By Scott Lowe

With the exception of its new theme, one of the most noticeable additions to Windows Vista is Windows Sidebar. Located along the right-hand side of your monitor, Windows Sidebar is intended to help you perform common tasks and organize the information flowing into your computer. This article describes the Windows Sidebar experience and gives you a step-by-step guide to customizing your Windows Sidebar for maximum effectiveness.

Windows Sidebar provides handy tools and offers at-a-glance information with mini-programs called gadgets. Windows Vista includes a few gadgets during installation, but there are hundreds more gadgets available through the Internet. With the right gadgets, Windows Sidebar can be an invaluable productivity and convenience tool.

If you travel internationally as a part of your job, Windows Vista includes some gadgets that you might find particularly useful. The Currency Conversion gadget, as you probably expect, helps you determine how far your money will go in another country. The Notes gadget gives you a quick way to jot down a note while you're on the long plane ride to your destination. And, if you're not in the mood for work, the Picture Puzzle gadget affords you the opportunity to sit back, relax, and enjoy a game.

My favorite gadgets are the RSS Feeds gadget, the Stocks gadget, and the Sudoku gadget. As a news junkie particularly interested in the technology world, I remain up-to-date by using RSS Feeds. The RSS Feeds gadget grabs the list of news feeds I have stored in Internet Explorer and displays the headlines in Windows Sidebar. The Stocks gadget keeps a close eye on the performance of my stock portfolio components, and the Sudoku gadget keeps my wife and I occupied for hours with tantalizing puzzles.

Starting Windows Sidebar

Windows Sidebar is incredibly useful and is automatically installed with Windows Vista. If Windows Sidebar does not appear on your screen after you log in, you can manually start the program.

To start Windows Sidebar

• From the Start menu, point to All Programs, select Accessories, and then select Sidebar.

Changing Windows Sidebar settings

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Vista RSS Windows gadgets stocks sidebar