by authorized licensees of The Weather Channel. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Copyright 1995-2005, The Weather Channel Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved.-->
        <weatherver="2.0">
         <head>
          <locale>en_US</locale>

      2. Restart Sidebar
        3. There is a known issue with Vista Sidebar where gadgets become unable to perform internet operations. Close Sidebar by going to your system tray (lower right of your desktop), right click the sidebar icon, and select “Exit”. Then restart Sidebar by clicking the “Start” button, then type “sidebar” in the search line and hit enter.

      3. Make sure you have version 5.10 or later
        4. Due to changes in the way weather.com provides data to WChannel, only versions 5.10 and later will operate properly.

      4. Try rebooting
        5. When all else fails...
      5. Try re-downloading WChannel
        6. Many users have reported similar problems due to a bad download of WChannel. Re-downloading and re-installing WChannel usually fixes those problems.


    • WChannel doesn't find my location even though I can find it at the weather.com website - what gives?

      • When entering a location, don't use quotes - try a simple location first such as dallas and see if you get any results. If not, check your internet connection as described in the previous question.

      If some locations work, but not yours, try using a zipcode instead of a city name. If you are outside the US, and you can find your local forecast on the weather.com website, you can enter the weather.com location code from that page directly in the search field instead of your city name.

      Note: The URL for your local forecast page at the weather.com website contains the location code, usually right near the end of the URL. For example, the location code is LUXX0003 in the following URL
      http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/local/LUXX0003?from=search

    • Why doesn't WChannel provide access to animated or interactive radar images anymore?

      • Weather.com does not allow access to the radar images except via the wether.com website. If you double-click the "Weather Channel" logo on the main gadget screen, it will open a browser to the weather.com page containing the radar for your location.

    • Why doesn't WChannel show the correct time?

      • On older versions of WChannel, the time shown under the Current Condition temperature was not the current time of day; it was the forecast area time at which the current weather observation was taken. Starting from WChannel Version 4.3, the time shown is your PC clock time, adjusted (if necessary) to the current forecast area timezone.

    • How come the latest WChannel gadget doesn't work?

      • Occasionally the latest release of WChannel may have errors that slip through testing, but if you notice that the latest update just plain doesn't work, you probably got a bad download. This is especially likely if you get wierd behaviour like an unzip error, flashing screen or installation error message. Try downloading the release again, or try downloading WChannel from the Microsoft's Live Gallery website.

    • Why can't the conditions update more frequently?

      • Due to the service agreement with Weather.com, the WChannel current conditions can only automatically update every 30 minutes.

      Hint: If you want to force an immediate update, open the Settings panel, and simply click "OK"

    • Can I install multiple copies of WChannel to see more than one location?

      • Like all Sidebar Gadgets, to run more than one copy, you don't install multiple copies, you just run multiple copies. Simply right-click the Sidebar, and select "Add Gadgets..." then double-click or drag and drop as many copies of WChannel as you want to run. Each copy can be set to a different location.

    • Why are the links on the Extended Forecast flyout broken?

      • The links are supplied automatically by Weather.com, and are known to be incorrect at times.

    • How come I see popup error messages asking if I "wish to debug"?

      • This means the version you are running has a minor bug that slipped through testing. This popup message can only be seen on systems with script debugging enabled. Usually WChannel will continue to operate normally if you answer "NO" to the debug question. However, the debug popups can be eliminated by making sure the "Disable Script Debugging (Others)" option is CHECKED in Internet Explorer settings ("Tools...Internet Options...Advanced)

    • Why does the main screen background sometimes change when I drop a large flyout image onto the gadget?

      • Due to a quirk in Internet Explorer, sometimes WChannel is unable to obtain the correct size of a dropped image. The best workaraound is to drop the flyout image first. Repeat until the image is correctly recognized, then drop the main gadget background image (if desired).

    Contact Us

    For questions, comments, or suggestions on the WChannel Gadget contact us at

    e-mail: Gadgets@greycastle.com


    We hope you enjoy the WChannel gadget!

    Last updated: Sunday, January 06, 2008
    Copyright © 1993-2008 Grey Castle. All rights reserved.

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