ExplorerPatcher Weather Fix and the Fragile Shell Mod Ecosystem

ExplorerPatcher’s latest maintenance release restores a broken weather widget and a raft of Windows 11 tweaks — but the fix also lays bare the fragile ecosystem that surrounds third‑party shell mods, where changes made by Google, Microsoft, or antivirus heuristics can suddenly break a feature that users rely on.

Background​

ExplorerPatcher is an open‑source utility that hooks into the Windows shell to restore or emulate legacy behaviors from Windows 10, including a classic taskbar, Start menu options, and the File Explorer ribbon. It has become a go‑to tool for enthusiasts who prefer productivity‑centric UI patterns over Windows 11’s modernized defaults. The project is actively maintained and often issues rapid updates to stay compatible with Windows feature updates and security patches.
In late 2024 and into 2025, Windows 11 feature updates (notably 22H2 and 24H2) introduced internal changes and compatibility checks that caused several ExplorerPatcher functions to fail or get flagged during upgrades. In response, ExplorerPatcher’s maintainers released pre‑release builds that both adapt to internal API changes and — controversially — rename helper binaries to sidestep Microsoft’s upgrade‑safeguard mechanisms. Those actions solved immediate compatibility pains for many users but also highlighted longer‑term maintenance and security trade‑offs.

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What happened: the weather widget break and the fix​

The symptom​

Users of ExplorerPatcher noticed the weather data in the taskbar/widget area failing to load, showing an “Unable to load weather information” or similar error instead of the expected brief forecast. In many cases the small weather icon appeared but clicking it produced an error dialog or the content blinked briefly before disappearing. Community bug reports showed this behavior across multiple Windows 11 builds and ExplorerPatcher versions.

The immediate cause reported by the developer​

ExplorerPatcher’s changelog explicitly states that the weather issue was caused by changes on Google’s side and that an update to ExplorerPatcher’s weather host has fixed the “Unable to load weather information” error. The maintainer recommends clearing the local widget data in ExplorerPatcher’s properties (Weather > Clear weather widget local data) if the widget does not immediately recover.
This explanation is consistent with community troubleshooting traces: users reported seeing a cookie/consent dialog or a blocked resource that prevented the widget’s embedded page from completing its load sequence — behavior that can follow a backend or UI change from the weather data provider (in this case, the Google weather content embedded in Windows widgets). Several community issue threads and the official issue tracker captured both the symptom and the workaround.

How the fix was distributed​

The fix is included in a pre‑release ExplorerPatcher build series identified with 26100.x versioning (multiple build labels appeared as maintainers iterated), and the changelog entry lists ep_weather as repaired. The releases were published as pre‑release assets on the project’s GitHub/mirror pages and are marked with the usual caution about antivirus false positives and the pre‑release status.

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Technical details and change log highlights​

The release that addressed the weather problem also bundled numerous other compatibility fixes and internal refactors. Key technical items in the changelog include:

• ep_weather: Fixed “Unable to load weather information” due to changes on Google’s side; recommended clearing weather widget local data if the widget remains stale.
• GUI / File Explorer: Title bar restored on Windows 11 22H2+, fixes to shrinked address bar graphics on 24H2 builds, and corrected toolbar button sizing when Microsoft’s Servicing_CFDNavButtonsTheming flag is active.
• Hooking and runtime changes: Switched hooking library to SlimDetours to address ARM64 incompatibilities with certain Windhawk mods and to reduce rare crash scenarios.
• Taskbar: The ExplorerPatcher taskbar (ep_taskbar) is now used by default on Windows 11 22H2+, and ep_taskbar now statically links the private functions it uses.
• Compatibility patches: Fixes for Start11 and Start10 interactions on specific builds, and Taskbar10 corrections where Windows feature flags (e.g., TrayThreadBSTA) interfered with legacy toolbar behavior.

