Sidebars For Windows 7 Free Download 2012
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RSS Feeds Home / Desktop & Modding / Sidebars & Taskbars. 2012: Download Here! Features from previous versions of windows which are not in Windows 7 or Vista. Windows 7 sidebar free download - Sidebar, PDF Reader for Windows 7, Windows 7 (Professional), and many more programs. Free Download Windows 7 Sidebar Windows 7 Sidebar ver 2.0 (Latest stable version) - We compile the Introduction and usage guidance about Windows 7 Sidebar software with the purpose to provide you more information for reference, if you download windows 7 sidebar, that is in your discretion.
Windows 7 gadgets can be a lot more than a pretty interface for your clock or news feed. Several Windows 7 gadgets exist solely as monitoring tools that show constantly updated data about your system resources like CPU, memory, hard drive, and network usage.
Best desktop gadgets for your Windows 7 sidebar. Free download and easy to install. Calendar, weather gadgets, any kind of clocks and much more.
Below are the best free Windows 7 gadgets (they work in Windows Vista, too) that can be used to help keep track of system resources:
Need Help? See How to Install a Windows Gadget for help getting your gadget installed in Windows 7 or Vista.
Microsoft no longer supports Windows Gadget development so that they can focus on native apps for Windows 8 and Windows 10. However, all of the gadgets below are still available, do work with both Windows 7 and Windows Vista, and are completely free to download.
CPU Meter Gadget
What We Like
Displays CPU info in one place.
Simple to use.
Free to download.
The CPU Meter Windows gadget for Windows 7 displays two dials - one that tracks your system's CPU usage (the one on the left) and another that tracks physical memory usage, both in percentage format.
If you like to keep track of how much memory and CPU is being used at any given time, give the CPU Meter gadget a try.
This is a pretty basic Windows 7 gadget in that there are no fancy options, but it does what it does well.
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DriveInfo Gadget
What We Like
Provides useful information.
Takes up little screen space.
Provides shortcuts to drives.
What We Don't Like
Can't customize drive layout.
Only works on older versions of Windows.
The DriveInfo Windows 7 gadget monitors the free space available on one or more of your PC's hard drives. It displays the free space in both GB and percentage, and works with local, removable, network, and/or media drives.
If you frequently check the free space available on your hard drives, the DriveInfo gadget will definitely save you some time.
The DriveInfo gadget is very easy to configure and is an especially attractive addition to your other Windows gadgets. Plus, you can customize the background and the icon theme set.
The DriveInfo gadget is available as a free download from Softpedia for your Windows 7 desktop or Windows Vista Sidebar.
System Control A1 Gadget
What We Like
Displays data for up to 8 cores.
Easy to use.
Free to download.
What We Don't Like
Can't be configured.
Shows gadget uptime rather than system uptime.
The System Control A1 gadget is a fantastic resource monitor gadget for Windows 7. It tracks CPU load and memory usage over the last 30 seconds, and even tell you how long it's been since your computer was last shut off.
The best thing about the System Control A1 gadget is that it supports up to eight CPU cores, making it fully compatible with the latest multi-core CPUs. The interface is superb as well which helps balance out the fact that there are absolutely no user options.
The System Control A1 gadget is freely available from the gadget developer.
Xirrus Wi-Fi Monitor Gadget
What We Like
Creative radar design.
Great sound effects.
Customize with several skins.
Free to download.
What We Don't Like
Takes up a large amount of screen space.
Distracting graphics.
The best thing about the Xirrus Wi-Fi Monitor gadget for Windows 7 is that it looks cool. You can see available wireless network connections, verify wireless coverage, and lots more in a unique interface.
Xirrus Wi-Fi Monitor packs a lot of useful information into a single gadget, maybe too much. For me, the Xirrus Wi-Fi Monitor gadget seems a bit 'heavy' with the radar display running all the time and the huge Xirrus logo. Still, it's powerful gadget and you might find it really useful.
The Xirrus Wi-Fi Monitor gadget is a free download from Xirrus.
margu-NotebookInfo2 Gadget
What We Like
CPU data for up to 2 cores.
Displays multiple system information.
Highly customizable.
Lots of information in a small space.
What We Don't Like
Some system information is not monitored.
Buggy on Windows 7.
The margu-NotebookInfo2 Windows gadget has a funny name but it's serious about packing a lot of system monitoring into a single gadget.
With the margu-NotebookInfo2 gadget, you can track system uptime, CPU and RAM use, wireless network strength, battery level, and much more.
