Tutorial: Remove Windows sidebar\gadgets side toolbar...
Remove the mouse-over close, move, size, options, etc. toolbar form the side.
Thursday, July 15, 2010 by TimmyP | Discussion: Tutorials
Out of all the gadget\widget systems, I like and use windows gadgets. Ive always hated the stupid side toolbar that appears over a gadget when you move the mouse on top of them. It ruins the look of the gadget IMO, and all the functions of the toolbar can be accessed when right clicking or dragging a gadget.
Here, this thing...
Remove the gadget\sidebar toolbar in Windows 7 (and probably Vista) tutorial:
1. Install resource hacker (http://www.angusj.com/resourcehacker/).
2. Navigate to C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Sidebar\ (for 64-bit users) or C:\Program Files\Windows Sidebar\ (for 32-bit users).
3. Backup sidebar.exe by making a copy of it, and make sure gadgets\sidebar are closed.
4. Right-click on sidebar.exe and choose "Open using Resource Hacker."
5. In Resource Hacker, expand "RCData." (click the plus)
6. Expand every entry from 4000 to 4031 under RCData, you will see a little flower icon named "1033" under each entry.
7. Right-click every icon individually under 4000 to 4031, and choose "Delete Resource."
8. Save the file when done and reopen gadgets\sidebar, you are finished.
IMO this makes the widgets look a lot better.
Reply #4 Friday, July 16, 2010 1:02 AM
It also makes them unusable. How about the configuration function? Do you have any idea what that liitle wrench is for?
Better to just use DX if you want good looking widgets and gadgets. Like these.
Reply #5 Friday, July 16, 2010 1:35 AM
IMO this makes the widgets look a lot better.
It also makes them unusable. How about the configuration function? Do you have any idea what that liitle wrench is for?
Better to just use DX if you want good looking widgets and gadgets. Like these.
Not necessarily on both counts. You *can* right click and select options, but unless you're constantly getting your mouse over the gadgets I don't see what the problem is.
And as for "better off using DX" I don't agree with that. When I was running DX widgets, they were using about 9mb RAM a piece, so I switched to AveDesk (and now that and sidebar gadgets) and Avedesk is only using about 12mb ram running a whole bunch of things, and the Avedesk and sidebar gadgets are much easier to tweak.
Reply #6 Friday, July 16, 2010 1:56 AM
Quoting Wizard1956,
reply 4
IMO this makes the widgets look a lot better.
It also makes them unusable. How about the configuration function? Do you have any idea what that liitle wrench is for?
Better to just use DX if you want good looking widgets and gadgets. Like these.
Not necessarily on both counts. You *can* right click and select options, but unless you're constantly getting your mouse over the gadgets I don't see what the problem is.
And as for "better off using DX" I don't agree with that. When I was running DX widgets, they were using about 9mb RAM a piece, so I switched to AveDesk (and now that and sidebar gadgets) and Avedesk is only using about 12mb ram running a whole bunch of things, and the Avedesk and sidebar gadgets are much easier to tweak.
Ok,I forgot about the options on r-click mostly because it's so much easier and takes one less click to just mouse over it.
Most widgets I run use 3mb ram or less, Windows sidebar is the bigger hog at 25mb. Even so, I have 2.6 Gb of ram currently unused out of 4Gb installed. That's about 288 widgets. Ram isn't much of an issue anymore anyway, unless on a very low end or old computer.
I've never tried AveDesk, but I'm always open to trying new things. Maybe I'll take a look.
Reply #7 Friday, July 16, 2010 2:06 AM
My sidebar is using 28mb. And damn, 288 widgets running? 
Avedesk has a bit of a learning curve, especially with SysStats (which is needed to run the more complicated, system-related desklets).
Reply #8 Friday, July 16, 2010 2:53 AM
Oops. 
What should have said was that is an additional 288 widgets I could run.
I did look at systats once but at the time it was way over my nOOb head.
Reply #9 Friday, July 16, 2010 12:50 PM
Sorry this got off topic, TimmyP. It happens to the best of threads.
Some folks may find this info very useful so thanks for posting it.
Reply #10 Friday, July 16, 2010 2:33 PM
Agreed.
Reply #11 Saturday, July 17, 2010 1:41 PM
Some folks may find this info very useful so thanks for posting it.
Hey thanks! Its cool tho, I just post what I find useful. Don't like it? Don't use it.
Btw: Right click on ANY gadget for options, opacity, or to close it. Move 99.9 percent of gadgets by dragging them.
Oh and as far as the "memory hog" comments go... Isn't it time we move beyond this? I have a quad-core with 4 megs of RAM and that isn't even high-end by today's standards. I have 13 gadgets running and sidebar.exe has never gone above 40mb. (Hovers around 36mb)
If you have the memory, use it!
Reply #12 Saturday, July 17, 2010 11:12 PM
"High end"?!!!!!
It's a wonder it will run at all.
Er ..... 4 GIG ..... 
...
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Reply #1 Thursday, July 15, 2010 5:55 PM
Seems like a lot of work for something that is only there on a mouse over.