Microsoft added sidebar gadgets to the Windows Vista interface with the intention it would enhance the overall user experience. However, the gadgets that actually ship with Vista do not exactly fill that promise. But, as it happens so often, users, developers, and the generally ingenious have filled the gap with a plethora of gadgets, widgets, and gizmos, one of which, at least, is sure to add a desired function to your desktop. This How do I. Shows you how to find and add Windows Vista sidebar gadgets to your desktop interface. By| in, September 19, 2007, 5:27 AM PST. Microsoft added sidebar gadgets to the interface with the intention of enhancing the overall user experience. However, the gadgets that actually ship with Vista do not exactly fill that promise. But, as it happens so often, users, developers, and the generally ingenious have filled the gap with a plethora of gadgets, widgets, and gizmos, one of which, at least, is sure to add a desired function to your desktop. This How do I. Shows you how to find and add Windows Vista sidebar gadgets to your desktop interface. Windows Sidebar is a long, vertical bar that is displayed on the side of Windows Vista and Windows 7 desktops. It contains mini-programs called gadgets, which offer information at a glance and provide easy access to frequently used tools. It's a great feature, born of the best of intentions, but unfortunately malware and. Windows Desktop Gadgets (called Windows Sidebar in Windows Vista) is a discontinued widget engine for Microsoft Gadgets. It was introduced with Windows Vista, in. Now, I usually lead the pack in my contempt for anything that further clutters my desktop, but many of these gadgets are actually useful. They provide access to functions that normally remain hidden behind menus and folders. If the objects sitting on my desktop perform a useful function, they cannot really be considered clutter, can they? This blog post is also available in PDF form as a and also as a. Gadget interface If the Windows Sidebar is not turned on in your installation of Vista, you can activate it by navigating through the Start button and clicking the Accessories folder, as you see in Figure A. Figure A Accessories You could also type 'sidebar' into the Desktop Search box to activate the Windows Sidebar. A typical Vista sidebar has a default configuration similar to the one shown in Figure B, which includes a clock, RSS reader, and the image slideshow applet. Figure B Typical Windows Sidebar To adjust the properties of the Windows sidebar, you navigate to the Control Panel and click on the Configure Windows Sidebar icon. The Windows Sidebar Properties screen ( Figure C) allows you to configure the sidebar to start when Vista starts, determine to which side it will align, and designate on which monitor it will display if you have a more than one monitor system. You can also see at a glance which gadgets are running currently. Figure C Configure Windows sidebar Add gadgets To add gadgets to the sidebar, right-click on any empty space on the Windows sidebar and select Add Gadgets. From the context menu. ( Figure D) Figure D Find and Add Gadgets That menu choice will take you to the Add Gadgets interface ( Figure E). From this window, you can select and install gadgets you have already downloaded into your gadget gallery. Figure E Gadget gallery For most of the gadgets in your gallery, all you need to do to install and activate them is double-click the corresponding icon in this window. For example, in Figure F, you can see I added Weather, Stock, and Media Player gadgets. Figure F New gadgets have been added The Media Player gadget is an example of a third-party created gadget. These gadgets are made available to the public for free download on the Windows Live Web site. The easiest way to get there is to click the link at the bottom of you gadget gallery. That link takes you to the page shown in Figure G. Figure G Online Vista Sidebar Gallery If you click the link near the top of the page, you reach a Web page ( Figure H) with a huge list of gadgets (1,355 on this date) you can add free of charge to your personal gadget gallery. Figure H All gadgets The online gadget gallery is broken down into several categories to make items easier to find, and there is also a search box at the top of the page if you want to search for a keyword. To acquire the gadget you want, just click the Download button located underneath it in the list. When asked, say yes to Install and click the Open button in the ensuing dialog box. Gadget options Each gadget has options peculiar to it that you can modify. For example, the Weather gadget defaults to showing the temperature in Redmond, WA. On the side of each gadget there is a wrench icon ( Figure I). Figure I Wrench icon When you click it you get the options screen for that particular widget. In this case, you get a search box where you can enter a different city; my hometown Louisville, Kentucky. ( Figure J) Figure J What's the weather like? Desktop customization As I said, I am not one to endorse gadgets, widgets, or any other extraneous icon stuff on my desktop, but the Windows sidebar has turned out to be an exception. The gadgets are generally minimalist in design and therefore tend to remain in the background on my desktop until I need them. And with so many choices, there were bound to be a few gadgets that I deemed worthy of desktop space. I suspect that you too will find a few useful gadgets, if you take a few minutes to look them over. Related Topics. You can install a Windows gadget by executing a downloaded GADGET file, but some Windows gadget installation details differ depending on which you're installing the gadget on. Choose the correct set of steps below for specific instructions on installing gadgets on your version of Windows. See if you're not sure which of those versions of Windows is installed on your computer. Note: Older Windows, like, do not natively support desktop or sidebar gadgets. Newer versions, like and, don't support gadgets either. However, many other kinds of gadgets exist that are specific to certain applications, both web based and offline. How to Install a Windows 7 or Windows Vista Gadget • Download the Windows gadget file. Microsoft used to catalog and host Windows gadgets but they no longer do. Today, you'll find most gadgets for Windows on software download sites and on the websites of gadget developers. Tip: is just one example of a website that offers free Windows gadgets like clocks, calendars, email gadgets, utilities, and games. • Execute the downloaded GADGET file. Windows gadget files end in the.GADGET and will open with the Desktop Gadgets application. All you have to do is double-click or double-tap the file to start the install process. • Click or tap the Install button if you're prompted with a security warning that says 'Publisher could not be verified'. Most Windows gadgets are created by third party developers that do not meet Microsoft's identify verification requirements, but this does not necessarily mean that there is any security concern. Important: You should always have an antivirus program installed on your computer. Having a good AV program running all the time can stop, and virus-laden Windows gadgets, from causing any damage. • Configure any necessary gadget settings. Depending on the Windows gadget you installed to the desktop, there may be certain options that need configuring. If you install a Facebook gadget, for example, the gadget will need your Facebook credentials. If you installed a battery level monitor, you may want to adjust the size or opacity of the gadget window. More Help with Windows Gadgets If you remove a gadget from the desktop, the gadget is still available to Windows, it's just not installed on the desktop. In other words, the gadget is still on your computer like any other program, but there just isn't a shortcut on the desktop to open the gadget. To add a previously installed gadget back to the Windows desktop, just right-click or tap-and-hold anywhere on the desktop and click/tap on Gadgets (Windows 7) or Add Gadgets. (Windows Vista). A window will appear showing all available Windows gadgets. Just double-click/tap the gadget you want to add to the desktop or drag it there.
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