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- Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware
- Path: sparky!uunet!wupost!gumby!destroyer!ncar!uchinews!ellis!chh9
- From: chh9@ellis.uchicago.edu (Conrad Halling)
- Subject: PowerBook 160 tip
- Message-ID: <1992Dec11.211938.1111@midway.uchicago.edu>
- Sender: news@uchinews.uchicago.edu (News System)
- Reply-To: chh9@midway.uchicago.edu
- Organization: University of Chicago Computing Organizations
- Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1992 21:19:38 GMT
- Lines: 91
-
- If you set the screen to 16 grays using the Monitors control panel, you'll
- notice that the scroll bars and grow region of a document window are drawn
- using grays but that the title bar, including the go away box and the zoom
- box, are drawn in black and white. On any other Macintosh, if you set the
- monitor to 16 grays (16 colors doesn't work), the title bar of the window
- will be drawn using the grays. Hmmm. What's going on here? Why is a
- regular feature of the Macintosh interface disabled on the PowerBook 160?
-
- The drawing of windows is controlled by a 'WDEF' resource. Apple wrote a
- special WDEF resource just for the PowerBook 160 that causes the title bar
- to be drawn in black on white on a PowerBook 160 screen. This is because
- the "swimming pixel" illusion is plainly visible in a title bar that is drawn
- using the grays. However, as PowerBook 160 owners know, the six horizontal
- black lines in the title bar of a window cause annoying shadows on the
- screen. If you, like me, would prefer that your windows be drawn in the
- standard manner, this tip explains how to get rid of the windows with the
- black and white title bars.
-
- The custom 'WDEF' resource is contained in the "System Enabler 111" file in
- the System folder of a PowerBook 160. This 'WDEF' resource can be removed
- using ResEdit 2.1.1 (available from ftp.apple.com). Once the custom 'WDEF'
- resource has been removed, the next time your computer is started, the
- system software will use the standard 'WDEF' resource that is in the
- System file itself.
-
- Here's how to make the change:
-
- 1) Standard warning: use ResEdit only with a _copy_ of a file, never with
- the original. It is easy to screw things up so bad that you'll have to
- reinstall the system. Disclaimer: I have done this on my own PowerBook
- 160, but I am in no way responsible if you screw up and lose all your
- files. If you're not sure of what you're doing, at least back up all your
- files before you start, and have your System 7.1 installation disks
- handy. It's very unlikely that you'll need them, but just in case....
-
- 2) Open the System folder. Holding down the option key, drag the "System
- Enabler 111" file to the desktop. The Finder makes a copy of this file
- on the desktop; the original remains in the System folder. You will make
- changes only to the copy on the desktop.
-
- 3) Use ResEdit to open the copy of "System Enabler 111" that is on the
- desktop.
-
- 4) Click on the 'WDEF' line (or icon, depending on how you have set up
- the views of the resources). From the Edit menu, choose "Cut" or "Clear".
- The 'WDEF' resource will be deleted.
-
- 5) Save the file and close it (but don't quit ResEdit).
-
- 6) In the "File" menu, choose "Get File/Folder Info...". Open the modified
- copy of "System Enabler 111" that is on the desktop.
-
- 7) Click the check box that unlocks the file. Then change the name of the
- file to something like "System Enabler 111 (modified)". Click the
- check box that locks the file.
-
- 8) Save the file and quit ResEdit.
-
- 9) Create a new folder in the System folder named something like "Unmodified
- System Enabler".
-
- 10) Drag the original "System Enabler 111" file into the new folder.
-
- 11) Drag the modified system enabler "System Enabler 111 (modified)" into
- the System folder. You have now replaced the original system enabler
- with the modified one, and you have cleverly saved a copy of the original
- system enabler where the system software can't see it. However, no
- changes will occur until you restart your computer (but WAIT! -- don't
- do a restart just yet).
-
- 12) If you haven't already done so, use the Monitors control panel to set
- your screen to 16 grays or 16 colors.
-
- 13) Find your Disk Tools disk that came with the System 7.1 disks. You will
- need this if anything goes wrong.
-
- 14) Restart your PowerBook 160. Open a window if one isn't already open.
- The title bar should now be drawn in grays.
-
- 15) If something has gone wrong (the PowerBook will not start if the
- System Enabler file is missing or grossly damaged), restart your
- PowerBook 160 using the Disk Tools disk (I told you to get it earlier,
- didn't I?). Drag the modified system enabler "System Enabler 111
- (modified)" to the trash, and drag the unmodified "System Enabler 111"
- from the "Unmodified System Enabler" folder into the "System" folder.
- Restart your computer.
-
- --
- Conrad Halling
- c-halling@uchicago.edu
-
-