Desktop Gadget Gallery

Desktop Gadget Gallery
	Component of Microsoft Windows
	Desktop Gadgets in Windows 7 build 7600.16385
Introduced in	Windows 7 build 6471
Last included in	Windows 8 build 8432 (fbl_loc)
Replaces
	Windows Sidebar

Desktop Gadget Gallery was a component of Microsoft Windows. It contained several gadgets that could be placed on the desktop and show information such as weather, time, calendar, or various forms of interactive content. It was introduced in early builds of Windows 7 to replace the Windows Sidebar, and was last included in late builds of Windows 8, after which it was discontinued and removed from the operating system.

History[edit | edit source]

Desktop Gadget Gallery was first introduced in Windows 7 build 6471 as a replacement for Windows Sidebar, known simply as Gadget Gallery at this point, which contained several functionality changes, the biggest being the ability to place gadgets anywhere on the desktop rather than just on a bar at one of the desktop's sides. Most default gadgets from the Sidebar were kept, though some were removed. Despite the removal of the actual sidebar itself, gadgets still rely on the Windows Sidebar platform, and as such the sidebar.exe process is still present.

Unlike Windows Sidebar, Desktop Gadget Gallery had a far less turbulent development, and it received significantly less changes after its first appearance compared to its predecessor. The most notable later change was made in build 6758, which included gadgets no longer being shown by default, and the ability to snap gadgets to an invisible bar at the desktop's right side.

Discontinuation[edit | edit source]

While Desktop Gadget Gallery remained untouched for most of Windows 8's development, build 8437.1 (fbl_dev_dp8) removed it due to remote-code execution vulnerabilities which posed a security risk to end-users.^[1] With this change, downloadable gadgets were removed from the official website, and an explanation of the risks posed with the feature was added in its place,^[2] followed by patches that completely disable the underlying functionality for Windows Vista (as its predecessor was also affected) and Windows 7. Despite the feature not shipping in Windows 8, third-party solutions that port the ill-fated Desktop Gadget Gallery to Windows 8 and later versions exist, along with other websites hosting gadgets built for Windows 7.

Gadget[edit | edit source]

This is a list of default gadgets available throughout Windows 7's development. Windows 8 builds with Desktop Gadget Gallery use the same set of gadgets as Windows 7's RTM release.


Gadget	RTM?	Notes
Calendar	Yes	Kept from Windows Sidebar.
Clock	Yes	Kept from Windows Sidebar.
Contacts	No	Removed in build 6758
CPU Meter	Yes	Kept from Windows Sidebar.
Currency	Yes	Kept from Windows Sidebar, not working after feature discontinuation due to taken-down servers.
Feedback	No	Only present in build 6498 to build 6519. Identifies the gadget as FeedbackButton in the Gadgets folder.
Feed Headlines	Yes	Kept from Windows Sidebar, not working after feature discontinuation due to taken-down servers.
Notes	No	Removed in build 6758 and replaced by Sticky Notes.
Picture Puzzle	Yes	Kept from Windows Sidebar.
Slide Show	Yes	Kept from Windows Sidebar.
Stocks	No	Removed in build 7201.
Weather	Yes	Kept from Windows Sidebar, not working after feature discontinuation due to taken-down servers.
Windows Media Center	Yes	Introduced in Milestone 2 as "Media Center Sidebar Gadget". Not present if Windows Media Center is not installed.