Error - start up disk is almost full

Bought this iMac not quite a year ago. I had very few files - some pictures and music mostly. Tried to update ANYTHING and kept receiving "start up disk is almost full". Burned pictures to disc and deleted them. Also, accidentally deleted all music as well. I am still receiving the error message. I called Apple and removing media files was their suggestion as well. I have no idea what to do next - I have no "tech savvy"
Processor 2.7 GHz Intel Core i5
Memory 8 GB 1333 MHz DDR3
Software Mac OS X Lion 10.7.2 (11C74)

Okay, so for some reason your hard disk is literally just about out of space. Your OS needs about 10 - 15 GB of space empty at all times to function properly, so you'll need to take this somewhat seriously since you only have 1 GB left.
Before I forget: have you regularly emptied your trash bin?? If not, see how much is in there - if it is a lot, you might want to take out some of it temporarily and then start deleting. If you have a lot in there, it may choke on trying to delete it all, so do it in smaller batches.
Also, you can download Whatsize:
http://whatsizemac.com/
It will help you figure out what is hogging all your space (and help getting rid of it). Since you have to little space, you may need to get rid of some stuff just to make room for the file you want to download and run.

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My start up disk says almost full

I keep getting an error that says "your start up disk is almost full you need to delete some files"

Hope this helps.
1. Empty Trash.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/PH10677
2. 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.
3. Repair Disk
    Steps 1 through 7
    http://support.apple.com/kb/PH5836
4. For more on this and very helpful tips:
    http://pondini.org/OSX/DiskSpace.html
    http://pondini.org/OSX/LionStorage.html

Your start up disk is almost full

error message your start up disk is almost full and computer keeps crashing. Have erased loads of files and still get the same error message

Hope this helps.
1. Empty Trash.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/PH10677
2. 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.
3. Repair Disk
    Steps 1 through 7
    http://support.apple.com/kb/PH5836
4. Disk space / Time Machine ?/ Local Snapshots
   http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4878
5. Re-index Macintosh HD
   System Preferences > Spotlight > Privacy
   http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2409

I have a Mac Air. It said my start up disk was almost full and to delete files. I did but am not sure of what all I should delete. Then the color wheel wouldn't stop spinning so I just closed it. Now it won't open up at all. What can I do?

I deleted files from my MacBook Air after it said my start up disk was almost full. It did several xs, then the color wheel wouldn't stop spinning, so I closed it. Then after a sufficient amount of time, I tried to start it up again, only now the Apple start up wheel just spins non stop and nothing else happens. How or what can I do to get my MacBook Air to work again, without having to take it in? Thanks so much!

Backup your MBA then take it to Apple

When I bought my Mac Air OSX Version 10.9.2 my daughter helped me migrate the contents of my previous macbook. But in the process seems to have duplicated the iTunes library . The start up disk is almost full and plus it doesn't my iPhone. Please help!

When I bought my Mac Air OSX Version 10.9.2 my daughter helped me migrate the contents of my previous macbook. But in the process seems to have duplicated the iTunes library - How do I get rid of one. The start up disk is almost full and plus it doesn't synch properly with my iPhone 4S. Please help!

Hello nicky:
You should run repair disk from your software install DVD before you try anything else. The crash may have damaged some of your directories - and a possible cause of the "missing/not missing" tunes.
Barry

I have a mac os x ver. 10.5.8 2x2.8 quad. my start up disk is almost full. can i change my start up disk from the original hard drive to an additional hard drive i added in Bay 4?

i have a mac os x ver. 10.5.8 2x2.8 quad. my start up disk is almost full. can i change my start up disk from the original hard drive to an additional hard drive i added in Bay 4?

Always want to keep the boot drive with more free space than may seem necessary for performance and to function at its best, 30-40% free or even 50% is not excessive.
Ideal is to separate your system from your data.
You should always have bootable backup / clone of your system
Don't use a green drive for system or data though.
When you are done cloning system and/or data, remove the old original and keep as backup.
Then move the system drive to #1 - no matter what you want to reset the default boot volume to where the system is.
Using Cloning as a Backup Strategy
Carbon Copy Cloner 3.4.1
http://www.bombich.com/software/updates/ccc-3.5.html
How to clone your system:
http://macperformanceguide.com/Mac-HowToClone-backup.html
http://macperformanceguide.com/Mac-HowToClone.html
http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/7032/carbon-copy-cloner
http://www.macperformanceguide.com/blog/2012/20120711_2-MacPro-internal-clone-ba ckup.html
How to relocate system and user data to another drive:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4337
By staying with 10.5.8 you are not going to receive security updates, might want to consider 10.6.8.

Hi, Im new to Apple MacBook PRO. I have saved about 50GB files plus applications and message advises that my start up disk is almost full! My MacBook pro has a 500GB hard drive so don't know why this message is coming up. Please help.

Hi, Im new to Apple MacBook PRO. I have saved about 50GB files plus applications and message advises that my start up disk is almost full! My MacBook pro has a 500GB hard drive so don't know why this message is coming up. Please help.

