In"about this Mac" my largest item are backups. How do I free that space?

After deleting numerous items from my HD, using Daisy Disc and the Finder, my HD's capacity is not larger like expected, but I now have a 250gb Backups file. I don't know how to get rid of it or even look at the items backed up. This is annoying...I am a Musician, not a Computer specialist. Help! uwe

They are automatically purged if the storage is needed.
See here: http://pondini.org/TM/30.html

Similar Messages

In "About This Mac, on OSX MAVERICKS, under "Storage" How do you find out what is in "other" ? how do you delete what is in "other" without loosing important files?

In "About This Mac, on OSX MAVERICKS, under "Storage" How do you find out what is in "other" ? how do you delete what is in "other" without loosing important files?

About "Other":
    http://pondini.org/OSX/LionStorage.html
Hope this helps.
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
5. Disk space / Time Machine ?/ Local Snapshots
   http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4878
6. Re-index Macintosh HD
   System Preferences > Spotlight > Privacy
   http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2409

HT201364 My imac running OS 10.6.8, and want to install software that needs OS10.7. The latest upgrade Maverick requires a MAC dated 2007 or later. Where is the date... It is NOT in "About this Mac". Older upgrade better? How to proceed?

My imac running OS 10.6.8, and want to install Garmin software that needs OS10.7.
The latest upgrade Maverick requires a MAC dated 2007 or later. Where is the date... It is NOT in "About this Mac".
I feel an older upgrade than Maverick might be better for my machine?
Is it possible to upgrade to ie, 10,7? or another recommended upgrade.
How to proceed?

Upgrading from Snow Leopard to Lion or Mountain Lion
You can upgrade to Mountain Lion from Lion or directly from Snow Leopard. Mountain Lion can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for $19.99.
If you sign into the App Store and try to purchase Mountain Lion but the App Store says your computer is not compatible then you may still be able to upgrade to Lion per the following information.
A. Upgrading to Mountain Lion or Mavericks
To upgrade to Mountain Lion or Mavericks you must have Snow Leopard 10.6.8 or Lion installed. Purchase and download Mountain Lion or Mavericks (Free) from the App Store. Sign in using your Apple ID. Mountain Lion is $19.99 plus tax. The file is quite large, over 5 GBs, so allow some time to download. It would be preferable to use Ethernet because it is nearly four times faster than wireless.
     OS X Mountain Lion — System Requirements
     OS X Mavericks- System Requirements
       Macs that can be upgraded to OS X Mountain Lion
         1. iMac (Mid 2007 or newer) — Model Identifier 7,1 or later
         2. MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer) —
             Model Identifier 5,1 or later
         3. MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer) — Model Identifier 3,1 or later
         4. MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer) — Model Identifier 2,1 or later
         5. Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer) — Model Identifier 3,1 or later
         6. Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer) — Model Identifier 3,1 or later
         7. Xserve (Early 2009) — Model Identifier 3,1 or later
To find the model identifier open System Profiler in the Utilities folder. It's displayed in the panel on the right.
Are my applications compatible?
         See App Compatibility Table — RoaringApps.
B. Upgrading to Lion
If your computer does not meet the requirements to install Mountain Lion, it may still meet the requirements to install Lion.
You can purchase Lion by contacting Customer Service: Contacting Apple for support and service - this includes international calling numbers. The cost is $19.99 (as it was before) plus tax. It's a download. You will get an email containing a redemption code that you then use at the Mac App Store to download Lion. Save a copy of that installer to your Downloads folder because the installer deletes itself at the end of the installation.
     Lion System Requirements
       1. Mac computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7,
           or Xeon processor
       2. 2GB of memory
       3. OS X v10.6.6 or later (v10.6.8 recommended)
       4. 7GB of available space
       5. Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.

In "about this mac/storage" what is "other" and how do I get rid of it.

My hard drive is showing that I have 212g of "other" on my hard drive. I have cleaned out everything I can, and this number continues to rise. I have purged my internet stuff, deleted downloads and I am showing only 36.15g of apps, 63g of music, and 50g of movies. What is "other" and why is more than half my computer's hard drive using it? iMac 2.5g core i5 with 12g ram, 500g hardrive (2012) mountain lion 10.8.2.

