In this lesson we will make our computer life more diverse and convenient, and for this let's learn how to install Desktop gadgets.

So, Desktop gadgets are special mini programs that, immediately after installation, are placed directly on the Desktop (in the form of images) and are designed for quick and convenient access to information or tools that are useful to us.

Gadgets come in a wide variety. For example, installing a gadget Weather, we will always see before our eyes the weather forecast for the coming days, and if we install a gadget to display exchange rates, we will always know the latest exchange rate of the selected currencies of the world. gadget Alarm will emit a beep at the right time, and the search gadget will quickly find the information we are interested in on the Internet. There are “reminder” gadgets, clocks and calendars, translators, note-taking gadgets, various computer status indicators, games... In short, we can always find and install on our computer any gadget that suits our type of activity and preferences.

Finding out which gadgets are already installed on our computer is very simple. To do this, just right-click anywhere on the Desktop and select the menu item Gadgets:

After this, a window will immediately appear Desktop gadgets collection, which will show all the gadgets currently present in the system:

Clicking on any of the icons in this window automatically places this gadget on the Desktop of our computer (another way is to simply drag the desired gadget from this window directly to the Desktop).

However, keep in mind that the gadget consists of pictures and files written in HTML, JavaScript and CSS (like a simple Internet page), so in order for it to display normally, you must have at least one installed on your computer. Usually there are no problems with this, because... Internet Explorer is always installed on Windows, but you need to know this just in case.

Also keep in mind that for some gadgets to work correctly, you must have an Internet connection in order to be able to update and display current information (weather, exchange rates, etc.)

If you right-click on the Desktop and you don’t see the option Gadgets, then you need to enable the corresponding Windows component.

To do this, click Start - Control Panel - Programs and Features - Turn Windows features on or off and put a tick Windows gadget platform:

If you hover your mouse over a gadget on the desktop, the following menu will appear to the right of it:

Here, the cross serves to close the gadget, the arrow icon changes the size of the gadget, the key icon serves to enter the settings menu, and the lowest icon serves to move the gadget anywhere on the Desktop (although you can also drag the gadget itself).

A gadget may have fewer icons, for example, if it does not have settings or cannot be resized.

Please note that the cross simply closes the gadget (removes it from the Desktop), but the gadget itself remains in the system and can be returned to the Desktop by simply clicking in the window with the gadget collection (this is discussed above). Well, if we need to completely remove it from the system, then in the same window we right-click the desired gadget and select Delete:

If we error delete any of the system gadgets (there are 9 in total), then it can be restored through Control Panel("Category" view) - Appearance and Personalization - Recover Desktop Gadgets Installed by Windows:

If a gadget from third-party developers (which we downloaded from the Internet) was deleted, then in order to restore it we will have to install this gadget again.

On the Internet you can find and download a wide variety of gadgets for free without any problems. The size of the gadget is usually very small, so downloading does not take any time at all, and the installation process is extremely simple.

To find gadgets on the Internet, just enter a search query in your browser (for example, “ GadgetsWindows» ), select the site you like, then find and download the gadget you need. Usually the downloaded file with a gadget is a file containing a file with the extension .gadget:

By clicking on such a file, we will start the installation process, and in just a couple of seconds the gadget will appear on the Desktop.

It is very likely that we will see a warning window like this:

This window notifies us that the file is not digitally signed (its author is unknown) and therefore it may be potentially dangerous.

Here you should understand that such files are not always viruses (often these are normal gadgets), however, in such a situation you should be more careful and, just in case, scan the downloaded files with an antivirus. There are cases when such gadgets are not installed at all or work intermittently, and sometimes even interfere with the operation of other gadgets. In this case, we can safely remove such a gadget.

If you are sure that the site from which the gadget was downloaded can be trusted, then click the button Install, check its performance and use it for your pleasure.

From this article you will learn what Windows desktop gadgets are, why they are needed, their installation capabilities and settings. And also a brief overview of gadgets in general.

What types of gadgets are there?

Windows desktop gadgets are small graphical functional applications designed to provide additional information without resorting to a web browser, as well as to expand the functions of a computer or other device.

