In our March DISKLETTER Ron Hamlet, UAUG,  discussed rebuilding your Desktop,  which is that invisible but oh-so-necessary file that Apple's software uses to keep track of your files and applications.  If this gets corrupted, your computer may begin to behave in a neurotic or unreliable way, so Apple recommends that you "rebuild" it once a year.  System 7 users may find that once a month is more like it.  It's a simple enough business, but there are a few tricks and tips, so we're following that earlier article in which we said:

"The Option-Command during a startup usually  gives you a proper re-build but it sometimes  doesn't seem to work properly with System 7.  If you don't get those icon pictures back after trying a re-build, it probably means that the desktop file isn't being completely rebuilt by the Option-Command method and you'll need to try another way.  For this you need one of those file utilities that allows you to see invisible files on your disk.  DiskTop from CE Software is one, Disk Tools another, and they let you see both the Desktop DB and Desktop DF files. These utilities allow you to delete these (otherwise) invisible files, but you may find when you try that you get a notice saying "Can't--File in Use."  In that case, re-name both files (add an "x" to their names) then re-start your machine holding down the Command-Option keys.  You get a notice asking whether you want the desktop to re-build, allow it to, and then when you look at your files list again you'll find newly created Desktop DB and DF files alongside those you re-named.  Delete the ones you'd re-named and that should be that."

Nick Papagno points out:

"I don't know where I read this, or found this out, but if you press the Option-Command keys down immediately after the appearance of the last of the CDEV or Extensions Icons that appear on the bottom of your Mac's screen, the Rebuild the Desktop works everytime in System 7."

And just to show that the UAUG isn't the only organization with a Desktop Rebuilding fixation, we're re-printing some recent letters from Maria Langer's April 1993 Macintosh Tips & tricks newsletter:

System 6 vs System 7

One of the items mentioned in the February 1993 issue of Macintosh Tips & Tricks was about rebuilding the desktop file.  While it was quite accurate for machines running system 6, there are some differences for machines running System 7.  There are actually two desktop files used by System 7, Desktop DB and Desktop DF.  For System 7, Apple makes use of these two files for better performance than the original Desktop file.

Also, while the System 7 Desktop can be rebuilt by the same means mentioned, (holding down Command and Option before a volume is mounted) it doesn't always do the trick.  Sometimes even repeated rebuildings won't help.  There are a few utilities out there (Desktop Reset, a free INIT from Salient Software, available in their forum on AOL is one) that will allow a user to remove the desktop files, forcing the Finder to build new ones from scratch.

From  Mike Domoy (America Online: Mike Domoy)

Alternative Methods to Command + Option at Startup

I was just reading the shareware version of Macintosh Tips & Tricks which I downloaded from Sumex-Aim. I enjoyed reading it. I have a few notes:

On "Rebuilding the Desktop," the QuickTip on page 18: I don't like to rebuild the desktop for a hard disk by pressing Command + Option during startup, because if you have a few extensions or control panel devices, they often react in a strange manner to having the Command and Option keys pressed when they execute.

One alternative is to press the shift key during startup to start without extensions (System 7 only), then as soon as the "Welcome to Macintosh - Extensions Off" dialog box appears, press the Command and Option keys. Unless you have been practicing playing video games, however, you might not make the switch quickly enough to let the System know you want to rebuild the desktop.

An easier method (System 7 only) is to start up normally, then Quit any open applications, then Quit the Finder by pressing the Command, Option, and Esc keys simultaneously. You will then be asked "Force Finder to Quit?," to which you will answer affirmatively by clicking the "Force Quit" button. Press the Command and Option keys down just before you click the button, and continue to hold them down until you are asked if you want to rebuild the desktop.

— Larry Sherman (Internet:Larry_Sherman.TECHDIV#u#ADMIN@qmail.slac.stanford.edu)  •