Anyone want there sidebar?

TheGrantFitz

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Windows Vista released the "gadgets" feature and was carried on to 7, but with a problem. Security exploits. Has anyone missed there gadgets?
 

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    Windows 8.1 Pro, iOS 7.1, Elementary OS
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    iPad Air
At first, but then I found I could create my own using Rainmeter, so not such a problem after that.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8 64-bit
Hi Grant. Nice thread.

Personally I don't miss the gadgets because by disabling them I get extra empty desktop. I mean the empty gadget place is filled with crappy icons and the desktop is a mess (more like a scrap sheet). But it does the job.:)

Then again, you have these new fullscreen Apps you can consider gadgets. I got a nice fullscreen clock app just for something like that.
 

My Computer

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    Windows 10 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
    Sound Card
    IDT HD Audio
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    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
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    multiple resolutions
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    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
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    120W adapter
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    small
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    laptop cooling pad
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    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
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    That's basically it.
click the store tile and all kinds gadgets in tools category }free & paid{
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i7-3770K
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    ASRock Z77 Extreme4
    Memory
    16 GB
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    onboard
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    17" 24"
    Hard Drives
    1 TB WD
    PSU
    550w

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus Tansformer Book Flip TP500LN
    CPU
    Intel i5-4210U
    Memory
    8GB DDR3 SDRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia Geforce GT 840M
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15" Touchscreen
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    1TB Hybrid
    Mouse
    Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 4000
Still haven't found a good alternative to computer status :(

If you've got some time and patience, you could make that in Rainmeter.

Start with something like the following to get an idea of how it works by playing around with the code in Notepad.
goatrance on deviantART

Obviously, Deviantart has other pre-made ones too:
Skins on #Rainmeter - deviantART

You can cross reference the code with the Rainmeter manual on their site here:
Manual - Rainmeter 2.4 Manual

For inspiration you can look here:
Flickr: The Lifehacker Desktop Show and Tell Pool


Like I said, it depends if you've got some spare time and like messing around with this sort of stuff. I created a set a while ago, but after I got the nuts and bolts of it working, I never actually got around to going back and messing around with it, so just use it as is. Maybe one day I'll finish it...

But if you just want to download one, then you could maybe browse through the Deviantart link above and see if there's one you like 'out of the box'. I only looked through a few pages, but something like this has similar info in it to the one you listed:
Reload Rainmeter Skin - By BeautyDesingz by ~BeautyDesignz on deviantART

As always when downloading, be vigilant about what you're downloading. And on Deviantart, always read the comments too.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8 64-bit
Does Rainmeter have a live tile?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus Tansformer Book Flip TP500LN
    CPU
    Intel i5-4210U
    Memory
    8GB DDR3 SDRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia Geforce GT 840M
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15" Touchscreen
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    1TB Hybrid
    Mouse
    Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 4000
You could probably ...

Does Rainmeter have a live tile?

No, it works like the 'System Status' Gadget you posted.

If you get web data sent to your PC, you could probably make your own (you have to know how to use Regular Expressions though).

The Weather Meter (I built) extracts data from an XML file (using Regular Expressions).
Rainmeter.png
 

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    Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 (64 bit), Linux Mint 18.3 MATE (64 bit)
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    PC/Desktop
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    n/a
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II x6 1055T, 2.8 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASRock 880GMH-LE/USB3
    Memory
    8GB DDR3 1333 G-Skill Ares F3-1333C9D-8GAO (4GB x 2)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD6450
    Sound Card
    Realtek?
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung S23B350
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Western Digital 1.5 TB (SATA), Western Digital 2 TB (SATA), Western Digital 3 TB (SATA)
    Case
    Tower
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    Wired Optical
    Other Info
    Linux Mint 16 MATE (64 bit) replaced with Linux Mint 17 MATE (64 bit) - 2014-05-17
    Linux Mint 14 MATE (64 bit) replaced with Linux Mint 16 MATE (64 bit) - 2013-11-13
    Ubuntu 10.04 (64 bit) replaced with Linux Mint 14 MATE (64 bit) - 2013-01-14
    RAM & Graphics Card Upgraded - 2013-01-13
    Monitor Upgraded - 2012-04-20
    System Upgraded - 2011-05-21, 2010-07-14
    HDD Upgraded - 2010-08-11, 2011-08-24,
I installed Vista on a PC I repaired a couple of days ago, I'd forgotten how beautiful it was, the only problem was all the updates, it took hours to install the updates.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro/Windows 8 Pro/Windows 7 64 Bit64Bit/Windows XP

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus Tansformer Book Flip TP500LN
    CPU
    Intel i5-4210U
    Memory
    8GB DDR3 SDRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia Geforce GT 840M
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15" Touchscreen
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    1TB Hybrid
    Mouse
    Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 4000
Nah...

