Vista Windows Sidebar - Reinstate on Windows 7

Sidebar - Vista Sidebar on Windows 7

How to Reinstate the Vista Sidebar on Windows 7​

   Information

This will show you how to reinstate the Vista Windows Sidebar on Windows 7.

METHOD ONE

Reinstate Vista Windows Sidebar on Windows 7

1. First Close all running Gadgets and Check Task Manager to Make sure it is not running and then go to C:\Program Files\Windows Sidebar.
2. Download the Take Ownership shortcut to add it to the right click context menu by going here http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1911-take-ownership-shortcut.html

3. Right click on the Sidebar folder and select Take Ownership

4. Rename the Original Folder to Windows Sidebar (2)

5. Go to the Windows Sidebar Programs folder in Vista and copy it.

6. Now just paste the Vista folder in the Programs folder on your Windows 7 partition.

7. Right Click on the screen and select Gadgets and now you should have the Vista sidebar.
8. To close the sidebar just go to the icon in the system tray, right click and select exit.

METHOD TWO

Reinstate Vista Windows Sidebar on Windows 7

1. First Close all running Gadgets and Check Task Manager to Make sure it is not running and then go to C:\Program Files\Windows Sidebar.
2. Right click on a file and select Properties.
3. Go to the Security Tab and click on Advanced.
4. Go to the Owner Tab and select Edit.
5. Select your user name and hit OK.
6. Go back to step 3 now and instead of Advanced select Edit.

7. Select your user name and tick the box with Full control and hit OK.

• OK now you have done that for every file in the Windows sidebar folder except the Gadgets Folder, you can now delete or replace the files.

8. Copy the Windows Sidebar Folder and Paste it somewhere for a backup if you want to Revert your changes.

9. Go to the Sidebar Folder in Vista and copy all the files except the Gadgets Folder and Paste it in the Windows 7 Sidebar folder and overwrite the existing files and folders.

10. Right Click on the screen and select Gadgets and now you should have the Vista sidebar.

STEP TWO

Add Vista Sidebar Gadgets to Windows 7

   Note

This is an optional extra for getting all of your Gadgets from Vista to use in Windows 7

1. First close your sidebar and check Task Manager to make sure it is not running.

2. Go to folder options and select Show Hidden Files.

3. Now go to your Vista Drive and go to folder Users\your user name\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Sidebar\Gadgets and copy all of the folders in that folder.
4. Now go to the same folder on your Windows 7 drive and Paste the files in that folder.

5. Start your sidebar again by Right Clicking on the Desktop and selecting Gadgets and now you should have all the gadgets you were using on Vista, Enjoy!

STEP THREE

Add NEW Gadgets to the Vista Sidebar

There is a problem installing new gadgets when using the Vista sidebar and you will need to follow this workaround to be able.

1. Download new Gadget

2. Download 7-Zip and install

3. Right click on the Gadget.exe and go to the 7-Zip tab and Extract Files.
4. Now you have the folder on your desktop you will need to add .Gadget to the folder name and move it to the Gadgets folder as mentioned in Step Two.


TO UNDO CHANGES FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS

1. Opening the Start Menu and then type: cmd and Open as Administrator

2. Type: sfc /scannow

3. Let it complete and restart and all changes will undone.

For more information on scf /scannow look here.

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Add or Remove Desktop Gadgets in Windows 7
• How to Allow or Prevent User Installed Gadgets in Windows 7
• How to Enable or Disable Gadgets in Windows 7
• How to Turn Windows 7 Gadgets Feature On or Off
• How to Allow or Prevent Installation of Unsigned Gadgets in Windows 7
• How to Restore the Default Windows 7 Gadgets
• Trick to Moving Gadgets in Windows 7 Closer Together
• How to Import Windows Calendar from Vista into Windows 7
• How to Create a Gadgets Shortcut in Windows 7
• How to Change the "Get more gadgets online" Link in Windows 7
• How to Fix Gadgets not Displaying Correctly in Windows 7
• How to Add or Remove "Gadgets" from Desktop Context Menu in Windows

 

[Helmut4242]

Hi,
You guys can also try this gadget 7 Sidebar. You can install it like any other gadget and it creates a sidebar like the one in vista (even with some new features).
No need to change any systemfiles

Ciao

 

[lotherius]

Thank you! The 7 Sidebar Gadet is exactly what I wanted/needed. I can still install gadets easily, no disabling UAC, none of that. I *could have* do the other method, but I no longer even have my windows vista disks, nor an old install to copy files from. Thanks for letting us know of this alternative.

