Removing unused HD icons from the desktop

[DrivinWest]

My primary hard disk has three partitions; NTFS, HSF+ and FAT32 respectively. The NTFS and FAT32 partitions show up on my desktop but I really don't want them there (I know I can write to the FAT32 but I've got a whole extra drive just for that).

 

Does anybody know how to remove the unused HD icons from the desktop? While we're at it, any way to prevent them from being mounted in the first place?

 

Many thanks,

Aaron

[Proteo]

I'd like to know as well.

[dublove]

3rd'ed. I like to know the answer to this too.

[DiaboliK]

ive scoured google and only came up with this conclusion, some may cringe when reading so be weary, splice a power switch from your hdd's that you dont want to "mount" (i.e. like powering on/off an external usb drive)

 

altho this will only work if you have os x installed on its own hdd.

[Proteo]

Yeah, it's not really helpful. I have Windows installed in the same disk I use for regular storage, but in its own partition. I read that you can stop disks auto-mounting by editing a config line *somewhere*. It that true?

[Takuro]

(EDIT: Removed solution because it didn't work :censored2: )

[jgrimes80]

I tried and failed....

 

Fat32, I don't know if it makes a difference, but it certainly didn't work...

[Takuro]

Ok, Solution #2:

 

1) From the desktop, right click each hard drive that you want to be visible and select "make alias" (the equivalent to Window's "create shortcut")

 

2) Go to your desktop and click anywhere on it. Go to the Finder's preferences. Go to the "General" tab and deselect "Hard disks" from the list of items that appear on your desktop.

 

3) The hard drives won't be visible on the desktop, but their aliases will. Only these hard drive aliases will be visible at boot, and you won't see any hard drives that were not specifically given an alias. In this way, you can even have two partitions on the same HDD and only choose to see one of them.

 

Crude, but it works.

- Takuro

[loc[a]lhost]

Ok, Solution #2:

 

1) From the desktop, right click each hard drive that you want to be visible and select "make alias" (the equivalent to Window's "create shortcut")

 

2) Go to your desktop and click anywhere on it. Go to the Finder's preferences. Go to the "General" tab and deselect "Hard disks" from the list of items that appear on your desktop.

 

3) The hard drives won't be visible on the desktop, but their aliases will. Only these hard drive aliases will be visible at boot, and you won't see any hard drives that were not specifically given an alias. In this way, you can even have two partitions on the same HDD and only choose to see one of them.

 

Crude, but it works.

- Takuro

I don't like this method, it only hides the drives, but they're still mounted.

 

I've done it previously it by adding "umount /Volumes/UNWANTED_PARTITION_LABEL" to the end of ./etc/rc.

[Proteo]

I've done it previously it by adding "umount /Volumes/UNWANTED_PARTITION_LABEL" to the end of ./etc/rc.

 

Some help please. Last lines in my file look like this:

 

if [ "${VerboseFlag}" != "-v" ]; then
	/usr/libexec/WaitingForLoginWindow
fi

exit 0

 

Not sure if should I put the unmount command before or after the 'exit 0' line, I guess it should be before?

[loc[a]lhost]

Some help please. Last lines in my file look like this:

 

if [ "${VerboseFlag}" != "-v" ]; then
	/usr/libexec/WaitingForLoginWindow
fi

exit 0

 

Not sure if should I put the unmount command before or after the 'exit 0' line, I guess it should be before?

before, I forgot to mention it

[Swad]

A little more detail for Takuro's suggestion:

 

http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?sto...hard+drive+icon

[yehweh]

Dont know about unmounting the drives but I just removed all the HD icons from the desktop, from Finder prefs. I like a clean clutter free desktop. All the partitions are still available from the sidebar though!

 

If this is common knowledge, Im extreemly sorry for wasting your time.

[bofors]

All the partitions are still available from the sidebar though!

 

You can drag those out if you want.

 

Also, want I do is drag the partitions I use into my dock.

[A Nonny Moose]

Somtimes people make cherry picking effectively impossible because they don't see the easier solution for it

 

Make an Applescript for it.

 

tell application "Finder"

eject "NTFS"

end tell

tell application "Finder"

eject "Fat 32"

end tell

 

You might have to have it say "eject disk 'NTFS'" instead of what's written there. I'm not 100% sure because I've never used AppleScript to eject a disk before. But once it works, save it as an application and make it a startup item.

[U.C.]

Cant the automount daemon or the fstab file be modified, though i guess ill the /etc/rc method a go