All of them are very easy to manage and configure, which is why they are popular. The choice is so great that there are gadgets for almost any computer function.

Some work autonomously, for example, reporting the state of the system, showing the operation of the PC processor, calendars and all kinds of clocks, alarms and reminders.

Gadgets for turning the computer on and off, and many more gadgets - mini games.

The following work only using the Internet, for example, weather and news reports, exchange rates and traffic jams, Internet radio and television and thousands of others.

There is also a group of devices connected to a computer via a USB port. , flash drive or such unusual devices as a mini fan, a vacuum cleaner for crumbs, a cup warmer and even a refrigerator! All these devices are gadgets that consume a small amount of energy, which they draw through the USB port of the computer.

And in the real world around us, gadgets are very widely used and used by people everywhere and every day.

A striking example of this is the mobile phone, without which it is no longer possible to imagine the life of a modern person.

Electronic books, MP3 player, watches, functional electronic fountain pens, etc. the list is endless and all of this is also called gadgets.

Nowadays, a gadget is considered to be any small digital device, used on its own or connected to a computer or communicator.

Gadgets for Windows

In the Windows Vista and Windows 7 operating systems, gadgets were included in the basic set of 10 applications, but in Windows 8, unfortunately, they were no longer available.

Microsoft has abandoned gadgets due to the fact that attackers can use them to harm your computer.
But everyone still uses them successfully, including me, the main thing is to download gadgets from trusted sites; one of such sites where you can download desktop gadgets for free and safely is https://www.sevengadgets.ru/.

For those who do not have, but want to return the basic package of applications, and these are owners of Windows 8, then this opportunity is available using the small program 8GadgetPack, this is easy to do. Finding it and installing it is not difficult for any novice user; the kit includes about 30 gadgets.

Using the program is the same as on Windows 7; read the description below.

About how to configure

And so, right-click on the desktop and select the gadgets tab in the context menu that appears. After which a menu of different groups of gadgets will appear.

We select any one by hovering the cursor over it, holding down the left mouse button, dragging the gadget to the location we need and releasing the mouse button. When you hover your cursor over an installed gadget, a menu of three items pops up.

• Close: means to remove from the desktop (but not to be confused with completely deleting).

• Parameters: you can make some minor settings.

• Drag: Move by left-clicking on the desktop to another location.

By right-clicking on the gadget, we open the context menu, where we will see two new tabs out of six.

• On top of other windows: the gadget will always be on top of the active window, and with the Windows + G key combination, all desktop gadgets will appear on top of the windows

• Opacity: indicated as a percentage, the lower the number, the more transparent and inconspicuous the gadget becomes, and when you hover the cursor over it, it seems to flash and goes out again when you move the cursor to the side.

And in conclusion, I want to say not in favor of gadgets that you should not get carried away with them, since they use system resources; however, like any running process, it affects the overall performance of the system. But in general, Windows desktop gadgets are extremely useful and in reasonable quantities will not interfere with the operation of your machine, but rather will help.
That's all for this topic.

I suggest watching the video of hand-to-hand combat among girls!

Egg separator

What to replace: empty plastic bottle

You can separate the yolk from the white by hand, but there is always a risk of accidentally damaging its shell with the shell. To prevent this from happening, use a proven trick. Break the required number of eggs and pour their contents into a deep bowl. Take an empty plastic bottle, squeeze it with your hand, bring it to the yolk and release its edges. The bottle will begin to fill with air, along with which the yolk will be gently pulled inside.

Meat tenderizer

What to replace: can of canned beans

The tenderizer gives amazing tenderness to the beef while keeping all the juices inside. But if you don't have this useful gadget (or, in extreme cases, a culinary hammer), a tin of beans will help you out. In principle, any canned food is suitable for beating meat, but it is the beans that give it the required weight.

Wrap the jar in several layers of cling film and break the fibers with it - the steak will be more tender.

Whisk

What to replace: two forks

The cost of a good whisk made of high-quality stainless steel can reach several thousand rubles - and, if it is electric, even more. Don't waste your money like that! Two forks overlapped together will do the job just as well as a whisk.

