You can easily add gadgets to the few that are initially displayed on the Sidebar  when you first install Windows Vista. Not only can you select new gadgets from among those that are automatically shipped with the Vista operating system (but just not displayed on the Sidebar), but you can always download gadgets from an ever-expanding online library.

To add gadgets to the Sidebar from among those that are included with Windows Vista, follow these steps:

1. Click the plus sign (+) that appears at the top of the Sidebar or right-click somewhere on the Sidebar outside of any gadgets, and then click Add Gadgets on the shortcut menu. Vista opens the Gadget Gallery window that displays all the gadgets on your computer similar to the one shown in Figure 1-16.

2. Click the Show Details link to expand the dialog box before you click the thumbnail of the gadget you’re interested in adding to the Sidebar. The Details pane of the Gadgets Gallery window displays a brief description of the purpose of the gadget whose thumbnail you click.

3. When you locate a gadget you want to add to the Sidebar, drag its thumbnail to the Sidebar or double-click its thumbnail or right-click it and then click Add on its shortcut menu.

When you double-click the thumbnail or right-click and click Add, Vista then immediately adds the gadget you selected to the top of the Sidebar, moving all the existing gadgets down one. Note, however, that you can reorder any of the gadgets displayed on the Sidebar by dragging them to a new position.

To download more gadgets from the Internet, open the Gadgets Gallery window as outlined in the previous steps and then click the Get More Gadgets Online link. Vista then opens the Microsoft Gadgets Web page in the Internet Explorer. This page offers not only gadget news and instructions on how to download new gadgets, but also information how to build your own gadgets, if you’re so inclined.

To remove a gadget from the Sidebar, position the mouse pointer in the upperright corner of the gadget you want to remove and then click the X that appears. Note that removing a gadget from the Sidebar does not delete it from your computer — to do that, you need to open the Search All Gadgets window, and then right-click the gadget’s thumbnail and click Uninstall on its shortcut menu. To restore a gadget that you’ve removed from the Sidebar, just repeat the previous steps for adding a new gadget.