If you are moving from Vista to Windows 7, you might miss the Sidebar which was introduced in Vista. Today we take a look at a couple options for getting a Sidebar back in Windows 7.

Copy Files from Vista

Note: In this example we are using 32-bit versions of Vista and Windows 7. Make sure you are logged in with Administrator credentials.

If you have a Vista machine running, we can copy the Windows Sidebar files over to the Windows 7 machine. On the Vista machine navigate to C:\Program Files and copy the Windows Sidebar folder and all of its contents over to a flash drive or network location.

On the Windows 7 machine go to C:\Program Files and rename the Windows Sidebar folder to something like Windows Sidebar_old.

Now copy the Vista Windows Sidebar folder into C:\Program Files…

Now you will have both folders…Windows Sidebar and Windows Sidebar_old in your C:\Program Files folder.

Right-click on the desktop and select Gadgets.

There you are…the Original Vista Sidebar is back and will act as it did in Vista.

Move Sidebar Gadgets

Another work around if you don’t have a copy of Vista, you can simply move the Desktop Gadgets you want over to the right side of the screen and they will stay there…no dock needed.

Type gadgets into the Search box in the Windows Start Menu and click on Desktop Gadgets.

Then drag the included Gadgets you want over to the right side of the screen. Or click on the link to Get more gadgets online to find more.

Once you have them where you want, each time you reboot they will still be in the same location. This holds true no matter where you place them on your desktop as well.

Install Desktop Sidebar

If you want an enhanced sidebar that includes a lot of different features, and don’t have a copy of Vista, you might want to check out Desktop Sidebar Beta (link below). This is a freeware application that works with Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7.

After installation you can access it from the Start Menu…

Here is how it will look after you launch it…

It includes several pre-installed panels including a clock, Media Player, Search Bar, Slideshow, Messenger, Outlook inbox, Tasks, Quick Launch, Performance…and a lot more.

It is highly customizable and allows you to change skins, add various levels of transparency, and a lot more.

One caveat with going with Desktop Sidebar is we didn’t find a way to add Windows Gadgets to it (though there might be a plugin for it that we’re not aware of). But there are so many options, you may not mind. However, you can still use the desktop gadgets as you normally would in Windows 7.

Believe it or not, some people actually prefer the Vista style Sidebar and would like it back in Windows 7. With these options you can get the Vista Sidebar back if you have a copy of Vista, place the Gadgets on the desktop, or go the freeware route.

Download Desktop Sidebar (freeware)