Mac newbie..How to make "Macintosh HD" icon STICK in upper left of screen?

[andysc]

Hi guys,

I just got a new iMac not too long ago.

I trying to make the Macintosh HD icon stick in the top left corner of the screen (a la Windows). However, after I reboot, the Macintosh HD icon automatically restores itself to the top right corner of the screen.

Am I doing something wrong? Is there a solution?

Thanks guys.

[ebouwman]

i dont' think there is a way, i'll keep looking and let you know if i find anything, i don't think you can though.

[z00y0rk]

First drag what you want where you want it. Next right click the background-> click show view options -> check off snap to grid. It should stay in place after that. If it doesn't, sorry i dont know what else to do.

[dpaanlka]

The right side of the desktop is where Mac icons are supposed to go. Has been that way long before Windows even had icons to put anywhere. Thus there isn't a setting to have icons default to the left.

[WillJS]

Getting a Mac is to change ways, thus, the place where icons are.:p

[biturbomunkie]

The right side of the desktop is where Mac icons are supposed to go. Has been that way long before Windows even had icons to put anywhere. Thus there isn't a setting to have icons default to the left.

agreed. if this bug you, you gonna have to change lots of things in OS X.

[CEAbiscuit]

Being right handed, I always like having my icons on the right. Just flows better. We may be talking to a left handed mouse user... either way there's no way to change it.

[ebouwman]

Being right handed, I always like having my icons on the right. Just flows better. We may be talking to a left handed mouse user... either way there's no way to change it.

thats what i was thinking, just like how in movies if the camera pans to follow a person, it almost allways goes left to right, unless they're trying to make you feel uncomfortable, like in a horror movie.

The world is designed for right handed people basically.

[wordmunger]

I hate the way the disk icons always go on the right. That's where my dock is, and I don't like the two bumping in to each other.

In fact, I hate it so much, I just set my preferences to not show the disk icons on the desktop at all. Life is better that way. It takes a little getting used to, but you can always just open up a finder window if you need access to the disks.

[EricNau]

I hate the way the disk icons always go on the right. That's where my dock is, and I don't like the two bumping in to each other.

In fact, I hate it so much, I just set my preferences to not show the disk icons on the desktop at all. Life is better that way. It takes a little getting used to, but you can always just open up a finder window if you need access to the disks.
Why don't you just move the dock to either the bottom or left? :confused:

[ebouwman]

I hate the way the disk icons always go on the right. That's where my dock is, and I don't like the two bumping in to each other.

In fact, I hate it so much, I just set my preferences to not show the disk icons on the desktop at all. Life is better that way. It takes a little getting used to, but you can always just open up a finder window if you need access to the disks.

When i used windows I basically used it like that because the start menu makes it so that you don't ever really need a link to the HD very often.
You can also just click the finder icon in the dock and set it so that it automatically opens to the HD.

[dpaanlka]

When i used windows I basically used it like that because the start menu makes it so that you don't ever really need a link to the HD very often.
You can also just click the finder icon in the dock and set it so that it automatically opens to the HD.

A similar thing can be done by simply clicking on the finder icon in the dock, which will open a finder window, from which you can navigate to anything.

[jsalzer]

I think your Mac has to have a talk with all of mine. I don't know what it is, but none of my 3 Macs can keep the MacHD icon in the upper right. It keeps everything else where I left them, but the MacHD always icon always lands at the "first available empty space" location - even though the upper right-hand corner is completely empty.

And, no, I don't have the snap to grid on. I have icons all over the place.

My MacHD icon just hates me. :(

Though now that I talk about it out loud (er - type it out loud), I wonder if it only behaves when you run at full resolution (which I don't do - I can't handle things that tiny). I'll have to go to full res before I shut down tonight and see what happens in the morning. ;)

[yamabushi]

If you want things placed in familiar places you could try one other trick that many Mac users use. Just take your Applications folder and drop it in the dock. When you click and hold on it the contents will open up in boxes you can select from in a similar fashion to the programs in Windows.

I usually also place the dock on the left side so that the boxes and their subfolders display from left to right.

One major difference between OSX and Windows is that the menu boxes are updated as you modify the contents of your applications folder automatically - you dont have to mess with anything like shortcuts.

