Back up disk is full, can I keep backing up?

My 1TB back drive is full so I get messages now from Time Machine saying the disk is full and the oldest back up will be deleted to make room for the latest back up... the oldest back up is usually pretty old, like May 09 or something so I don't mind it being erased.
My question is, is there any harm in just continuing like this without upgrading to a larger back up disk? I don't mind it deleting these 6 month-plus old files because I would never use them anyway.
Just trying to avoid buying a 2TB disk as I use a raid drive and would have to buy 3 in order to fill it!
Thanks.

no, there is no harm. you can just let TM do its thing and keep deleting old backups to make room for new ones.

Similar Messages

Startup Disk totally full, can't manipulate files

Attending to an iMac with OS X 10.5.8 on behalf of the owner who said it was running 'slow', but found that the 250GB HDD was totally full... zero KB available!
Searched for data that could be deleted or archived off to an external disk, identified the Music folder totalled 117GB, Movies 32Gb, but Photos were missing - later found 'iPhoto Library' (15GB+) in the Trash!
Possibly due to the zero KB situation, I am unable to 'drag and drop' to an external disk (source folder or files highlight ok, but won't drag), and also can't move the photos back to thier original location so that I can delete the Trash.

Mount the internal drive in target mode on another Mac.
How to use and troubleshoot FireWire target disk mode

Disk startup full- can't boot normally. Now in target disk mode.

Hello all, so here's my dilemma-
My disk startup is full and now I am unable to boot my computer past the apple logo and the loading circle.
Here's what I've tried,
I am now in target disk mode attempting to transfer over my files to an external HD via a good computer and then wipe/restore the OS on my bad computer THEN transfer my files over to the bad(now good) computer however..... some of my files won't transfer, especially in my iphoto library (It's HUGE 82 gigs) & my very elaborate final cut pro projects that have taken me h o u r s to do.... For example, some video icons don't show up with a snapshot of the video as they are suppose to but instead they're shown with a a default video icon which almost makes me think they're damaged files but the thing is- I was just working with these files.. My comp passed all HD tests. I don't think it's damaged...I don't know what's going on. If I could just find a way to delete some files...especially from my trash(30 gigs in there) so I'm able to at least boot properly, that would be great
Is there anyway to retrieve these stubborn files via target disk mode or another option?
Also do you maybe have an easier way for me to go about this entire process instead of transferring 500gb of data back and forth? I tried to access my trashcan via target disk mode and delete the 30 gigs I have in there but I was unable to delete it- and I do have "read and write" switched on.
Thanks in Advance!! ANY help is appreciated. I'm at wits end here.
Details
-I have a mid 2012 macbook pro connected with the mid 2012 imac that I'm running on target disc mode via thunderbolt cable (I also tried a 2013 air- same issues)

Before you spend a lot of money with a professional recovery service, look over these links:
http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201583
http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/trash.html
Ciao.

Startup disk is full and HD keeps filling up

I have not been installing or saving new material on my computer and the storage space on my HD keeps filling up. It was quite fulll so I took of 20 GB of files, and since then, that space I freed up is now gone. Is there a way to tell what is taking up this space?

First, reboot. That will temporarily free up some space. According to Apple documentation, you need at least 9 GB free for normal operation. You also need enough space left over to allow for growth of your data.
Use a tool such as OmniDiskSweeper to explore your volume and find out what's taking up the space.
Proceed further only if the problem hasn't been solved.
ODS can't see the whole filesystem when you run it just by double-clicking; it only sees files that you have permission to read. To really see everything, you have to run it as root.
Back up all data now if you haven't already done so. No matter what happens, you should be able to restore your system to the state it was in at the time of that backup.
Launch the Terminal application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ If you’re running OS X 10.7 or later, open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the page that opens.
After installing ODS in the Applications folder, drag or copy — do not type — the following line into the Terminal window, then press return:
sudo /Applications/OmniDiskSweeper.app/Contents/MacOS/OmniDiskSweeper
You'll be prompted for your login password, which won't be displayed when you type it. You may get a one-time warning not to screw up.
I don't recommend that you make a habit of this. Don't delete anything while running ODS as root. When you're done with it, quit it and also quit Terminal.

