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I want to see the Sidebar gadgets without having to minimize all the windows one-by-one; I want them to appear and then disappear again.

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a.k.a Dashboard for Mac. ;) – caliban Sep 3 '09 at 7:14
Doesn't the sidebar appear when you take the mouse pointer to the right edge of the screen? – alex Sep 3 '09 at 7:16
No, that does not work on my computer. – Geoffrey van Wyk Sep 3 '09 at 7:37
Strange, it works for me. It's the default behavior, from what I know. I'll check it out when I get home. – alex Sep 3 '09 at 8:14
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5 Answers

up vote 5 down vote accepted

WIN+G works. Just click anywhere in the current window to make the SideBar disappear again.

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up vote 3 down vote

I don't think this can be achieved without third-party utilities in Vista. However, you can always just quickly press Win+D key to Show Desktop (along with the widgets), and then Win+D again to restore all windows to the exact state it was at.

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+1 For the Keyboard Shortcut. Also very handy. – Diago Sep 3 '09 at 7:17
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WIN+D shows only the desktop, but not the Sidebar. The Sidebar does show, but only for a split-second. – Geoffrey van Wyk Sep 3 '09 at 7:40
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Aha! I tried different key combinations with the WIN-key, and, what-do-you-know, WIN+G does the trick! Thanks ScoopDreams. – Geoffrey van Wyk Sep 3 '09 at 7:45
Serious??? I didn't know about that even!! -laughs- thanks for finding out for us! – caliban Sep 4 '09 at 6:44
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up vote 2 down vote

In Vista

  • Click on the Orb
  • Type Windows Sidebar Properties in Search
  • Press Enter
  • Tick Sidebar is always on top of other Windows.
  • Click OK

Just tested it and it actually fits the windows next to the Sidebar when Maximized.

Alternatively double click the icon in the TaskTray to quickly display it. As already mentioned there is no way to make it "slide" in and out without a third party tool.

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Probably the good solution, though it's not what he asked for, since he asked for it to be "above" the maximized windows (though it would mask a part of them, but that's another thing) – Gnoupi Sep 3 '09 at 7:33
I am aware of the exact question, but as already mentioned it is not possible. I would much rather give an alternative then none at all. – Diago Sep 3 '09 at 7:36
Thanks, Diago, but I knew that already. I want it to appear and then disappear again. – Geoffrey van Wyk Sep 3 '09 at 7:39
@Geoffrey : You want that ? You may then want to edit a bit your question, to make it more clear. – Gnoupi Sep 3 '09 at 7:42
@Gnoupi, I have edited the question. – Geoffrey van Wyk Sep 3 '09 at 7:49
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up vote 0 down vote

Not an actual solution to your problem, but in a way, I think such demand will be satisfied with Windows 7, with having floating gadgets, not depending on a sidebar anymore.

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Windows 7 has Aero Peek, which makes all windows transparent except for the gadgets. – Geoffrey van Wyk Sep 3 '09 at 7:51
Indeed, this too. – Gnoupi Sep 3 '09 at 7:52
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up vote 0 down vote

You can press windows key + space to make gadgets appear over any open and maximised windows (not sure about full screen applications)

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