By Nigel Stanger, <nigel.stanger@stonebow.otago.ac.nz>
Version 1.1, 23 September 1995
Contents
• What it does
• How to install it
• Acknowledgements
• D.I.Y.
• Version history
So, what‘s this do??
This package gives you a slightly altered version of the standard MacOS™ startup screen. What’s different about them? Well, a while back I got given a batch of stickers that say “Get a life, get a Mac”, which I thought would make a neat addition to the MacOS™ startup screen. So, I grabbed the original PICTs out of the Update and hacked them around a bit. All the original elements are still there (which should keep the Apple legal folks happy :), albeit slightly rearranged, and I’ve scanned in the sticker and pasted it in. Now my Mac really makes a statement when it boots! :)
Requirements: The file “StartupScreen” is can be used with any version of MacOS™ 7.5 that supports startup screens (that goes back a long way, folks). The patch application “MacOS logo patch” will only work with MacOS™ 7.5.1 (i.e., standard 7.5 + System 7.5 Update 1.0). Do not try and use the patch application on any other version of MacOS™! You have been warned!
Why a patcher? Well, it replaces the “thermometer” screen that appears while your extensions are loading, whereas the StartupScreen doesn’t. Basically it looks nicer.
Cool! How do I install it?
Any version of MacOS™: Just drop the file “StartupScreen” into your System Folder and reboot. Nirvana.
MacOS™ 7.5.1: Open your System Folder, take a copy of the file “System 7.5 Update”, put it somewhere other than in the current System Folder and run the patch application. This may sound totally paranoid, but I got rather weird behaviour when I (a) tried to patch directly off the original file, and (b) tried to patch a copy that was in the same System Folder as the original (see the version history for details). I finally got it to work by sticking the copy in a different folder. The patcher creates a new version of the file in any case. Your mileage may vary, but I’ve generally found that paranoia is a good attitude to have when you’re messing with stuff like this :)
Anyway, once you have your patched version, rename it to “System 7.5 Update” (see below), take the original Update out of the System Folder (and put it somewhere safe just in case…), and put the patched version into the System Folder. Reboot and enjoy. If everything falls apart, it should just be a matter of switching the Updates back the way they were — you did keep the original, didn’t you? :)
You may have a problem renaming the copy — sometimes the name comes out locked, I don't know why. The way to fix it is to get an application that can change file attributes, like File Buddy (highly recommended!) or ResEdit. Unlock the filename, change it, lock it again and save the changes, and Bjorn-Stronginthearm’s your uncle.
A final note: your Update file should end up somewhat larger than it was before, because the original pictures are compressed, and the modified ones aren’t.
What happens if I install both?
Good question. Nothing bad should happen. I tried it on my machine, and the StartupScreen seemed to override the “thermometer” screen — when the extensions started loading, the StartupScreen vanished, leaving me with a boring blank screen. Blech. I don’t know why anyone would want to install both anyway — after all they both do much the same thing…
This package was created by Nigel Stanger. It is completely and utterly free, and no-one may charge anything whatsoever for it, apart from normal download costs. If you want to distribute it in a software collection, please contact me for permission. All distributions of this package must include this documentation.
If you like it, send me some email: <nigel.stanger@stonebow.otago.ac.nz>. And yes, I am a native New Zealander. I lecture in the Information Science at the University of Otago when I’m not doing mindless things like this ;)
As usual, you use the patcher at your own risk, and I cannot be held responsible for any damage caused to your system by applying the patch. If you’re careful, you should have no problems. If you’re not, it might decide to crap all over your System. Caveat emptor. Fnord.
Apple, MacOS™ and the MacOS™ logo are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.
Thanks to whoever created the sticker, Neville Lee for sending me a bunch of ’em and MicroFrontier for Color-It!
Thanks also to the people who emailed me and pestered me into creating a StartupScreen version for everyone else.
The patcher application was made with ResCompare, a free resource comparison and patch generation utility. ResCompare can be FTP’ed from most Macintosh archive sites. Send e-mail inquiries regarding ResCompare to Michael_Hecht@mac.sas.com.
I want to roll my own — what do I do?
If all you want to do is create your own StartupScreens, that’s easy. Many colour paint programs will let you save pictures in StartupScreen format. Just make sure it’s called “StartupScreen” and put it in your System Folder. The only thing to watch out for is the colours in the picture — if I remember correctly, at the time the screen is displayed, the only palette available is the standard system one, which can cause your picture to look horrible. I can’t remember how to get around this, but there are FAQs out there that explain this.
If you want to change the “thermometer” screen, that’s a little more complex. The startup logos are stored in PICT resources ID -16506 thru -16501 in the “System 7.5 Update” file (they might be in the System file in 7.5.2 — not having a copy, I can’t tell). If you want to mangle your own pictures, that’s where to start. All you need then is enough knowledge of ResEdit to be able to copy and paste resources, and a colour painting program. I used Color-It! by MicroFrontier, sort of a poor man’s PhotoShop, but any 8-bit colour painting program is fine. The PICTs are:
–16506 8-bit colour for 640x480 upwards
-16505 4-bit grayscale (I think), large
–16504 black & white, large
–16503 8-bit colour, small screens (probably 512x384 and smaller)
–16502 grayscale, small
–16501 B&W, small
The only warning I have is that you should probably leave the blank gray area at the bottom as is, because that’s where the startup progress bar gets drawn. It could get a little messy if you fiddle with it. Up to you.
Again, you should work on a copy of the original file, or you might blow your system out through the ADB port and all over the wall (blech).
Have fun!
Version history
Version 1.0 (10 April 1995)
• Initial release.
Version 1.0.1 (17 April 1995)
• No changes to the actual patch, but some changes to the documentation. I discovered that if you tried to patch off the original file, or tried to patch a copy in the same System Folder as the original, weirdo things happened. Specifically, the patcher seemed to fill up the disk, then barfed because there was no disk space left. After quitting, the disk space wasn't reclaimed until I rebooted. When I followed Nigel’s Paranoid Installation Procedure™ (as outlined above :), everything worked fine. I have no idea what was going on, so all I can say is do it my way and it’ll definitely work!
Version 1.1 (23 September 1995)
• Again, no changes to the patch application, but I included a StartupScreen version of the picture. I also updated the documentation quite a bit to reflect this change, and removed the documentation from the patcher.
