System Picker is a utility application which allows the user to choose the folder that will be the "blessed" System Folder upon restart. When System Picker is first opened it looks on all hard disks (including the Portable's RAM disk ) to create a list of System Folders. This list of System Folders is contained in the pop-up menu that appears when the user clicks on the pop-up menu bar in the window of System Picker. Select a System Folder from the pop-up menu, and click the "Restart" button. It's that easy!
WHY WOULD I USE SYSTEM PICKER?
Switching between Macintosh System 6 and System 7 can be as easy as selecting either System Folder from System Picker's pop-up menu and clicking the "Restart" button. There might be applications that are happier in System 6, but the features in System 7 that are nice, so System Picker makes switching fast.
Other uses might include switching between customized System Folders. Perhaps, one System Folder has lots of fonts and additions for word processing, and the another System Folder is simple for playing games, or for the kids.
WHERE DOES SYSTEM PICKER LOOK FOR SYSTEM FOLDERS?
How deep System Picker looks in the folders on the mounted hard disks is determined by the search depth number set by selecting "Search Depth" from the "File" menu, then the number from the hierarchical menu. For example, if the user wanted to search for System Folders within a folder in the hard disk window, they could select a search depth of 2. All System Folders found in the hard disk window, and in folders in the hard disk window would be put into the the pop-up menu. The larger the search depth number the longer the search will take, so be prepared to wait. The watch cursor is shown while System Picker is searching the disks. System Picker will search when first opened, after a search depth number is chosen from the menu, and after twitching to System Picker when running under MultiFinder.
WHAT SYSTEM PICKER DOES WHEN THE USER CLICKS THE RESTART BUTTON?
The "Restart" button is enabled when the user selects a folder from the pop-up menu. Clicking the "Restart" button records the chosen folder and instantly restarts the Macintosh. Unfortunately, if other applications are open when the user clicks the "Restart" button, any unsaved documents will be lost. So, make sure before clicking the "Restart" button that all other applications have been quit.
System Picker records which System Folder to "bless" by saving two pieces of information. First, the disk that the folder is on is saved just as if the user had selected it using the Startup Device cdev found in the Control Panel. The second piece of information, the folder, is recorded on that disk by saving its ID to disk.
HOW DOES SYSTEM PICKER WORK ON MACINTOSH PLUSES
Since the Startup Device cdev can not be used on the Macintosh Plus, System Picker must be tricky about getting the Plus to startup on the chosen disk. Instead, we make the chosen disk the only disk that contains a recognizable ("blessed") System Folder. System Picker does this by "deblessing" all System Folders on all mounted disks, except the System Folder that the user chose from the pop-up menu. Therefore, if the user tries to use one of the other disks to start up with that System Picker has "deblessed", the Macintosh will not find a System Folder and display the disk icon with a question mark. Either insert a floppy startup disk, or attach a hard disk that has a "blessed" System Folder. Once in the Finder, open and close the System Folder to "bless" it.
HOW TO LOCALIZE SYSTEM PICKER.
To make System Picker useful with foreign System Folders, the "Finder" and "System" file names can be changed in their 'STR ' resources contained in System Picker. The resource IDs for the Finder and System file are 128 and 129 respectively.
The title string which says "Select the System Folder to be active after restart" is contained in 'STR ' resource ID 130 and can be changed as needed.
