Help - Getting Disc Full message

Hello, hope someone can help here... I have a 13" macbook pro and have been working in a word document. have just tried to save it - but am being given a message that tells me the macintosh hd is full and to try another drive.
I emptied my junk folder and got rid of a few downloads but am completely stuck - and panic-stricken, as its clear my much worked on report isn't saved.
I have plugged in my external hard drive that i do my time machine back up on, but cant see it in my finder.
Please can someone help? How do I clear out a bit of memory? Is there some sort of cache that needs to be emptied regularly... I don;t know what to do and there is no one I can ask - I'm not even sure how to use this forum or if I'm posting in the right place...
Thanks
Ali-bongo

From Finder menu -> Go -> Go to Folder ...
/private/var/log
Take a look at those different log files - some of them may have grown really huge.
You may free some space by deleting older files.

Similar Messages

I am getting disc full messages on my Mac, unable to empty trash because not enough space, how do I proceed or do I need to increase my 4gig of memory

I am getting disc full messages on my Mac, unable to empty trash because not enough space, how do I proceed or do I need to increase my 4gig of memory in which case how do I go about this process.

You are confusing RAM (Random Access Memory) with hard drive data storage space.
Your hard drive storage is getting too full if you can't empty your Mac's main trash.
Here are some general tips to keep your Mac's hard drive trim and slim as possible
You should never, EVER let a conputer hard drive get completely full, EVER
With Macs and OS X, you shouldn't let the hard drive get below 15 GBs or less of free data space.
If it does, it's time for some hard drive housecleaning.
Follow some of my tips for cleaning out, deleting and archiving data from your Mac's internal hard drive.
Have you emptied your Mac's Trash icon in the Dock?
( as you mentioned, you can't empty this as your hard drive is too full.)
If you use iPhoto, iPhoto has its own trash that needs to be emptied, also.
If you store images in other locations other than iPhoto, then you will have to weed through these to determine what to archive and what to delete.
If you use Apple Mail app, Apple Mail also has its own trash area that needs to be emptied, too!
Delete any old or no longer needed emails and/or archive to disc, flash drives or external hard drive, older emails you want to save.
Look through your other Mailboxes and other Mail categories to see If there is other mail you can archive and/or delete.
STAY AWAY FROM DELETING ANY FILES FROM OS X SYSTEM FOLDER!
Look through your Documents folder and delete any type of old useless type files like "Read Me" type files.
Again, archive to disc, flash drives, ext. hard drives or delete any old documents you no longer use or immediately need.
Look in your Applications folder, if you have applications you haven't used in a long time, if the app doesn't have a dedicated uninstaller, then you can simply drag it into the OS X Trash icon. IF the application has an uninstaller app, then use it to completely delete the app from your Mac.
To find other large files, download an app called Omni Disk Sweeper.
Download an app called OnyX for your version of OS X.
When you install and launch it, let it do its initial automatic tests, then go to the cleaning and maintenance tabs and run the maintenance tabs that let OnyX clean out all web browser cache files, web browser histories, system cache files, delete old error log files.
Typically, iTunes and iPhoto libraries are the biggest users of HD space.
move these files/data off of your internal drive to the external hard drive and deleted off of the internal hard drive.
If you have any other large folders of personal data or projects, these should be archived or moved, also, to the optical discs, flash drives or external hard drive and then either archived to disc and/or deleted off your internal hard drive.
Good Luck!

New memory card installed but getting 'Start up disc full' message?

Running on an old Power Mac G4, 256 MB, I have recently got a new ipod and began filling my itunes when I get a 'start up disc full' message. I've successfully installed another identical 256 MB memory card which the computer is recognizing (now showing 512 MBs of memory) but after downloading another 1 or 2 CDs I'm back to 'start up disc full'. I know I have the correct memory card for my G4 but it isn't allowing me more memory. Any suggestions? Do I have to change something that isn't in my owners manual?

