Are you tired of having icons in the finder being unorganized?
Did you know that when you make a folder a color, it can be a solid color rather than just the outline being color?
Do you know that you can increase the performance of getting around in the finder by about 400% by using a few of the built-in, but rarely used features of the finder?
Would you like to be able to quit the finder?
Do you know how to use ResEdit?
Would you like to try a very nice and relativly solution?
Standard disclamer of opening an applicaion file: best if you have made a backup copy on a different disk.
1. duplicate finder: command-D
2. open Copy of Finder and Finder Patch.rsrc
3. go to Finder Patch.rsrc window & select all: command-a
4. copy: command-c
5. go to Finder window & Paste: command-v
6. answer 'yes' to the dialog box
7. close both files
8. answer 'yes' to 'save changes'
9. quit ResEdit
10. move original finder to root directory (out of system folder)
11. rename 'copy of finder' to 'finder'
12. restart your computer.
you now will have the capability to Quit from finder, the way this works is by using the FKEY#0: type command-shift-zero. you will have to have something else running or else the finder will automatically re-run itself, the greatest feature this has is when you want to modify the finder that you are currently using and you have multifinder running. This is how you would do this: Run ResEdit (or Layout, or whatever), then switch back to finder so that you can quit, type <command-shift-zero> and the finder will quit. If the only thing else that you are running is (resedit) then you will automatically be transfered there. now you will be able to open the finder and do anything that you want to do. When you want to run the finder again, simply quit everything else, then the finder will automacitally re-run.
It may take a little while to 'get used to' the new look, there are quite a few visual differences, including:
empty trash icon in menu
erase disk is red as a warning
sleep is light blue (think drowsy)
about the finder is red and italic
the font is NOT geneva!
the icons are all different except for the generic applicaton and generic document icons. They have a drop shadow effect (which is B&W dither, but the color icon uses true gray-scale)
the floppy disk(s) will look like the machine they are in (i.e. an arrow to the machine) vs. the media (disk)
icons will be spaced tighter (most efficient method) including (phase) where every other icon is at a different height so that the names don't overlap.
Most of the changes are made with a utility called 'Layout (version 1.9)' and you can use the same to make additions/deletions to what I have started. The icons and color menu additions were made with ResEdit 2.0b2.
The Layout changes include:
•zoom rectangles: (off) only purpose is to slow you down once you have been using a Mac for a while
•skip trash warnings: (on) you may want to turn this back on (personal preference: it slows ME down-> its off
•always grid drags: (on) what is the point of trying to keep it neet manually when the finder has automatic?
•watch threshold: (45 ticks) (3/4 sec): what can I say, I have a Mac IIci with turbocach running and a 170MB 10ms Quantum hard drive and cursor animator: you may want to make it longer: use layout or ResEdit
•sort style: (icon): after all, this is a mac; one thing apple seems to have gotten right in the Finder
•physical Icon: (on): this means use an icon of the device, not the media, I prefer it, you again may not
•title click: (on): this means a doulble-click on the title bar will make you go out a level in your HD hirachry. This is a great time saver, especiall when coupled with the fact that with any system newer than 6.0.3, holding down the option key while opening a folder made the mother folder close. (This tip is worth its weight in gold!) try it. If you are not using a new enough finder, this alone may make it worth the update.
•copy inherit: when you copy a folder, it keeps the view settings
•new folder inherit: when you create a new folder, it uses the settings of its mother folder
•color style: (1): this means when icons are color, make the whole thing color, not the border: with the original colors, this made the icons hard to read and very blaring, so I turned down the volume so to speak and made a set of pastel colors to go with the new setting.
•max windows=20: the original finder does not allow enough windows for me to work with.
If you use SunDesk (the one I recommend) or IconColorizer (the one I used to use) or ColorFinder (the one I used to used to use), your going to love this: I have included my SunDesk icons for all of the finder icons including the color version for the empty trash and the physical icon for a Mac IIci/cx (I have a IIci). (color icons are available for other machines). I have also included a 3-d light blue color cursor (will only work with SunDesk) that SunDesk will use all of the time. If you dont use any of the above colorizing utilities, save the icons, they are fully system 7 compatable and all you will have to do is paste them into your system/finder/whatever we will be using and voila! color icons.
I have included matching preference files for Tidy-it-up; the greatest utility in the world for cleaning up your system folder: remember, as always keep a copy of your old one in case you don't like mine: remember this is to improve YOUR sytem, not mine, if you don't like what I have come up with, YOU make changes until You have what you want. That is what Macintosh is all about.
If you use this or not, please mail me a very quick (or not so quick) note telling me so (and what you did or didn't like about it). I have made dozens of system improvements and I wouldn't mind sharing them if I knew that other people would be interested.
My AOL Screen name is AndrewWynn (first+middle name)
Pleeeeaasee send me mail; if you do, I will surely respond with thanks, even if your response is critical, I don't mind having someone tell me what is on their mind, it helps me improve for the next time.
Remember, think of nothing as impossible, only difficult, then if you think of things that are difficult as a challenge, the impossible will become merly a challenge!
Always Remember, This is set up the way that I like it best, pleast make any changes to it (of course) until it suits you to a tee! (the utilities that you may want include
(p.s. the installation of my Finder alterations is not even a challenge)
