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MountainGi
I installed iLife 08 and now have a hard drive completely sapped of memory. For example. I just downloaded 96 photos from my digital camera and it ate up 6 gigabites of memory on my hard drive from photos probably totaling less than 500 megabytes. What can I do?
Answer
So, I don't know the specs of your computer. Below are some options:
To check how much free space is available on your startup disk:
In Finderâ¢, select your startup disk's icon. For most users, this is Macintosh HD.
Press the Command-I keyboard combination.
The Get Info window for your startup disk will open. In the General pane, the Capacity, Available (free space), and space Used on your startup disk will be displayed, as seen in the following screen shot:
Simple ways to free space
You can employ any of the following tips to increase the free space available on your Mac OS X startup disk without altering your hardware.
Empty the Trash
As obvious as it may sound, some folks regularly Trash files but neglect to periodically empty the Trash. In Finder, select Finder > Empty Trash or, under Mac OS X 10.3 or later, you can also select Finder > Secure Empty Trash.
Do not use the Trash as a "temporary" storage area. Only put an object in the Trash if you are sure it is no longer needed.
Archive old files
Archive â move, copy and delete, or backup and remove â files you do not use regularly to CD or another backup medium.
If you have not done so already, this is an excellent time to consider implementing a comprehensive backup and recovery solution.
Mac OS X 10.3 Panther® and later has a built-in function -- Create Archive -- for creating compressed archives of files or folders. These archives are generally far smaller than the original files they contain, provided the original is not already in a compressed format. To use this function, see the following AppleCare® Knowledge Base document corresponding to the version of Mac OS X you are using:
"Mac OS X 10.4 Help: Archiving files and folders."
"Mac OS X 10.3 Help: Archiving files and folders."
Clean up system logs and temporary files
Follow the advice in our "Running Mac OS X Maintenance Scripts" FAQ to regularly execute the Mac OS X maintenance routines that clean up System logs and temporary files created as part of the UNIX® underpinnings of Mac OS X.
Remove unused localization files
If you selected the Easy Install option when installing Mac OS X, localization files for over a dozen languages are installed. These files enable the Mac OS X interface to appear in a variety of languages. You can save roughly 200Mb of hard disk space by removing these localization files.
If you only need to run your Mac in US English, download and run Bombich Software DeLocalizer.
If you wish to retain specific localizations -- such as US English and Spanish -- download and run the freeware utility Monolingual to remove only selected localization files.
Note: Be sure to thoroughly read the instructions before using these utilities. Only use versions which are compatible with the version of Mac OS X you have installed.
Delete the Previous Systems folder from a prior Archive and Install
If you have performed an Archive and Install of Mac OS X, a Previous Systems folder was created containing your prior Mac OS X System folder. Once you are satisfied that your Mac is functioning properly after an Archive and Install, you can delete the Previous Systems folder as follows:
Mac OS X 10.3 Panther® or later:
Using your Admin account, drag the Previous Systems folder to the Trash.
Type your Admin password when requested to authenticate this operation.
Empty the Trash.
Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar: See the AppleCare Knowledge Base document "Mac OS X 10.2: How to Delete a Previous Systems Folder."
Uninstall unused applications
If your Macintosh HD > Applications folder is cluttered with:
Applications you are no longer using.
Trial software that shipped with your Mac, but which you do not intend to use.
Then uninstall them.
Delete old iTunes Library file backups
Recent versions of iTunes® create a backup of your current iTunes Library file whenever the iTunes application is updated. After you are satisfied that an iTunes update is performing nominally, trash old iTunes Library files with your Home > music > Previous iTunes Library folder, then empty the Trash.
Trashed iDVD or GarageBand? Don't forget the loops and themesâ¦
If you plan to uninstall iDVD® or GarageBand⢠by moving these applications' icons from the Macintosh HD > Applications folder to the Trash, be sure to also trash the corresponding iDVD or GarageBand folders within the Macintosh HD > Library > Application Support folder. These folders contain iDVD themes and GarageBand loops and instruments, respectively, and consume several gigabytes of disk space.
Uninstall Mac OS 9
If your PowerPCâ¢-based Mac can only start up into Mac OS X and you have no need for Classic mode, you can uninstall Mac OS 9 using the instructions in the âUninstalling Mac OS 9â section of the âMac OS 9â chapter of Troubleshooting Mac OS X.
More ways to save space if you have a spare partition or second hard drive
If you have an available partition or a second hard drive, you can also save space on your Mac OS X startup disk with the following additional tips.
Move your iTunes Music folder to another disk or partition
To change the location of your iTunes Music folder, carefully follow the instructions in the AppleCare® Knowledge Base document "iTunes Moving your iTunes Music folder."
Laptop users may want to consider having two iTunes libraries: a small library of current favorites on their computer, while their complete library resides on an external hard drive. Utilities like iTunes Library Manager enable you to easily have multiple iTunes libraries you can use with your account.
You can investigate other solutions for managing multiple iTunes libraries by searching MacUpdate and VersionTracker.
Move your iPhoto Library folder to another disk or partition
To move the iPhoto⢠Library folder to a new location, employ the instructions in the AppleCare Knowledge Base document from this list corresponding to the version of iPhoto you are using.
Laptop users may want to consider having two iPhoto libraries: a small library of current, favorite photographs on their computer, while their complete library, or archives of older photos are saved on an external hard drive. Utilities such as iPhoto Buddy and iPhoto Library Manager enable you to have multiple iPhoto libraries that you can use with your account.
