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SonicDark · Feb 16, 2005, 06:20 PM

I'm a PC user who has switched over so when I launch iChat it covers my HD and external icons. How can I keep them on the left hand side and not the right? Whenever I restart it defaults them to the right.

chabig · Feb 16, 2005, 06:35 PM

If you drag them to the left, they'll stay. But I'd recommend you embrace the Mac way. Your windows generally line up on the left side of the screen, so the icons sit on the right side of the desktop to remain visible. Apple actually put thought into this arrangement. When Microsoft was designing Windows, they generally just did the opposite of what Apple did to make it look like they weren't copying. That why you see the icons on the left, the window controls on the right, and the taskbar on the bottom.

Chris

electropura · Feb 16, 2005, 06:35 PM

The hard drive icons are always on the right. Cant change that. Its where they go on a Mac.

Not sure I understand the problem you are having with iChat. It should remember the window position you last used it, so if you use it on the left side of your screen, it shouldnt cover your HD icons.

Of course you can access your HD's from a Finder window or the Dock, if you like too.

paully dub · Feb 16, 2005, 06:38 PM

You know what'd be cool, if you could get rid of the dock, put the menubar on the bottom and launch progra-I mean apps from a launcher in the bottom left corner. Let's call it Begin.

MountainMac · Feb 16, 2005, 06:49 PM

Had to expect at least a few "This is Mac OS, not Windows, so you can't do it that way" replies...

But if you actually want an answer to your question: In your Finder preferences (Cmd-J), you can uncheck all of the boxes and then drag all icons over to the left. By default, new icons will show up on the right, so you'll have to drag them over to the left, but it can be done.

MM

SonicDark · Feb 16, 2005, 07:26 PM

Hi Mac,

Thanks for the reply. So if I uncheck all of the options how can I then create the hard drive and external icon for the desktop, just on the left side? Thanks for the help, I'm very new to this.

Macola · 09:06 PM

Originally posted by MountainMac:
Had to expect at least a few "This is Mac OS, not Windows, so you can't do it that way" replies...

Well, why not? When I use XP, I don't try to Aquafy it...

It's kind of like moving to a foreign country but refusing to learn the language, eat the food, or keep up with the news.

SonicDark · Feb 16, 2005, 09:14 PM

Relax, I was simply asking if there was a way of doing it. If the Mac community hopes to expand they have to expect a easy transition from Windows to Mac. Forcing users to adapt to specific things as simple as icon placement on the desktop seems ridiculous honestly.

chabig · Feb 16, 2005, 09:25 PM

If icon placement is so simple, then you'd expect it would easy to get Windows to put them on the right side. Yet it's not.

For a variety of reasons, the designers of each OS did it their own way, and it's not simple to change.

Chris

SonicDark · Feb 16, 2005, 09:53 PM

Originally posted by chabig:
If icon placement is so simple, then you'd expect it would easy to get Windows to put them on the right side. Yet it's not.

For a variety of reasons, the designers of each OS did it their own way, and it's not simple to change.

Chris

Don't be ignorant. With Windows you can move the icons to anywhere on the desktop and it will stay in place. I'm not trying to get into a flame war as I've switched over to the Mac and am happy but just to let you know.

wataru · Feb 16, 2005, 10:47 PM

Originally posted by SonicDark:
Don't be ignorant. With Windows you can move the icons to anywhere on the desktop and it will stay in place. I'm not trying to get into a flame war as I've switched over to the Mac and am happy but just to let you know.

But then do newly-created icons also appear on the right?

SonicDark · Feb 16, 2005, 11:46 PM

Originally posted by wataru:
But then do newly-created icons also appear on the right?

You can have Windows XP arrange your icons or you can do it yourself. It's hard to explain but say you had all your icons on the left and it you deleted a icon. If you made a shortcut on the desktop it would put it in the hole that was left when you deleted the icon. If you right click and make a folder then it will keep it wherever you put it forever. I was simply asking if I could keep Computer and External on the left hand side permanately.

monkeybrain · Feb 17, 2005, 04:15 AM

I think if the hard drives default to the right side after a restart you'll just have to live with it. Any folders you create on the desktop would stay where you put them though.

One option would be to create aliases (command-L) of your drives and then put those on your desktop and uncheck the show hard drives option in the Finder prefs. That should keep them where you want them. New media you put in would show up on the right thought.

One other option would be to position the dock on the left (Apple menu >Dock) of the screen and drag your hard drives to it. They'd always be visable and accessible as menus too with a right click.

Personally I don't have anything showing on my desktop, making it all look very clean - try it, you might like it.

Phil Sherry · Feb 17, 2005, 05:20 AM

Originally posted by Macola:
It's kind of like moving to a foreign country but refusing to learn the language, eat the food, or keep up with the news.

great point.

i'm typing this from my Win2k machine in work. i see icons on the left... because that's where i left them.

embrace.

cla · Feb 17, 2005, 05:51 AM

Originally posted by SonicDark:
With Windows you can move the icons to anywhere on the desktop and it will stay in place.

