The icons you describe are related to the View Options available under the View Menu in the Finder, shown in Figure 1. These options are also available in later versions of the Mac OS.
Figure 1 View Options Window
Each window you open in the Finder can have a separate view set, which is why one window may look different than another. When a window is set in Icon Mode, the view can have three options for the arrangement of icons:
- None has no specific arrangement, no little icon at the top of the window as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2 None View
- Always Snap to Grid always aligns the icons neeatly, shows the small "grid" icon as shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3 Always Snap To Grid View
- Keep Arranged shows the four folder icons as shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4 Keep Arranged Icon View
The "Keep Arranged" choice has the following options:
Additionally, the View Options window allows you to choose between large or small icons.
Figure 1 View Options Window
Each window you open in the Finder can have a separate view set, which is why one window may look different than another. When a window is set in Icon Mode, the view can have three options for the arrangement of icons:
- None has no specific arrangement, no little icon at the top of the window as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2 None View
- Always Snap to Grid always aligns the icons neeatly, shows the small "grid" icon as shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3 Always Snap To Grid View
- Keep Arranged shows the four folder icons as shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4 Keep Arranged Icon View
The "Keep Arranged" choice has the following options:
- By Name
- By Date Modified
- By Date Created
- By Size
- By Kind
- By Label
Additionally, the View Options window allows you to choose between large or small icons.