MacBook Pro
https://discussions.apple.com/community/notebooks/macbook_pro
https://discussions.apple.com/community/mac_os/mac_os_x_v10.7_lion?view=discussi ons

What data do I need to remove as I am getting alerts that my start-up disk is almost full?

What data do I need to remove from my laptop as I am getting alerts that my start-up disk is almost full. I have been deleting emails (I still have 4000+ in my inbox).
Also, I have been unable to download software updates nor been able to download more photos from my iPhone because there is too much on my hard drive. I don't know what to delete. I have no books or movies on laptop.
Thanks-----this is my maiden attempt for online discussion support.

Read here > Freeing space on your Mac OS X startup disk
And here > Freeing Up Hard Disk Space - Mac Guides
For iTunes you can back up your library...
iTunes: Back up your iTunes library by copying to an external hard drive
Or burn iTunes media to CD/DVD's > How to back up your media in iTunes

Received message that my start up disk is almost full. Where is this located and how do I know what I can delete?

Received a message that my start up disk is almost full. Where do I locate my start up disk / files and how do I know what i can delete from this folder to make more space?

Start up disk is the main, and only, internal disk of your computer.
I hope you know what you saved on it, so you also know what can be removed

How do I restore the warning "Start Up Disk is Almost Full"

Hey,
i accidentally checkt the box, to not show the warning "Start Up Disk is Almost Full" again.
Now i want the warning to show again, if the disk is full.
Thank you for helping.

Drag them to Trash and emoty Trash

Error messge--"Start up disk is almost full"

Please excuse my ignorance, but how do I fix this problem? It started just recently when I started downloading some decent sized files. Please help! Thanks!!

Hey jodija and welcome to Apple Discussions,
Well if it's saying that your startup disk is almost full it means just that, the disk or partition that the OS is installed on is almost full. Your computer will act really weird if that happens.
You need to get rid of stuff to make room on your start up drive.
richard

My start up disk is almost full and seems to have lots of files in other how can i tell what they are

I keep getting the message saying that my start up disk is nearly full and I have been deleting as many files as I can but now I find that actually it isn't my photos which I thought it might be, I have no music, videos or movies downloaded and just a small amount of document files. It seems that I have 91.56 GB of files in 'other' does anyone know what they might be and how I find out what they are?
Thanks

See here for answer about what is taking up space:
http://pondini.org/TM/30.html
and here:
http://pondini.org/OSX/DiskSpace.html
Seen in your "about this MAC" under storage as "OTHER

START UP DISK IS ALMOST FULL- 2007 black macbook

hello..
i was wondering if anyone has any ideas for freeing up space in my start up disk. i constantly get the msg that it is almost, full and have gone through and deleted any unnecessary files as well as movies/videos (which seem to take up the most space) does anyone have any suggestions other than taking all videos, movies, pics off and putting them on an external (not very convenient for me)
thanks!!!

Welcome to Apple Discussions...
This first link explains some ways to free up space..
http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/freeingspace.html
The second one is for Onyx....to perform the "Daily > Weekly > Monthly" cron scripts...ie..maintenance...make sure to download the right version for your OS...
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/11582/onyx
This last one is for an app. to help establish what is on your hard drive and where and how big..
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/7402/omnidisksweeper

I want to transfer most of my photos from my iPhoto library to my external hard drive. I have been getting the message that my start up disk is almost full. I want to transfer and then remove them from my computer and have them only stored externally.

My start up disk needs more space and I have tons of photos on my computer that I want to transfer to my external hard drive and remove from my computer to free up space. How can I do this and make sure all my photos are still properly saved and transferred. I dont need to transfer my whole iPhoto library just some really old albums.

Here is some help.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3849933
After confirming that all your stuff is on the drive, delete the photos you have copied. You will need to empty the iPhototrash to free up the space.

My start up disk is almost full, but I have deleted everything I can find - I think that when I upgraded my software it has saved the old one - anyone know how I can find and delete it?

Hi All,
Late last year I upgraded from tiger to leopard (very out of date I know) but ever since I have been getting warnings that my startup disk is full. I have deleted loads including pictures and itunes but still get the same mesage. I think when I upgraded the old version was stored somewhere and this might be causing the problem. Does anyone know where I would be able to find and delete - or alternatively have any other suggestions for what the problem may be?
Many thanks

WOW
80GB is a very small drive.
Sorry Noondaywitch, but omni disk sweeper isn't going to install in the space remaining, without more problems.
My Suggestions
1. Get a large (400GB+) USB hard drive
2. Copy all the contents of your home directory to the USB drive.
3. Delete all your files from your home directory on your computer after making sure everything transferred ok.
4. Perform a clean (destructive) install of Mac OSX and then the applications you need.
5. Check how much space you have left.
6. If there is less than 50% of the HDD space left (35GB or so), then consider replacing the HDD with a new larger one. If it's a white intel mac book, then this is very easy, and instructions how to do it are included in your 'everything else' wallet with your OSX DVDs etc.
7. If you can't replace the HDD, then it's time to consider a new machine i'm afraid.
Hope this helps
Justin

Error - start up disk is almost full

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