Image gallery: Add widgets to the Windows Desktop

Before we begin, we should point out that numerous other widgets systems are available – the latest version of the Opera web browser includes a set of widgets. However, for simplicity’s sake we’re going to focus on Yahoo Widgets. We’ve created a link to the Yahoo Widgets download page at www.computeractive.co.uk/2159313, so type this into your web browser’s Address or Location bar and hit Enter. When the page appears, click the Yahoo Widgets link to transfer to the developer’s download page.

On the Yahoo Widgets download page, click the yellow button marked ‘Download Yahoo Widget Engine For Windows’. On the File Download dialogue box, choose to save onto the Windows Desktop rather than opening it. Double-click the downloaded file (called ‘widgetsus.exe’, or similar) to install it, and if the Security Warning dialogue box appears, click Run.

Now work through the various stages of the installation wizard, clicking Next to proceed at each turn. However, we’d highly recommend clicking to remove the ticks from the various checkboxes along the way, otherwise your PC will have numerous ‘free’ Yahoo products installed. Pay particular attention to the penultimate box (with the Install button), as leaving the two checkboxes here ticked will result in the wizard forcing the internet browser settings to point to Yahoo’s home page, and to use Yahoo’s search engine. When the install is complete, select Close on the final dialogue box and Yahoo Widgets will be launched.

The first of several introductory screens will be displayed. It’s worth digesting each of these thoroughly before hitting the ‘Click to continue’ button. At the third of these screens, Yahoo Widgets will wave a magic wand and numerous widgets will appear on the Windows Desktop. Carry on hitting the ‘Click to continue’ button until you reach the final introduction screen, which will disappear when you select ‘Click to make me go away’.

In its place a standard Windows folder will open – ‘My Widgets’, which is stored within the user’s My Documents folder. This contains a number of widgets that can be launched with a double-click. To try it, double-click on ‘Memory Gauge.widget’: a small dial will be added to the widgets already displayed on the Desktop showing the percentage of the PC’s memory that’s currently in use by applications. For clarity, click the X in the top-right of the My Widgets window to close it.

Widgets are idiosyncratic by nature, and no two widgets are likely to look or operate in the same way. However, there are a few fixed controls worth mastering. The first is the F8 key: clicking on this will instantly display all active widgets, should they disappear while using Windows. Now, right-click on a widget – try the clock in the top left-hand corner.

A pop-up menu will appear. Choose Widget Preferences and this will launch a widget-specific control panel. In other words, the available options will depend on the type of widget. The clock widget’s control panel, for example, has checkboxes to toggle the display of the date and second hand, as well as a dropdown menu to select the kind of hourly chime (if any) required. Widgets are all about personal taste, so make a selection or two, then click Save.

Back on the Windows Desktop, try moving the widgets around: pick one up by clicking and holding down the left-mouse button and then drag and drop it somewhere else. To close a particular widget, right-click and choose Close from the pop-up menu. Remember, a widget can be launched by double-clicking the relevant icon within the My Widgets folder in My Documents.

For broader control over all active widgets – and the Yahoo Widgets engine itself – locate and right-click the small Yahoo Widgets icon that has been placed in the Notification Area of the Windows Taskbar. The pop-up menu that appears enables all manner of options to be tweaked, so explore it at your leisure. For now, choose Preferences. If you don’t want Yahoo Widgets to launch automatically when Windows starts up – having lots of widgets running all the time can slow down a computer – click to remove the tick from the ‘Launch Yahoo Widgets Engine at startup’ checkbox and then select Save.

Finally, on the same pop-up menu click on the Get More Widgets option. This will direct your web browser to the Yahoo Widgets download page, where there are hundreds of nifty home-made widgets to explore, download and enjoy. If you see one you like the look of, just click the Download button and follow the displayed instructions. Happy widgeting.

Finally, on the same pop-up menu click on the Get More Widgets option. This will direct your web browser to the Yahoo Widgets download page, where there are hundreds of nifty home-made widgets to explore, download and enjoy. If you see one you like the look of, just click the Download button and follow the displayed instructions. Happy widgeting.