"Other" is everything that doesn't fit into one of the other categories.
First, empty the Trash if you haven't already done so.
To locate large files, you can use Spotlight as described here. That method may not find large folders that contain a lot of small files.
You can also use a tool such as OmniDiskSweeper (ODS) to explore your volume and find out what's taking up the space. You can 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.
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 see everything, you have to run it as root.
Back up all data now.
Install ODS in the Applications folder as usual.
Triple-click the line of text below to select it, then copy the selected text to the Clipboard (command-C):sudo /Applications/OmniDiskSweeper.app/Contents/MacOS/OmniDiskSweeper
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.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the icon grid.
Paste (command-V) into the Terminal window. 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. If you see a message that your username "is not in the sudoers file," then you're not logged in as an administrator.
I don't recommend that you make a habit of doing this. Don't delete anything while running ODS 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 you're done with ODS, quit it and also quit Terminal.

About this mac storage backups is growing over time

I have a Timecapsule that I use time machine to backup 2 macs to. One of the macs concerns me because when I go to "about this mac", "storage" the value for "backups" is increasing over time. each mac has its own unique account one of them has zero for the length of backups, both appear to backup ok with time machine. Is the value for backups as indicated in the mac a sign that it's not being backed up to the time capsule? do i have a configuration problem?

The sparsebundle can be checked on the TC for each machine.. mount the backup and make sure it is working.
0 for length of backup isn't right.. there is always something to backup.

Deleted stuff became a backup in 'About This Mac'

Hi all,
I deleted about 60GB worth of stuff off my laptop to free up some space. After deleting it I went back and had a look under 'about this mac', there wasn't any backups showing there before - as there shouldn't be - but now I have 109GB showing as a backup. Is this anything to do with deleting things? I have emptied trash so there's nothing there - I actually use 'Clean My Mac 2' as it's quicker.
So basically, can anyone suggest how to find these so called backups and free up some space? As I have less than when I started clearing things of my laptop.
My mac seems to be getting slower recently so I'm wondering whether to start again but I really didn't want to have to reformat it.
Any advice would be appreciated

Do not use any so-called "cleaning" programs to do anything in particular. Like many ill-conceived "cleaning" utilities, CleanMyMac is capable of corrupting a Mac to the point that erasing it completely is the only practicable means of recovery.
Cache files exist to increase performance and should not be deleted without justification.
I really didn't want to have to reformat it.
If you used CleanMyMac or similarly ill-conceived utility to alter your Mac's file system, that action may be required. Write back if you would like detailed recovery instructions.
... how do I get rid of crap on my macbook pro?
First, make no assumption that lack of available disk space is the cause of poor performance. Your Mac will work perfectly fine until the available space becomes almost literally zero. When the boot volume approaches capacity, OS X will inform the user with a descriptive dialog. If it appears, it should not be ignored.
To reclaim disk space read OS X Yosemite: Increase disk space.
If your Mac is still performing poorly, don't prematurely conclude the underlying cause. Describe what's happening and when. You may be able to use Console to correlate the slowdowns to actions caused by poorly implemented or incompatible software as well as certain hardware failures. To do that follow these instructions:
Launch the Console app - it is in your Utilities folder. You can find it by selecting Utilities from the Finder's Go menu.
If the log list column on the left is not already displayed, show the log list by selecting Show Log List from Console's View menu. Select Show Toolbar if it is not already shown.
Locate system.log in the list and select it. Many date and time-stamped entries will appear, hundreds of them, and you must find the entries relevant to your Mac's problem.
To do that click the Clear Display button in the Toolbar. All previously displayed log entries will be disappear.
Next: Perform whatever actions cause the Mac to exhibit the slow behavior. If the problem is caused by errors logged by the system, the Console window will show them being recorded in system.log.
One or more of them, along with their time stamps, may reveal the reason for the problem you describe.
Copy and paste those log entries in a reply. If hundreds of the same repetitive messages appear, please edit them before posting. There should be no need for more than a few log entries.
Most of the entries will be cryptic but will contain information you might consider personal such as your Mac's name. If you do not want that information to appear, delete or obscure it when posting your reply. Leave enough information so that the entries can be deciphered.