A lot can be customized in this gadget but the great thing is that you don't have to make those changes if you don't want to. For example, while it's useful to be able to change which wireless and wired interfaces are to display, and whether to use GHz or MHZ, you can also enable/disable the built-in clock and calendar.
margu-NotebookInfo2 is put together very well and should be an excellent addition to any Windows 7 or Windows Vista PC.
iPhone Battery Gadget
What We Like
Creative design.
Accurate battery reading.
Customizable with multiple skins.
What We Don't Like
Somewhat outdated design.
Difficult to configure.
The iPhone Battery Windows 7 gadget has to be one of the coolest gadgets around. The battery indicator is an excellent knock-off of the glowing battery level indicator on the iPhone, and looks great on a Windows desktop.
With the iPhone Battery gadget, you can also mimic an antique meter, a Duracell® battery, and a sphere battery, among other cool things.
If you're on a laptop or other portable Windows 7 device, the iPhone Battery gadget should definitely help you keep a closer eye on your available power.
The iPhone Battery gadget is free from Softpedia and installs on your Windows 7 desktop or Windows Vista Sidebar.
Network Meter Gadget
What We Like
Provides detailed network information.
Customize colors and size.
Streams live data.
What We Don't Like
Doesn't show wired and wireless at once.
Can't monitor multiple IP addresses.
The Network Meter Windows 7 gadget provides all kinds of useful information about your wired or wireless network connection like current internal and external IP address, current upload and download speed, total bandwidth usage, SSID, signal quality, and more.
There are several useful configurations available with Network Meter including background color, bandwidth scaling, network interface card selection, and more.
If you're troubleshooting a local network issue or are always checking your external IP, the Network Meter gadget could be very useful.
The Network Meter gadget is a free download from AddGadget and installs on your Windows 7 desktop or Windows Vista Sidebar.
All CPU Meter Gadget
What We Like
Data for up to 24 CPUs.
Fast data updates.
2 minute graphs for historical data.
What We Don't Like
CPU temperature requires 3rd party app.
Can be buggy on Windows 10.
The All CPU Meter gadget keeps track of CPU usage and your used and available memory. What makes ALL CPU Meter stand out from the crowd is its support for as many as eight CPU cores!
There are only a few options but background color is one of them. That might seem like a small advantage, but if you're a regular user of Windows 7 gadgets, you know that making it fit with your desktop scheme is an important factor.
I also like the quick one second update time and well designed graph in All CPU Meter.
The All CPU Meter gadget is available for free from AddGadget for your Windows 7 desktop or Windows Vista Sidebar.
Memeter Gadget
What We Like
Simple, yet informative interface.
Customize color scheme.
Uses little system resources.
What We Don't Like
Can't resize the gadget.
Support for only 2 cores.
The Memeter Windows 7 gadget monitors all sorts of things about your CPU, RAM, and battery life. It's a great gadget to use to keep track of the major hardware resources currently being used by Windows.
If your memory, CPU, or battery usage is something you need (or like) to watch, the Memeter gadget will really come in handy.
The only thing you can customize is the theme color to make it yellow, purple, cyan, black, etc.
The Memeter gadget is also freely available from Softpedia.
GPU Observer Gadget
What We Like
Simple display.
Many GPU cards supported.
No 3rd party software required.
What We Don't Like
Can't resize app.
Shows only one card at a time.
The GPU Observer gadget for Windows 7 gives you a constant look at your video card's temperature, fan speed, and more.
GPU Observer shows the GPU temperature and, if reported by your card, the PCB temperature, fan speed, GPU load, VPU load, memory load, and system clocks.
Most NVIDIA and ATI desktop cards are supported by GPU Observer, plus some NVIDIA mobile cards. No Intel, S3, or Matrox GPUs are supported.
Multiple cards are supported but not simultaneously. You'll have to choose which video card you'd like stats displayed for in the GPU Observer options.
If keeping tabs on your GPU is important, as it is to most serious gamers, then you'll love GPU Observer.
CPU Meter III Gadget
What We Like
Very simple and clean gadget.
Red values alert you to potential problems.
CPU, HDD, and RAM stats in single window.
What We Don't Like
Limited functionality.
Very basic gadget.
CPU Meter III is, you guessed it, a CPU resource meter gadget for Windows 7. In addition to tracking CPU usage, CPU Meter III also tracks memory usage.
There's nothing that special about CPU Meter III - it only tracks one CPU and the meter display isn't quite as polished as other similar gadgets.
However, there is one redeeming feature - it's responsive. Very responsive! It appears to be live and not a one or two-second update like other gadgets. This, we love.
The other thing we like is how big the gadget is. Some CPU meter gadgets are so small it's hard to see what's going on.
Definitely try CPU Meter III out. We think you'll like it.
Drive Activity Gadget
What We Like
Lots of information in a small space.