My start up disk is full, and now i cant access my user areas, just a blank screen appears. Any ideas ?

My Start up disk is full, as it keeps telling me, and now i can't access my user areas. just a blank screen after logging in.
any Ideas. I've tried connecting to my Mac desk top, with a thunderbolt cable but nothing happened.

Try this.
1. Start up in Safe Mode.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/PH11212
2. Empty Trash.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/PH10677
3. Delete "Recovered Messages", if any.
    Hold the option key down and click "Go" menu in the Finder menu bar.
    Select "Library" from the dropdown.
    Library > Mail > V2 > Mailboxes
    Delete "Recovered Messages", if any.
    Empty Trash. Restart.
4. Repair Disk
    Steps 1 through 7
    http://support.apple.com/kb/PH5836

I can't download anything as it keeps telling me my start up disk is full. I have deleted loads of files and it still keeps popping up with the same messge??

Please help - I am not too computer savvi and my computer keeps telling me my start up disk is full. I have purchased a passport and transferred loads of images and files onto that and then deleted them from my computer but the message is still the same and I can't download anything.

How big is your hard drive, and how much space is used/free?
To find out, click once on the hard drive icon on your desktop to highlight it (it will be called Macintosh HD unless you renamed it). Click the command and I keys on your keyboard to open the information window. In "General", you will see Capacity and Available. What are those figures?
If you have a little bit of space left, I recommend that you install Omnidisksweeper (it's free) to tell you what folders are using up the most room.
Be careful when you transfer files - only move files that you know are yours. Don't move or delete any system files unless you're specifically recommended to do so (some files are safe to delete; some are not).
Matt

I can't login, keep geting "Your Startup Disk is Full" and asking me to delete file. if I cant login how can I delete files? Please help

I Keep getting "your startup disk is full" ..... "You need to make more space available on your startup disk by deleting file..." If I can't have an acess, how can I delete files. Please help..

That means the hard drive of your computer is full, and you don't have enough free space on your computer, to do what you are trying to do.
You need to clear up space on your computer.
If you hard drive is full, check the following places to ensure they are not holding unwanted data.
- your trash can in the dock
- if you use iPhoto, your trash in iPhoto - launch iPhoto, and select trash in the left hand column. iPhoto has it's own trash, and is often overlooked
- your download folder - finder / home user / downloads - every time you download something, it stores it here. This is often overlooked as well
- do you have more than one user on the computer? If you do, ensure they are needed. If not, delete them, and the contents of their home folders
If you hard drive is very full, you may want to consider the following:
- putting in a newer larger hard drive - (call you local apple store for prices on this)
- deleting data off your computer
- moving data to an external drive - (iPhoto Libraries, iTunes Libraries or iMovie events, as they are the biggest space hogs)

My brand new macbook pro shows shows that my had drive is filled with 481 gb of other!!! mac keeps showing me that my start up disk is full. what can other be???

mac keeps showing me that my start up disk is full. what can other be???

Where did my Disk Space go?
Slimming your hard drive
OmniDiskSweeper is a free utility that checks HD space.
FreeSpace cost $1 or is a free utility that checks HD space.
SpaceControl is a free utility that checks HD space.

HT3680 Hi,A message on my computer keeps coming saying my startup disk is full.what can I do to solve this problem??

Hi,A message on my computer keeps coming saying my startup disk is full.what can I do to solve this problem??

You need a minimum of 5GB free space, and typically you need about 15% free space.
Your Mac needs adequate hard drive space to operate normally. A low amount of RAM requires more drive space for Virtual Memory’s swap files. Problems from insufficient RAM and free hard disk space are discussed in this link http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/lackofram.html
Look at these links.
Where did my disk space go?
http://www.macfixitforums.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=Forum38&Number=770243
Download & use *WhatSize* described in this link or Disk Inventory X @ http://www.derlien.com/
Freeing space on your Mac OS X startup disk
http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/freeingspace.html
Amazing Disappearing Drive Space
http://www.pinkmutant.com/articles/TigerMisc.html
Increase HD Free Space by using Monolingual @ http://monolingual.sourceforge.net/
How to free up my disk space
http://www.macmaps.com/diskfull.html
Where Did My Disk Space Go?
http://www.macfixitforums.com/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/770243/site_id/ 1
 Cheers, Tom

My 2nd generation Time Capsule won't back up because the backup disk is full??

