7 Sidebar

Granted, since it packs more reliability, an appealing interface and enhanced security, it does not come as a surprise that you decided to upgrade from Vista to Windows 7. However, if you grew accustomed to the good old sidebar as well as the neatly arranged widgets that enabled you to check out your system, check for area code and so many useful things, you may not feel that you took the right decision.

7 Sidebar is a lightweight piece of software that allows you to install and enjoy the Vista sidebar on your Windows 7 operating system.

It is necessary to mention that the program does not require installation and you solely need to access the executable to have the desired sidebar. In fact, the application allows you to add as many sidebars as you want and switch between them, a feature that can come in handy when you need to monitor various aspects during work and leisure time.

You can configure the application to stay visible and display the widgets you are interested in even when you are running another third-party software solution and prefer to keep the window maximized. You can access a window-manager type of interface that displays the widgets as thumbnails.

Settings-wise, the application is versatile and enables you to position the sidebar to the left or the right of the desktop. Moreover, you can have it displayed on multiple monitors, if you have multiple screens connected. You can also set it to auto-hide and assign a hotkey to show it.

You should know that the tool supports comes with a few cosmetic customization options, including 28 skins that you can choose from. You can enable peek for previews, turn on transparency, show the buttons on top or only for the current window and determine its width manually or automatically.

In the eventuality that you miss the Vista sidebar and feel that you can be more productive if you had your favorite gadgets displayed, then perhaps 7 Sidebar could lend you a hand.