How to set up gadgets. Installing gadgets in Windows XP

Gadgets are small computer applications that contain many useful functions. Thus, these mini-programs allow you to track weather indicators, keep abreast of the latest news, display a clock, calendar, etc. on your desktop. To install the desired gadget, you must first of all, and only after that move on to the next stage of sequential actions.

The sequence of installing the gadget on a computer with Windows 7

Let's look at the basic principles of installing a gadget on a computer with the Windows 7 operating system using an example. To get started, download any gadget from our archive. All desktop gadgets have the format .gadget.

To launch the download program, you need to double-click on the .gadget format file with the left mouse button. As a result of these actions, a window will appear with a “security warning” with the following content:

If you are sure that the software will not cause any harm to your computer, then you can hover over the option “ Install" and click on it once with the left mouse button. After this, the following application will appear on your desktop.

This indicates that the installation process is complete and you can now start using all the features of the application.

Adding a gadget to your desktop

If you closed the gadget, but after some time you wanted to use it again, you can find the program by right-clicking once in any area of the desktop. Afterwards, a sign with a menu will appear, from the list of which select “ Gadgets».

The window that appears displays all applications installed on your computer. From them you find what you want, right-click again, first on the image, and then on the inscription “ add"(You can also remove the gadget in the same way). Or just choose the right application and drag it to your desktop.

After this, the gadget will appear on your desktop again.

Gadget control

By hovering the mouse cursor over the gadget, the buttons “ close», « parameters" And " drag the gadget" Many gadgets also have a fourth button - “ Resize" As you can see from the image above, our mini calculator only has three buttons, so as an example, I have shown the “ ” gadget, which can be resized.

Desktop gadgets are nothing new in the Windows world. They were first noticed in Vista, where they were located on the side panel. Even if the idea itself was good, it was not a great success. With the advent of 7, Microsoft slightly reworked this element. With this instruction you will learn, as well as how to set them up for convenient operation.

Download the archive with the gadget file. Unzip it to any folder. Ready-made (gadget). Double-click on the file with the left button, a window will open in which click the “install” button. After installation, the gadget will immediately appear on the desktop.

There is a less used option that makes no sense to waste time on. You need to download the archive of files of the gadget itself, and then throw the extracted elements into a specific folder, which takes a long time to get to. Therefore, we will not consider it.

Note: download only from trusted sources so as not to harm your Windows 7.

Where to find gadgets

First, you need to go to the gadgets control panel. There are two ways to do this:

2. Right-click on an empty space on the desktop and select “gadgets” from the drop-down menu. In my opinion, this is an easy and convenient way.

The collection window will show a list installed gadgets. By Windows default 7 has the following:

Windows Media Center
Currency
Puzzle
Web channel news headlines
CPU indicator
Calendar
Weather
Slide show

How to turn gadgets on and off

To install a gadget, double-click on it with the left button, and it will be activated in a split second. You can also select and drag it onto your desktop to the desired location.

If you want to remove a gadget, point at it. After which several buttons will appear to the right of it. Click on the white cross with a red background, and the gadget will disappear from the desktop.

How to set up and move gadgets

They can be personalized and customized in different ways. Below, I will try to summarize all the elements that can be installed and configured:

1. Increase the size of gadgets - allows you to increase their size for better perception of information. If this is possible, then when you hover over the menu, there should be a square with an arrow on the right, as shown in the screenshot below. Click on it and you will see how much the increase has occurred. If you want the gadget to be of standard sizes, you must click on the same button (now the arrow will be directed to the square).

2. Hide or show all gadgets - there is a way to get rid of them all at once. Right-click on an empty area of your desktop, point to “view,” and then click “show desktop gadgets.” In order for all of them to be shown as before, click again; this will be indicated by a checked box opposite the option name.

If you think that gadgets will work in the background Windows mode 7, You are wrong. The process in the task manager that is responsible for this is called “sidebar.exe”. Once you hide them all, the process will disappear and vice versa.

3. Display on top of all windows - a number of gadgets must always be kept in sight. Select the one you need and right-click on it. In the menu that opens, you need to check the box on the line “on top of other windows.”

4. Transparency level – right-click on the gadget, then point to “opacity” and select a percentage number. If you set the percentage lower, the transparency will be more noticeable.

5. Switch between active gadgets - to do this, hold down the key with windows icon, and press G on the keyboard, with each click on which you will switch from one to another.

If you hover your mouse over the “collapse all windows” button, which is located on the taskbar, then all active gadgets will be shown.

How to remove a gadget

For this procedure there are several very simple steps. Open the gadget collection and select an item. Then right-click and click "delete". After which you will see a warning that you must agree to.

Now it's becoming clearer how to install gadgets for windows 7. Compared to Vista, the developers took care of flexibility of use. Now you don't have to place elements in the right or left panel. You have the opportunity to place gadgets anywhere on the desktop, so that it is more comfortable to work.

Widgets for work Windows table 7 or 10 provide users with a huge number of possibilities, allowing them to intelligently customize their workspace. In general, in the Microsoft system they are called gadgets. And before we get into how to put widgets on your Windows 7 or 10 desktop, you need to know some information.

The fact is that this function is available by default only for users of the seven from the Home Basic to the Professional version. But dozens of users will have to work a little hard to install gadgets, since they will be replaced in this version operating system live tiles have arrived. Essentially, they perform the same function as widgets. So try using landlines first Windows terms 10. If you still want to try something new, then we will tell you how to do it.

Windows 7

So, if you are a lover of desktop widgets and a user of any version of the Windows 7 operating system, then you are lucky. Because it will be very easy for you to install gadgets: just right-click anywhere on your desktop (PC), select “Gadgets” and move any one you like to the PC. It couldn’t be simpler, could it?