These items together show that the release was more than a one‑line weather fix; it was a coordinated compatibility workout to keep ExplorerPatcher functional across several Windows 11 feature updates and to reduce breakage when third‑party mods (Windhawk, Start11, etc.) were present.

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How to fix it on your PC right now​

If you rely on ExplorerPatcher and are seeing the weather widget failure, follow this conservative procedure:

• Backup and prepare:
• Create a system restore point or a full disk image.
• Note your ExplorerPatcher settings (export where offered) so you can restore them after an update.
• Update ExplorerPatcher:
• Download the latest pre‑release build from the project’s official release page or mirror and run the installer. Use the in‑project instructions for adding Defender exclusions only if you understand the security implications.
• Clear widget local data in ExplorerPatcher:
• Open ExplorerPatcher Properties > Weather.
• Click Clear weather widget local data, then restart Explorer (or sign out/sign in). If the UI does not respond, reboot the PC. The maintainer notes that a reboot may be required before the clear operation succeeds.
• If the weather still fails:
• Confirm that antivirus has not quarantined EP host libraries (look for quarantined ep_weather_host_stub.dll or ep components).
• Temporarily disable or examine security logs to ensure legitimate EP files are not being blocked. Community threads report Defender sometimes quarantining EP runtime libraries, causing intermittent failures.
• Roll back if unstable:
• If Explorer or the taskbar becomes unstable after installing EP, revert by uninstalling ExplorerPatcher (EP provides an uninstall option) and restoring your image/restore point. If Explorer fails to start, use Safe Mode or a recovery environment to remove EP binaries.

Note: the release is marked as pre‑release. For mission‑critical systems, the safest option is to wait until a stable release is published and the community confirms no regressions.

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Why Google’s change matters (and why it broke a Windows 11 function)​

ExplorerPatcher’s weather integration does not implement a full weather backend; it relies on embedding or proxying content supplied by a third‑party provider (in this case, Google’s weather content surfaced through Windows widget UI). When that provider adjusts markup, adds consent flows, or changes resource URLs, any code that expects a consistent structure can fail to parse or load the required information, causing the embedded widget to show an error.
That pattern is common in desktop widgets that surface web content: the outer shell (Windows widget host or ExplorerPatcher’s weather host) is effectively a minimal browser instance that needs to react to external web changes. When Google changed how it presents weather content or added a cookie/consent step, ExplorerPatcher’s weather glue code could no longer complete the automated load sequence — hence the “Unable to load weather information” symptom. The change could be as small as a DOM selector moving or as large as a CSP/security change that prevents embedding. The project’s changelog pins the root cause to Google’s side, and community issue traces show cookie prompts interfering with the load cycle.

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The broader ecosystem problem: fragile dependencies and multiple failure modes​

ExplorerPatcher operates at the intersection of several fragile dependencies:

• Windows internals: Microsoft changes internal APIs, feature flags, and shell behaviors between feature updates (22H2 → 24H2 → 25H2), forcing EP to adapt quickly. The project has, at times, renamed helper binaries to circumvent upgrade blocks — effective but politically and operationally sensitive.
• Third‑party web providers: Weather content served by Google is outside EP’s control; backend changes there can break features without any Windows update being involved.
• Antivirus heuristics: EP’s low‑level hooking and helper DLL placement can look suspicious to heuristic engines, triggering quarantines that disable core functionality and lead to unexplained breakage. The project warns about false positives and lists Defender exclusion guidance for advanced users.
• Third‑party mod interactions: Other mods (Windhawk, Start11, etc.) can conflict with EP’s hooks; the release explicitly addressed compatibility with Windhawk mods and adjusted hooking libraries to handle ARM64 edge cases.

The upshot is that a single change — whether on Google, Microsoft, or an AV vendor — can cascade into a broken user experience. That fragility is not a bug in ExplorerPatcher alone; it’s a structural reality when a small open‑source project tethers Windows shell behavior to external content and low‑level API hooks.

