Top 5 Windows Vista System Utility Gadgets

1. CPU Meter Gadget

View Full-Size The CPU Meter Windows Vista Sidebar gadget displays two dials - one that tracks your system's CPU usage and another that tracks physical memory usage, both in percentage format. This is a pretty basic Windows Vista gadget in that there are no fancy options, but it does what it does well. The CPU Meter gadget is included with Windows Vista. Just open the Gadgets window from your Windows Sidebar and double-click on CPU Meter. It will instantly be added to your Windows Sidebar. If you like to keep track of how much memory and CPU is being used at any given time, give the CPU Meter gadget a try.

2. DriveInfo Gadget

View Full-Size The DriveInfo Windows Vista Sidebar gadget monitors the free space available on one or more of your PC's hard drives. It displays the free space in both GB and percentage. The DriveInfo gadget is very easy to configure and is an especially attractive addition to your other Vista Sidebar gadgets. The DriveInfo gadget is available as a free download from the Windows Live Gallery. Just click Download to Sidebar and follow the instructions to add the gadget to your Windows Sidebar. If you frequently check the free space available on your hard drives, the DriveInfo gadget will definitely save you some time. Download the DriveInfo Gadget

3. Wireless Network Gadget

The Wireless Network Windows Vista Sidebar gadget is a very useful gadget if you connect to the world via a wireless network. It monitors both your wireless network's strength and security. The Wireless Network gadget is well designed and will fit well on your Sidebar with your other attractive gadgets.

The Wireless Network gadget is freely available from the Windows Live Gallery. As with the other gadgets available at the Windows Live Gallery, just click Download to Sidebar and follow the instructions to add the gadget to your Windows Sidebar.

4. Memory Meter Gadget

The Memory Meter Windows Vista Sidebar gadget monitors everything about your system memory. It displays the the total amount of memory, amount of memory remaining, and the amount and percentage of memory currently being used by Windows Vista.

The Memory Meter gadget is also freely available from the Windows Live Gallery. As with some of the other gadgets mentioned in this list, just click Download to Sidebar and follow the instructions to add the gadget to your Windows Sidebar.

If your memory usage is something you need (or like) to watch, the Memory Meter Vista Sidebar gadget will really come in handy.

5. Uptime Gadget

The Uptime Windows Vista Sidebar gadget keeps track of how long your Windows Vista system has been powered on. That's all it does. It resets every time the system is restarted.

The Uptime gadget is also available as a free download from the Windows Live Gallery.

System uptime trackers are useful to show how stable (or unstable) an operating system is since an unstable or error-prone system will usually need restarted on a regular basis.