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TICKET ARCHIVE -> Start Up Disk Is Full Message
pdebride - Oct 11, 2005 - 6:47 am
I am geting the message "your startup disk is full" . I have deleted files but there is no change. I dont believe I have too many programs because for over a year my Mac worked find with those very same programs. I ran across a partial forum on the very same subject but I couldnt figure out how to the next page to read the rest I only got as far as adding up the memory each folder is taking up & I also checked the spool and It saysL cups- -kb, fax 1.9mb,lock 592kb, post fix 4kb, mqueue - -kb. Can you help me. Computer says I only have 802.9 MB available. I cant even print anymore or zip a file. HELP!!
Inverter - Oct 11, 2005 - 7:51 am
Hi, two days ago I helped somebody with a similar problem, here's more or less what I wrote to that person to find out where all the disk space is being used up:
You can use some very easy commands in Terminal, nothing destructive, just to be sure that no part of the system is hidden from you (like Finder only shows you half of your files).
Start a Terminal (Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal) and enter the following command (using an administrator account):
du -sckx /*
You will probably get some "permission denied" errors, that you can readily ignore.
This command will give you and estimate of the disk space usage in KiloBytes of every top-level directory on your boot disk.
You can then inspect individual directories, e.g. by issuing
du -sckx /Applications/*
or whatever, look into the directories where the size is the greatest, or just send me the output of that first command.
You can use some very easy commands in Terminal, nothing destructive, just to be sure that no part of the system is hidden from you (like Finder only shows you half of your files).
Start a Terminal (Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal) and enter the following command (using an administrator account):
du -sckx /*
You will probably get some "permission denied" errors, that you can readily ignore.
This command will give you and estimate of the disk space usage in KiloBytes of every top-level directory on your boot disk.
You can then inspect individual directories, e.g. by issuing
du -sckx /Applications/*
or whatever, look into the directories where the size is the greatest, or just send me the output of that first command.
pdebride - Oct 21, 2005 - 10:43 am
Hi sorry i took so long to reply.
when i put in the command du -sckx /* this is what i got:
972 /adobeps components
37004 /apple extras
312 /appleshare pds
1379864 /applications
55860 /applications (mac os 9)
0 /cleanup at startup
0 /desktop
4 /desktop (mac os 9)
468 /desktop db
2508 /desktop df
92 /desktop folder
239404 /documents
4 /icon
12 /installer log file
52 /installer logs
4 /late breaking news
2376336 /library
60 /macintosh hd.undo
4 /macintosh hd1.undo
200268 /microsoft office x
1836 /nav™ 7.0 quickscan
29316 /netscape folder
2 /network
408 /norton fs data
4 /norton fs index
74556 /norton fs volume
72088 /norton fs volume 2
4 /openfolderlistdf
192 /spring cleaning storage
1042916 /system
419888 /system folder
79600 /thefindbycontentfolder
8 /thevolumesettingsfolder
40 /trash
1604776 /users
46740 /utilities
800004 /virtual pc™ 4.0
4 /volumes
376 /web pages
4332 /windows media player
1 /automount
3460 /bin
2196 /c501prnt folder
0 /cores
0 /dev
4 /etc
4 /mach
560 /mach.sym
3772 /mach_kernel
292068 /private
2120 /sbin
4 /tmp
0 /untitled folder
379696 /usr
4 /var
4 /var.delete
9154211 total
the library is taking alot of space. example: adobe version cue is not present in the applications but it is in the library.
