Ever disliked the idea of upgrading to Windows Vista,but really tempted by the Sidebar gadget in Vista?
Dont worry,you dont have to fork out money just to get that functionality(if ur only interested in Sidebar that is).Windows Sidebar is available to Windows XP OS by way of 3rd party hack enabling it to run in XP.
First,download the Sidebar gadget here. (There is also a version available for Windows Server 2003)
Secondly,for Sidebar to run properly in Windows XP,u need Alky For Applications which can be downloaded here.Also download the security hotfix file stated in that page.
To unzip the Alky file,Winzip is required.After installing the program,please reboot or log off and on for the effects to take change.
And to also unzip the Sidebar file,you need 7-Zip utility to do so.
When u have unzipped it with 7-Zip,navigate around to find Sidebar.inf and right click to click "Install".
Note: For Windows XP Service Pack 2 users,you need to install the Wireless LAN hotfix KB940541 which may prevent Sidebar from running.This is not necessary for Service Pack 3 as the Service Pack already contained the update or is newer than it(an error stating that its newer than the update will prompt you if you attempt to install it on a SP3 PC)
Restart again after the Sidebar installation and tra la...u have the Sidebar on XP :)
For some reasons,Sidebar will encounter errors on startup just after login if certain gadgets are used.One of them which i've pinpointed was the MC Radio gadget.
The default ones like the clock,calender and the CPU Meter thankfully all run fine.
Will it slow down the computer? Anyway, I think MS should just provide a version for Windows XP.
Actualy i have posted a guide like this quite sometime ago..
Hmm...
well technically speaking, it will slow down the computer as it uses more resources.
The Hacked version of this side bar uses more resources than it's fake alternative: Vista Sidebar to version 2.3 Lite.
It's stated that it uses 50% less ram and resources + it comes with an installation.
http://www.softpedia.com/progChangelog/Vista-Sidebar-Changelog-64519.html