 

[whs]

Thank you! The 7 Sidebar Gadet is exactly what I wanted/needed. I can still install gadets easily, no disabling UAC, none of that. I *could have* do the other method, but I no longer even have my windows vista disks, nor an old install to copy files from. Thanks for letting us know of this alternative.

I had uploaded a copy of my Vista sidebar folder to Skydrive. If you want to use it, you can download it from here.

 

[Serious1]

Hi,
You guys can also try this gadget 7 Sidebar. You can install it like any other gadget and it creates a sidebar like the one in vista (even with some new features).
No need to change any systemfiles

Ciao

Helmut4242 big thanks for your sweet little tool - it simply made my day!!
It does exactly (!) what i want and what i have 'missed' in Win 7 - your sidebar brings back the border / dock also for apllications like firefox . So if i am maximizing my browser it will 'dock' to the left border of the sidebar, just like in Vista. I love it - it is so cool. I don't like the Win 7 default one, because i can't devide my desktop exactly. Yours is excellent! Thanks bud!

 

[severedsolo]

thank you very much! thanks to step 2 i got the Vista CPU meter back, as i dont like the way the windows 7 one jumps about!

 

[eegorr]

Hi,
You guys can also try this gadget 7 Sidebar. You can install it like any other gadget and it creates a sidebar like the one in vista (even with some new features).
No need to change any systemfiles

Ciao

What a fantastic, elegant solution!

Having just completed the upgrade of my laptop from Vista to Win7 yesterday (what a pain, but that's another story) I was dismayed to find that the only thing I liked about Vista had been crippled in the new OS.

I found this thread via a Google search and was about to perform the recommended changes to get my old sidebar back (I still have another donor computer running Vista). Fortunately for me, I decided to read the entire thread first and at the top of the last page I found this solution!

I really like the additional features, like my browser window leaving the sidebar uncovered and the ability to use the sidebar as a window manager. This is what the Windows 7 sidebar should have been instead of the crippled version of the Vista sidebar they gave us.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting this here!
Moderators, you should make this another option on the first post of this thread.
One question though... why isn't this gadget available through the Windows gadget gallery?

 

[freelancer91]

The thing I can't figure out is why this works on my laptop, but when I try it on my desktop, it ends up saying that "Settings.ini is being used by another process". I have tried looking for the handle in process explorer but it doesn't show anything. Also, although it does work on my laptop, if I try to add any new gadgets, I have to revert to the Windows 7 sidebar to add them, then I can switch back to the Vista version of the sidebar.

 

[mastofdom]

Hi,
You guys can also try this gadget 7 Sidebar. You can install it like any other gadget and it creates a sidebar like the one in vista (even with some new features).
No need to change any systemfiles

Ciao

What a fantastic, elegant solution!
...
One question though... why isn't this gadget available through the Windows gadget gallery?

I signed up just to praise this sidebar as well. It's sooo good, just like eegor said, it's what the Vista sidebar should have been.

I'd also wondered why it wasn't listed in the gadget gallery. I know that the creator of this gadget must live in Germany or Austria, because some of the outgoing links on that site land on german sites.

He also has a "Clipboarder" gadget that manages your clipboard items in the most elegant manner. I highly recommend trying it out too. This guy is a very talented programmer.

 

[Paul Grenfell]

I think I know what to do, but I need to get the Vista sidebar. Is there a place on the web that might have it??

I uploaded my Vista sidebar folder for you (see link below). Just download it and unzip the .zip folder and you find the folder that you need to drag into the Win7 Program files. Make sure you first renamed the one that is in your Win7 program files folder now.

