Some of us can only look at that psychotic finder window for so long before we start feeling a little uncomfortable. For me, I couldn’t last a second longer! So I decided it was in my best interest to change it up. The finder icon is a little bit more complicated to change than some of the other icons around Leopard. So pay attention, and away we go!
Step One: Finding The Proper .png ï¬les
apex-laptop:/ apex$ cd /System/Library/CoreServices/Dock.app/Contents/Resources
Step Two: Backup! Backup! Backup!
You never know when you will want to put the system back to its original state. That being said, it is always important to back up any folder or ï¬les you will be manipulating.
First, we will make a directory on your desktop:
apex-laptop:/System/Library/CoreServices/Dock.app/Contents/Resources apex$
sudo mkdir /Users/username/Desktop/backup/
Second, we will copy every single .png ï¬le that currently resides in the Resources
folder, and then place them into the backup folder on your desktop.
apex-laptop:/System/Library/CoreServices/Dock.app/Contents/Resources apex$
sudo cp *.png /Users/username/Desktop/backup/
Thirdly, we need to change the permission to all the .png ï¬les so that we can edit
them in our favorite graphics editor.
sudo chmod o+w *.png
Step Three: Making the Changes
Now open the folder “˜backup’ on your Desktop. You can do this with a mouse or
simply type the following in the terminal window:
open.
All of the .png ï¬les that are currently in the backup folder can be edited in programs
such as Photoshop, or Gimp. For instance, ï¬nder.png is the annoying smiley face
icon that resides in the Dock for Finder (I could only take looking at that icon for so
long before it started to make me feel a little uncomfortable).
Finally, you’ll need to delete the Dock preferences. With Tiger Go to /Library/Caches/ and delete “˜com.apple.dock.iconcache.yourusername’
Now, ctrl+alt click the Finder Icon and click “relaunch”.
If you’re using leopard like most of us, you’ll have to search for this file. The best way to do this is to open a finder window. Push command+f. Set your criteria like the image below.
Drop your “˜com.apple.dock.iconcache.yourusername’ in the trash.
Restart your dock. Either in the aformentioned fashion, or by typing ‘sudo killall Dock’ into the terminal.
Viola! Macgasm Goodness.