Windows 10

Dozens of users will have to resort to additional third party applications. The most popular today is Windows program Desktop Gadgets, which can be downloaded from http://gadgetsrevived.com/download-sidebar/. After which you will have the same tab as the Seven users. That is, the instructions below will be the same. Another application, but with more functionality called 8GadgetPack. It is available for download on the official website of the developer http://8gadgetpack.net/. Compared to the previous program, this one has not been fully translated into Russian. But if this is not a problem for you, then this download option will be better.

Results

Now you know how to enable widgets on your desktop (for example, weather). The system includes the following gadgets:

Currency. Provides information about the exchange rates of major currencies in real time. That is, everything you see in the zone of the golden map with the world map is the latest information at the moment. The gadget requires an Internet connection to operate.
Puzzle. This is a cool mini-game, the goal of which is to assemble a puzzle from a picture. The default is a colorful picture with a bird. You need to move the squares so as to restore the original drawing. In the widget settings you can select any of eleven images. After you start moving the squares, a countdown will begin at the top. Then you can compete with friends and set your own records.
News headlines. For this gadget to work, you also need to have an Internet connection. It shows data from RSS feeds to which the system user has subscribed. It turns out that from now on you will always be aware of the latest news, the topics of which you choose yourself.
CPU indicator. Here the CPU is CPU. The widget shows its load as a percentage. That is, you can track how clogged your computer or laptop is and even evaluate which programs are loading the processor the most when launching and running.

Calendar. The essence of this widget does not need to be explained: it is just a nice calendar that shows the months, day of the week, year (in general, everything you need so as not to get lost in time).
Weather. The gadget provides the latest weather information in the place where you are. In the settings, you can either set the desired city yourself, or configure automatic location detection.
Slide show. Essentially, this widget is a kind of photo frame on the Windows 7 or 10 desktop. In the settings, you can set the time interval at which the pictures will change, and also select an image library for the slide show.
Well, the last thing is the clock. Oddly enough, they show the time. In the parameters, you can choose one of eight types of clocks that best suit the design of your desktop.

Have fun, dear friends! Don't forget to share your opinion in the comments: tell us which widget is the most useful for you. For many, this is the Weather gadget.

Gadgets in Windows 7 are portable applications whose interface is located directly on "Desktop". They provide users additional features, as a rule, information-oriented. A certain set of gadgets is already preinstalled in the OS, but if desired, users can independently supplement it with new applications. Let's find out how to do this on the specified version of the operating system.

Previously, Microsoft provided the ability to download new gadgets from its official website. But to date, the company has refused to support these applications, justifying its decision with concerns for user safety, since gaps were found in the technology of the gadgets itself, making it easier for attackers. Due to this, downloading these applications on the official website has become unavailable. However, many people can still install them at their own risk by downloading them from third-party web resources.

Method 1: Automatic installation

In the vast majority of cases, gadgets support automatic installation, the procedure of which is intuitive and requires minimal knowledge and action from the user.

Method 2: Manual installation

Gadgets can also be added to the system using manual installation, which is done by moving files to the desired directory. This option is suitable if, after downloading the archive with the application, you find in it not just one file with the gadget extension, as was the case in the previous case, but a whole set of elements. This situation is quite rare, but still possible. In the same way, you can move applications from one computer to another if you do not have the installation file at hand.

There are two ways to install gadgets on Windows 7. One of them is performed automatically if you have installation file with the gadget extension, and the second - by manually transferring application files if the installer is missing.

operating room Windows system 7 was very popular among users. It combined new design elements and low requirements for computer resources. With the advent of Windows 8, and now Windows 10, after updating, users discovered that there was no function to add gadgets to the desktop.

Reasons for the lack of gadgets in Windows 10

Microsoft explained the absence of this element for two reasons.

The first is that the role of applications pinned to the desktop is now played by live tiles in, which not only can show necessary information, but also call applications, combining the tasks of a standard shortcut.
The second reason is safety. The very presence of widgets in the OS was dangerous, since attackers could remotely gain access to the computer using a vulnerability in the code responsible for the operation of these elements.

However, many users are not satisfied with this situation, and they ask questions about how to install gadgets for Windows 10.

Installing gadgets using additional software

Because standard means The OS cannot do this; the only option is to use programs from third-party developers.

8GadgetPack

The most popular solution to the problem of missing mini-applications in Windows 8 and 10 is the 8GadgetPack program. This utility is a patch for the system, after which it becomes possible to install widgets created for Windows 7 into the system. To install gadgets on Windows 10 using this program, you will need:

Go to the site 8gadgetpack.net using any browser.
Click on big button"Download" on home page site.
Save the file by specifying the desired folder.
Run the file, installing the components.

Important! For changes made to the OS to take effect, you must restart your computer.

After restarting the computer, the user will find that you can now enable gadgets in Windows 10 from the context menu of the same name on the desktop.

Desktop Gadgets Installer

The Desktop Gadgets Installer program has a similar set of functions. It also adds a "Gadgets" item to context menu desktop, restoring standard set applications from Windows 7. The utility does not contain any other components other than official widgets from Microsoft, but it successfully recognizes any file with the .gadget extension downloaded from the Internet.

To install the program, you need:

Through your browser, visit gadgetsrevived.com and go to the “Download Sidebar” section.
This page provides illustrated instructions for installing the program and provides a direct link to download the installation file.

Video

You can learn more about installing gadgets from the video.

Conclusion

So, with the help of solutions from third-party developers, you can easily return gadgets to Windows 10. The main thing is not to forget about security and not download files from unverified sites.