A challenge to the savvy XP gurus!

L

Lunaray

I know that the XP desktop uses a grid pattern for icon placement, but it's
invisible! Is there a way to temporarily make the grid lines visible, so
that I can arrange my icons evenly where I want them? "Allign to grid" uses
pre-formatted icon spacing and I've tried to adjust this but it didn't work;
I want to be able to place my icons manually where I want them to be, but I
want to see the grid pattern (temporarily), to use as a guide!

Is this possible (easily, without messing with the registry, or anything
dangerous like that)?

Thanks exultant ones!

Ray
 
G

Guest

Excellent question, Lunaray! You won't much like the answer though... In a
word, NO.

Sorry!

M
 
G

Ghostrider

Lunaray said:
I know that the XP desktop uses a grid pattern for icon placement, but it's
invisible! Is there a way to temporarily make the grid lines visible, so
that I can arrange my icons evenly where I want them? "Allign to grid" uses
pre-formatted icon spacing and I've tried to adjust this but it didn't work;
I want to be able to place my icons manually where I want them to be, but I
want to see the grid pattern (temporarily), to use as a guide!

Is this possible (easily, without messing with the registry, or anything
dangerous like that)?

Thanks exultant ones!

Ray
Click to expand...

There is nothing wrong than relying on the old Mk. 1
eyeball and a a little bit of patience. It has been
like this ever since icons have been used in a graphics
user interface, including Apple-Macs, X-Windows, etc.
 
M

Menno Hershberger

I know that the XP desktop uses a grid pattern for icon placement, but
it's invisible! Is there a way to temporarily make the grid lines
visible, so that I can arrange my icons evenly where I want them?
"Allign to grid" uses pre-formatted icon spacing and I've tried to
adjust this but it didn't work; I want to be able to place my icons
manually where I want them to be, but I want to see the grid pattern
(temporarily), to use as a guide!

Is this possible (easily, without messing with the registry, or
anything dangerous like that)?
Click to expand...

Draw yourself a screensized grid in Paint (or something). Save it as a
bitmap and put it in your windows folder. Then (temporarily) set that as
your desktop wallpaper. Align your icons and then switch back to your
original wallpaper!
 
L

Lunaray

That's just a work-around, and too much work to make it worth it! I'm sure
that there's a bonefide (SP?) geek out there somewhere who knows how to do
it, and if there is, he/she should write a program and sell it for $10, I'd
pay for it!! :)
 
L

Lunaray

You failed to mention the obsolete love-of-my-life "Amiga"; if I remember
right, it was possible with this, the most potentally perfect computer!
Alas :-(
 
L

Lucvdv

Excellent question, Lunaray! You won't much like the answer though... In a
word, NO.
Click to expand...

If you know the grid spacing, you can create a BMP with grid lines and set
it as wallpaper...

The grid spacing can be found in desktop properties: right-click an empty
space on the desktop, select "Properties", click "Advanced", and look at
the values for "Icon", "Icon Spacing (Horizontal)" and "Icon Spacing
(Vertical)" in the "Item" drop down list.

To get the grid size, add the "Icon" value to each of the other two.


You can also find the values in the registry: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control
Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics, values "IconSpacing" and
"IconVerticalSpacing".
These values are negative and expressed in twips: divide by 15 to get the
grid width and height in pixels. You don't need to add anything now.
 
L

LVTravel

Not a geek but you can change the default icon spacing in XP (at least in
the classic view) without much problem. Here's how:

Right click in any blank area on your desktop. Left click properties.
Click Appearance tab. Click Advanced button. Under Item: Click the box
where it says Desktop and choose Icon Spacing Horizontal and then increase
the size to your hearts desire. You can do the same thing for the Vertical
spacing. Once correct simply click OK to exit all boxes and then use the
Align to grid to evenly distribute the icons on the desktop.
 
A

Alex Nichol

Lunaray said:
I know that the XP desktop uses a grid pattern for icon placement, but it's
invisible! Is there a way to temporarily make the grid lines visible, so
that I can arrange my icons evenly where I want them? "Allign to grid" uses
pre-formatted icon spacing and I've tried to adjust this but it didn't work;
I want to be able to place my icons manually where I want them to be, but I
want to see the grid pattern (temporarily), to use as a guide!

Is this possible (easily, without messing with the registry, or anything
dangerous like that)?
Click to expand...

No - sorry - it isn't. The grid size is obtained by adding the icon
size to the vertical or horizontal icon spacing - in Display Appearance,
click Advanced, select those in Item and adjust (sizes are in pixels)
and Apply wherever on offer on the way out. Best I can suggest is to
copy a clutch of small files to the desktop and use them as markers of
where the icons in the central row and column will be until you get
nearly done
 
L

Lunaray

Thanks, I've played with those settings but I haven't gotten very good
results, it didn't seem to make much of a difference, don't know why though,
it seems like that should work!
 
L

Lunaray

It should be simple, not Rocket Science, just right-click & choose "Show
Desktop Grid" ;-)
 

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