portia:~ portiadebride$ du -sckx /library/*
0 /library/address book plug-ins
133296 /library/adobe photoshop cs
108680 /library/adobe version cue
34324 /library/appleworks 6
207000 /library/application support
988 /library/audio
8864 /library/cfmsupport
6472 /library/caches
1108 /library/colorsync
0 /library/components
0 /library/contextual menu items
20744 /library/desktop pictures
172636 /library/documentation
0 /library/filesystems
164212 /library/fonts
10560 /library/frameworks
7868 /library/image capture
6316 /library/internet plug-ins
4 /library/java
0 /library/keyboard layouts
52 /library/keychains
5700 /library/logs
1720 /library/modem scripts
687116 /library/packages
144 /library/perl
0 /library/preferencepanes
8060 /library/preferences
687976 /library/printers
4 /library/python
0 /library/quicktime
27880 /library/quicken deluxe 2000
70948 /library/receipts
0 /library/recent applications
0 /library/screen savers
12 /library/scriptingadditions
2856 /library/scripts
0 /library/startupitems
612 /library/user pictures
168 /library/webserver
2376320 total
when i put in the command du -sckx /* this is what i got:
972 /adobeps components
37004 /apple extras
312 /appleshare pds
1379864 /applications
55860 /applications (mac os 9)
0 /cleanup at startup
0 /desktop
4 /desktop (mac os 9)
468 /desktop db
2508 /desktop df
92 /desktop folder
239404 /documents
4 /icon
12 /installer log file
52 /installer logs
4 /late breaking news
2376336 /library
60 /macintosh hd.undo
4 /macintosh hd1.undo
200268 /microsoft office x
1836 /nav™ 7.0 quickscan
29316 /netscape folder
2 /network
408 /norton fs data
4 /norton fs index
74556 /norton fs volume
72088 /norton fs volume 2
4 /openfolderlistdf
192 /spring cleaning storage
1042916 /system
419888 /system folder
79600 /thefindbycontentfolder
8 /thevolumesettingsfolder
40 /trash
1604776 /users
46740 /utilities
800004 /virtual pc™ 4.0
4 /volumes
376 /web pages
4332 /windows media player
1 /automount
3460 /bin
2196 /c501prnt folder
0 /cores
0 /dev
4 /etc
4 /mach
560 /mach.sym
3772 /mach_kernel
292068 /private
2120 /sbin
4 /tmp
0 /untitled folder
379696 /usr
4 /var
4 /var.delete
9154211 total
the library is taking alot of space. example: adobe version cue is not present in the applications but it is in the library.
portia:~ portiadebride$ du -sckx /library/*
0 /library/address book plug-ins
133296 /library/adobe photoshop cs
108680 /library/adobe version cue
34324 /library/appleworks 6
207000 /library/application support
988 /library/audio
8864 /library/cfmsupport
6472 /library/caches
1108 /library/colorsync
0 /library/components
0 /library/contextual menu items
20744 /library/desktop pictures
172636 /library/documentation
0 /library/filesystems
164212 /library/fonts
10560 /library/frameworks
7868 /library/image capture
6316 /library/internet plug-ins
4 /library/java
0 /library/keyboard layouts
52 /library/keychains
5700 /library/logs
1720 /library/modem scripts
687116 /library/packages
144 /library/perl
0 /library/preferencepanes
8060 /library/preferences
687976 /library/printers
4 /library/python
0 /library/quicktime
27880 /library/quicken deluxe 2000
70948 /library/receipts
0 /library/recent applications
0 /library/screen savers
12 /library/scriptingadditions
2856 /library/scripts
0 /library/startupitems
612 /library/user pictures
168 /library/webserver
2376320 total
Inverter - Oct 23, 2005 - 8:31 am
Hm, I don't know about these Adobe folders in Library; they might be generic parts that are used by other Adobe applications that you have installed? However 2.3 GB does seem large for /Library, I have only got 1 GB there...
From the data you gave I can't see anything obvious that is eating up more space than it should, it just seems to add up. Aha, for example I only installed the printer drivers for my printer manufacturer's printers (instead of all of them) that alone saved .6 GB! And I don't have any /Library/Packages directory.
Then I can see Virtual PC weighing in at .8 GB, 1.6 GB personal files in /Users... You just need to scan around whether you see anything large that you don't need anymore. You could also buy an additional harddisk or replace the current one, or archive some things to CD or DVD.
From the data you gave I can't see anything obvious that is eating up more space than it should, it just seems to add up. Aha, for example I only installed the printer drivers for my printer manufacturer's printers (instead of all of them) that alone saved .6 GB! And I don't have any /Library/Packages directory.
Then I can see Virtual PC weighing in at .8 GB, 1.6 GB personal files in /Users... You just need to scan around whether you see anything large that you don't need anymore. You could also buy an additional harddisk or replace the current one, or archive some things to CD or DVD.
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