How can I have ext hard disks show on "About this Mac/Storage" that are ousted and show on screen

I have Mac 10.9.5, Intel. I was working in iMovie, when message came up and said I do not have enough space on my hard disk.. I have several hundred GB available. All my ext. HD's appear on my screen. In "About this mac/storage" only my HD and two of the four external drives show up. The two ext. drives that show on "about This Mac" are full. I have done a disk utility check on every drive and they are fine. Also, the whole machine is very slow. I have rebooted also.

Problem description:
MAC OS X YOSEMITE, 13.1 MODEL, INTEL CORE I5 8’GB MEMORY, WHEN I OPEN IMOVIE, I GET A MESSAGE THAT THERE IS NO SPACE AND TO CLOSE IMMEDIATELY OR I WILL LOSE WORK, IT WILL EVEN CLOSE ITSELF. I HVE OVER 700 GB ON MY HARD DISK
EtreCheck version: 2.0.4 (89)
Report generated October 18, 2014 at 1:23:07 PM EDT
Hardware Information: ℹ️
iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2012) (Verified)
iMac - model: iMac13,1
1 2.7 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU: 4-core
8 GB RAM Upgradeable
BANK 0/DIMM0
4 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok
BANK 1/DIMM0
4 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok
Bluetooth: Good - Handoff/Airdrop2 supported
Wireless: en1: 802.11 a/b/g/n
Video Information: ℹ️
NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M - VRAM: 512 MB
iMac 1920 x 1080
System Software: ℹ️
OS X 10.10 (14A389) - Uptime: one day 3:20:30
Disk Information: ℹ️
APPLE HDD ST1000LM024 disk0 : (1 TB)
S.M.A.R.T. Status: Verified
EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / [Startup]: 999.35 GB (672.03 GB free)
Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted> [Recovery]: 650 MB
USB Information: ℹ️
G-TECH G-DRIVE 2 TB
S.M.A.R.T. Status: Verified
EFI (disk4s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
G-DRIVE (disk4s2) /Volumes/G-DRIVE : 2 TB (406.60 GB free)
Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)
Western Digital My Book 500.11 GB
S.M.A.R.T. Status: Verified
book 1 (disk3s1) <not mounted> : 500.11 GB
Western Digital My Book 1 TB
S.M.A.R.T. Status: Verified
disk2s1 (disk2s1) <not mounted> : 32 KB
my book 3 (disk2s3) /Volumes/my book 3 : 1 TB (25 KB free)
Western Digital My Book 1 TB
S.M.A.R.T. Status: Verified
EFI (disk1s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
book 2 (disk1s2) <not mounted> : 999.86 GB
Western Digital My Book 1234 3 TB
S.M.A.R.T. Status: Verified
EFI (disk5s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
My Book for Mac (disk5s2) /Volumes/My Book for Mac : 3 TB (1 TB free)
Apple Inc. BRCM20702 Hub
Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
Thunderbolt Information: ℹ️
Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus
Gatekeeper: ℹ️
Mac App Store and identified developers
Kernel Extensions: ℹ️
/Applications/Extras/WD +TURBO Installer.app
[not loaded] com.wdc.driver.1394HP (1.0.11 - SDK 10.4) Support
[not loaded] com.wdc.driver.1394_64HP (1.0.1 - SDK 10.6) Support
[not loaded] com.wdc.driver.USB-64HP (1.0.3) Support
[not loaded] com.wdc.driver.USBHP (1.0.14) Support
/System/Library/Extensions
[not loaded] com.silex.driver.sxuptp (1.5.1) Support
