Is deleting previous systems folder save when looking for more HD space?

Could I copy it to an external HD just in case?

Your current running system isn't using any part of the Previous Systems folder. All of that folder's contents are just sitting there. If there were no old components you want to keep (most likely command line software you may have installed yourself) it is completely safe to trash that folder.

Similar Messages

Can't Delete Previous Systems Folder

I did an archive and reinstall some time ago, and got what I needed from the Previous Systems folder. So I tried to delete it (Secure Delete), and got most of it gone. What is left is a "Previous Systems" folder, with an "Previous System 1" folder inside, which shows up in the window as empty. When I try and delete it, I get a message that I can't because "html" is in use. I went in via Terminal, and found a series of directories under my "empty" Previous System 1:
usr/X11R6/lib/X11/doc/html, with a ton of ".html" files in the "html" folder. I got rid of all those files, then tried to get rid of "html", but it tells me that it isn't empty. I used sudo rmdir, and sudo rm -rf, and I get the same message. What gives, and what can I do about it?

Just to follow up on my problem, I finally had to backup my drive onto another drive, reformat the disk, and copy everything back. The unempty-able Trash was then empty. I still have one other problem that I hoped all that would fix, but I'll post it as a separate question. Just in case someone's curious, the problem (which I had before) is that sometimes upon waking from sleep, I get no response from the machine in that:
1.) The battery/power meter doesn't update.
2.) Once I try and click the cursor on anything on the screen (Locations, a window, the Airport menu bar), I get a spinning beachball that goes on for minutes. When it goes away, I try clicking again, and back it comes. Eventually, the machine "catches up" and works, but it's very inconvenient. Usually, this happens after the machine has slept over night. It could be a network issue (i.e., it's looking for the network it saw the night before), but it doesn't happen everytime. It's enough to make me wonder why I bought a Mac.

Deleted previous system folder, now I'm a-havin' problems.

Hi all!
I found a "Previous Systems" folder from a months-old archive and install hanging around my hard drive taking up space; figuring it was devoid of anything I needed, I trashed it. The next day, when I tried to open up Mac Mail, to my surprise it gave me the initial setup screen you get when you open the program for the first time, asking me for my account info!
So, I re-set up my accounts and it at least got my mailboxes from my Library folder correct, but without any of the messages. So, I imported my mailboxes as they stood on my computer in User>library>mail. This seemed to import everything correctly, and I thought the problem was solved.
However, when I search for the odd message, many say this:
"The message from Alec Quig <[email protected]> concerning “Submission” has not been downloaded from the server. You need to take this account online in order to download it."
These messages are most definitely not on my email servers. Anyone know how can I get them back?
Thank you!
Alec

Sounds like your Mail index is corrupted. To create a new one, do this:
1. Quit Mail.
2. Go to Home/Library/Mail and remove the Envelope Index file to your Desktop.
3. Start Mail and let it import your messages. When that's done, you should be able to go back to those old messages and see the entire message again.
4. If that works, you can delete the old Envelope Index file on your Desktop.
Mulder

Deleted Previous System Folder, No 10.5 Restart

Apparently I've done a bad, bad thing. I installed 10.5 with the the archive and install option which created the "previous system" folder. Later I recovered what I wanted from that folder and deleted it. Now when I attempt to start in Mac OS I get a folder icon with a "?" and it starts up in Boot Camp. I tried starting up using the Install DVD for 10.5, but the computer will not recognize the DVD either in start up or while running XP through boot camp.
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!

The library alias is just a bug that all of us are experiencing. It has been around for a while and no one knows if or when it will be fixed. It does no harm and if you remove it it will come back so just ignore it. You had it in there before but probably just didn't notice it.

Deleted previous system folder and!

I ended up with a alias of "library" in the network panel. Of the Finder. When checking for "more info" on this. None shows up. Should I be worried about this. It doesn't seem to effect any of the operating system. I wonder why this happened?
I had to install 10.4 twice. When it first came out. For some reason the first time had problem. And that's how I ended up with previous system folder. I tried erasing with the finders "secure erase" feature. And it was taking forever. I had to back out and erase normally.
Don
iMac G5 Mac OS X (10.4.5)

The library alias is just a bug that all of us are experiencing. It has been around for a while and no one knows if or when it will be fixed. It does no harm and if you remove it it will come back so just ignore it. You had it in there before but probably just didn't notice it.

