Micro$oft no longer supports Windows Gadgets

So apparently Microsoft no longer supports windows gadgets AKA windows sidebar AKA desktop gadgets. But why? The reasons stated are that they present the possibility of posing a security threat. (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-ie/windows/gadgets) Upon further reading of the security threat posed (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-GB/security/advisory/2719662) they basically describe the same threat that installing ANY PIECE OF SOFTWARE WHATSOEVER poses. Microsoft have an extremely bad track record of fucking over software developers who learn and use their frameworks, for example in database access programming you used to have OLE, they completely changed and revamped this into ADO with a huge apology and a promise that they wouldn't change it again, pretty much straight away they changed this to ADO.NET with a re-apology and a re-promise that it wouldn't happen again. So that was annoying. Personally I wouldn't bother with any of that win8 shit til at least win10 when ya can be sure to get a bit of longevity out of your efforts. Rant off.

Regedit Under Windows x64

So apparently under 64bit windows there's a "hidden" 32bit registry. This explains how programs were autostarting on me without me knowing exactly how. The relevent path under regedit64 is HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
Well fuckiddy-doo, someone could a told me eh? Well actually they did http://support.microsoft.com/kb/305097 Don't go editing those keys with the 64bit version of regedit though! Use %systemroot%\syswow64\regedit and note that any 64bit copy of regedit must be closed or that just opens another 64bit copy.