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Strengths of the response (what ExplorerPatcher did well)​

• Fast, targeted fix: The maintainer located the issue and pushed an update that explicitly addressed the weather problem and included an in‑UI recovery action (Clear weather widget local data). That responsiveness is exactly why community‑maintained tools survive frequent OS churn.
• Comprehensive compatibility work: The release didn’t just patch the weather widget; it also updated hooking internals (SlimDetours), fixed File Explorer title bar regressions, and addressed taskbar and Start menu interactions across multiple Windows 11 builds. Those broader changes reduce the chance of regression on other fronts.
• Practical guidance for users: The changelog and issue threads include concrete remediation steps (clear local data, add Defender exclusions when necessary, update to the latest pre‑release), which help users recover quickly.

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Risks and trade‑offs (what to watch out for)​

• Antivirus false positives and quarantines: ExplorerPatcher’s runtime behavior can be mistaken for malicious activity. If Defender or another AV detects and removes EP components, Explorer or the taskbar can fail to start — potentially leaving a system with a non‑functional shell. That risk is well documented and flagged repeatedly in releases and community threads. Proceed carefully and keep backups.
• Pre‑release status: The builds that fixed the weather widget were released as pre‑releases. Pre‑release code may still contain undiscovered regressions or behave differently across hardware/feature combinations. For production machines, waiting for a stable release is prudent.
• Upgrade and policy friction: Microsoft’s upgrade safeguard and internal checks can block or flag systems with certain shell modifications. ExplorerPatcher’s workaround (renaming helpers) is practical but creates an arms‑race dynamic with OS enforcement policies; future updates could change detection heuristics and break compatibility again.
• Maintenance burden: Running a shell modifying tool requires ongoing maintenance — regular updates, testing after Windows cumulative or feature updates, and occasional reconfiguration if inner Windows behavior changes. Casual users or enterprise fleets should avoid deploying such tools on production assets without formal testing and support agreements.

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Verification and cross‑checks​

This article’s core claims were cross‑verified with multiple independent sources: the project’s published changelog entries (mirrors and release pages), the ExplorerPatcher issue tracker (users reporting the weather symptom and maintainers’ guidance), plus community reporting on Neowin and forum threads documenting the same timeline and symptom set. The changelog entry explicitly credits a fix for ep_weather and recommends clearing local widget data to restore the UI — an instruction echoed by issue‑tracker comments where users reported success after clearing local data and rebooting.
A few details remain context‑sensitive: ExplorerPatcher’s exact build number variations (26100.4946.69.x) show several pre‑release iterations; users should confirm the latest published build before installing. Where the changelog attributes the cause to “changes in Google’s side,” that statement traces to the maintainer’s assessment and community reproduction; absolute root‑cause tracing (e.g., the specific Google endpoint or DOM change) wasn’t published in exhaustive detail by the maintainer and therefore should be treated as the developer’s diagnosis rather than a forensic, third‑party confirmed analysis.

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Recommendations for power users and IT admins​

• For enthusiasts who want the classic Windows 10 behavior: continue using ExplorerPatcher on non‑critical machines, but adopt a disciplined update workflow:
• Test new EP releases on a spare machine or VM before rolling them into daily drivers.
• Delay major Windows feature updates for 7–14 days so the community and EP maintainers can react to breakages.
• Keep a tested rollback plan (system image or restore point) handy.
• For enterprise or managed fleets: avoid installing ExplorerPatcher on production endpoints. Use supported commercial alternatives (Start11/StartAllBack) if a vendor supported Start/taskbar experience is required, and standardize any UI changes in your gold‑image and deployment testing pipelines.
• For anyone troubleshooting the weather error now: update EP to the latest pre‑release, clear the weather widget local data in EP’s properties, and check your AV logs for quarantined EP components before assuming the fix didn’t apply.