Most of the apps take over what I used gadgets for, with live tiles and better efficiency. Don't need to wait at startup for gadgets to load anymore. And they update MUCH faster and better than gadgets!

The only thing I kind of miss is the System Monitor gadget, but the new Task Manager takes that over. Makes me a little less paranoid about what my system is doing all the time... :) Also, I've found that if you set the option to stay on top of your open windows, and then shrink the window down, it makes a little gadget!

Overall, don't miss them, they look fugly compared to neat tiles.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
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    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
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    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014

My Computer

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  • OS
    win 8.1 Pro (64-bit)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Mecer Desktop
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 CPU 860 @2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    Intel WG55D
    Memory
    8Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVidia GeForce GTX 560
    Hard Drives
    OCZ VERTEX 4 SSD (250GB)
    Browser
    IE
    Antivirus
    Norotn Internet Security 2014
When I first got Windows 7 I loved the gadgets! Especially since I used Windows XP before 7. After a while I had two sidebars full with gadgets. But then I started to organise things and asked myself ==> do I really need all that information on my screen? Information like realtime CPU usage etc. So I ended up to disable most of the gadgets, except a clock and weather gadget.

When I bought Windows 8 on 26th of October and started using it I missed the gadgets at first. But to be honest... within a week I totally forgot about them, aswell as the Startmenu. It seems that, for me, the Start apps completely replaced and improved the gadgets function.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64 Media Center Edition
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Made
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 750
    Memory
    6 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD HD 7750
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Iiyama ProLite B2481HS-B1
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1x 120 GB SSD Samsung 830;
    1x 1.5 TB HDD Seagate;
    1x 2 TB HDD Western Digital;
    1x 3 TB HDD Seagate
    1x 80 GB SSD Vertex 2
    PSU
    Corsair CX 600
    Case
    Corsair Carbide 300R with Side Window
    Cooling
    Intel RTS2011 LC
    Keyboard
    DasKeyboard (blue switches)
    Mouse
    Wacom Baboo Tablet Pen & Touch
    Internet Speed
    50 Mbit FullDuplex Fiberglass
    Browser
    IE11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    I also own the following Microsoft devices:
    * Surface Pro 2 128 GB
    * Windows Phone HTC 8X
@Der Snoober: I tend to agree with that. However, I like to use a Network Monitor, just to see how well I am downloading from the internet. Otherwise, I can do without gadgets,
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win 8.1 Pro (64-bit)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Mecer Desktop
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 CPU 860 @2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    Intel WG55D
    Memory
    8Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVidia GeForce GTX 560
    Hard Drives
    OCZ VERTEX 4 SSD (250GB)
    Browser
    IE
    Antivirus
    Norotn Internet Security 2014
BillWindows said:
I installed Vista on a PC I repaired a couple of days ago, I'd forgotten how beautiful it was, the only problem was all the updates, it took hours to install the updates.

Vista runs fine on a decent mobo/cpu with plenty of RAM, good graphics card, and SATA3 SSD HD. I still feel like I never got my money's worth out of my Vista Ultimate, and only just replaced it with W8 Pro OEM. Jury's still out on whether I replace W7 on my flagship with W8?

You would save a truck load of downlod time if you have SP1 & 2 on DVD/USB stick to install on fresh installation of Vista.

On topic: Never use gadgets or sidebar. Don't need items such as weather, news and don't twitter, facebook, etc.
 