For convenience, wrap the handles in a paper towel, placing several layers of paper between the forks. Even professional pastry chefs use this secret!

Electric Jar Opener with Screw Cap

What to replace: stationery eraser

Some jars are simply impossible to open. Your hands glide over the smooth metal surface, even if you wrap it in a kitchen towel. We agree, for such cases an electric opener is a real salvation. But there is another option that does not require large expenses.

Wrap the lid with several rubber bands so that they fit tightly to the surface. This will improve grip. Just a few movements and the jar will open. Tested many times!

Cherry pitting machine

What to replace: funnel

Removing pits from cherries is easier than you thought! Take a funnel with a narrow neck and place it on a plate, wide side down. Press the berry against the hole of the funnel and press lightly - the seed will easily slide into the hole. In this way, you can quickly and inexpensively process the entire cherry harvest.

Citrus juicer

What to replace: kitchen tongs

Using kitchen tongs, you can quickly and easily squeeze out all the juice from lemons and limes. Simply cut the fruit in half and squeeze firmly with tongs. However, with this method, pieces of pulp and seeds may get into the juice, so if necessary, it will need to be strained through a sieve.

Garlic press

What to replace: regular knife

A garlic press is a useful thing, but washing it is real hard labor. You can replace the gadget with a regular knife. Crush the unpeeled garlic clove with its flat side by pressing down with your hand, and then remove the skin.

Knife for cutting herbs

What to replace: scissors

A fashionable kitchen accessory with two handles easily and quickly chops greens by rolling from side to side. It looks very nice, but is not cheap at all. Replace an expensive kitchen gadget with regular scissors. With their help, you can “trim” the herbs into small, neat pieces, and it will take very little time.

In the current electronic age, gadgets have become an integral part of the lives of most people. Now they are used in almost all areas of life - in classes, at work, at home. Surprisingly, some parents have even partially shifted their child-rearing responsibilities to gadgets. Tablets, smartphones and other electronic inventions have almost replaced books and toys; even fairy tales are read to children by tablets. After downloading a fairy tale from the Internet, you can play it for your child before bed. But is such reading useful for children? Can gadgets replace a “live” bedtime story read by parents? What are the benefits of reading together with your child?

Spiritual connection with children

When you leave your worries and affairs to read a fairy tale to your baby, it is not just entertainment, but a manifestation of love and care. By settling down with your child on the bed with a book in your hands, you show him that you care about him (you have left your business and spend time with him). Children enjoy being next to their mother, who reads to him. This activity helps to get closer and strengthen the spiritual connection with children.

Gadgets can only entertain a child; they cannot replace parental warmth and attention. If a robot regularly reads fairy tales to your child, then your spiritual connection with your child is severed. You shouldn’t brush off your children by replacing yourself with gadgets.

Discussing what you read helps you learn

Fairy tales are a kind of teaching aid. Through them, the baby learns to understand the world, learn to distinguish between good and bad, act correctly and show empathy. But in order for a child to learn this, it is important to discuss what they read together. During the discussion, you need to explain to the child what happened to the character, what he did, and what his actions led to. Encourage children to put themselves in the shoes of the main characters of the fairy tale, to fantasize and think. If you do this, the baby will learn to think, analyze and draw conclusions from the information received. In the future, this will have a good effect on his personal qualities.

When a robot reads fairy tales to a child, the child only remembers the plot. He is unlikely to derive practical benefit from what he heard, because no one discussed the information with him.

Note to moms!

Hello girls) I didn’t think that the problem of stretch marks would affect me too, and I’ll also write about it))) But there’s nowhere to go, so I’m writing here: How did I get rid of stretch marks after childbirth? I will be very glad if my method helps you too...

Expanding children's horizons

Fairy tales are not simple stories about miracles and magic. They can be compared to a large encyclopedia that provides knowledge in various areas of life. Just imagine how many nationalities there are on our planet, and each nation has many of its own fairy tales. All of them reflect the cultural values, folklore, customs and traditions of different countries. By reading them to your child, you give him an idea of ​​the diversity of cultures on Earth and their characteristics.

