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Classic OS secrets and tricks

macEfan

macEfan

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Apr 7, 2005
1,210
7
well we all know apple has built some interesting things into its OS.....
It has also incorperated a lot of shortcuts that do various things.... Tell us some shortcuts, interesting apple scrects, etc....


A few I know:

(OS X) control+shift while minimizing a window in OS X slows down the genie effect a lot... its cool so try it

(OS 9 and eariler) Shift on startup = turn off extentions

(OS 7 -X )Option on startup = choose which device to boot off

(???)T at startup = start in firewire disk mode

(OS 8-9 )Option while selecting apple menue = Changes "About this Mac " To "About the Finder" when you click on it, you see a nice pic of apple's headquarters.


Tell us some more!
 
How far back you wanna go?

Systems 1-4, maybe also System 6 without MultiFinder: While booted from one disk, insert or attach another that has applications and an operating system, and double-click one of the applications. The computer will switch operating systems on the fly, without rebooting, in the process of launching the application.

68K Macs: If you seize up, go Command-Powerkey. You'll get the white debugger box with the caret-prompt (>). Type SMFA700A9F4 <return> PCFA700 <return> G <return>. That will often nuke the offending program and return you to the Finder. If you had other apps open, you can then save your work and reboot. Actually this tip requires ADB. If you're on an earlier Mac (Mac Plus, 512K Mac, original Mac) you need to have the programmer's switch installed and hit the interrupt tab of the key.

Macs from the floppy-disk era: Put a copy of ResEdit on a floppy, and launch it from the floppy. Go to the Apple menu and select "About ResEdit" with Option, Shift, and Command keys held down. You'll be asked if you want to invoke "pig mode". Say yes. Now your computer will oink at you every so often.

Disinfectant (the old freebie antivirus from 68K days): Go to "About Disinfectant". A list of viruses will come out while Monty Python music plays, and then a big foot comes down and squishes them and the music stops. But hold down the mouse key while the music is still playing and it will keep on going, and the entire Monty Python music theme gets played.
 
One that I really liked was making an alias of the HD and puting that into the apple menu bar items. If you prefix the name with a space it will stay at the top of the pile. Then you can use that to navigate your entire hard drive with pop out directories.

Another favourite of mine is...(hope I can remember this correctly)...

Go into the "Launcher Items" folder and you can group various related items into sub folders. Give the subfolders names and prefix them with a bullet • then check out the new Launcher, this is über cool.

Here's an amazing hypnotic screen saver for OS 9, I used to use, it will prolly be OK for earlier OS's, it's only 28k unzipped. I eliminated classic from my HD last week and I was about to throw this out yesterday but I decided to keep it because it's so amazing. There are a few keys like T or R I think that make it do subtley different things but you'll have to experiment. I think R resets it. I'd like to pick up an old $20 mac one day just to run it.

EDIT: just remembered this is not a screen saver it's just an application. It just looks like a screen saver.
 

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macEfan said:
yeah i noticed those, but they are all for OS X....
im concentrating mainly on OS 9 and before....
Click to expand...

I was under the impression you where looking for tricks for both Classic and X. You did mention this.
macEfan said:
(OS X) control+shift while minimizing a window in OS X slows down the genie effect a lot... its cool so try it
Click to expand...


I was trying to convey that you'll find most OS X tricks in these threads. I think that posting pre-OS X tricks is a good idea though.
 
Here is another interesting one for OS 9 and earlier.....

DONT TRY THIS AT HOME:D

name your hard drive .sony.... watch as your computer goes crazy... It will corrupt the hard drive, becuase .sony is the floppy drive firmware... When you mess with both, the data doesnt know where to go..


Not sure if there is a way to un-do this if you tried it.....
 
On Mac OS 7.6.1, type "secret about box" in SimpleText, highlight it, then drag it to the desktop. A 3D waving flag credit thing will appear (if you have QuickDraw installed).

I believe this only works with certain versions of SimpleText. A lot of applications you install will have SimpleText installed with them so you may have like 4 copies of SimpleText on your hard drive for example... check them all.
 
Another for Mac OS 7.6.1. Open up a blank Sticky Note and type "Antler!" then press enter. Also, try what dpaanlka said but while you are dragging, hold down the "p" key.

Pierre Films
 
macEfan said:
(OS X) control+shift while minimizing a window in OS X slows down the genie effect a lot... its cool so try it
Click to expand...
Don't need control to get that effect.

macEfan said:
(OS 7 -X )Option on startup = choose which device to boot off
Click to expand...
Only Macs with Open Firmware do this I believe. And that'd be System 7.

macEfan said:
(???)T at startup = start in firewire disk mode
Click to expand...
Of course, if you have SCSI, you get SCSI Disk Mode. :D Macs with FireWire ditched SCSI but kept the feature, slightly upgraded.
 
dogbone said:
Control makes it go slower than shift alone;)
Click to expand...

True, but you don't need the Control key held down. Also, any UI effect works with this. Exposé, Dashboard, maximizing/minimizing windows, etc.
 
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