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    Windows 7 Ult Reatil & Win 8 Pro OEM
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    Built as DIY
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    6 core 12 thread & 4 core
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    Inel Extreme & Intel standard
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    12GB & 8GB
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    3 top end SLI linked & onboard
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    In built in graphics card & onboard
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    24 & 23 inch Samsung LED backlit
    Screen Resolution
    High def
    Hard Drives
    Corsair Force 128GB SATA3 SSDs in each machine. Plus several external USB3 and eSATA spinner HDs
I don't need no stinkin' gadgets! Not with the colorful, well-organized, less resource eater, more secure, and at-a-glance info of live tiles of the Start Screen. :)
 

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System One

  • OS
    8.1 Pro X64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer T690
    CPU
    Intel Pentium D Dual Core
    Motherboard
    Acer/Intel E946GZ
    Memory
    2GB (max upgrade)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3000 - PCI Express x16
    Sound Card
    Integrated RealTek ALC888 high-definition audio with 7.1 channel audio support
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer AL1917W A LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1440 X 900
    Hard Drives
    350 GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.10
    Thumb drives
    PSU
    Standard 250 watt
    Case
    Desktop 7.2" (183mm) W x 17.5" (445mm) L x 14.5"
    Cooling
    Dual case fans + CPU fan
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    Acer Windows PS/2
    Mouse
    Wireless Microsoft Arc
    Internet Speed
    54mbp/s
    Browser
    IE11
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    Defender
    Other Info
    Office Pro 2013 / Nokia Lumia 1520 Windows Phone 8.1DP GDR1
Here's mine...

Here's my sidebar...
 

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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 10 Pro 64bit
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    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built Intel i7-3770k-based system
    CPU
    Intel i7-3770k, Overclocked to 4.6GHz (46x100) with Corsair H110i GT cooler
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z77 OC Formula 2.30 BIOS
    Memory
    32GB DDR3 2133 Corsair Vengeance Pro
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce GTX 980ti SC ACS 6GB DDR5 by EVGA
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD, Corsair SP2500 speakers and subwoofer
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG 27EA33 [Monitor] (27.2"vis) HDMI
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB (system drive)
    WD 6TB Red NAS hard drives x 2 in Storage Spaces (redundancy)
    PSU
    Corsair 750ax fully modular power supply with sleeved cables
    Case
    Corsair Air 540 with 7 x 140mm fans on front, rear and top panels
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    Corsair H110i GT liquid cooled CPU with 4 x 140" Corsair SP "push-pull" and 3 x 140mm fans
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    Thermaltake Poseidon Z illuminated keyboard
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    Corsair M65 wired
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    85MBps DSL
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    Chrome and Edge
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    Windows Defender, MalwareBytes Pro and CCleaner Pro
    Other Info
    Client of Windows Server 2012 R2 10 PC's, laptops and smartphones on the WLAN.

    1GBps Ethernet ports
Yes and I am glad I have them back now also.

I can live without the start button but apps do not replace gadgets in my book, but maybe someday apps can be made to do this. :cool:

"yes I know there is a start button add on."
 

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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro WMC
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built
    CPU
    Q9650 @ 4.05 GHz
    Motherboard
    Gforce 780i SLI FTW
    Memory
    8GB Gskill DDR2 1200Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX-480
    Sound Card
    Asus D2 Xonar
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HannsG
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    Gskill 120GB SSD
    PSU
    Thermal Take 1000watts
    Case
    Thermal Take Xtreme
    Cooling
    9 fans air cooled
    Keyboard
    G15 logitech
    Mouse
    G9 logitech
    Internet Speed
    50mbps
@Der Snoober: I tend to agree with that. However, I like to use a Network Monitor, just to see how well I am downloading from the internet. Otherwise, I can do without gadgets,

Then I advise you to try out DU Meter. This is a wonderfull!!! program to monitor network etc.

==> DU Meter: bandwidth monitor for your computer

It integrates in your Desktop programbar so you won't need a gadget and can still watch literally everything about your networkusage etc.

ps. it's quite cheap to :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64 Media Center Edition
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Made
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 750
    Memory
    6 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD HD 7750
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Iiyama ProLite B2481HS-B1
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1x 120 GB SSD Samsung 830;
    1x 1.5 TB HDD Seagate;
    1x 2 TB HDD Western Digital;
    1x 3 TB HDD Seagate
    1x 80 GB SSD Vertex 2
    PSU
    Corsair CX 600
    Case
    Corsair Carbide 300R with Side Window
    Cooling
    Intel RTS2011 LC
    Keyboard
    DasKeyboard (blue switches)
    Mouse
    Wacom Baboo Tablet Pen & Touch
    Internet Speed
    50 Mbit FullDuplex Fiberglass
    Browser
    IE11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    I also own the following Microsoft devices:
    * Surface Pro 2 128 GB
    * Windows Phone HTC 8X
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