Set Finder Preferences
The Finder is what displays your desktop, files and folders.
Set the preferences as shown at right.
I want drives and volumes of all kinds to show up on my desktop; I don’t like flying blind with stuff lurking around “somewhere”. In my view, it’s idiotic that these preferences even exist; hiding stuff does not make it easier, it makes it harder.
Your stuff should be tangible so you know where it is, to where you’re saving your files, and what files to backup.
I also want to know whether I’ve connected to a server, so select also.
New Finder windows open to my home directory by default, but I change that to my Master drive, to remind myself to save files there, and not on my boot drive. Mixing system, applications and data is bad computer hygiene, at least on multi-drive systems where you have a choice.
The Labels and Sidebar preferences I mostly ignore, play with them as you see fit.
Here are the volumes on my desktop; these won’t be visible unless is checked, as shown above.
Finder preferences — Advanced
This is a nanny interface, run amok.
I want to see file name extensions. It matters to me whether an image is a JPEG, PDF, NEF, CR2, TIF, APP, etc.
I don't need to be warned when I change a filename extension; the idea here is that you might change it inadvertently, or remove the "." separator by accident.
I’ve already put stuff into the trash, so I don’t need to be warned when I empty it. Besides, I use Time Machine, so it’s no big deal even if I both throw something out and empty the trash.
