Gadgets, Explorer

Gadgets

The Windows Sidebar from Vista was also a bit of a resource hog, so the trade-off for having a fancy clock on your desktop was never really worth the hit in gaming. Windows 7, thankfully, lets the users put gadgets where ever they want on the desktop, as the Sidebar is no longer the default layout. And with the better multi-threading capabilities, the performance hit associated with gadgets should be much more minimized.

The same default gadgets from Vista are available in 7, with many existing gadgets retaining their compatibility from Vista. Gadgets can be easily dragged and dropped anywhere on the desktop, as well as configured or closed when the mouse hovers over them.

Windows Explorer

Windows Explorer has gotten another facelift in 7, and, like the icon docks, once you get used to it you will wonder how you ever did without it. The left side still displays the directory tree, only now you can expand more than just installed drives, like your HomeGroup or any discovered PC’s on your network. Explorer also gives you the option to hide drives without volumes currently present, such as empty optical devices. Browsing Windows has some added sliding effects when you go forward or backward.