DISABLE VISTA SIDEBAR

To disable the sidebar:

1. Right click on the sidebar or sidebar icon, and choose properties:


2. Uncheck the "Start Sidebar when Windows starts" checkbox:


3. Then right-click on the icon, and choose Exit to close the sidebar:




-The next time you start your computer, it should all be gone.
More importantly for low memory systems using vista, it should also free up some system resources.



Source:
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/disable-windows-sidebar-in-vista/