Gadgets are installed just like other applications with the difference that they are added to the gadget listing and the desktop automatically.

The first question that may arise is about the save location. Where are gadgets stored?

There are, as usually, two answers to this. It depends if the gadget has been installed system wide or only for a specific user.

• Systemwide gadgets: All gadgets of this kind are usable and accessible by all system users. They are stored in the folders C:\Program Files\Windows Sidebar\Shared Gadgets, C:\Program Files\Windows Sidebar\Gadgets or for 64-bit systems in the folders C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Sidebar\Shared Gadgets and C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Sidebar\Gadgets
• User specific gadgets are installed only for, and usually by, a user of the system. These gadgets are stored in the user folder, more precisely under C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Sidebar\Gadgets

Gadgets are stored as .gadget files which are basically zip archives that have been renamed.

How to uninstall gadgets

The best option is to uninstall them in the gadgets menu. A right-click on the desktop and the selection of Gadgets opens that menu. All installed gadgets are displayed and it is possible to activate them here or uninstall them. A right-click on a gadget opens a context menu with options to uninstall the selected gadget from the operating system.

A confirmation dialog is displayed with options to go ahead with the uninstallation or cancel it.

It can happen that a gadget cannot be uninstalled properly from the gadgets interface. Deleting the file in the gadgets directory is then an option to remove it from the operating system.

All the fixes that Microsoft is offering can be accessed directly at the official website. A recent addition is the Fix It gadget which can be added to both the Windows Vista and the Windows 7 operating system (and probably even for the Windows XP sidebar mod.).

The Fix It sidebar gadget provides access to all of the fixes that have been created by Microsoft for the various operating systems and applications. It offers a search that can be used to search the database for fix it solutions or a tag cloud alternatively. Solutions will be displayed in the gadget including their name and download count. A click on a problem will open a new window with additional information and a link to the one click solution.

The footer of the gadget contains links to additional information including the Technet and Facebook pages of the Fix It project. The Microsoft Fix It gadget is a handy tool for users who use the sidebar in Windows Vista or Windows 7.

Many Windows Vista users like the Windows Sidebar, others feel that it is to restricted to one part of the screen. Microsoft has already announced that they will change that behavior in Windows 7 so that users can place gadgets wherever they want on the desktop.

It was only a matter of time until someone would port the Windows Vista Sidebar to Windows XP. Joshoon managed to port the real Windows Sidebar to Windows XP by making use of Alky For Applications. You might remember Alky from the time when Windows Vista came out. That was at the same time when Microsoft announced Vista only applications and Alky was supposed to make them compatible with Windows XP (like the games Shadowrun or Halo 2)

The pack includes three different applications that are needed to install, display and maintain the Windows Vista Sidebar in Windows XP. First there is Alky For Applications which can simply be installed. Once that is done the Windows Vista Sidebar can be installed and will be operational afterwards. The pack comes with many gadgets and a tool called Gadget Gallery which can be used to add new gadgets to the sidebar.

Already available gadgets can be added by right-clicking the sidebar and selecting a gadget from the list of installed gadgets. Each gadget can be added by right-clicking it and selecting Add from the context menu.

Even more interesting than this is the ability to download gadgets from the Windows Vista Gallery site over at Microsoft. It requires some manual work but it’s easily done and works perfectly fine. The gadget needs to be downloaded and unpacked. It comes with the .gadget extension but it can easily be unpacked by most unpackers. Worked fine with 7-zip.

The directory that will be created by unpacking the .gadget file, adding the .gadget extension to the root directory of it and moving it to the Shared Gadgets directory of the sidebar application.

One interesting feature is the ability to detach a gadget from the sidebar so that it can be moved freely around on the desktop.

The Sidebar requires roughly 20 Megabytes of computer memory when displaying the default three gadgets.