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Microsoft Gadgets

Unless you know a nerd, or are extremely inquisitive, chances are you’ve missed some of your personal computer’s best features.

While it was once fashionable to bash Microsoft for the overzealous security system in Windows Vista, designed to keep computer novices safe from malicious software, the operating system’s manifold Gadgets flew under the radar. Users upgraded from Windows Vista to Windows 7, unaware that the Microsoft boffins had improved them for the new operating system.

Microsoft Gadgets are lightweight single-purpose software applications that can sit on a Microsoft Windows user's computer desktop.

If you are running any version of Windows Vista or 7, start up your machine and right click on a blank part of the screen. A menu will pop up. Second from the bottom is the word Gadgets. Left click on that and, as sure as Bill Gates is the founder of Microsoft, a new window will appear displaying a plethora of single function micro applications Microsoft named Gadgets.

To install an analogue clock face, for example, left click the Clock Gadget in the Gadget window and drag and drop it to where you would like it on the desktop. By hovering the mouse pointer over the working Gadget, on the desktop, you can customise it to your preference. A right click on the tiny spanner that appears will open another window which shows the clock face is one of eight options. Choose one to your liking, by clicking on the arrows, and close the menu. If you have family overseas and would like to set a second clock to their time zone create a second Clock Gadget, in exactly the same way. Type their location in the Clock name panel and select their city from the Time zone bar to set the time. Now you have no excuse for waking them in the middle of the night next time you call on Skype.

Another great Gadget is the Weather one which delivers live forecasts, for your set location, so long as you are connected to the internet. Set one up for your home city, in the same way as the Clock Gadget, and another one for the location of your family overseas.

Anti-virus software, such as Norton, may add a Gadget of its own displaying your machine’s security status while some printers may also add a Photo Print Gadget to which you can drag digital photos for instant printing.

If you create a gadget by mistake delete it from your desktop by clicking the Close button in the top right.

There’s a whole raft of other Gadgets on the internet which you can download by clicking "Get more gadgets online".