How do I clean up my computer hard drive?

When I go to the tab for Find out More about Computer, it claims I have 96G of "Other" and 46G of movies, but I can't find them!
What are the steps I need to take to clean house so I can properly use my computer?!
I have manually gone through and erased, trashed and secure trashed any old movies I don't need or want any more.  I have also tried to look at files by size and eliminate the things I don't need.
After I do this, leaving very little bigger than one Gig, I'm still left with 96G of miscellaneous "other" things, which I can't find or account for?!
Is there something that I'm missing? Is there something that I should be doing differently?
I have been using Garageband to produce my podcast (this is very challenging, I would say, and I have had to make many adaptations to make the interface work for large audio editing requirements...)
Right now I find that I have run out of space on my computer and this means that I'm very limited in the amount of editing I can do properly!. Each episode is 1gig of space, and I need to duplicate one to make room for the second one...
Thanks for your help.
Sam

What you are missing is the definition of OTHER.  Please read this:
http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202867
I suggest that you down load from the Internet OmniDiskSweeper and Grand Persective (both free) and open them.  They will show all of your files and the respective sizes.  This should aid you in cleaning up your storage.
Ciao.

Similar Messages

  • How to properly clean install: erase, partition hard drive, and install tiger then SL

    Hello,
         I am a noob at this, so if responders would be kind enough to be detailed / specific with any instructions it would be most helpful! I own a dinosaur apparently (even though I don't think so): the white (not unibody) Intel macbook2,1 (late 2006) 1.83 GHz with currently 1GB of RAM, but I have 2x2GB RAM sitting next to me ready for install. However, first I would like to do a clean uninstall of my computer (running OS X 10.6.8 SL). I also would like to properly partition my hard drive while I'm at it.
         About 6 months ago I had serious crashing issues, along with kernel panics, hangs, applications randomly appearing & disappearing, system settings and options doing the same, fans running high (probably due to the low RAM available), and basically overall screwiness. So, after trying pretty much every option I could find on this community...and many others... (e.g. clean cache, clean old logs, already did a clean uninstall and install of SL, and much much more) I have reached my wits end. I would say that to date I've wasted a good solid 2 months with this.
         The clean install worked for MAYBE a month or so, but then it started acting up again with the fans (even without high pages in/out, CPU or memory usage) and excessive heat, along with the apps freezing and quitting (mind you it would be only two things open such as 1 word document and then firefox-- with flash disabeled). SOOOOOO long story short, I have purchased new RAM and I would like to try this once again, but to ensure I don't screw it up this time I would like some directions as to how to do the uninstall, partition, then reinstall. (currently to date I ensured all updates are completed---even though they are no longer released for SL, and I just did a full backup).
         Also, I need to first install Tiger (my original OS) as when I went to do a hardware test the other day this was not an option (and upon further research it is due to me not using Tiger as a first install and then using my mac box set for SL). I didn't use my original OS first because....one issue encountered when I had tried to install Tiger was that my Disc 2 (the applications one) took around 1.5 hrs to complete, but when I reached the last step of glory where I expected it to say COMPLETE it instead said that there was some sort of issue with the disc..........of course).
         Any help would be greatly appreciated.

    1: If near a Apple Store or Authorized Repair, take it to then for a free evaluation, it might have other hardware problems now that it would be a waste of effort even continuing.
    2: The RAM needs to be
    Maximum Memory
    3.0 GB (Actual) 2.0 GB (Apple)
    Memory Slots
    2 - 200-pin PC2-5300 (667MHz) DDR2 SO-DIMM
    Basically what this means is you can put in a 2GB module and a 1GB module for 3GB total.
    I wouldn't proceed with installing RAM just yet, not until you get a stable OS X version on the machine, you might have a hard drive needing to be replaced as well which you can do while inserting new RAM.
    3: This User Tip can assist in installing 10.6 Snow Leopard, partition format etc.
    How to erase and install Snow Leopard 10.6
    Software Update fully immediately after setup.
    There is no need to install Tiger, he 10.6 disk contains the full 10.6 version, you can either install the iLife from Tiger disks or use Pacifist from Charlesoft to extract them and place on your new install, then Software update to get them current.
    4: If not successful then the drive also likely needs to be replaced, if so choose a 7,200 RPM SATA I  w/1.5Gb/s connection.
    Install/upgrade RAM or storage drive in Mac's
    Repeat #3
    If your getting beeping noises or "you need to restart" issues, it's likely one or more of the RAM modules is bad. Have it exchanged or swapped.
    I advise good quality RAM the first time, if you buy cheap stuff it's just going back.
    Don't go any further than 10.6.8 with that old machine, the performance will be terrible.

  • How do I clean/ reformat partitioned internal hard drive Windows 7 Side on MacBook Pro 17"

    Hello,
    I would like to clean up / reformat the Windows 7 side of my partitioned hard drive, and then re-install.  
    Any direction - advise will be appreciated.