[not loaded] com.tomtom.driver.UsbEthernetGadget (1.0.0d1) Support
[not loaded] com.wdc.driver.1394.64.10.9 (1.0.1 - SDK 10.9) Support
[loaded] com.wdc.driver.USB.64.10.9 (1.0.1 - SDK 10.9) Support
Problem System Launch Agents: ℹ️
[failed] com.apple.CallHistoryPluginHelper.plist
[failed] com.apple.cmfsyncagent.plist
[failed] com.apple.security.cloudkeychainproxy.plist
[failed] com.apple.spindump_agent.plist
Problem System Launch Daemons: ℹ️
[failed] com.apple.ctkd.plist
[failed] com.apple.icloud.findmydeviced.plist
[failed] com.apple.ifdreader.plist
[failed] com.apple.nehelper.plist
[failed] com.apple.wdhelper.plist
[failed] com.apple.xpc.smd.plist
Launch Agents: ℹ️
[running] com.Affinegy.InstaLANa.plist Support
Launch Daemons: ℹ️
[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist Support
User Launch Agents: ℹ️
[loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist Support
[loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist Support
[loaded] com.genieo.completer.download.plist Support
[loaded] com.genieo.completer.ltvbit.plist Support
[running] com.genieo.completer.update.plist Support
[loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist Support
User Login Items: ℹ️
iTunesHelper UNKNOWN (missing value)
System Events Application (/System/Library/CoreServices/System Events.app)
EPSON Scanner Monitor UNKNOWN (missing value)
Belkin Router Monitor Application (/Applications/Belkin/Belkin Router Monitor.app)
Mail Application (/Applications/Mail.app)
Safari Application (/Applications/Safari.app)
AdobeResourceSynchronizer ApplicationHidden (/Applications/Adobe Reader.app/Contents/Support/AdobeResourceSynchronizer.app)
Dropbox Application (/Applications/Dropbox.app)
apple-scc-20140818-081903 UNKNOWN (missing value)
Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️
FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 15.0.0.152 - SDK 10.6 Support
Default Browser: Version: 600 - SDK 10.10
AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: Version: 11.0.06 - SDK 10.6 Support
AdobePDFViewer: Version: 11.0.06 - SDK 10.6 Support
Flash Player: Version: 15.0.0.152 - SDK 10.6 Mismatch! Adobe recommends 15.0.0.189
QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3
Google Earth Web Plug-in: Version: 6.0 Support
Silverlight: Version: 5.1.20513.0 - SDK 10.6 Support
iPhotoPhotocast: Version: 7.0
User Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️
fbplugin_1_0_3: Version: (null) Support
3rd Party Preference Panes: ℹ️
Flash Player Support
Growl Support
Time Machine: ℹ️
Skip System Files: NO
Mobile backups: OFF
Auto backup: YES
Volumes being backed up:
book 2: Disk size: 999.86 GB Disk used: 999.86 GB
Destinations:
G-DRIVE [Local]
Total size: 2 TB
Total number of backups: 71
Oldest backup: 2014-01-15 09:49:47 +0000
Last backup: 2014-10-18 17:19:31 +0000
Size of backup disk: Too small
Backup size 2 TB < (Disk used 999.86 GB X 3)
Top Processes by CPU: ℹ️
      3% WindowServer
      1% AppleIDAuthAgent
      0% Google Chrome
      0% fontd
      0% AppleSpell
Top Processes by Memory: ℹ️
241 MB com.apple.WebKit.WebContent
146 MB iTunes
137 MB Mail
120 MB mds_stores
103 MB WindowServer
Virtual Memory Information: ℹ️

