yip@mcgill-vision.uucp (McGill/CONCAVE Group) (09/27/90)
Thanks to all who responded to my question on the Get-Info feature. As most wrote to say, rebuilding the DeskTop does indeed erase the information fields, as I double-checked with a quick test. So what use can these information fields have then? While we're on the subject of the DeskTop ... 1. Is there an analogous concept (to DeskTop) in the PC-world? (i.e., what *is* the DeskTop anyways!?) 2. When I use DiskTop to find the DeskTop, it actually finds several copies. Where did they come from, and which is the real one? Should my information fields be embedded in the real one? 3. What does "rebuilding" the DeskTop mean? -Rick Vitale.
bskendig@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Brian Kendig) (09/27/90)
In article <1990Sep27.032038.21661@larry.mcrcim.mcgill.edu> yip@mcgill-vision.uucp (McGill/CONCAVE Group) writes: >Thanks to all who responded to my question on the Get-Info >feature. As most wrote to say, rebuilding the DeskTop >does indeed erase the information fields, as I double-checked >with a quick test. So what use can these information fields >have then? The information you put into them won't be erased as long as you don't rebuild the desktop. They'll be safe on locked disks, or read-only AppleShare volumes. (Or wait until System Seven.) >While we're on the subject of the DeskTop ... >1. Is there an analogous concept (to DeskTop) in the PC-world? > (i.e., what *is* the DeskTop anyways!?) The desktop is the basic metaphor that the Mac is built on. Everything is done analogously to the way you'd do it on your own desk, with your own hands instead of the mouse. The desktop file, if that's what you're asking about, stores information about the files on the disk -- what they look like, how to get to them, and so forth. It's the directory information on the disk. Similar information is hidden in the disks of an IBM; you can't get at it as easily. >2. When I use DiskTop to find the DeskTop, it actually > finds several copies. Where did they come from, and > which is the real one? Should my information fields be > embedded in the real one? You should only have one `Desktop' file, at the highest level of your disk. Finding one in your System folder is a Bad Thing, and may mean that your computer is infected with the Scores virus. (Use Disinfectant to check.) Finding one in another folder means something weird is going on. >3. What does "rebuilding" the DeskTop mean? Holding down Command-Option as the disk is mounted (i.e. whenever the Finder starts up) will make the Desktop file forget about all the icons it's remembered from all the files it's ever seen, and fetch the icons from all the files it can get to on its disk. This makes sure that it's showing the real icon for a file instead of some old icon that may be confusing it, and it also frees up the space on the disk that was taken up by old icons that aren't used any longer (such as from applications that you got rid of). It also expressly clears out anything that doesn't really belong in the Desktop file, including two viruses that live there. I hope I've been coherent enough to help! << Brian >> | Brian S. Kendig \ Macintosh | Engineering, | bskendig | | Computer Engineering |\ Thought | USS Enterprise | @phoenix.Princeton.EDU | Princeton University |_\ Police | -= NCC-1701-D =- | @PUCC.BITNET | .. s l o w l y, s l o w l y, w i t h t h e v e l o c i t y o f l o v e.
dana@are.berkeley.edu (Dana E. Keil) (09/27/90)
>>2. When I use DiskTop to find the DeskTop, it actually >> finds several copies. Where did they come from, and >> which is the real one? Should my information fields be >> embedded in the real one? > >You should only have one `Desktop' file, at the highest level of your >disk. Finding one in your System folder is a Bad Thing, and may mean >that your computer is infected with the Scores virus. (Use >Disinfectant to check.) Finding one in another folder means something >weird is going on. > Can someone clarify this a little more. I have "desktop" files hanging around too which I have assumed come from TOPS and are (more or less?) harmless. I have wondered, though, if they could, for example, become infected by a virus or cause some other problems that I'd be better off without. Disinfectant cruises right by them even when the main desktop file is said to be infected. Any clarifications anyone?
