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Put The Utility Pattern Back In OS 8
by Michael Coyle, 04-31-1998

Under System 7.x, you could set a background pattern for system utilities with old Desktop Patterns control Panel.



With OS 8 and the arrival of Desktop Pictures that feature was lost.

Here's how to get it back.

Open a copy of the System Suitcase in ResEdit and scroll down to the ppat resources.

Open them with a double-click.

Your ppats may look different than mine, so don't worry.

You need to add a new resource with Command-K.

The new resource, it will be numbered 128. You need to change that. Do it "Getting Info...", Command-I.

All you need to do here is change the ID from 128 to 42, then close the widow.

From the menu bar, select ppat > Pattern Size and select the 64x64 square.

Click on Resize to close the window.

Reopen ppat ID#42 and paste in from the Clipboard a favorite desktop pattern. Save the System and quit ResEdit. Replace the old System suitcase (put it in a safe place until you're sure the edit works), and Restart the computer for the change to take effect.

Now when you open a program supporting the Utility Pattern, your windows will look even better!

Have any comments or suggestions for edits? Stop by the Suggestions page.