Hi-
Welcome to Discussions!
You need more hard drive space. Although replacing the internal with another, larger drive is an option, it is easy to just add another drive. The G4, any model, can use up to 4 internal drives.
Some have size limits, so you need to tell us your G4 model. Use the "About this Mac" in the Apple menu on your desktop, and the following to ID your model:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58418
Another option is to buy an external firewire hard drive, so you can backup, and store files on it, freeing up space on your strtup drive. You really should have an external, anyways, so you have a backup, and don't lose any data if there is a problem.
Adding a hard drive is relatively easy. You can find Do It Yourself guides in the following:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=31292

Macbook Air - disc full message even after cleaning

I got the disc full message so I saved everything on to a flash drive and deleted every video, picture, and word document that I've ever created. Also some application I do not use. My computer was acting slower around the time I got the original 'disc full' message. After clearing everything off, including itunes. My computer was still running slow, with long loading times online. I downloaded the new Maverick operating system and my computer is running back at normal speed. However, I can only save a few documents before I get that same 'disc full' message. I checked my 'about this mac' and under storage it says there is a total of 3.3GB free out of 120.47GB.
I'm no computer expert, but shouldnt I have memory at least to save a bunch of documents?
I'm a student and I'm always saving notes, word docs, pictures for power point. I need this extra room asap. flashdrives are nice but I can work more efficient with my flashdrive cooperating.
Can some one please help me out?

Empty the Trash if you haven't already done so. If you use iPhoto, empty its internal Trash first:
iPhoto ▹ Empty Trash
Do the same in other applications, such as Aperture, that have an internal Trash feature. Then reboot. That will temporarily free up some space.
According to Apple documentation, you need at least 9 GB of available space on the startup volume (as shown in the Finder Info window) for normal operation. You also need enough space left over to allow for growth of the data. There is little or no performance advantage to having more available space than the minimum Apple recommends. Available storage space that you'll never use is wasted space.
When Time Machine backs up a portable Mac, some of the free space will be used to make local snapshots, which are backup copies of recently deleted files. The space occupied by local snapshots is reported as available by the Finder, and should be considered as such. In the Storage display of System Information, local snapshots are shown as Backups. The snapshots are automatically deleted when they expire or when free space falls below a certain level. You ordinarily don't need to, and should not, delete local snapshots yourself. If you followed bad advice to disable local snapshots by running a shell command, you may have ended up with a lot of data in the Other category. Reboot and it should go away.
See this support article for some simple ways to free up storage space.
You can more effectively use a tool such as OmniDiskSweeper (ODS) or GrandPerspective (GP) to explore the volume and find out what's taking up the space. You can also delete files with it, but don't do that unless you're sure that you know what you're deleting and that all data is safely backed up. That means you have multiple backups, not just one. Note that ODS only works with OS X 10.8 or later. If you're running an older OS version, use GP.
Deleting files inside an iPhoto or Aperture library will corrupt the library. Any changes to a photo library must be made from within the application that created it. The same goes for Mail files.
Proceed further only if the problem isn't solved by the above steps.
ODS or GP 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 see everything, you have to run it as root.
Back up all data now.
If you have more than one user account, make sure you're logged in as an administrator. The administrator account is the one that was created automatically when you first set up the computer.
Install the app you downloaded in the Applications folder as usual. Quit it if it's running.
Triple-click anywhere in the corresponding line of text below on this page to select it, then copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C:
sudo /Applications/OmniDiskSweeper.app/Contents/MacOS/OmniDiskSweeper
sudo /Applications/GrandPerspective.app/Contents/MacOS/GrandPerspective
Launch the built-in 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.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the icon grid.
Paste into the Terminal window (command-V). You'll be prompted for your login password, which won't be displayed when you type it. You may get a one-time warning to be careful. If you see a message that your username "is not in the sudoers file," then you're not logged in as an administrator.
The application window will open, eventually showing all files in all folders, sorted by size. It may take a few minutes for the app to finish scanning.
I don't recommend that you make a habit of doing this. Don't delete anything as root. If something needs to be deleted, make sure you know what it is and how it got there, and then delete it by other, safer, means. When in doubt, leave it alone or ask for guidance.
When you're done with the app, quit it and also quit Terminal.

MacBook disc full message

Help, on startup I get a "startup disk is almost full" message, when I pass this and start up my computer just seems to freeze, it just shows the purple stars/space picture. Nothing else.
I've tried to redraft and boot of a system cd but it always defaults back to my startup login security screen.
Any ideas how I can start up of another cd to delete data.