Useful realtime graphs.
Ejects removable drives.
What We Don't Like
Requires 3rd party app for drive temperature.
Manual switch between physical and logical drives.
The Drive Activity gadget for Windows 7 graphs the workload of your hard drives. Seeing how hard your hard disks are working could be useful in determining where you might have performance issues.
There are a few options in the Drive Activity gadget - you can choose the type of graph to display (polygon or lines) and also which of your hard drives to include in the display (you can choose more than one).
My biggest issue with this Windows gadget is the inability to change colors. Blue on black is unlikely to satisfy many users.. personally, we find it hard to see.
The Drive Activity gadget is a free download from Sascha Katzner.
AlertCon Gadget
What We Like
Free to use.
Provides live limit warnings.
Displays site security levels.
What We Don't Like
Updates are only 60 minutes.
Hasn't been updated in many years.
The AlertCon gadget is a unique one. AlertCon provides a visual representation of the current state of security across the internet. Large scale issues like fast spreading malware and major security holes would prompt an increase in the threat level.
IBM's Internet Security Systems group operates the AlertCon system.
If you'd like a DEFCON-style representation of internet-wide issues right on your desktop, the AlertCon gadget fits the bill. Just don't expect it to swing up and down regularly - the internet as a whole isn't typically under serious threats.
The AlertCon gadget is a free download from Softpedia and installs on your Windows 7 desktop or Windows Vista Sidebar.
This gadget installed fine the last time we tried but it did not display anything. It's left here for you to try because you might have better luck.
Some people loved it and some people hated it. Wherever you land on that spectrum, Microsoft introduced us to the Sidebar in Windows Vista.
However, many users who upgraded to Windows 7 were surprised that the Sidebar was not a part of the Aero Desktop. Learn what happened to the Sidebar in Windows 7 and how to use your gadgets in Windows 7 without it.
The Windows Vista Sidebar
Introduced in Windows Vista, the Sidebar was a place where another new feature of the new operating system resided. Gadgets are small programs created from XML, HTML, and image files that you can place on the Sidebar in Windows Vista.
Microsoft Windows 7 Free Download
Unfortunately, many people did not find the sidebar or the gadgets that resided on it to be too useful. This was especially true because when Vista was released. Many home users did not have widescreen monitors and the Sidebar took up too much valuable real estate on the desktop.
Having the Sidebar disappear when not in use kind of defeated the purpose of having the gadgets on the desktop in the first place because they weren’t easily visible when needed.
Windows 7 and the Sidebar
Recognizing that it wasn’t well received in Vista, Microsoft gave the Sidebar a major overhaul in Windows 7. Gadgets now reside on the desktop where users can float them anywhere on the screen, not unlike other windows such as Windows Explorer.
One reason for the overhaul was to make room for another new feature in Windows 7. As its name implies, Aero Snap is a feature of the Aero Desktop that allows users to snap windows and programs to the left and right of the screen by pulling the window to the outer edges. Pulling a window to the top of the screen allows the user to instantly maximize any window.
Windows Vista Sidebar Download
It is likely that the Sidebar, with its ability to auto-hide, would interfere with Aero Snap. Consequently, gadgets now reside anywhere the user wants as floatable objects rather than statically fastened to a special container.
The Sidebar Gadgets in Windows 7
Truthfully, Microsoft did not drop the Sidebar from Windows 7. It’s there, it just is no longer a static container. The gadgets you have on your computer reside in one of two folders. This one is for all users:
and this one is for each individual user of the computer:
where <username> is the name of the individual Windows 7 account. Notice that in both cases, the gadgets reside in a Windows Sidebar folder.
How Does the Windows Sidebar Work in Windows 7?
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As stated above, the Sidebar does exist in Windows 7; it just operates differently to make possible the Aero Snap feature. Placing gadgets on the desktop means having floating applications rather than having them confined to one special area.
However, if you place a gadget on the Windows 7 desktop, you can snap them to the sides and corners. In fact, you can line them up just as if they were in the Sidebar container like in Windows Vista and they will snap to each other as well.
Windows Sidebar Download
Notice that if you line up your gadgets and snap them to the right hand side of the screen and to each other, you end up creating a virtual Sidebar just like in Windows Vista without the hassle of having them statically confined to a Sidebar container.
Windows 7 Download
Not a major revelation, but given the power and popularity of the Aero Snap feature, losing the Sidebar container to how Windows 7 handles gadgets is an excellent trade-off. If you have your gadgets all setup and you don’t want to risk losing them, make sure to backup your Windows 7 gadgets for safety. If you don’t need them anymore, you can easily turn off gadgets in Windows 7 too. Enjoy!