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Final analysis and takeaway​

ExplorerPatcher’s quick fix for the weather widget demonstrates the strengths of active, open‑source tooling: a small team and responsive community can diagnose and patch cross‑cutting issues faster than many larger vendors. The release also demonstrates the precarious position that shell‑level customizers occupy — one change outside the Windows stack (a Google weather UI update), one enforcement tweak inside the Windows stack (upgrade checks or Defender heuristics), or a third‑party mod conflict can interrupt functionality rapidly.
For Windows 11 power users, ExplorerPatcher remains a powerful way to restore productivity features removed or changed by Microsoft’s redesign. For users who opt in, the rule of thumb is simple: back up, test, and keep an eye on release notes and community issue trackers. Those steps provide the best balance between enjoying the productivity benefits of a classic UI and limiting the operational risk of an unsupported shell patch.
ExplorerPatcher fixed the immediate weather problem and documented practical recovery steps; the episode should be a reminder that when you stitch together UI behavior with external web content and runtime hooks, you inherit the volatility of every component in that chain.

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Source: Neowin Google broke a Windows 11 function, if you were using this free popular modding tool

 

[ChatGPT]

ExplorerPatcher’s latest maintenance update patches a brittle weather integration and a long list of Windows 11 compatibility headaches — but it also underlines the fragile, high‑risk trade-offs inherent in low‑level shell mods that rely on external web content, private OS internals, and heuristic‑sensitive hooking libraries.

Background​

ExplorerPatcher is an open‑source modding utility that hooks into the Windows shell (explorer.exe) to restore classic Windows 10 behaviors: a legacy Start menu, taskbar placement and sizing, File Explorer title bar and ribbon, and a range of UI affordances Microsoft changed in Windows 11. The project is community‑maintained and distributed through GitHub releases and mirrors; its rapid update cadence has been essential to keeping features working across Windows 11 feature updates (22H2, 24H2 and later).
Because ExplorerPatcher operates at the shell level — injecting DLLs and replacing or reimplementing UI behavior — it sits squarely in a fast‑moving compatibility zone. That means one change anywhere in the chain (Microsoft’s internals, a third‑party web provider, or another mod) can cascade into visible breakage for users. The recent weather widget problem is a textbook example.

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What changed in the new release (summary)​

The update series published as pre‑release builds in the 26100.x line addresses a broad set of issues across the Start menu, File Explorer, and taskbar, and it explicitly fixes the weather widget failure that many users saw as “Unable to load weather information.” Key points in the changelog include:

• ep_weather: Fix for the “Unable to load weather information” error caused by changes on Google’s side; the maintainer recommends clearing ExplorerPatcher’s local weather widget data if the widget doesn’t immediately recover.
• File Explorer: Title bar restoration on Windows 11 builds >= 22H2; fixes for address‑bar shrink graphical glitches on 24H2; toolbar button sizing corrected when Microsoft’s Servicing_CFDNavButtonsTheming flag is active.
• Taskbar: ep_taskbar (the ExplorerPatcher taskbar DLL) is now used by default on Windows 11 22H2+ and ep_taskbar statically links private functions it consumes.
• Hooking library: Switched to SlimDetours for improved ARM64 compatibility and to reduce a rare crash scenario triggered by other mods that hook CreateWindowExW (for example Windhawk Taskbar Volume Control).
• Start10 / Start11 compatibility: Fixes for hiding the Recommended section in Start11 on 24H2 and animation patching fixes for Start10 on recent x64/ARM64 builds.

The release is being distributed as a pre‑release on GitHub and through mirrors; maintainers iterated across several 26100.* pre‑release builds while testing on multiple Insider and production OS builds.

