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System 7.5 Desktop Patterns

MoparShaha

MoparShaha

Contributor
Original poster
May 15, 2003
1,646
38
San Francisco
I miss the old days of System 7.5 (my first Mac OS). I've scoured the internet, and cannot find the original desktop patterns that came with this system.

Does anyone have them, or know where I could find them?
 
Doctor Q

Doctor Q

Administrator
Staff member
Sep 19, 2002
40,095
8,366
Los Angeles
That's a coincidence. I was just saying that I had no reason to keep my old Mac, but I did anyway, and this might be a good reason to turn it on. It would be fun to see the outer space pattern, circuit board pattern, smooth stones pattern, rubber band pattern, and of course those cute bears once again. Wasn't there a brick pattern too?

Under System 7, desktop patterns were set using a control panel, and didn't live in plain view in a folder, as far as I know. Does anybody know what file under System 7 actually contained the patterns?
 
iMeowbot

iMeowbot

macrumors G3
Aug 30, 2003
8,634
0
Doctor Q said:
Under System 7, desktop patterns were set using a control panel, and didn't live in plain view in a folder, as far as I know. Does anybody know what file under System 7 actually contained the patterns?
Click to expand...
They are in the Desktop Patterns control panel as ppat resources. Apple make 7.5.3 available free of charge here these days.

Since the software is now being given away, can a mod yea or nay the idea of posting the patterns? If not, I could post extraction instructions (say that ten times fast!) instead.
----
edit: Here's one reasonably easy way to get them out if you download from Apple.

Ingredients to proceed:

Classic installed on X (or a real OS 9 system)
TomeViewer, a Classic application
GraphicConverter (can run under 9 or X)

Follow the Apple download link above, find the link to Macintosh/System/Older_System/System_7.5_Version_7.5.3/System_7.5.3_01of19.smi.bin and download all 19 files. Open the first one with Stuffit Expander. This will create a disk image you can open in OS X.

Mount the smi file you opened above with Stuffit, and go into the System 7.5.3 Install folder you'll find in that image. There will be a file called Installation Tome in there, open that with TomeViewer. In the TomeViewer window, select Desktop Patterns (ID 113), pick Expand from the Archive menu, and save it somewhere convenient. You're done with TomeViewer.

Now, start up GraphicConverter, and open that desktop Patterns file you saved earlier. A "Resources from Desktop Patterns dialog will appear. Scroll down to the ppats, click/option-click/whatever the ones you like, and press Take. Save 'em to any format you like. That's it!
 
stridey

stridey

macrumors 65816
Jan 21, 2005
1,136
0
Massachusetts, Connecticut
This may be asking too much, but since I don't have classic installed, do you think you could do the patterns from 7.6 too? [Prettypleasesmile][/Prettypleasesmile] It has so many good ones that 7.5 didn't... :D
 
wdlove

wdlove

macrumors P6
Oct 20, 2002
16,568
0
Thank you MoparShaha for the pattern download. I remember System 7.5 very well, the joy of multiple disks for installation. Those were the days. Remember a lot of the desktops also. ;)
 
Anonymous Freak

Anonymous Freak

macrumors 603
Dec 12, 2002
5,604
1,388
Cascadia
heh. The background picture I really want is one that wasn't ever really a 'background' picture. It's the one that was used in lots of print ads for the Mac IIfx. (You can see it on LowEndMac's page for the IIfx as the displayed graphic on the screen.) Officially, it was just an image in an image editing software; but many people used it with third-party software to use as a background picture. I know I had it on my IIfx at work back in 1992.

If anyone can find THAT picture, I'd be eternally grateful. (I've found a more recent-vintage recreation, but it's just not right. Whoever did the new one has the glass balls different colors, and not distorted enough.)
 
dmw007

dmw007

macrumors G4
May 26, 2005
10,635
0
Working for MI-6
iMeowbot said:
Here they are, as PNGs.

patterns.zip is the color set.

bwpats.zip is the bitmap set. The bitmaps are recreations, any misplaced pixels are my fault.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link iMeowbot.
Now I can experience classic Mac desktop patterns.
Thanks Again. :)
 
iMeowbot

iMeowbot

macrumors G3
Aug 30, 2003
8,634
0
stridey said:
This may be asking too much, but since I don't have classic installed, do you think you could do the patterns from 7.6 too? [Prettypleasesmile][/Prettypleasesmile] It has so many good ones that 7.5 didn't... :D
Click to expand...
The stuff from the 7.6 extras folder would be nice. It's easy to justify reposting the artwork from 7.5 since Apple are giving it away. 7.6 is kind of in the twilight zone, no longer sold or really supported but also kept out of the Apple freebie list :(

Feedback to Apple requesting the unleashing of more old Mac OS versions might be in order here, especially since the Macintel switch makes any question of obsolescence pretty much final.
 
Doctor Q

Doctor Q

Administrator
Staff member
Sep 19, 2002
40,095
8,366
Los Angeles
There are still System 7 Macs running at the schools where I volunteer. When I originally set each one up, I picked a different desktop pattern on each Mac, from the built-in collection. It seems unimportant, but to the kids it gives the Macs a little bit of individual personality. Perhaps they even treat the equipment with a little more respect because they don't all look the same.

The Mac OS X builtin patterns are pleasant, but not quite as fun as those old System 7 offerings.
 
M

mymacgb

macrumors newbie
Jul 10, 2008
3
0
Hello,

I have been looking for these patterns too - for quite a while - haven't been able to find them. My hopes were raised when I saw this post, but the patterns.zip file link doesn't appear to be active. I really would like to have the original 7.5 -7.6.1 patterns, but it seems they are no where to be found on the internet!


Is there a way I could extract them from from the 7.5.3 system files that imeowbot described? I am running a Powerbook G4 OS 10.4 without Classic Installed. Is there a version of tomeviewer or regedit for Mac OS X that could extract the patterns from one of these files - and also, which file are they located in?



If anyone could post the desktop patterns in a zip file, or point me in the right direction on where to get them, it would be so greatly appreciated!

Thanks! :)

mymacgb
 
M

mymacgb

macrumors newbie
Jul 10, 2008
3
0
Which one has the desktop patterns control panel? Will I be able to open it in Mac OS 10.4?

Thanks!

mymacgb
 
M

mymacgb

macrumors newbie
Jul 10, 2008
3
0
Got 'em!

Took a while - here's what I did.

1. Installed Classic on my G4 Powerbook.

2. Downloaded Mac OS 7.5.3.

3. Used Tomeviewer to extract the Desktop Patterns Control Panel.

4. Opened the Control Panel, copied each pattern into jpeg files, one-by-one.


I've created a page here with the Mac OS 7 Desktop Patterns if anyone else wants to download and use these awesome patterns!

http://mymacgb.x10hosting.com/mac-os-7-desktop-patterns.html



Regards,

Mymacgb
 
D

danhodo

macrumors newbie
Dec 22, 2009
3
0
I know this topic is old, but I would really love to get those desktops!

The link mymacgb posted does not work anymore :( Does anyone know where I can get them?
 
BittenApple

BittenApple

macrumors 65816
Nov 29, 2008
1,030
595

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