    Have you tried booting directly to the Windows 7 DVD instead of running setup.exe from Boot Camp?  Hold down "Option" as soon as you hear the chime on restart, and eventually you'll be presented with available boot options.
    Otherwise, then, yes, Disk Utilities would be the way to go.  Mount your Boot Camp partition in the sidebar to the left, and then choose to Erase the partition as FAT32.  That should set you up to be able to write to that partition during the install process.
    But I recommend booting from the DVD directly first, though.
    HTH,
    S.

  • How do I reinstall lightroom after computer hard drive had to be wiped?

    I have a Mac desktop, it crashed over the weekend and the hard drive had to be wiped.  I need to know how I go about reinstalling Lightroom.  I don't think I have an install disk.

    I haven't tried plugging it in directly. At this point in time, I am awaiting disks for iPhoto and iMovie installation. I also found out that I will have to load all my photos and videos and such from the backup disks I have created through the years. Blech. I knew this would be time consuming. Being as MobileMe closes in June, I'm sure glad I started migrating early...
    Thank you for your help. I may just leave this discussion open in case I have more questions after I get the disks and the new external hard drive I ordered (which is temporarily out of stock.)

  • Help needed. I have a 3TB external hard drive partitioned into 1TB's. I used one partition as backup for the main computer hard drive. But now it is greyed out as shown in the disk utility and its name changed, i dont know how that happened, i tried verif

    Help needed. I have a 3TB external hard drive partitioned into 1TB's. I used one partition as backup for the main computer hard drive. But now it is greyed out as shown in the disk utility and its name changed, i dont know how that happened, i tried verifying and repairing it but had no luck. I also tried mounting and unmounting it but still no solution. Anyone to help please?

    Looks bad. I would strongly advise backing up the stuff on the other two partitions as soon as possible in case the rest of the drive goes wrong.
    Beyond that, Disk Utility has limited abilities to repair disks, DiskWarrior uses a different approach and might, emphasis might be more successful. It has certainly done the job for me in the past when Disk Utility could not.
    See http://www.alsoft.com/diskwarrior/

  • Hard drive failed on windows computer.  all data lost. backed up most itunes on an older model my passport ultra external hard drive. How do I transfer from external hard drive to new computer hard drive?

    The hard drive on my windows computer failed and the data is not retrievalbe.
    I had a new hard drive installed.
    I had backed up on a older model my passport ultra external hard drive my itunes up to about a year ago.
    How can I move the back up extenal drive Itunes data onto my new hard drive- will it work on itunes?
    ===========
    Meanwhile my ipod has all my music and podcasts up till a month ago.  What will I lose if I put my external drive music back on?

    Hi Perilman,
    Welcome to the Apple Support Communities! I understand that all of your iTunes media is on an external hard drive and you would like to move that media onto your new Windows computer hard drive. The following article has step by step instructions for this specifically. Part 5 in the External drive section is probably what is going to be most relevant to you.
    iTunes: How to move your music to a new computer
    http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4527
    Part 5: Copy music to your new computer
    To copy all your music files (including the library file that holds all your playlists and other settings) to your new computer:
    I hope this helps,   
    -Joe

  • How do i copy music on my nano to a new computer (the old computer hard drive crashed).  None of the music was purchased from itunes, it was copied from cd's

    my old computer hard drive crashed.  i have music on my ipod nano - none of it purchased through itunes, all copied from cd's.  how do i copy what is on the nano to a new computer.

    How to use your iPod to move your music to a new computer using iTunes7
    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=300173
    How to use your iPod to move your music to a new computer using iTunes6
    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304304
    Copying from iPod to Computer threads...
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=776996&tstart=0
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=805256&tstart=0
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=797432&#797432
    Also these useful internet articles...
    http://www.engadget.com/2004/11/02/how-to-get-music-off-your-ipod/
    http://playlistmag.com/help/2005/01/2waystreet/
    iPod: Frequently Asked Questions
    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=60920
    Patrick

  • Computer hard drive fried, all data lost, how can I get my music library off my ipod touch and saved agian to another computer? no downloaded songs, all were cd's I put on it

    computer hard drive fried, all data lost, how can I get my music library off and onto another computer? no downloads, just cd's I loaded on to it

    Syncing to a "New" Computer or replacing a "crashed" Hard Drive: Apple Support Communities

  • I have 4 devices on an iTunes whose computer hard drive is dead. How do I get my devices on a new iTunes on a different computer and not wipe out my contents?

    I have 4 devices (iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4s, iPad2, Mini iPad) on an iTunes whose computer hard drive is dead. How do I get my devices on a new iTunes on a different computer and not wipe out my contents?

    This should be of great help to you.
    https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3991
    Or this one.
    https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3141

  • How to import music from an external hard drive to my itunes on my computer?

    how can import music from an external hard drive that i saved my itunes music to. i dragged the music from my hard drive to the itunes on my computer but the music does not play from my itunes. it does however play on my ipod. it gives me an error that the original can not be found and do i wish to locate it. i am thinking that i did not drag the right file or all of the files necessary .thanks. kevin

    To import music into your iTunes library on the computer go to iTunes>Help>iTunes Help>Add items to iTunes and follow the instructions

  • How do I copy existing songs from Computer Hard Drive to IPOD 30GB

    How do I copy existing songs from Computer Hard Drive to IPOD 30GB? I am slightly learning disabled and have been unable to figure out how to add and or update. Thnaks

    If the songs are in iTunes and the iPod is set to sync automatically, the songs should already be on the iPod; if they aren't, follow the instructions in this article and post back with any error messages.
    If the iPod is set to sync manually, drag the songs onto the iPod in the iTunes source list.
    (21058)

  • How to copy catalog from external hard drive to computer hard drive to use smart previews when not connected to external hard drive?