Reading together is also important because in fairy tales you can sometimes come across words that are new to a child. Their meaning must be explained so that the baby remembers and assimilates them. Fairy tales are a real storehouse of new information for children; with their help, children learn about everything in the world - countries, peoples, objects and phenomena. In order for a child to learn new information, it needs to be explained, which gadgets are not capable of. After hearing a fairy tale from a robot, a child may simply not understand many things.

Calming before bed

If parents read a fairy tale to their child every day before bed, it becomes an evening experience for him. The baby looks forward to bedtime because it is associated with pleasant emotions. For children, reading is an opportunity to be close to their mother, hear a new or already favorite fairy tale, imagine and relax. All this, combined with the calm voice of mom or dad before bedtime, has a calming effect on children.

The bright displays of modern electronic devices affect the child’s psyche in the opposite way. They excite, increase anxiety, and this negatively affects the quality of sleep. As a result, children become capricious, often wake up at night, and feel lethargic in the morning.

Why not give your child a childhood in which there will be more live communication, more care and love? After all, when your children grow up, they will begin to use new technology every day.

We also read:

28.12.2009 03:49

Gadgets (mini-applications) are small programs that display a variety of information on the Windows 7 desktop.

How gadgets work in Windows 7

A gadget, like a web page, consists of graphics and files written in HTML, JavaScript and CSS. Therefore, to display gadgets, it is necessary that at least one browser is installed on the system. To use pre-installed (standard) Windows 7 gadgets, you must have the Internet Explorer browser. Some gadgets (for example, Weather) require an Internet connection, while other gadgets can work offline (for example, Clock).

The installation file of the widget is a regular zip archive with the extension .gadget. For a gadget to be displayed on the desktop, it must be installed and running.

To install the widget, double-click the gadget's installation package. The widget will then be added to your gadget collection, from where you can add it to your desktop.

The Desktop Gadgets Gallery is a panel that displays all installed gadgets. This panel is powered by the application sidebar.exe located in the folder %ProgramFiles%\Windows Sidebar.

To open the Desktop Gadget Collection, right-click on the desktop and select from the context menu that appears Gadgets.

Adding gadgets to your desktop

2. Double-click one of the suggested gadgets.

Gadget menu

When you hover your mouse over a gadget, a small menu appears to the right of it.

Depending on the features of the gadget, this menu may contain buttons Close(removes the gadget from the Windows desktop), Options(displays additional settings), Size, Moving.

Removing a gadget

1. To remove a gadget from the collection, right-click on the desktop and select Gadgets.

2. Right-click on the widget you want to remove and select Delete.

After this, the widget will no longer be available in the Gadget Collection.

Recovering deleted gadgets

To restore all standard Windows 7 gadgets:

1. Open the Control Panel, set the view to “Category”.

2. Click .

3. In the section Desktop gadgets click Recovering desktop gadgets installed by Windows.

To restore a deleted third-party widget, simply install it again.

Turn Gadgets on or off

By default, gadgets are enabled in Windows 7. You can disable the installation, viewing, and adding of gadgets to the desktop by using Windows Features in Control Panel and by using the Local Group Policy Editor (Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Ultimate, and Windows 7 Enterprise only).

• Turn gadgets on or off using Control Panel

1. Open Control Panel (Large Icons View) > Programs and Features.

2. From the left menu, select Turn Windows features on or off.

3. To turn off the Gadgets feature, uncheck the box Windows gadget platform. To enable Gadgets, select this checkbox.

4. Restart your computer.

• Enable or disable gadgets using the Local Group Policy Editor

1. Open the Start menu, type in the search bar and press Enter.

2. Perform the required action:

• To disable the Gadgets feature for your account, in the left menu of the Local Group Policy Editor, open Local Computer Policy > User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Desktop Gadgets .

• To disable the gadgets feature for all users on the computer, in the left menu of the Local Group Policy Editor, open Local Computer Policy > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Desktop Gadgets, on the right side of the Local Group Policy Editor window, double-click the option Disable desktop gadgets.

3. Select Turn on and press OK.

If this setting is enabled, desktop gadgets will be disabled. If this option is disabled or not specified, desktop widgets will be enabled.