Deleting Previous System Folder

Hello again,
I'm upgrading from Panther to Tiger on my Power Book G4. After I finish making a clone of my current hard drive, I plan to upgrade to Tiger by doing a Clean Archive Reinstall, preserve all network and system preferences settings. What I want to know is can I delete my Previous System Folder once I have upgraded to Tiger 10.4.11?
Can someone let me know?
Thank you
Phil

Yes. However, you may find that some information in the /Library/ folder may not be moved automatically during the Archive and Install. In particular you want to check these:
/Library/Application Support/
/Library/Preferences/
/Library/StartupItems/
/Library/InputManagers/
/Library/PreferencePanes/
These may contain items installed by third-party software that you will have to move manually from the PSF.
If you have Palm software installed there will also be one or two Palm related folders that you will need to transfer.
Once you are satisfied that you have everything then drag the PSF to the Trash and empty. If you get any warnings then simply restart the computer and then empty the Trash.

Can I delete 'Previous Systems' folder?

I have re-installed Max OS X twice, first time 2 years ago, the last time was yesterday. This last time I noticed at some point a message that the previous system could not be used anymore for starting up (I hope I recollect this correctly).
When I look on the HD there is a folder with '2 previous systems' folders, and both folders have 7 items, and each folder has 7 sub-folders. (Applications, Library etc.)
I assume that this takes up space on the hard drive? Does the newly installed sw need these old items? If not, would it free space if I delete these old system folders?
Thank you in advance for any information.
Milli.

Some people keep them for a little while in case there is a plugin or settings file that they had in their old system that they want to put in their new one. Once you have decided you don't need any of those you can just trash them.

Looking for more storage space?

Do you need some more storage room and you find HP Storageworks a bit pricey, have a look here:
http://www.lsi.com/storage_home/products_home/external_raid/7900_storage_system/index.html
It offers room for 60 3.5" disks or Stec SSD's, giving a storage capacity of 480 TB magnetic or 201 TB SSD in a single 4U unit.

An external drive is cheaper than a SAN or NAS. And we don't need to share the storage space between multiple machines.
USB 2.0 or Firewire seem fast enough. Maybe this approach will be conventional in the future?

Post Leopard Installation - Transfer data from "Previous System" folder

After the first attempt to install Leopard and got the evil blue screen, I had to reinstall my old Tiger from the original installation disks, then attempted a new installation of Leopard. This time I chose Archive and Install as one support article suggested, and chose Preserve user and network settings as instructed. This time the Leopard installation was successful, but now how do I retrieve my data (photos/itunes/mail)etc. from the "Previous System" folders?

There should be no need to sync the files. A previous system folder happens when you do an archive and install, so what's in that folder is identical to what your Mac was when you last did one. Presumably you've changed a lot of things since then and wouldn't want to go back.
Unless there are a few files you deleted and want back, then just copy them over. Then delete the entire thing, it's using up disk space.
Kevin

Previous systems folder -- what can i delete?

i had to archive my old system and now, in my hard drive, is the "previous systems" folder with the old library and whatnot.
i have moved my personal files (desktop, itunes, word files) into my new system and i'm wondering if i can just delete the entire "previous systems" folder -- or if there are things in there that i should be sure to transfer (like any program or application files), or if deleting that folder might cause any problems.
also, should i just delete the inner "previous system 1" folder (the only folder inside "previous systems") or can i delete the whole folder, prev systems? i don't think it was there before the archive so i assume i can delete it but i wasn't positive.
help! thanks.
Mac OS X (10.4.7)

emillie
There are some things that might need moving: printer software that you added and so on. I suggest that you use the machine for a week or two and if you're content that all is working normally then you can trash it. That's what I did.
Regards
TD