In "About this Mac" why are my aperture photos listed in "Other" vs "Photos"

After consolidating iPhoto pictures into Aperture Library - and having to rebuild library all photos are shown under "Other" in storage under About this Mac. How do I get photos back into the Photo section. I am sure this is why Aperture is running very slow. Aperture library is on a 500 GB external USB hard drive. Does anyone know how to get photos into the right spot in the storage.

sharon108 wrote:
After consolidating iPhoto pictures into Aperture Library - and having to rebuild library all photos are shown under "Other" in storage under About this Mac. How do I get photos back into the Photo section. I am sure this is why Aperture is running very slow. Aperture library is on a 500 GB external USB hard drive. Does anyone know how to get photos into the right spot in the storage.
Nothing in my experience would make me draw the same conclusion (that the reporting of your Aperture Library as "Other" is why Aperture is running slowly). You report that your Library is on an external drive connected via USB. Is this USB 2 or USB 3?
The consensus is to put your Library on your fastest (lowest latency and highest throughput) drive. This is almost always your system drive. If your Library does not fit on your system drive, you are advised to move some or all of your Images' Master from the Library to a second drive using "File→Relocate Masters". If you want help with these set-ups, post back.

Where are the files for the Backups that show up in About This Mac - Storage?

Where are the files for the Backups that show up in About This Mac - Storage?
My new Macbook Pro 13 retina has 1TB flash drive. But despite my TimeMachine being in a TimeCapsule my Macintosh HD shows 277 Gb of space has Backups. What is this for? How can I delete it?

OS X Lion and newer Mac OS X versions create local snapshots in portable Macs if Time Machine is enabled. See > http://pondini.org/TM/30.html
You don't have to worry about. They are stored in a kind of volume named "MobileBackups", but they appear as stored in your hard drive. To delete them, open System Preferences > Time Machine, and turn off Time Machine. Then, turn it on. However, you don't need to delete them, as they will be deleted when your hard drive gets full

From about this Mac -Storage, my only HDD is full. there are 144 GB on Backups. How find and delete it. Macbook pro running Maverick OS X.

Hi, From about this Mac, my only HDD is full. When I have clicked and opened Storage screen when I've saw that there are 144 GB on Backups. I don't know which backup is it. and I really need help to find and delete it. I have Macbook pro running Maverick OS X.
I have a external HDD for time machine, but this backup I didn't know yet.
Please pleople... someone could help me? I'm in troubles.
Sandro

Linc Davis, According below: could I delete those snapshots from MobileBackups folder?   would it solve my problem? ( if I want not my HDD 80% full)     - Thank you a lot in advance.
Ordinarily, the best way to view your Local snapshots is via the normal Time Machine display, perquestion #15. If for some reason that's not working, you can see them via the Finder.
From a Finder menubar, select Go > Go to Folder and type /Volumes in the prompt, and select theMobileBackups folder.   You'll see the same structure as for Time Machine backups on a separate volume: a Backups.backupdb folder containing a folder for your Mac, which contains a time-stamped folder for each snapshot. Inside each of those is a folder for each disk/partition that was backed-up, containing the same folder structure as on the original, with the contents as of the time of the backup.
Note that nothing in the size column is meaningful (if you Get Info on the MobileBackups folder, for example, it will show the total amount of space on the drive it's on!   It will show dashes for the Backups.backupdb folder, or any of the dated snapshot folders).

Are you supposed to see the 9600gt under "about this mac"?

Hi!
My girlfriend had a problem (black screen) with her unibody MBP 2,8ghz with dual Graphic card. She went to the apple store where they reset the SMC. The laptop worked again after that.
However when we look at "about this mac" we only see the 9400M and NOT the 9600GT. Yes we allready switched over to "best performance".
Is this normal? Or would this indicate that even though the laptop works again, the dedicated Graphic card doesn't?
Is there another way to know what Graphic card you are using?
Please let us know...

Yes, you should see both GPUs listed under System Profiler > Hardware > Graphics/Displays. If you don't, go back to the Apple Store and consult a Genius.

Weird Happenings with Trash Access, Desktop Item Movement, About this Mac

My computer appeared to working fine as off six or so hours ago, but when I went to move a word doc on my desktop to another place on my desktop, I notice something strange and unnerving. I could pick up the doc, highlight it, even open it, but I could not move it from one place to another on my desktop. The icon appears to move with my mouse after I click on it, as it always does, but when I go to drop it at the desired location, the icon does not "stick." There is just a quick blur as the translucent dragged copy zooms back to original. I can move icons from the desktop to a finder window or a folder on the desktop that isn't opened in a finder window, but I can drop a doc or a folder onto the desktop from the finder window. I have no idea what is going on with this.
As I was traversing my dock shortly after this initial discovery, I made another. When I click on my trash, the animated dock ceases movement and ability to function. the mouse pauses, does a spinning beachball, and in 2 minutes things appear to be normal. However, I just want to know what is going on, and I have no clue. When this occurs, I can still select items on the desktop and open them. However, I can not access the dock at all and I can't even use the command tab feature to switch apps.
Finally, as I went to sign up to post here, I noticed the final issue. I tried to click the "About this Mac" feature under the apple icon in the upper left corner and the info window would not open, hence the lack of info regarding my operating system.
Anyone? Help me please.