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Why the weather widget broke (technical explanation)​

ExplorerPatcher’s weather feature is not a full weather backend — it embeds or proxies content provided by a third‑party web source (in this case, Google’s weather content surfaced inside the widgets UI). When Google changed how it delivers or structures that content — whether a DOM change, a new consent/cookie flow, or different resource endpoints — the embedded load sequence that EP relied on failed to complete, producing the “Unable to load weather information” error. In short, a small change in the remote web content broke local parsing/embedding logic.
This pattern is common with desktop widgets that surface live web content: the widget behaves like a minimal browser instance, and small server‑side adjustments (or extra consent steps) can break previously working code. For Pixel and Android users, Google’s At‑a‑Glance/Weather widget has shown similar brittle behavior in the past, confirming that provider side changes can cause wide‑reach breakage.

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What the release changes mean — feature by feature​

ep_weather: weather restored, but do this first​

• The maintainer lists the ep_weather fix in the changelog and recommends performing “Clear weather widget local data” in EP properties > Weather if the widget remains stale after the update. This clears cached state that may be inconsistent with the new embedded content behavior.
• Practical note: some users reported success only after a full reboot, or after checking that antivirus/quarantine logs had not removed EP runtime libraries. Because EP runs injected helpers, heuristic engines sometimes flag its DLLs as suspicious — that can silently disable the weather host.

File Explorer fixes​

• The File Explorer title bar is again available on builds >= 22H2, and recent 24H2 address‑bar shrinking now behaves graphically. That fixes an often‑reported regression where shrinking the address bar produced visual corruption. These are GUI‑level fixes that restore the expected classic ribbon/title look for many users.

Taskbar: ep_taskbar changes​

• ExplorerPatcher is making ep_taskbar the default on Windows 11 22H2+, and the taskbar code now statically links certain private functions it uses. This is an attempt to stabilize behavior across diverse builds but it also increases the surface area of code that must precisely match OS expectations; that’s a technical risk if Microsoft changes those private functions later.

Hooking library and ARM64 behavior​

• The project switched the hooking backend to SlimDetours, which specifically addresses incompatibilities with certain Windhawk mods (which themselves hook CreateWindowExW) and reduces a rare crash on ARM64 that could require a reboot to resolve. This is a practical compatibility improvement for ARM64 users and for users running multiple mods.

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The strengths: why ExplorerPatcher solved this quickly​

• Agile maintainers and an active community: The maintainers released iterative pre‑releases and credited community contributors for fixes, showing the advantage of a responsive open‑source project that can push fast fixes when a change breaks many users.
• Granular, user‑visible fixes: The update bundle addresses a range of small but productivity‑impacting issues (title bar, toolbar sizing, taskbar icon handling) that improve daily usability for power users.
• Cross‑platform attention: ARM64 work and changes in the hooking library show the project is investing in supporting modern device architectures, which matters as Windows on ARM becomes more common.

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The risks and blind spots (what could go wrong)​

• Fragile external dependencies: The weather fix demonstrates a key vulnerability: when a feature depends on external web content, the provider can change behavior at any time and break the local client. That break may not be fixable without ongoing maintenance or a switch to a vendor‑backed API.
• Antivirus and heuristics: Because ExplorerPatcher injects code into system processes and ships helper DLLs, it sometimes triggers AV engines. Quarantines can silently disable parts of EP, leading to inconsistent behavior. Users have documented cases where Defender flagged and quarantined EP components.
• Use of private OS internals: The ep_taskbar static linking to private functions and other internal workarounds increase coupling to Microsoft’s undocumented behaviors. Microsoft can change private functions or add upgrade safeguards, which may break EP or make future Windows updates fail to install cleanly. Previous EP updates have renamed helper binaries to avoid Microsoft’s upgrade safeguards — a workaround that resolves immediate problems but creates a maintenance and policy tension.
• Pre‑release status: The fixes are published as pre‑release builds. That helps fast iteration, but pre‑release builds can contain regressions; deploying them broadly (especially on mission‑critical or enterprise machines) is risky.

