With Windows Vista, Microsoft introduced gadgets which are a concept similar to the Mac...

With Windows Vista, Microsoft introduced gadgets which are a concept similar to the Mac OS X widgets. Gadgets include such applications as a clock, calendar, headline news feeds, a currency converter, and many others. In this project, you use the gadgets in Windows Vista or Windows 7. (If the gadgets capability is not already on Windows 7, consult with your instructor about how to install it.)

To use gadgets:

1. Notice the gadgets already set up in the right side of the desktop (called the Sidebar in Windows Vista). What gadgets are displayed?

2. In Vista, right-click inside a blank area of Sidebar and click Add Gadgets in the menu. Or, in Windows 7, right-click an open space anywhere on the desktop (other than in taskbar) and click Gadgets in the menu.

3. Notice the gadgets that you can place on Sidebar (in Windows Vista) or on the desktop (in Windows 7). There is also a link to Get more gadgets online.

4. Double-click CPU Meter, if it is not already in Sidebar or on the desktop.

5. Close the window displaying gadgets that you can add.

6. Drag CPU Meter so that it is on the desktop away from the right side of the screen.

7. Move the pointer over CPU Meter and click the x in the upper right corner to remove CPU Meter from the desktop.

8. If it is not already there in Windows Vista, add Notes to Sidebar (refer to Step 2, if necessary). In Windows 7, Notes is not listed as a gadget by default. To create a sticky note in Windows 7, click Start, point to All Programs, click Accessories, and click Sticky Notes.

9. Click inside the sticky note and type the message. Cancel meeting at 2 pm.

10. In Windows Vista, click the x in the bottom left side inside the note to erase the message. Skip this step for Windows 7.

11. In Windows Vista, place the pointer over the sticky note and click the x in the upper right corner just outside the note to remove Notes from Sidebar. In Windows 7, click inside the sticky note and then click the x in the upper right corner inside the sticky note to remove the note from the desktop.