How to bring back your stock Vista sidebar gadgets

 I long ago deleted the stock RSS gadget in Vista since I wasn't using it.  Just the other day I decided I wanted it back for a special application.  All is not lost.  Those gadgets are stored in Program Files, presumably just to prevent people like me from doing permanent damage.  I found the following step in the online help articles to recover the gadget.

Note: If you uninstall gadgets that came with Windows, you can restore them to the Gadget Gallery by following these steps:

a. Open Windows Sidebar properties by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking Appearance and Personalization, and then clicking Windows Sidebar Properties.

b. Click Restore gadgets installed with Windows.

Windows Vista Help: Customize Windows Sidebar

Technorati tags: Microsoft, Windows, Vista, Sidebar

Comments

• Anonymous
  January 01, 2003
  It is only grayed out for me after I click it, or if I return to the UI after the gadgets have already been restored.  If you click the plus sign at the top of the sidebar, do you see the gadgets on the next screen?

• Anonymous
  January 01, 2003
  "Restore gadgets installed with Windows" is grayed out in my Maintenance tab. Now what?

• Anonymous
  October 09, 2007
  Thanks a lot!!! This was my first hit when googling the web to find a solution to get back my stock gadget! I have uninstalled it by accident... Rgds, Tom Staal The Netherlands

• Anonymous
  June 16, 2008
  My "restore...." button is grayed out as well.  How do I make it so I can click it??

• Anonymous
  September 17, 2008
  My restore icons button is also grayed out i cannot click on it and when i go to current icons it's empty? what to i do so that i can click on the restore icons tab?

• Anonymous
  November 07, 2008
  If you can't get your taskbar back:

1. Look at the bottom right of the taskbar where all the icons of the running programs are located.
2. Right-click "Windows Sidebar".
3. Click "Properties".
4. Check "Sidebar is always on top of other windows". (After the sidebar opens)
5. Uncheck "Sidebar is always on top of other windows". That's it! Your sideback should be back to normal!

• Anonymous
  November 19, 2008
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  January 06, 2009
  I found out that you can restore the sirebar by deleting the settings.ini file in your user folder. However my problem is, that when I click on "Add gadget..." in the menu or on the little + on top - nothing happens. Absolutely nothing. Anyone knows why?

• Anonymous
  January 30, 2009
  I have done something to deleter the gadgets.  For example, I have a round circle where the clock should be with a red hand at 12; the weather is just a white rectangle with an "i" in corner.

• Anonymous
  March 28, 2009
  Thank you! Before I found your solution, I found a whole bunch of useless answers to the problem.  THANKS AGAIN!

• Anonymous
  January 16, 2010
  Thanks this was so helpful! :-)

• Anonymous
  January 21, 2010
  The solution above about always on top did not work for me,  vista sp2

• Anonymous
  September 20, 2010
  Thanks this was very helpful. Your explanations were so clear.

• Anonymous
  November 26, 2010
  I've read all the above, tried everything and still nothing works. What is so difficult about this. Pretty dumb Microsoft programming, or do they delight is making things so stupidly difficult

• Anonymous
  March 18, 2013
  WOW......that worked perfectly. Its back......Thanks Michael Greene

• Anonymous
  August 09, 2015
  No matter how long and how many times I have tried to have my Vista calendar gadget restored,I failed. As for the "Restore gadgets installed with Windows",button,it is shown greyed on my laptop,with no access to click it..
  Any further help or idea would appreciated.(e-mail: tasosp42@otenet.gr)

• Anonymous
  September 12, 2015
  The comment has been removed