The Sidebar, as mentioned in Lesson 1, is a new feature in Vista. It enables you to add live gadgets (mini-applications) to the desktop itself. These gadgets can include clocks, calendars, stock tickers, weather reports, and so on, pulling their information from your system's information and from the Internet. Figure 3-12 shows the Sidebar with some common gadgets in it.

Figure 3-12: The Sidebar with some gadgets installed.

On most systems, the Sidebar loads automatically by default when Windows starts. If it does not, you can start it manually from the Start menu (select Start > All Programs > Accessories > Windows Sidebar). Here are a few Sidebar tips:

• To remove a gadget from the sidebar, right-click it and select Close Gadget.
• To add a gadget, click the plus (+) sign at the top of the Sidebar. The Gadget Gallery opens. Drag a gadget from this window onto the Sidebar to attach it.

You can attach or detach gadgets from the Sidebar. (Gadgets are attached by default.) To detach a gadget so that it's a free-floating object on the desktop, right-click the gadget in the Sidebar and select Detach from Sidebar. To add it back to the Sidebar, right-click it and select Attach to Sidebar, or just drag-and-drop it onto the Sidebar.

To get additional gadgets:

1. In the Gadget Gallery, click Get More Gadgets Online. The Windows Live Gallery dialog box opens.
2. Click See All Gadgets.
3. Find the gadget you want and click Download to Sidebar.
4. Click Install.
5. In the File Download dialog box, click Open. Wait for the file to download and run. (This might take a few minutes, depending on your Internet connection speed and the size of the file.)

If the download doesn't work, repeat Steps 1 through 4 in the preceding list, but click Save in Step 5 and save it to your desktop. After it downloads, double-click it to install it.

6. In the security warning dialog box that opens, click Install.

As you've probably noticed, the Sidebar can make your Vista user experience a breeze. Spend some time modifying the Sidebar by adding and removing gadgets until you find the perfect mix for you.

Moving On

In this lesson, you learned about the Windows Vista Control Panel and saw how to customize the display, keyboard, mouse settings, and Windows Sidebar. In Lesson 4, you'll learn about some of the unique user-friendly multimedia and convenience features in Windows Vista Home Premium. Before moving on, complete the assignment and quiz for Lesson 3, and be sure to post any questions or comments on the Message Board. See you there.