I really like the "Panels" interface that you get when you activate it via Multiple Users. I'm setting up an iMac for a computer newbie, and I'd like to provide Panels as the primary interface. But I've been having problems with the restricted Multiple Users feature (namely, I can't get it to print to an NEC SuperScript 870 laser printer), and since I don't need Multiple Users (since there will be only one user for that computer), I'm looking into the possibility of setting up the Panels interface WITHOUT activating Multiple Users.

I noticed there was a "Panels" item in the System Folder. I changed the type of it (using ResEdit) to make it into an application, and sure enough, it worked.

HOWEVER, it only displays panels for the hard drives, whereas I'd like it to display "Items" and "Documents" panels as it does when Multiple Users is activated.

Is there any way to modify what "panels" the Panels program displays? Or better yet, is there some alternative to Panels? The closest alternative is using the tabbed "Pop-Up Window" feature of Finder, but this isn't nearly as nice/user-friendly as the Panels interface (in particular, the user might inadvertantly "un-tab" a tabbed window).

[typoon]

There is a Program called greg's browser which does something similar to the Panels. Download it and check it out. You can find it at http://www.kaleidoscope.net/greg/ Hope this helps

Thanks for the tip, typoon. But I'm looking for something much more basic than that, to be used by someone for whom the Finder is too difficult/complex to use.

-Hagop

Rename the Panels application to Finder and remove the normal finder from the system folder.

Make sure you have a Mac OS 9 CD around in case you need to do tech support for him.

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Gravity is the enemy.

Tried that too. My system refused to boot.

But I am able to have both Panels and Finder run simultaneously... that's not a problem... it's just that when Panels runs in non-Multiple User mode, it defaults to displaying a single panel of the hard drive. I want to be able to customize what information it displays.

-Hagop