[wordmunger]

Why don't you just move the dock to either the bottom or left? :confused:

I don't want it on the bottom because it takes up too much vertical space. I'm a writer, so most of my documents are tall and skinny -- I want as much vertical space as possible. On the left is no good because that interferes with toolbars and the apple menu. So that leaves the right.

[Foxglove9]

I have the opposite problem. My HD icon, always appears on the left side of the screen when I do a reboot or a startup. And every time I drag it to the upper right corner and every time it repositions to the left of the screen. The HD's are the only icons it does that too (I have a 2nd HD). Kinda bugs me, but not a huge deal to just drag it back over. It's not like I have to ever restart that often.

[iBookG4user]

I don't want it on the bottom because it takes up too much vertical space. I'm a writer, so most of my documents are tall and skinny -- I want as much vertical space as possible. On the left is no good because that interferes with toolbars and the apple menu. So that leaves the right.

Do you hide the Dock? If so, it shouldn't take up any space at all on the bottom of the screen.

[dpaanlka]

You know you can resize and hide the Dock. You can also resize it to be really small and have the icons "magnify" when you hover your mouse over them so you can see what they are.

[whaleboy]

I hate the way the disk icons always go on the right. That's where my dock is, and I don't like the two bumping in to each other.

In fact, I hate it so much, I just set my preferences to not show the disk icons on the desktop at all. Life is better that way. It takes a little getting used to, but you can always just open up a finder window if you need access to the disks.

Same problem here... on a widesceen macbook the right or left is the best (for me) place for the dock, and the right is much more comfortable. Problem is the Macintosh HD icon isists on being in the upper right and actually overlaps the dock... kinda sloppy looking and in the way. You'd think those two parts of the interface would be a little more aware of eachother.

Every other aspect of the interface is customizable, why not that? I'd much rather have the disk icons on the bottom, or at the very least, not overlapping the dock...

-David

[cp1160]

I've used this trick to make sure Disk Icons show up in the same place everytime I reboot.

1) Select the Hard Drive Icon you want to keep in the same place.
2) Make an Alias of the Icon (Command L, Finder Function, etc.)
3) Drag the Alias Icon to the location on the screen you want it to appear.
4) Repeat for all Hard Drives that should appear on the desktop.
5) Select Finder, then Select Preferences under File Menu in Finder (not the System Preferences under the Apple Icon).
6) Deselect the Hard Disk Option under "Show These Items on the Desktop". I've noticed under Tiger lately that external Fire Wire Drives still appear after making the change - they seem to be treated as "CDs, DVDs, and iPods" and will disappear if these options are deselected. This change could cause issues with inserted CDs or DVDS - but the discs will appear in a separate Finder window still.

If you did not select all, go back to the Finder Preferences and make the Hard Drive items appear on the desktop and create the appropriate Alias items.

At least this works for me!

John

[jsalzer]

I've used this trick to make sure Disk Icons show up in the same place everytime I reboot.

You know - sometimes it's the simple solutions that completely evade notice. Thanks, Bud!

:D

[GimmeSlack12]

Desktop Icons belong on the right side. Regardless of what OS you're using. Besides, who uses the desktop anyways? (I know I'll get hell for saying that)

[EricNau]

I'm surprised at how many people are so stuck in their ways that they need to have their icons in the same spot.

Is it really that hard to look on the other side of the screen?

[iBookG4user]

I'm surprised at how many people are so stuck in their ways that they need to have their icons in the same spot.

Is it really that hard to look on the other side of the screen?

Well if you're used to looking at the icon on the right of the screen and it suddenly moved to the left of the screen it would take some getting used to and it would be harder than if it had always on the left. It's just like if you drive a European car for 10 years and you suddenly buy an American car, the steering wheel is on the opposite side of the car so it is harder and takes some getting used to.

[EricNau]

Well if you're used to looking at the icon on the right of the screen and it suddenly moved to the left of the screen it would take some getting used to and it would be harder than if it had always on the left. It's just like if you drive a European car for 10 years and you suddenly buy an American car, the steering wheel is on the opposite side of the car so it is harder and takes some getting used to.
I think there's quite a big difference between the two.

