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| Author | How do you restore an app's original icon? (Read 31383 times) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ShinobiKenobi
256 MB  Posts: 362 System 7 fan 
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on: June 21, 2025, 10:49
I installed Netscape Navigator 3.04 Gold, and then installed Netscape Communicator 4.08, which replaced the cooler older icon that 3.04 Gold had. No matter how many times I delete the Netscape prefs, app folders, and reinstall 3.04 Gold, it keeps the wheel icon. I know it sounds silly, but it really bothers me. I'm sure there has to be a simple fix, but I don't know what it is. Does anyone have any tips? Thanks! |
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Bolkonskij
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Administrator 1024 MB  Posts: 2023
Reply #1 on: June 21, 2025, 11:04
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Get Info on Netscape 3.04 Gold application. Click on the Icon in the Get Info window. Copy it to the clipboard. (Option/Apple Key + C) Then "Get Info" on Netscape Communicator 4.0.8. Click on the Icon. Copy + paste (Option/Apple Key + V) This should allow you to permanently change the icon.
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ShinobiKenobi
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256 MB Posts: 362 System 7 fan
Reply #2 on: June 21, 2025, 11:20
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Awesome! Thank you! 
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MTT
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256 MB Posts: 394 SSW7 Oldtimer
Reply #3 on: June 23, 2025, 06:05
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Yes, you can add an icon onto an application's icon via copy and paste. However, that creates a "custom" icon and doesn't replace or restore the original icon. Even if it looks the same, it isn't the original, the custom icon simply takes precedence. When you want to revert to an earlier application, and you've removed the newer app and installed the older version with the icons you want to see (but are still showing the newer removed versions icons): The old classic Macintosh way to restore the original was to "Rebuild the Desktop". It's quick and simple to do. In a classic Mac OS you only needed to hold the Option and Command keys down as you rebooted or started up the Mac. Once it starts-up and before the full desktop loads, the Finder asks if you would like to rebuild the desktop, and in clicking OK, the rebuild takes place. This might take a few seconds or a bit longer depending on how many files you have installed, but once finished you'll find the original icons that you want, will be there, fully restored. Holding those two keys down on an actual classic Mac is simple to do and it works fine, but with emulators, holding those keys down can be problematical. The emulated Finder has to load before it has time to acknowledge special key combinations being used. So this approach might fail (or not). An alternative which works brilliantly for emulators is "Trashâ˘Desktop". When invoked, Trashâ˘Desktop will move the data files "Desktop DB"and "Desktop DF" to the Trash. You can then reboot the Mac and when it starts up the Finder will automatically rebuild its desktop data files. Doing this is good classic Macintosh housekeeping and it was recommended back in the dark ages, that you should do this periodically and especially when you install new programs if their icons don't seem right, or even look like blank generic sheets of paper. Garden member, MacTouch showed us another way to rebuild a drive's DDb, without needing a reboot. It's pretty nifty, however it only works for secondary mounted volumes and not the primary startup disk. Though, it is still a pretty cool trick. The reason (and there always has to be one) why you were still seeing the "new" icons instead of the old preferred icons after removing the new and reinstalling the old. Is because it's the Finder that displays the icons and not the file or application itself. The Finder records the (BNDL & FREF) icon resource info of every application it encounters. It stores these in those hidden Desktop Database files and refers to its hidden database as to displaying those icons that you see. It also keeps the newest version of an icon as the icon to display (sometimes it may not update to new icons at all when updating software, in which case you may need to rebuild the DDb to get the new icons to show). Which is why you should rebuild the desktop; The previous desktop database is deleted and rebuilt, you'll then get the icons restored as to how you want.
Last Edit: June 24, 2025, 02:07 by MTT
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Bolkonskij
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Administrator 1024 MB Posts: 2023
Reply #4 on: June 24, 2025, 06:43
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As so very often, MTT delivers the perfect answer that exceeds any expectations. Thank you very much!
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ShinobiKenobi
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256 MB Posts: 362 System 7 fan
Reply #5 on: June 25, 2025, 04:10
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Awesome, thank you for your Woz-level genius MTT! I didn't know rebuilding the desktop did the trick. You are truly a blessing to the entire Mac community I copied the icon and saved it when I got it back lol, just in case I want to use it elsewhere.
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cballero
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1024 MB Posts: 1176 System 7, today and forever
Reply #6 on: June 25, 2025, 22:18
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Mike really is most talented and so giving indeed, ShinobiKenobi! I usually save icons to the scrapbook for easy safekeeping (and since I'm paranoid, I also make a copy of my scrapbook, too) 
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ShinobiKenobi
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256 MB Posts: 362 System 7 fan
Reply #7 on: June 26, 2025, 09:58
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@cballero That's a really good idea!
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