Yes, all the time until you change resolution and change back again... :>

cla · Feb 17, 2005, 06:00 AM

Originally posted by chabig:
Your windows generally line up on the left side of the screen, so the icons sit on the right side of the desktop to remain visible.

I think another important reason is that right-handed people hold the mouse in the right hand, making it more natural to access common objects on the right-hand side of the screen.

(Which makes the Windows metaphor designed for the kind of people that grab a book from the bookshelf, put it on the far-left edge of the desk and start turning pages with the right hand... :> )

mitchell_pgh · Feb 17, 2005, 07:20 AM

Originally posted by SonicDark:
Relax, I was simply asking if there was a way of doing it. If the Mac community hopes to expand they have to expect a easy transition from Windows to Mac. Forcing users to adapt to specific things as simple as icon placement on the desktop seems ridiculous honestly.

BURN HIM!!!!!

Phil Sherry · Feb 17, 2005, 07:26 AM

i didn't notice this bit until it was quoted, above me:

Originally posted by SonicDark:
Forcing users to adapt to specific things as simple as icon placement on the desktop seems ridiculous honestly.

so, you're happy for Apple to force you into using Mac OS X on your new Mac, but having to use their icon placement is ridiculous?

you're a strange one.

wataru · Feb 17, 2005, 07:55 AM

Originally posted by Phil Sherry:
so, you're happy for Apple to force you into using Mac OS X on your new Mac, but having to use their icon placement is ridiculous?

Is that an "OS 9 is dead" gripe? If so, that's just stupid. OS 9 doesn't support new Macs, not the other way around. If you don't want to use OS X, feel free to try Linux or other *NIX variants.

Phil Sherry · Feb 17, 2005, 08:17 AM

Originally posted by wataru:
Is that an "OS 9 is dead" gripe? If so, that's just stupid. OS 9 doesn't support new Macs, not the other way around. If you don't want to use OS X, feel free to try Linux or other *NIX variants.

i haven't got the faintest idea what you're going on about, but you seem to be babbling on about something completely different to the point i made.

wataru · Feb 17, 2005, 09:17 AM

Explain what in the world you mean by "Apple forcing you into using OS X on your Mac." There is no requirement that a Mac run OS X.

Cadaver · Feb 17, 2005, 09:52 AM

Originally posted by SonicDark:
I'm a PC user who has switched over so when I launch iChat it covers my HD and external icons. How can I keep them on the left hand side and not the right? Whenever I restart it defaults them to the right.

Please ignore the flamebaters...

The default location for new desktop icons on MacOS X will be the right hand side of the screen. You can, however, move the icons to wherever you want and they should stay there (if you uncheck all the 'keep icons sorted by...' in the Finder's "Show View Options..." menu) with the exception of newly created ones and newly mounted disks/CDs. These will still default to the right.

iChat, however, should remember where you last placed your window, so you can move it out of the way of your icons. And it will remember where it was next time it opens, so it wont be in the way again.

If you really like your icons on the left side of the screen, there is a solution. It requires a piece of nice (shareware) software called Drag Thing. With it, you can create multiple, moveable docks that can contain anything (documents, disks, URLs, running & non-running apps, etc). You can create a dock that contains all the mounted disks/volumes, and keep that dock placed on the left side of the screen. Then, set the MacOS's Finder to not show any mounted disks/volumes on the desktop (so you don't get duplicate icons). Works great. I used to use it when I ran dual displays and wanted to keep the mounted disks/volumes on the far edge of display #2.

bradoesch · Feb 17, 2005, 06:38 PM

Originally posted by paully dub:
You know what'd be cool, if you could get rid of the dock, put the menubar on the bottom and launch progra-I mean apps from a launcher in the bottom left corner. Let's call it Begin.

How about we put the shutdown command under the Begin menu. That's the first place my great uncle would be looking. Begin-stop-OK.

Superchicken · Feb 17, 2005, 08:57 PM

Sorry, some times you get Mac users who are pissy. Anyway, moving the icons... there's no real easy way to switch it, it's kinda standard. Though are you storing all your stuff on the desktop? You might try storing everything in your home folder instead. Create new directories there and treat that as your desktop. It'll be less of a head ache.

Gavin · Feb 18, 2005, 08:27 AM

Another option is to move the dock over to the left. Right click (or hold the control key down and click) on the little bar next to the trash can and change the 'position on screen' setting.

Instead of having the hard drive icons on the desktop you can use the finder icon (the blue face ) in the dock to access your drives. Then they'll never get covered up. That's why the trash is in the dock.

And don't let the extremists bother you. Some of them hate windows so much that they interpret mere curiosity abut why things are different as some kind of insult. It's kind of entertaining really. Watch, they'll start fighting among themselves in a minute.

Appleman · Feb 18, 2005, 12:10 PM

Originally posted by Macola:
It's kind of like moving to a foreign country but refusing to learn the language, eat the food, or keep up with the news.

Or drive on the right way when going to England