BASIC 2.x and 3.00 Desktop Icons Changed to QuickBASIC Icons (34011)

SUMMARY

Copying QuickBASIC onto a disk causes the Desktop icons of the Microsoft BASIC Interpreter Versions 2.00, 2.10, and 3.00, and their source files, to change into QuickBASIC icons. If the Microsoft BASIC Interpreter Version 2.x or 3.00 resides on the same disk as QuickBASIC, the type of BASIC icon displayed may be unpredictable, and will depend upon which BASIC was last copied onto the disk, or the way in which the Macintosh Desktop was last rebuilt.

This behavior occurs because QuickBASIC's creator type is the same as for the Microsoft BASIC Interpreter Versions 2.x and 3.00. (MSBB is the creator type for Binary BASIC and MSBA is the creator type for Decimal BASIC.)

The following are two alternatives for avoiding the icon confusion:

Keep QuickBASIC on a different disk than the Version 2.x or 3.00 BASIC interpreter and its source files.
Using Resedit, change the creator type for either QuickBASIC or the BASIC interpreter Versions 2.x or 3.00, so that that BASIC's icon will be associated with the new creator type. New source files created in the version of BASIC with the new creator type will show that BASIC's icon. The creator type of older files will need to be changed.

MORE INFORMATION

Using Resedit, highlight Microsoft QuickBASIC (b) or (d), do a Get Info on the File menu, and change the creator to lowercase letters (msbb or msba). If this is done before QuickBASIC is copied onto the disk, the previous BASIC program Desktop icons will not change. The sample programs supplied with QuickBASIC will have to have their creator types changed; otherwise, their icons will appear to be like those of the previous BASICs. Any programs created with the altered QuickBASIC will have the lowercase creator types and will therefore resemble the QuickBASIC-style icon.

If QuickBASIC has already been loaded onto the disk and the icons of the previous BASICs have already changed, some additional steps need to be taken. First, remove QuickBASIC from the disk. Reboot with the COMMAND and OPTION keys pressed, or delete the desktop file with Resedit (select Clear from the Edit menu) to change the previous BASIC icons to their original state. Then using Resedit, change QuickBASIC's creator type to lowercase letters and copy it back onto the hard drive.

QuickBASIC can open source files created by QuickBASIC or the BASIC interpreter Versions 2.x or 3.00. However, BASIC Versions 2.x or 3.00 will produce a "Bad file mode" error if you try to open a QuickBASIC file that was saved in Compressed format. QuickBASIC source files saved in Text format can be loaded into the BASIC Interpreter Version 2.x or Version 3.00.