Windows Sidebar.zip - Windows Live

MANY MANY thanks for that Folder.. I have been at wit's end to get that sidebar back on my W7OS . There is a Sidebar gadget available also, but it consumes significant amounts of CPU constantly, slowing down my system and battery life,

The Original Vista Sidebar is perfect.. thanks..

 

[whs]

Paul, you are welcome. I am glad it was helpful for you.

 

[Helmut4242]

Hi,
thanks for all the praise of my gadget

I acutally put it in the gallery here. But mastofdom is guessing right, I'm german and Microsoft seems to seperate the website for different countries.. (although I made a special entry for the english version)

@Paul Grenfell
Yes sorry. Version 1.40 had a bug that caused to occupy one processor when selecting a special skin. Version 1.50 fixes that and also adds some new features. Download here

Ciao
Helmut

 

[klemptor]

Hi,

This is a great hack as I love the Vista sidebar! Are there any fixes for the problem with the flyout menus not working? I would love to have that piece of functionality back.

Thanks in advance!
Klem

 

[Captain Al]

Hello Mark,
Greetings from Sunny Sarasota Florida. Your 2008 Article on how to reinstate the Vista Side bar on Windows 7 was absolutely fantastic. It was clearly written with easy to understand steeps and great screen shots. Heck, even I got it working on my first try. Your procedure worked perfectly on three of my computers all running Win 7 Pro 64 bit.
My sidebar holds only a few simple gadgets but I have been unable to find exact Win 7 replacements. I really like the Vista sidebar concept over the Win 7 alternative. Over time, I have grown accustomed and reliant on the sidebar display for quick updated information as I work. The gadgets themselves are simple, (date, weather, time, status, shutdown/restart/hibernate etc.). They are always on top and large enough for even us older guys to see.
Then came the SP1 update earlier this week and the once loved sidebar is gone. Only a few of the gadgets are displayed. They are considerably smaller and do not auto adjust for size nor placement. The ones that are displayed appear graphically truncated either on the top or bottom and the Windows Sidebar icon in the notification area of the taskbar is missing. Restore points are a wonderful thing to get your box back to the last know good condition. My beloved sidebar is back to normal but without SP1.
Just wondering if you experienced similar issues and had any thoughts or suggestions. Do you think the Vista sidebar can return to a Win7 SP1 machine?
Thanks again for a wonderful article.
Al

 

[Paul Grenfell]

Captian Al,
Just do the same thing again after SP1
If you have lost the file , just Copy the one you have before SP1 and replace after SP1

 

[Captain Al]

That was the first thing I tried

Thanks Paul, but that was the first thing I tried.

I first tried a folder recovery manuver to both folders that must be modified from my last backup set. When that failed to work, I tried a copy/paste manuver using files from one of my other two Win-7 Pro 64 bit computers that were still working fine and without SP1 update. Both attempts ended with the same failed result.

Of special note was that I could not paste the sidebar.exe and the wlsrv.dll file because both files were in use. Without the gadgets icon in the notification tray, I was unable to shutdown the sidebar. Also right clicking inn the sidebar area did not bring up the usual sidebar dialog menu. Right clicking on the desktop brought up the Gadgets choice but that only allows one to add gadgets, not stop the sidebar.


I wonder if the above 2 files are in fact different. If they were, I could explore other options to stop the sidebar / Gadgets so I could copy those files over.

Regards, and thanks for the speedy response.

Al

 

[Paul Grenfell]

Replace the whole Windows Sidebar folder at C/Programs/Windows Sidebar with the pre SP1 copy and then restart the Computer..
It wont kick in until reboot..
Paul

 

[HammerJack]

The link is dead to download the reg file for "enabling the Sidebar with UAC off".
Thanks for this tut...

 

[Brink]

Hello AJ,

It has been removed since there's no need for the REG file since it is not needed in Builds 7048 and newer of Windows 7. Sorry.

 

[HammerJack]

Thanks for the quick reply Brink...

Makes sence about the newer releases.. One more question if I may?

I have a 64 bit system for both Vista & Seven and I'm not clear if I just need to stick with just the "Program Files" folder only, or is it necessary to also copy the "Windows Sidebar" folder from the "Program Files (x86)", from Vista into the respective folder in Seven??

Thanks in advance..