boris@world.std.com (Boris Levitin) (09/28/90)
yip@mcgill-vision.uucp (McGill/CONCAVE Group) writes: >Thanks to all who responded to my question on the Get-Info >feature. As most wrote to say, rebuilding the DeskTop >does indeed erase the information fields, as I double-checked >with a quick test. So what use can these information fields >have then? Apple should have included code in the Mac Operating System which would have preserved the comments when rebuilding the Desktop file, but didn't. It's a design flaw. Send your complaints to Cupertino. >While we're on the subject of the DeskTop ... It's not "the DeskTop," it's the Desktop file, i.e. a file called "Desktop" in the root directory of your disk. Again, it's a file like any other (with the "invisibility" bit set, i.e. it is not visible from the Finder). The Desktop file exists because apparently (this is the version I heard) the original operating system design left no other place for icon and application location information to go, so it was put in a special file where the OS can look for it. The Get Info comments also went there. The Desktop file is not the same as "the desktop," the Finder's metaphorical representation of your disks, folders and files. The Desktop file contains information critical to the Finder's operation; that's how it got its name. When the MacOS asks you whether you wish to "rebuild the Desktop," it's actually asking whether you want to rebuild the Desktop file. >1. Is there an analogous concept (to DeskTop) in the PC-world? > (i.e., what *is* the DeskTop anyways!?) DOS doesn't represent files graphically and does not have an equivalent to the way the Finder lets you launch an application and automatically read in a data file by simply double-clicking on the data file. Data files on DOS are stored without any reference to the application that created them. Therefore DOS does not need the info stored in the MacOS's Desktop file. OS/2 and Windows do need this information, but I don't know whether they use a special file(s) to store it or some other place. Ask Microsoft Tech Support. >2. When I use DiskTop to find the DeskTop, it actually > finds several copies. Where did they come from, and > which is the real one? Should my information fields be > embedded in the real one? Each volume (normally a volume is a disk, but the term could also apply to a disk partition or to a folder shared over a network, even to a DOS directory accessed over Tops; in short, a volume is something you can mount) has its own Desktop file. When you do a Find File search, you should be able to locate one and only one file called "Desktop" (lowercase 't') in the root directory of each mounted volume. For example, if you have an unpartitioned hard disk and a floppy inside the floppy drive, you should find two Desktop files. A virus called "Scores," fairly old but still around, creates a file called "Desktop " (with a space at the end of its name) in the System Folder (not the root level) of an afflicted disk, as part of its self-perpetuation activities. If you find a file called "Desktop " in a System Folder, eradicate the virus using Disinfectant 2.1 or similar program (just removing that file won't help, since Scores also does other things to your system). This file, of course, has nothing to do with the real "Desktop" file created in a volume's root directory. (Oh, the virus's file is also invisible from the Finder, but will be found by Find File.) >3. What does "rebuilding" the DeskTop mean? Deleting the old one, creating a new one, scanning the volume's file directory and applications' resource forks (where their icons and those of their data files are stored), and putting this info in the new Desktop file. >-Rick Vitale. Boris Levitin ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- WGBH Public Broadcasting, Boston boris@world.std.com Audience & Marketing Research wgbx!boris_levitin@athena.mit.edu ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (The opinions expressed herein are my own and do not necessarily coincide with those of my employer or anyone else. The WGBH tag is for ID only.)
pj@pnet51.orb.mn.org (Paul Jacoby) (09/28/90)
[Rick writes asking what use the Get Info comments are if they are lost when you rebuild your desktop] There is a program called "Minor Repairs" from the people who make the '1st AidKit' line of utilities which will do a desktop rebuild in such a way that the comments are NOT lost. I find this program invaluable, and it is FREE and distributable to boot. I've used it for the last year on each of my drives (one Sony 40 meg, one partitioned Conner 105) and had no problems. I tend to keep comments on a number of my files/programs, so this is the best way to do a rebuild. .-----------------------------------------------------------------------------. | UUCP: {rosevax, crash, orator}!orbit!pnet51!pj | Working with idiots keeps | | ARPA: crash!orbit!pnet51!pj@nosc.mil | my life interesting... | | INET: pj@pnet51.cts.com | | `-----------------------------------------------------------------------------'
aland@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu (Alan D Danziger) (10/02/90)
If you have multiple desktop files, you should delete them. There are a variety of reasons for it to happen, from (not TOO likely) virus attacks, to mistakenly copying them from other disks, to a variety of other reasons. The reason they don't show as being infected by Disinfectant is probably because they aren't. Only the currently open Desktop files (one per disk) should be infected by a virus. -- -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Alan D. Danziger, | Reality is a function of the delusion factor 753 South St,Waltham MA 02154| If at first you DO succeed, Congratulations aland@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu | For those about to Rock, we salute you MB 3130/Brandeis University | Life's a beach & then you drown! Catch the Wave PO Box 9110 Waltham MA 02254 | (617) 894-6859 (617) 647-3720 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Dorman.Bullard@p4.f56.n114.z1.fidonet.org (Dorman Bullard) (10/03/90)
> From: aland@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu (Alan D Danziger) > Date: 1 Oct 90 21:14:22 GMT > Organization: Organization? Of course I'm not Organized! > Message-ID: <ALAND.90Oct1171422@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu> > Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc > > If you have multiple desktop files, you should delete them. There are > a variety of reasons for it to happen, from (not TOO likely) virus > attacks, to mistakenly copying them from other disks, to a variety of > other reasons. The reason they don't show as being infected by > Disinfectant is probably because they aren't. Only the currently open > Desktop files (one per disk) should be infected by a virus. > -- > I believe this started from someone saying a "FindFile" search had revealed multiple Desktop files. One possibility for those files is that they got copied onto the hard disk by someone copying and entire disk which included a Desktop file. I don't know whether a Desktop file buried in a folder will cause problems, but I sure read a lot about extra System files on a hard drive creating some chaos. I would do a search for "System" to see if any duplicates exist, and if so to get rid of them. -- Uucp: ...{gatech,ames,rutgers}!ncar!asuvax!stjhmc!56.4!Dorman.Bullard Internet: Dorman.Bullard@p4.f56.n114.z1.fidonet.org
weesh@grymoire.crd.ge.com (Darweesh) (10/03/90)
If you use TOPS, there is a chance of having multiple desktop files. Specifically, there should be one per item "published." If you don't use TOPS, then this probably isn't the source of your multiple desktop files. -Mike Darweesh weesh@crd.ge.com