You can investigate other solutions for managing multiple iPhoto libraries by searching MacUpdate and VersionTracker.
What about moving my Home or Users folder?
So, I don't know the specs of your computer. Below are some options:
To check how much free space is available on your startup disk:
In Finderâ¢, select your startup disk's icon. For most users, this is Macintosh HD.
Press the Command-I keyboard combination.
The Get Info window for your startup disk will open. In the General pane, the Capacity, Available (free space), and space Used on your startup disk will be displayed, as seen in the following screen shot:
Simple ways to free space
You can employ any of the following tips to increase the free space available on your Mac OS X startup disk without altering your hardware.
Empty the Trash
As obvious as it may sound, some folks regularly Trash files but neglect to periodically empty the Trash. In Finder, select Finder > Empty Trash or, under Mac OS X 10.3 or later, you can also select Finder > Secure Empty Trash.
Do not use the Trash as a "temporary" storage area. Only put an object in the Trash if you are sure it is no longer needed.
Archive old files
Archive â move, copy and delete, or backup and remove â files you do not use regularly to CD or another backup medium.
If you have not done so already, this is an excellent time to consider implementing a comprehensive backup and recovery solution.
Mac OS X 10.3 Panther® and later has a built-in function -- Create Archive -- for creating compressed archives of files or folders. These archives are generally far smaller than the original files they contain, provided the original is not already in a compressed format. To use this function, see the following AppleCare® Knowledge Base document corresponding to the version of Mac OS X you are using:
"Mac OS X 10.4 Help: Archiving files and folders."
"Mac OS X 10.3 Help: Archiving files and folders."
Clean up system logs and temporary files
Follow the advice in our "Running Mac OS X Maintenance Scripts" FAQ to regularly execute the Mac OS X maintenance routines that clean up System logs and temporary files created as part of the UNIX® underpinnings of Mac OS X.
Remove unused localization files
If you selected the Easy Install option when installing Mac OS X, localization files for over a dozen languages are installed. These files enable the Mac OS X interface to appear in a variety of languages. You can save roughly 200Mb of hard disk space by removing these localization files.
If you only need to run your Mac in US English, download and run Bombich Software DeLocalizer.
If you wish to retain specific localizations -- such as US English and Spanish -- download and run the freeware utility Monolingual to remove only selected localization files.
Note: Be sure to thoroughly read the instructions before using these utilities. Only use versions which are compatible with the version of Mac OS X you have installed.
Delete the Previous Systems folder from a prior Archive and Install
If you have performed an Archive and Install of Mac OS X, a Previous Systems folder was created containing your prior Mac OS X System folder. Once you are satisfied that your Mac is functioning properly after an Archive and Install, you can delete the Previous Systems folder as follows:
Mac OS X 10.3 Panther® or later:
Using your Admin account, drag the Previous Systems folder to the Trash.
Type your Admin password when requested to authenticate this operation.
Empty the Trash.
Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar: See the AppleCare Knowledge Base document "Mac OS X 10.2: How to Delete a Previous Systems Folder."
Uninstall unused applications
If your Macintosh HD > Applications folder is cluttered with:
Applications you are no longer using.
Trial software that shipped with your Mac, but which you do not intend to use.
Then uninstall them.
Delete old iTunes Library file backups
Recent versions of iTunes® create a backup of your current iTunes Library file whenever the iTunes application is updated. After you are satisfied that an iTunes update is performing nominally, trash old iTunes Library files with your Home > music > Previous iTunes Library folder, then empty the Trash.
Trashed iDVD or GarageBand? Don't forget the loops and themesâ¦
If you plan to uninstall iDVD® or GarageBand⢠by moving these applications' icons from the Macintosh HD > Applications folder to the Trash, be sure to also trash the corresponding iDVD or GarageBand folders within the Macintosh HD > Library > Application Support folder. These folders contain iDVD themes and GarageBand loops and instruments, respectively, and consume several gigabytes of disk space.
Uninstall Mac OS 9
If your PowerPCâ¢-based Mac can only start up into Mac OS X and you have no need for Classic mode, you can uninstall Mac OS 9 using the instructions in the âUninstalling Mac OS 9â section of the âMac OS 9â chapter of Troubleshooting Mac OS X.
More ways to save space if you have a spare partition or second hard drive
If you have an available partition or a second hard drive, you can also save space on your Mac OS X startup disk with the following additional tips.
Move your iTunes Music folder to another disk or partition
To change the location of your iTunes Music folder, carefully follow the instructions in the AppleCare® Knowledge Base document "iTunes Moving your iTunes Music folder."
Laptop users may want to consider having two iTunes libraries: a small library of current favorites on their computer, while their complete library resides on an external hard drive. Utilities like iTunes Library Manager enable you to easily have multiple iTunes libraries you can use with your account.
You can investigate other solutions for managing multiple iTunes libraries by searching MacUpdate and VersionTracker.
Move your iPhoto Library folder to another disk or partition
To move the iPhoto⢠Library folder to a new location, employ the instructions in the AppleCare Knowledge Base document from this list corresponding to the version of iPhoto you are using.
Laptop users may want to consider having two iPhoto libraries: a small library of current, favorite photographs on their computer, while their complete library, or archives of older photos are saved on an external hard drive. Utilities such as iPhoto Buddy and iPhoto Library Manager enable you to have multiple iPhoto libraries that you can use with your account.
You can investigate other solutions for managing multiple iPhoto libraries by searching MacUpdate and VersionTracker.
What about moving my Home or Users folder?
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