Startup in Safe Mode then delete data from there.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1455
Make sure you have a minimum of 15% free disk space.

Keep getting storage full message

Hi.
I have an iPhone 5s, running iOS 8.3, upgraded a week or so ago.
This past weekend, I started getting "storage almost full" or "storage full" messages. I have deleted tons of stuff -- apps, photos, videos, etc - to free up space, but the storage keeps getting full. I can see that there should be a ton more space available than what it's saying. Some research told me that it might be a corruption in the storage space with the "other" taking over or something.
When I plug my phone into my computer, it at first showed 3 gbs free in iTunes, but the phone itself still showed 0 space available. And then suddenly iTunes showed that the "other" in storage made it full. Not enough space for a backup, and I didn't want to do a restore without a back up. I deleted a some more apps, turned it off and on, rebooted iTunes, etc, and was able to do a backup.
What's the best way to fix this? Go to the "genius bar"? Do a restore? I'm nervous about doing a restore.
In addition to all the above, the mail app won't open properly and keeps crashing, keeps having to download all the mail but then crashes. Now, the settings app also keeps crashing. What's going on?!
Help!

Sorry to hear this happened to you. If your iPhone doesn't free up space after you delete stuff, then it has gotten too full and needs to be restored. If you're too nervous to do it yourself you can have someone at the Genius Bar do it for you.
You will most likely need to set it up as a new device, because restoring from a backup will likely cause the same problem to occur.

IPhoto Blank Disc is getting Disc Full

When I put in a blank CD, iPhoto sees it but then says "Disc Full",
other can can burn CDs off this same machine, so its an iPhoto or a firmware issue,
Any help would be greatly appreciated,
thanks,
diane
specs:
iMac G5 1.8GHz
OS X 10.4.7
Boot ROM Version: 5.3.5f1
MATSHITA CD-RW CW-8124
Firmware Revision: DA0D

Download and start using OmniDiskSweeper. It will tell you the folders and files that are taking up the most disk space.
Anything in your Home folder is a good candidate for deletion or movement to an external disk.
Allan

HT4847 hi! I keep receiving a message that I have exceeded my iCloud storage yet my iphone says I have 24.4 Gbytes out of 25 available for use! Why do I keep getting a full message in my email?? Thanks for help to relieve me of this conundrum!

The organisers seem to be keen on making me spend £70 simply to store on iCloud! help!!!
Keenlad

The message may be talking about icloud storage -or- available memory on your device.
Go to Settings>General>Usage to see how much "Storage" you have available. Farther down the list is the available storage on iCloud.
Also check:
Go to Settings>iCloud>Storage & Backups>Manage Storage; there, tap the device you need info on and the resulting screen lists Backup Options with which apps store data on iCloud.
A device needs many MB of storage in order to perform a backup to iCloud.
Also see: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4847

Startup disc full message

I have an iMac G3 running OS10.3, and this last week I have been getting messages that my startup disc is full. I have taken everything off I can, emptied the cache and all trash. The best I can get is 25.2 MB free space, and that will only last for a few hours. How do I get to the startup disc so that I can clean it?
Thanks for suggestions.

jltski:
Welcome to Apple Discussions.
Unfortunately you do not tell us what model iMac G3 you have, nor the size of your HDD.
The rule of thumb for free space is that you should have at least 15% of disk capacity free. This allows the computer to function efficiently and avoids directory problems, crashes and consequent loss of data.
You have three basic options:
1. You can free as much space as you can. In the article linked by little shoulders there is reference to the utility What Size, which scans your disk and lists what you have on your HDD by size. However, even if you remove a lot of stuff you will end up where you now are before long.
2. A second option is to purchase and use an external Firewire HDD. These come in very large sizes and generally have speeds up to 7200 rpms. You could partition it and use it for your HDD, as well as for other stuff. However, it has the drawback of not being as portable, which, with a desktop computer should not be a problem.
3. The best solution is to purchase and install a new internal HDD. These, too, are available in fairly large sizes and are relatively inexpensive. If you get a 100 or 200 GB HDD it will be a while before you run out of space. You will need a 3.5" IDE/ATA drive, and you can very likely install it yourself. Here is a list of drives from OWC. The Seagate drives are highly recommended and come with a 5 year warranty.
Please do not hesitate to post back with further questions or comments.
Good luck.
cornelius
Message was edited by: cornelius

Disc full message

When I try to use my iPad2 camera a message appears saying that the disc is full and that I must delete photos or videos. The same error appears when I try to download apps. There are only a dozen photos on my iPad and there are no videos. What could the explanation be for this error message? Any help?

