All right, now that I got all the background stuff out of the way, what do you say we make our Macs a little more personal? This hack should work on most versions of the Finder. I am using MacOS 7.6.1. Since I am now unable to attempt this on prior versions, please note that you are performing this hack at your own risk. Also be advised that this hack will NOT work on Mac OS8 due to string numbers being changed.
I have always been upset that my Mac (named Imperial Command) isn’t very personal. The Apple menu has the option of getting info 'About this Computer.' In a word, this is BORING.
Let's change that phrase. To do this, open a copy of your Finder and locate the STR# resource. Then choose the resource numbered 5000 and scroll down to the two fields numbered 56 and 57. They should read 'About this Computer' and 'About the Finder'. You want to change these both to 'About Imperial Command' or something more personal.
After making thse changes, close the the windows and 'finder copy' and save the changes. Quit ResEdit and remove the original and unmodified Finder from your system folder and place it somewhere for safekeeping. Do not throw it away because you will need it if your hacked copy does not work properly. Now, place the modified Finder, rename it "Finder" and place it in your system folder. Restart to complete the transformation. After your Mac finishes its startup sequence, check your work by choosing the About this Macintosh under the Apple Menu (you will know your hack worked if the proper text, such as "About Imperial Command" appears instead).
Updating the System
These next couple system edits will work in MacOS 8 as well and System 7.6 and previous System versions. All right, these next edits will require the use of an art program. I used GraphicConverter (http://members.aol.com/lemkesoft) and was able to get great pictures.
 I never did like that dual-faced
startup screen. To change it, you first
need to find a graphic file about the
same size as the startup graphic.
Next, open your system file,go to
the PICT resource and open id#
16506 (fig2a). Copy this graphic and
paste it into a new graphic document
in your art program. Edit it to match
your 'ideal' startup graphic, then
simply paste it back into id#16506.
  You should end up with something
that looks similar to fig2b. I chose a
picture I got off of the web for my
startup screen. I encourage you to
find a picture that best represents
your own personality.
Last Hacks...
This last set of hacks took me awhile to figure out. Because of a slight change in resource format, this hack applies only to MacOS 7.6.x, and MacOS 8 users. As you did before, open the PICT resource, but open ID# 20241 (fig3a) and id# 20235 this time.
 
Copy and paste these graphics into your art
program. I chose more Star Wars based
phrases to continue with my personal
theme. What neat phrases can you come
up with?
 
Once you have edited the graphics, you
need to copy your new shaded bars and
paste them back into the corresponding
id#s. Then save and close the System file.
As you did before when you edited the Finder
you need to remove the current active System
from the System Folder and place it elsewhere (do not place it in the same folder as the previous finder or that will be your new system folder). Now, put your new and improved System into your System Folder and restart. If you did everything correctly you should see your new art as your Mac goes through the startup process.
ResEdit Info
ResEdit can be very useful and it can be very harmful. ALWAYS, and again, ALWAYS use a backup copy of the file you are hacking. One little mistake can wipe out the program and render it useless... sometimes along with your System. Be very careful and be sure that you know what you are doing at all times.
Apple Wizards isn't to blame for any problems caused by hacking into files. The hacks talked about are always tested to be safe before posted, but these tests were only performed on a minimal number of systems and may not include your specific system.
You can download ResEdit 2.1.3 anywhere and everywhere. You'll be lucky if you don't find a copy of it laying around somewhere — CDs, disks, internet BBSs, etc. Check MacWorld software's archive (http://www.macworld.com/software/) or any other such archive.