4. Restart your computer.

Creating your own gadgets for Windows

If you're familiar with programming languages ​​like HTML and JavaScript, as well as CSS, you might want to check out Donavan West's Windows Gadgets tutorial. The manual has been translated into Russian. Although this guide is focused on creating gadgets for Windows Vista, it covers the general principles of creating widgets that are necessary to understand the process.

1. Gadgets in Windows 7 can be freely moved with the left mouse button within the desktop. To move widgets closer together, press and hold the Shift key while moving the gadget.

2. To always display the gadget on top of all open windows, right-click on it and select from the context menu that appears On top of other windows.

3. To hide all active gadgets, right-click on the Windows 7 desktop, select View and uncheck Show desktop gadgets. To make gadgets appear again, check this box.

4. To move all active gadgets to the front, press the Windows key + G key combination.

5. To adjust the transparency of a gadget, right-click on it and set the opacity level.

Pre-installed Windows 7 gadgets

Windows 7 comes with nine pre-installed gadgets (mini-applications):

• Windows Media Center

This gadget is a convenient, customizable Windows Media Center launcher.

• Currency

When connected to the Internet, the Currency gadget displays the value of the user's selected currencies, according to MSN Money providers. In total, the gadget can display from 2 to 4 currencies. This widget requires an Internet connection to work.

To add currency, click + in the lower right corner of the gadget. To remove currency, hover your mouse over it and click the red cross in the upper right corner.

To change currency, click its name and select the desired currency in the list that appears.

• Puzzle

Gadget "Puzzle" is a mosaic game. An Internet connection is not required for the gadget to work.

To view the picture you need to collect, click the “?” at the top of the widget.

To automatically assemble or shuffle the mosaic, click the arrow icon in the upper right corner of the gadget.

The timer can be paused by clicking on the clock in the upper left corner of the gadget.

To change the picture, right-click the widget and select Options.

• Web channel news headlines

This gadget allows you to view news headlines from web channels (RSS feeds) without launching a browser (however, an Internet connection is required). The gadget displays news only from those sites whose RSS feeds are added to the Internet Explorer browser. To view or change the list of RSS feeds, open Internet Explorer > Favorites > Channels Tab.

Any RSS feed added to Internet Explorer will become available for display in the Feed News Headlines gadget. For example, you can add our web feed to always know when a new article appears on our site. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Launch Internet Explorer browser.

2. Enter the address of our RSS feed in the address bar: http://www.site/feed/ and press Enter.

• CPU indicator

The CPU Indicator gadget displays the load on RAM (right) and processor (left) in real time. It has no additional settings. An Internet connection is not required for the widget to work.

• Calendar

Options and use the “…” button to specify the desired folder.

Here you can adjust the speed of changing the picture and select one of the transition effects from one image to another.

By default, images follow each other in the order in which they are sorted in the folder. The sequence of changing images in the gadget can be changed to random by checking the “Images in random order” checkbox.

The Clock gadget can display the time in any time zone known to the Windows operating system. To make the Clock gadget display a time other than the default time selected in OS settings, right-click the widget and select Options. On the gadget settings page, select the desired time zone and click OK.

To display the time in multiple time zones on your desktop (like in Mission Control), launch the Clock gadget the required number of times and configure the desired time zone in each.

Also on the settings page, you can choose the appearance of the “Clock” gadget and even assign a name to the clock that will be displayed on the watch face.

Download gadgets for Windows 7

There are many sites on the Internet that offer gadget downloads. Since Windows 7 is a new operating system, as of this writing, many of the gadgets available for download are written for Windows Vista. Most of them work quite well under Windows 7, but their functionality may change. At the same time, gadgets written for Windows 7 may be incompatible with Vista.

When downloading gadgets from third-party developers, you should pay attention to the bit depth and availability. Gadgets created for 32-bit Windows 7 may not work in 64-bit Windows 7. Gadgets without a digital signature may not install or work correctly in Windows 7. In addition, unscrupulous publishers distribute viruses and other malware under the guise of gadgets. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you download gadgets only from trusted sites.

Windows 7 components