Troubleshoot problems with a Windows SideShow-compatible device

Applies to: Home Premium, Business, Enterprise, Ultimate.
Which edition of Windows Vista am I using?

Here are solutions to some common problems with Windows Sideshow-compatible devices.

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I can't connect my device to the computer.

There are several possibilities:

•	You might not have an active network connection. For more information, see Troubleshoot network connection problems.
•	If your device connects to your computer by a cable, such as universal serial bus (USB), the cable might be unplugged. Make sure that the cable is plugged into both the device and the computer.
•	If your device connects to your computer by a Bluetooth adapter or wireless network, you might have lost your connection. Restart your device to try to restore the connection.
•	Your device might have been removed from Device Manager in Control Panel. For more information, see What is Device Manager?

Updated information isn't appearing on my device.

There are several possibilities:

•	Your device might be turned off. Make sure that the device is turned on.
•	You might not have an active network connection. For more information, see Troubleshoot network connection problems.
•	You might not be logged on to Windows. If you have set Windows Vista to automatically wake your computer to update information on your device, make sure you are logged on.

My device displays less content than before.

Your device has a fixed amount of space to store information, and this space is shared by all of your gadgets. The more gadgets that you add, the less space there is for each gadget. To increase the amount of space for a gadget, turn off some of your gadgets. This action will not remove the gadgets from Control Panel. For more information, see Turn a gadget on or off for a Windows SideShow-compatible device.

I can't change some of my device settings.

Some settings are controlled by Group Policy, which IT administrators can use to set policies that apply to users and computers in a given site, domain, or organizational unit. For more information, see Why won't Windows allow me to change a system setting?

My device failed. How can I restart it?