Considering most Mac users (and other sane individuals) have less than 5 icons on their desktop, it's usually not that hard to fine them, no matter where they are on the screen. ;)

[DataTracer]

So far in this thread I've read basically that (and I paraphrase) ...

.) Icons belong on the right, and you should just get used to it because that's the way it's always been
.) There's no way to keep hard drive icons on the left so you should give up trying
.) My/Apples way is the only way
.) Desktops are useless
.) Alias to hack the problem

Well guess what folks! ... everyone is different. We all have preferences. That's what's so great about choices. Want an OS that gives you choices? Use Linux! Apple does so many things right, but this is just one of those areas that would be so easy to fix, and they just don't do it.

If you search google (or your favorite search) for info about how to change desktop icon positions, or default icons to the left, etc. you'll find a LOT of people unhappy with icons defaulting to the upper right. One of them being ME!

I'm not saying Mac shouldn't default to the right. If that's the way they designed it and most people use it that way, then fine, but there SHOULD be the option to change it to the left. I'll bet if I dig deep enough, there's probably a way to change it in the terminal somehow ;-)

[kresh]

So far in this thread I've read basically that (and I paraphrase) ...

.) Icons belong on the right, and you should just get used to it because that's the way it's always been
.) There's no way to keep hard drive icons on the left so you should give up trying
.) My/Apples way is the only way
.) Desktops are useless
.) Alias to hack the problem

Well guess what folks! ... everyone is different. We all have preferences. That's what's so great about choices. Want an OS that gives you choices? Use Linux! Apple does so many things right, but this is just one of those areas that would be so easy to fix, and they just don't do it.

If you search google (or your favorite search) for info about how to change desktop icon positions, or default icons to the left, etc. you'll find a LOT of people unhappy with icons defaulting to the upper right. One of them being ME!

I'm not saying Mac shouldn't default to the right. If that's the way they designed it and most people use it that way, then fine, but there SHOULD be the option to change it to the left. I'll bet if I dig deep enough, there's probably a way to change it in the terminal somehow ;-)

I hear your frustration, but there are some frustrations on the part of long-time Mac users as well.

Lately this board has been inundated with posts complaining about one thing or another about OS X. Alot of these posts have been along the lines of "Well I just switched to Mac, I like it but I wish functionx was like Windows"

It seems a lot of new Mac users are expecting OS X to be Windows with a different name. It's really getting old.

Edit: I don't mean your post, just posts in general from new users complaining that OS X doesn't do something like Windows.

[Roy Hobbs]

Hi guys,

I just got a new iMac not too long ago.

I trying to make the Macintosh HD icon stick in the top left corner of the screen (a la Windows). However, after I reboot, the Macintosh HD icon automatically restores itself to the top right corner of the screen.

Am I doing something wrong? Is there a solution?

Thanks guys.

OS X isnt windows so please don't try to make it look and behave like windows

[Cloudane]

General rule of thumb with Macs: It's Apple's way or the highway. (But there are usually hacks if it bothers you that badly)

It can be a little frustrating sometimes not having options, I know, but it's a slippery slope. I've used Linux before with its 27 calculators, 15 GUIs, 11 web browsers, 5 word processors and a penguin in a pear tree. It's a horrible mess. (And few of them will co-operate, so much for the spirit of open source). I definitely prefer that Apple concentrate on doing something 1 way and doing it well, rather than cluttering everything up with options. It's the philosophy they've always gone by, and sticking to a philosophy is generally a good idea with things like this. As I've said in another thread, Apple's philosophy on computing is what makes them unique, and if they started changing this, I'd be very worried!

There's also the consistency issue when you go from your Mac to someone else's: you know what to expect. It's easy to say "but it's only an icon alignment preference, it won't hurt anyone".. but if everyone said this for every little feature you can imagine where it'd go :)

I'd just get used to it. Me, it was a welcome return to the "correct" alignment from my Amiga days... that is, before they put them in the wrong place in Workbench 2.0 onwards ;)

[Ish]

My HD icon usually sits in the top right, but every now and then decides to come out of its corner for a visit. Much less often with snap to grid but there doesn't seem to be any reason behind it.