My 2nd generation Time Capsule-Machine won't back up because the backup disk is full. Ever since the latest OS software update I am not able to erase my time capsule and start over. I use to be able to go into the settings on my Mac and erase it and start over, but not anymore. What can I do? Is there a way to free up space so I can do backups again? I keep getting a notice saying that my backup disk is full and there is not enough space to to a backup for all 3 of my Macs. Any suggestions would help!!! Thanks

The airport utility should still allow you to erase the drive of the TC.. that means a full wipe.. if you want to keep anything from the old backups you should archive it first.. that option was removed on the v6 utility but if any of your computers still runs Lion or earlier you can download 5.6 airport utility or use the inbuilt one.
In mountain lion you cannot install the 5.6 utility but there are ways and means of getting around that.. it does work.. it is relatively easy to unpack the utility and extract the file and just drag it to the utility directory.

HT3275 Why does Time Machine say it's unable to back up because the disk is full -- even tho it's supposed to delete the oldest backups when that happens?

I'm running OS 10.6.8 on an imac from around 2011. I back up with Time Machine to an external hard drive that has about 500 GB. Until now, I've had no problemsm, or at least that's what I thought. But today I'm getting a message every hour saying "Time machine is unable to back up because the disk is full." It IS full, but Time Machine is supposed to delete the oldest backups when that happens, and keep deleting them in order.
Anyway, when I opened up my backup disk I discovered backups from February and most of March, nothing in April and nothing in May.
I'm a little freaked.
Does anybody know why that would happen and what to do about it?
Thanks in advance.

Hello, I don't use TM, but...
Have you looked through Pondini's extensive TM help site?
http://Pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html
http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html
Can't imagine something not being covered there.

HT4796 on my windows XP pro PC i opened windows migration assistant and the first message is: "Cannot start Outlook Express. The application can not initialize the storage. The computer doesn't have enough memory or your disk is full. (0x80007114)"

on my windows XP pro PC i opened windows migration assistant and the first message is: "Cannot start Outlook Express. The application can not initialize the storage. The computer doesn't have enough memory or your disk is full. (0x80007114)"
On my windows PC outlook express is NOT running and as far as i know, NOT installed.
How do I install Outlook Express??
I want to use my new Imac.....

Disk storage issues frequently happen if the hard disc is over 85% full. Make sure your trash can is emptied after backing up any files you want to keep elsewhere.

I keep getting a message "Your startup disk is full" but it isn't

I keep getting a message "Your startup disk is full" and my space on the HD fluctuates every second. I have 113 Gbs of free space, but it disappears within seconds and reappears again and repeats.

Yes you should back it up.
Do you have the OS 10.6 disk? You will need it. If you don't have it, you can get one here:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard
The repair disk procedure does not erase anything on the drive. But before you go any further you should back it up.

I keep getting the message that my startup disk is full, yet I have about 300GB of space left on my HD? Any solutions for fixing this problem?

I keep getting the message that my startup disk is full, yet I have almost 300GB left on my hardrive. I have emptied the trash on my desktop and in iPhoto, and I have removed unnecessary programs. The only way I can get the message to go away is to restart my computer. If I let the computer go to sleep, I get the message back when I start using it again. Any suggestions?