    I am very new to LR5. I have LR5 set up so that my catalog and photos are on an external hard drive. I found out that when not connected to the hard drive, LR5 cannot find my catalog, therefore, I cannot do any editing in smart previews unless connected to the external hard drive. How can I fix this issue so that I can edit photos without being connected to the external hard drive. Is there a way of copying the catalog off the hard drive on the computer hard drive or do I need to reestablish a new catalog using LR5? Does the catalog always need to be loaded on the hard drive? Thank you in advance.

    Yes that is correct. The LR catalog must be on the computers internal drive. Then when you have Smart Previews enabled you can edit image without having the drive they are on connected. Then when you connect that drive the images will be updated.
    Just COPY those 4 folders over to your internal drive to a folder called Lightroom Catalog that you create. Then Open LR and go to the File menu item and select Open Catalog. Browse to the folder you created called Lightroom Catalog and select the Lightroom 5 Catalog.lrcat file and click Open. Once Lightroom restarts open the preferences, Edit>Preferences, and on the General Tab in the Default Catalog section make sure "When starting up use this catalog:" area lists where you have copied those folders. Something like Macintosh HD/Wherever you created that folder/That folder name/Lightroom 5 catalog.lrcat.

  • Small Computer Hard Drive, How do I move my Library to external, Can I?

    I have a small 40 gig HD on my laptop. I am transfering my CD's to IPod and it is of course using a lot of my computer hard drive, I will run out before I can transfer all the cd's to it to then have it update my ipod. Can I get an external hard drive and move the library to that and have my Ipod and Itunes pull off the external drive? Anyone know how I can do this?
    Otherwise, do I just erase my library in the computer and go to manual update on the ipod so it doesn't erase what I already have on the ipod?

    To move all your audio tracks to an ext. hd:
    Launch iTunes - Preferences / Advanced: Point the folder that holds your music to folder on your ext disk.
    Quit preferences
    From iTunes Menu Advanced select "Consolidate Library...."
    Now all your music should be copied to your ext. drive.
    Verify that all tracks have been copied - then delete your old "iTunes Music" folder.
    Don't touch your "Library" files - they can't be moved to an ext drive.

  • How can I save photos that I have modified in Photoshop Elements to my computer hard drive?

    How can I save photos that I have modified in Photoshop Elements to my computer hard drive folders?

    When finished editing click File->Save/Save As and you can either overwrite the original file or rename it and save as new file keeping original intact.
    You can find more info on saving and various settings here http://help.adobe.com/en_US/photoshopelements/using/WS287f927bd30d4b1f89cffc612e28adab65-7 fda.html#WS287f927bd30d4b1f89cffc612e28adab65-7fd7
    Thanks,
    Garry

  • How can I delete time machine back up from my computer hard drive

    How can I delete time machine back up from my computer hard drive?

    How to Delete a Time Machine Backup - YouTube
    If you want to remove an entire Time Machine backup on a backup drive, then the easiest way to do that is to erase the backup drive using Disk Utility. However, this will delete everything on the disk:
    Drive Erase Snow Leopard and Earlier
    1. Boot from your OS X Installer Disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button.  When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu.
    If you are preparing an external or a non-startup drive, then open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.
    2. After DU loads select the volume you wish to format from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
    3. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Erase button and wait until the process has completed.

Maybe you are looking for

  • Problem executing form 10G

    Hi Buddies; I'm trying to execute FORM 10G, but when I choose Run Form, I get this error message; Internet Explorer has closed this webpage to help protect your computer A malfunctioning or malicious add-on has caused Internet Explorer to close this

  • How to compile and add my own protocol

    I want to send a sms without user intervention i have got a code from net which specifies a separate protocol for message. Now i am unable to compile it .I need a kmidp20.zip file for it. Can anyone tell me how to compile it. I need it very urgently

  • Screen is dark and blank?

    I can't get my itouch working anymore, screen is dark and blank. it says to me 2205 or 2206 or 2218 or 2220.  the power on button does not work either.

  • Ipad 3 not compatible with NFL Mobile ?

    So I was going to cancel my phone because all I was using it for was for NFL Mobile, so I was told by Verizon rep to get an Ipad and save on the monthly fee still enjoy Verizon NFL Mobile. So I got an Ipad 3rd Generation MC756LL/A and now to be told

  • How Can I Open Nikon D750 RAW with CS6, which runs fine on Windows XP

    Successfully installed PhotoShop CS6 disks 6 mos ago on my offline Windows XP Computer (Did this via Adobe Phone support, which seems to be no longer available.) Just bought Nikon D750 and thinking I may need an update for the CS6 PhotoShop RAW File