Working with Windows Vista Gadgets

Windows Vista comes with several basic sidebar gadgets, including:

• Calculator Displays a calculator with standard arithmetic functions. By default, the calculator’s background color is gray. If you right-click the Calculator gadget and select Settings, you can use the buttons provided to change the color, and then click OK to save the changes.

• Clock Displays an analog clock with hour and minute hands. Moving the mouse pointer over the clock shows the digital time, date, and time zone. The time zone used can be different from that used by the computer clock. Based on the time zone used, the background for the analog clock shows a map of the continent or region on the world map. By default, the analog clock shows a bright gray background during the day and a dark gray background at night. To change the time zone or modify other options, right-click the Clock gadget, and then select Settings.

• CPU Meter Displays the current percentage utilization of the computer’s CPU and memory. Similar to a tachometer in a car, the CPU and memory gauges show high utilization in yellow and red.

• Feed Viewer Displays the data from a selected Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed that has been configured in Internet Explorer. RSS feeds can contain news headlines, lists, and other information. After you add an RSS feed to Internet Explorer, you can begin viewing the feed in the Feed Viewer gadget. Right-click the gadget, and then select Settings. Select the feed in the RSS feed list, and then click OK.

• Recycle Bin Displays the Recycle Bin. If you right-click the Recycle Bin gadget and select Settings, you can choose a different icon, such as a plastic cup, an aluminum trashcan, a tin cup, or a wooden cup.

• Slide Show Displays pictures from a selected folder as a continuous slide show where pictures rotate at a specified interval. Moving the mouse pointer over a picture in the slide show causes the navigation buttons to appear. You can navigate through the pictures using the Previous, Pause and Next buttons. By default, pictures in the %UserProfile%\Pictures folder are used for the slide show. By right-clicking the Slide Show gadget and selecting Settings, you can modify the Directory setting to use any preferred folder. You can also modify the transition and slide show speed settings.

• Weather Displays a window pane with a background image that depicts the local weather and shows the current temperature. The weather data is from MSN.com and is based on the location you’ve entered in the location settings. To configure the location, right-click the Weather gadget and then select Settings. In the Location field, enter your current location, click Search, and then select the closest match for your location. Click OK to save the changes.

To add gadgets to Windows Sidebar, follow these steps:

1. Click the + button at the top of the sidebar.

2. In the Add Gadgets dialog box, double-click each of the gadgets you want to add to the sidebar. To find additional gadgets, click Get More Gadgets Online. The sidebar launches the Microsoft Gadgets site ( http://microsoftgadgets.com/), where you can download custom gadgets or find instruction on how to build your own gadgets.

When you have finished adding gadgets, click the Close button.

You can work with gadgets in a variety of ways:

• Gadgets can be detached from the sidebar and moved around the desktop by right-clicking the gadget and selecting Detach From Sidebar. Once you’ve detached the gadget, you can click and drag to move it to different locations on the desktop. To put the gadget back on the sidebar, right-click the gadget and select Attach To Sidebar.

• When gadgets are detached, they can be displayed on top of all other windows by right-clicking the gadget and selecting Always On Top. Once you’ve moved the gadget to the top, right-clicking the gadget and selecting Always On Top a second time clears the setting and makes the gadget work like any other window that can be brought to the front when in use or moved to the back when not in use.