Hi JEDz, and a warm welcome to the forums!
Safe Boot from the HD, (holding Shift key down at bootup), run Disk Utility in Applications>Utilities, then highlight your drive, click on Repair Permissions, then move these files to the Desktop.
(Safe boot may stay on the gray radian for a long time, let it go, it's trying to repair the Hard Drive.)
/Users/YourUserName/Library/Preferences/com.apple.finder.plist
/Users/YourUserName/Library/Preferences/com.apple.dock.plist
/Users/YourUserName/Library/Preferences/com.apple.desktop.plist
Test if the Finder/Desktop/Dock works right while in Safe Mode, reboot when complete, test again.

Mac Air 11" - how do I find out what files are showing up in "About this MAC" Storage "other" category?

Hi - I am having storage trouble with my storage. When I go into About this Mac, Storage, the category "Other" has a very large amount of gigs stored. I have already dumped my email, downloads when in to Trahs, emptied secure trash, etc. How do I find out what is included in the "other" category?

First, empty the Trash if you haven't already done so.
Use a tool such as OmniDiskSweeper (ODS) to explore your volume and find out what's taking up the space. You can 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.
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 see everything, you have to run it as root.
Back up all data now.
Install ODS in the Applications folder as usual.
Triple-click the line of text below to select it, then copy the selected text to the Clipboard (command-C):sudo /Applications/OmniDiskSweeper.app/Contents/MacOS/OmniDiskSweeper
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.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the icon grid.
Paste (command-V) into the Terminal window. 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. If you see a message that your username "is not in the sudoers file," then you're not logged in as an administrator.
I don't recommend that you make a habit of doing this. Don't delete anything while running ODS 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 you're done with ODS, quit it and also quit Terminal.

How do you edit the 'About this mac' window?

Hi,
I need to edit the about this mac window - pictured here to remind you of what exactly it is ( http://www.pluggedinmac.com/Picture%201.jpg )- in order to further my understanding of how this aspect of Macintosh works.
I will be extremely greatful of all replies
Thanks
James

You'll need to be a bit more specific about what you mean by "edit".
If you want to edit the actual .nib file (the archive which describes the window), it's at
/System/Library/CoreServices/loginwindow.app/Contents/Resources/English.lproj/Ab outThisMac.nib
Nib files can normally be edited by using the Interface Builder application that's part of the Xcode developer tools.
However, since you're on an Intel-based Mac, you won't be able to edit the nib unless you first find a version from a Power PC Mac. The reason for this is that .nib files aren't actually a file, but a package that includes different parts inside the primary folder. For example, if you Control-click on the AboutThisMac.nib mentioned above, and choose Show Package Contents, a new Finder window will open which shows a single item "keyedobjects.nib". That is an actual file which holds the archived user interface objects (using key/value coding/archiving, hence the "keyed" in the name). To be able to open and edit a .nib file in Interface Builder, however, you need two additional files inside named "classes.nib" and "info.nib". These provide Interface Builder with the information necessary to properly open the nib. By removing those two files from the nib, a developer can essentially make the nib "read-only", meaning it will work fine when the application it's a part of needs to use it, but an end-user (or their competition) cannot open the nib file in Interface Builder to see how the objects were constructed. Most nibs that are part of an OS X install on PowerPC-based Macs include the necessary files and can be opened in Interface Builder. Most of the nibs included with Intel-based Macs, on the other hand, do not include those files and can't be opened in Interface Builder without first copying the "classes.nib" and "info.nib" files from a PowerPC-based Mac's nib to the Intel version of the nib.
Hope this helps....
Dual 2.7GHz PowerPC G5 w/ 2.5 GB RAM; 17" MacBook Pro w/ 2 GB RAM - Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Why is "more info" greyed out in the About This Mac window?

RE: MacBook Air running OS X 10.6.8
The More Info... is greyed out in the About This Mac window... how can I ungrey it to get info?

Reinstall OS X without erasing the drive
1. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your Snow Leopard 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. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
2. Reinstall Snow Leopard
If the drive is OK then quit DU and return to the installer. Proceed with reinstalling OS X. Note that the Snow Leopard installer will not erase your drive or disturb your files. After installing a fresh copy of OS X the installer will move your Home folder, third-party applications, support items, and network preferences into the newly installed system.
Download and install Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1.

In"about this Mac" my largest item are backups. How do I free that space?

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