Mountain Lion Recovery
Boot up from your computer by holding down the command+r keys. This will take you to the recovery drive.
Select Disk Utility & hit Return.
In Disk Utility select the HD on the left & click on Repair Disk (bottom right).
=======================
Empty the trash in the Dock as well as iPhoto’s trash!
Open up your application folder & go through all your apps. Trash all the apps you no longer want and/or use.
An easier way to do this is to open the Application folder in list view & press the Command+j keys.
In the the dialog that appears, click the "This Window Only" button & the "Calculate All Sizes" check box.
Wait a bit until your file & folder sizes have all been calculated, then click the "Size" column to sort your apps from the fattest to the most anorexic.
Get rid of all your photo files you don't want and/or need. Same goes for those pics off the websites you downloaded (gifs, jpegs, etc.). Or transfer/move them all to a photo/movie storage site like ImageShack and Photobucket, 2 of the most popular FREE storage sites.
Get rid of all your video & music files you no longer view and/or listen too. Especially, if you already have the actual CD/DVDs or you can later redownload from a website. Or transfer them all to a FREE video/movies and/or music storage site.
Use Spotlight to make sure you got rid of everything. You can even trash directly from Spotlight! Better yet, download this FREE software called Find File. This app puts Spotlight to shame (works w/Mountain Lion).
Drag what you don't want and/or need to the trash. Better yet, download this neat little shareware app *demo* called AppZapper. It basically does all the work for you by not only trashing the apps but the apps preference files, caches & all its associated files.
Another software that does the above is AppDelete. Best of all this software is free!
Burn what you want and/or need onto CDs or DVDs. Not everyone has the luxury of purchasing an external HD and/or the system requirements for iCloud to store their "stuff.”
Dropbox is a free storage utility to check out.
You can check with your ISP to see if they offer *free* storage space. Most if not all do now-a-days. There are thousands if not millions of *free* storage facilities on the web also. Use your favorite search engine to search them out as they come in different storage sizes to fit your needs & wants.
Check for duplicate fonts.
Applications>Font Book
Select “All Fonts”
If you see any “black dots” next to any fonts this mean you have duplicates and/or multiple versions of these fonts.
To clean this up, select a “black dotted” font or the Apple + *click* to select multiple dotted fonts;
Edit>Resolve>Duplicates.
What the above does is turns off the duplicates & multiple version fonts. Not delete them.
More than likely the “extras” were installed by other programs and/or other users.
Clear out font caches
Use FontNuke. It does all the work for you. And, best of all it’s *FREE*.
Printer Drivers
Get rid of all the printer drivers you don’t need & use except the ones for your *current* printer(s)/scanner(s).
HD>Library>Printers Folder
If you accidently threw something out that you needed for your printer/scanner it can be easily obtained from the manufacturer’s website and/or from the CD that came w/the printer/scanner.
Garage Band
Has about 1GB of loops stored. Get rid of some some them. You surely don’t use, like and/or need them all.
HD>Library>Audio/Apple Loops>Apple>Apple Loops For GarageBand
Or just get rid of the Garage Band app altogether if you don’t use it.
Get rid of extra languages
Strip your computer down to your “native” tongue.
You can do this with a *FREE* utility called Monolingual. Another app that apparently does all the work for you. I’ve never used it. However, a lot of users here swear by & recommend it highly.
However, there is a warning for *native English speakers*. Make sure you keep BOTH English and English (United States).
Other Resources:
HD Space Checkers:
Disk Inventory X (FREE)
WhatSize (SHAREWARE)
OmniDiskSweeper (FREE)
GrandPerspective (FREE - donation)
Mac Performance Guide
Slimming your hard drive
Rule of thumb: You should never let your hard drive get to where you have only 10-15% of space left.

I keep getting notifications about my Startup Disk being full...please help

I keep getting notifications about my Startup Disk being full, I've gone through and deleted a bunch of files, and burned some big projects to disks and removed them from my laptop, but I still get notifications. Can anyone help me by letting me know which kind of files would be the best to remove, and what folders would be the best to clean up to free up space?? Thanks alot!

If you have external or thumb drive, back up your data and try to install this:
http://www.id-design.com/software/whatsize/
to see what is clogging up your HD.
And delete document files that you don't need.
Also optimize your HD and delete all of cache files using this:
http://www.titanium.free.fr/pgs/english.html
delete application using appdelete:
http://reggie.ashworth.googlepages.com/appdelete
Good Luck.
ps: don't forget to empty the trash.

Back up disk is full, can I keep backing up?

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