You may have a corrupt file that is eating up all your space. Connect it to iTunes, highlight the name, and in the Summary tab see how much space is taken up. If it is full try Restoring it from your Backup.

After Upgrade to latest iTunes, it will not open.Uninstall and reinstall did not help Getting this error message '' Runtime Error R6034 '' An application has made an attempt to load the C runtime library incorrectly''. 3 windows PCs.1 vista, 2 windows7 7

I upgraded to the latest iTunes 11.1.4, after a prompt from the iTunes store. But will not open after the upgrade. One of three error messages told me to reinstall. I did. Restarted and scanned. But no help there. So I unistalled and re installed from Apples' website. The installation was okay as usual but still will not open. Keep getting the same error messages. '' Runtime Error R6034, '' '' An application has made an attempt to load the C runtime library incorrectly. Please contact the application's support team for more information.'' That's the error messages I get when I try to open the New installed iTunes 11.1.4. Right now there is no iTunes on any of my PCs. Installed but will not open. Please Help.Thanks.
Jonas.
3 Windows PCs. Safari 5.1.5 ( One Laptop with Vista. Two Windows 7 64 bit on All in One Sony desktop PCs. )

Try the following user tip:
Troubleshooting issues with iTunes for Windows updates

Replaced HD. Getting disk full message and request to Force Quit programs

After having the HD replaced at a reputable shop, the computer bogs down with the spinning circle/rainbow. The Force Quit pops up and asks to close some programs with some disk full errors.

You really need a bit more space than that, but try a bit of maintanance:
Repairing permissions is important, and should always be carried out both before and after any software installation or update.
Go to Disk Utility (this is in your Utilities Folder in your Application folder) and click on the icon of your hard disk (not the one with all the numbers).
In First Aid, click on Repair Permissions.
This only takes a minute or two in Tiger, but much longer in Leopard.
Background information here:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=25751
and here:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=302672
An article on troubleshooting Permissions can be found here:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2963
By the way, you can ignore any messages about SUID or ACL file permissions, as explained here:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1448?viewlocale=en_US
If you were having any serious problems with your Mac you might as well complete the exercise by repairing your hard disk as well. You cannot do this from the same start-up disk. Reboot from your install disk (holding down the C key). Once it opens, select your language, and then go to Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. Select your hard disk as before and click Repair.
Once that is complete reboot again from your usual start-up disk.

Hard disc full message on my macbook pro

I have 391 gb used, and am maxed out. What is the best way to get more space? What can I do besides deleting pictures?

Have a look here...
what-to-do-when-your-hard-drive-is-full.html

Compressor fails, disc full message

10.5, Intel dt,
Got 3 small 2gb 10 min movies, QT, 1080i 1440x1080 ( anamorphic ). made a custom preset to simply de-interlace the movies and make them progressive, nothing else. The destination is an internal disc with 179gb free. The boot disc has 10 gb free and I've set compressor's presets to NOT copy files to cluster during processing yet compressor fails the job each time even trying one movie at a time, saying my HD is almost full.
Cant work it out? Any ideas?
Peter

If your system HD has less than 10% free space it could contribute to odd operating issues.
Click on the preset and look at the far left box near the top of the inspector window. How big does it say the file should be? What was this preset made from?
Could the preset you started with be a factor?

Why am I all of a sudden getting storage full messages on my phone? I mean I knocked almost all the programs off and a ton of pictures,and yet I can't even store all my music on my phone like I used to! What changed? I

I mean I have taken it almost bare and stripped a lot of pictures off but I never, ever had an issue like this. Bad enough it won't even let me get all my music on!
What gives? I gotta pony up $20 to get all my stuff back to how it was?
Any hints, helps would be greatly appreciated!

Have you done a reboot since taking all the stuff off - hold both the home and power buttons until the apple logo appears and it restarts, ignoring the red slider if that appears.

Help - Getting Disc Full message

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