Automating Finder, Feeling Stupid

So when I launch finder, I want "Home" to be the default location, however in the LIST, I want my hard drive to be selected... is this simple or what? Its not a "preferences" option and I'm not sure Automator offers something so trivial. At this point I just want to figure it out.

When you say "LIST," what exactly are you referring to?

The list view on the left. So up at the top it shows me I'm in the Home folder, but on the left I want the hard drive to be selected every time I launch Finder. Now I've recorded a simple script in Applescript to do what I want - but how do I actually implement a script saved as an "application" with stay-open selected?

I'm not sure I follow...
Am "assuming" by the list on the left, you mean the sidebar.

The selection you make in the sidebar, is what is going to be displayed on the top of the Finder window.

Sorry, but you can't have 2 locations selected simultaneously.
Either your home folder is the current location or the root (MacIntosh HD) is the location.

If you open Finder via the icon in the dock, it opens with your home folder already selected as the current location.

If you open Finder by clicking on the MacIntosh HD icon on the desktop, it opens with the hard drive already selected as the current location.

I'm with bobtomay here. There's no way to have a different folder/item selected in the sidebar from what you're currently looking at in the browser window. Why exactly do you want to do that, and would you be willing to post the Applescript code you used to implement it (surround it with

The following is just an example - I'm not even on my own machine. Say I launch finder from the dock. I get this - but couldn't I make the default selected location any of the other folders in the sidebar? The reason I want to do this is because on my own computer - nothing is selected at all by default. I just want to have it automatically select the HD so there's one less annoying click. I know its petty as ****, but its just an unsolved problem at this point. Also - the applescript i recorded doesn't run - not sure why. I have done very little programming as you can tell.

Beefstock said:

The following is just an example - I'm not even on my own machine. Say I launch finder from the dock. I get this - but couldn't I make the default selected location any of the other folders in the sidebar?

Click to expand...

That you can do. Just choose Finder > Preferences and then choose from the New Finder windows open pop-up button where you want it to start.