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Recommended steps for users (practical, safe approach)​

• Backup: create a full system image or at minimum a System Restore point before changing shell‑level mods.
• Test first: install the EP pre‑release on a spare machine or VM and exercise the features you rely on for at least a day.
• Update ExplorerPatcher to the latest pre‑release that contains the ep_weather fix if you need the weather widget restored.
• After installing the update, open ExplorerPatcher Properties → Weather and click Clear weather widget local data; then sign out/sign in or reboot the system. Many users required a reboot for the new weather host to take effect.
• Check antivirus/quarantine logs for EP‑related quarantines (ep_weather_host*.dll or other EP helpers). If a legitimate EP file was quarantined, restore it and add an AV exclusion only if you understand the security implications.
• If you use multiple mods (Windhawk, Start11, Taskbar mods), verify compatibility after updating — the release specifically calls out fixes for certain Windhawk interactions but warns of other possible conflicts.
• Avoid deploying ExplorerPatcher on production/managed endpoints. If a classic Start/taskbar experience is required in an enterprise, prefer vendor‑supported commercial alternatives (Start11, StartAllBack) that offer SLAs and documentation.

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For IT pros and power users: risk management checklist​

• Maintain gold images without ExplorerPatcher for production endpoints.
• If ExplorerPatcher is required for a user group, create a test cohort and a rollback plan (disk image/restore point) before rolling updates.
• Document Defender/AV exclusions and review them with security teams — automated exclusions are often a non‑starter in corporate environments.
• Track the EP GitHub release page and issue tracker so you can correlate reported symptoms with specific pre‑release builds and known issues.

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Broader implications: what this episode tells us about the Windows modding ecosystem​

• Open‑source agility vs platform stability — Community‑run projects can react and ship fixes faster than large vendors, but that agility comes with a maintenance burden and a long tail of compatibility work. The speed of fixes is a strength; the operational cost of keeping the fix current is the corresponding weakness.
• The “arms‑race” dynamic with platform safeguards — Microsoft’s attempts to enforce compatibility and block modified shells on upgrades have triggered countermeasures (renaming helpers, alternate packaging). That dynamic keeps the ecosystem in a cat‑and‑mouse state where each side shifts tactics. The result is short‑term compatibility but ongoing uncertainty about upgrade paths.
• Third‑party web providers are a single point of fragility — Relying on a remote provider’s web content (rather than a stable API) trades development simplicity for brittleness. When a provider changes markup, widgets and lightweight embed approaches break immediately. The long term solution is either a supported API contract or an upstream change in architecture to reduce reliance on fragile embeds.
• The safety trade-off for reintegrating legacy UI — Restoring classic productivity features brings real benefits, but those gains must be weighed against security posture (injected DLLs, AV heuristics), upgrade risk, and the potential for regressions after Windows feature updates.

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Final analysis and takeaway​

ExplorerPatcher’s latest pre‑release demonstrates both the best and the riskiest aspects of the Windows modding scene. In short order the maintainer addressed a highly visible outage (the weather widget), restored multiple UI regressions, and smoothed compatibility for ARM64 and other mods. That responsiveness is vital for enthusiasts and power users who depend on classic UI affordances that Microsoft now omits.
At the same time, the episode is a reminder that shell‑level mods operate in a fragile ecosystem: changes by Google (web content), Microsoft (private internals and upgrade safeguards), or security tooling (AV heuristics) can each break functionality in ways that are not under the modder’s control. For casual or enterprise users, the prudent path remains conservative: test before deploying, prefer vendor‑supported tools for managed endpoints, and keep recovery options at hand. For enthusiasts who accept the maintenance overhead, ExplorerPatcher continues to provide meaningful productivity restorations — but the rule of thumb is simple: back up, test, and keep an eye on the changelog and issue tracker.

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ExplorerPatcher fixed the immediate weather problem and bundled numerous other practical improvements, but this type of fix is inherently reactive: the long‑term stability of such features depends on continued maintenance, clearer API contracts with third‑party providers, and careful, security‑aware deployment practices.

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Source: Neowin Google broke a Windows 11 function, if you were using this free popular modding tool