Problem Deleting Previous System after Archive and Install

Earlier in my time with this wonderful iMac, I did an Archive and Install to try and resolve a slight problem. I read all the docs beforehand and knew it would save the previous system in its own folder and saw that I could likely delete that folder afterwards.
I have waited months since then, (almost forgotten about this folder) but have never had reason to want anything there, so today decided to delete it.
I dragged the entire previous system folder to trash and tried to empty trash. It deleted most of the stuff, but kept one package DownloadReader7.pkg complaining of locked files.
I have used Pacificist to look at the contents of this package and it says it is a receipt. It contains elements of Adobe Reader Download Manager.app
I have looked on my present working system and can not find an equivalent.
So two questions...
1. Is it safe to delete this package (if I knew how)?
2. If it is safe to delete it, HOW do I, when it appears to have locked elements when I try to empty trash?

It's safe to delete any files in the PSF.
Usually all you need do is press the OPTION key before selecting Empty Trash. If that doesn't work the next thing to try is restart the computer after you've dragged the file to the Trash. If neither works then visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on resolving Trash problems.
Why reward points?(Quoted from Discussions Terms of Use.)
The reward system helps to increase community participation. When a community member gives you (or another member) a reward for providing helpful advice or a solution to their question, your accumulated points will increase your status level within the community.
Members may reward you with 5 points if they deem that your reply is helpful and 10 points if you post a solution to their issue. Likewise, when you mark a reply as Helpful or Solved in your own created topic, you will be awarding the respondent with the same point values.

Deleting "Previous System" & Old Versions of iTunes

Two questions:
1. I've moved all my music to my iPod. I want to download the latest version of iTunes so my PB is compatible with the new iMac to be delivered soon. Is the latest version of iTunes an upgrade or a total replacement? In other words, can I delete everything on my hard drive related to iTunes 4.7 before downloading iTunes 6?
2. Can I safely delete all files under "Previous System"? (I can't remember why it was created. It might have been created when I first got my PB, had a problem, went into an Apple store, and they were troubleshooting.)
Thanks in advance.

You can delete any itunes stuff as Itunes 6 is a complete installation. However there is no need to as these folders will immediately be replaced by the new installation.
The Previous System folder can safely be deleted. At som point you have done an archive and install of your OS. The "Previous System" folder is left behind, just in case you neglected to save something.

Where did my Previous System folder go?

I upgraded my G5 yesterday from 10.3.9 to 10.5. Everything works fine after the upgrade. But I can't find the Previous System folder that should be on my hard drive.
When I upgraded, I planned to do an Archive and Install and preserve user settings, but I never saw that menu in the installer (I missed the "Options" button, duh). After the upgrade all my user accounts and data were still on the G5, so I'm assuming the installer did an "Archive and Install -- Preserve User Settings" by default.
But I don't have a Previous System folder anywhere on my hard drive. Any ideas what happened?
BTW, I have a clone of my 10.3.9 system on an external hard drive. I am considering doing an Erase and Install on the 10.5.7 internal G5 volume and using Migration Assistant to pull my user accounts from the clone to the internal hard drive. But my 10.5.7 system isn't broken, so maybe I shouldn't try to fix it. :-D

But I don't have a Previous System folder anywhere on my hard drive. Any ideas what happened?
The default installation method preserves your user accounts, data, and applications, but deletes and/or overwrites the previous system files.
(45924)

Delete Previous System Settings?

Ok, I posed this question in another Mac forum and they didn't seem to have an answer. Below are both of my posts, I clarified myself in the second one just in case the first one was a little confusing.
Ok, here's my situation. After I updated to OSX 10.4.8, my MBP started making the whine again, it has always done it even after getting the logic board replaced twice, albeit it's much softer than it was. Nevertheless, I'd taken care of the issue by using the PhotoBooth trick, but since all the the updates, I keep having to reinstall the IOUSB Family to keep the trick working. Anyway, after I updated OSX and the noise came back, I went to reinstall the old IOUSB and I installed the wrong one, so then my keyboard, trackpad, and mouse would not work anymore. I used the install disc and installed 10.4.6 but it kept my previous system and said that it would revert back to all previous settings when I updated the latest version of OSX. My question is, when I update to 10.4.8, will I my keyboard, trackpad, and mouse stop working because of my mistake with IOUSB, and if that's the case, can I just delete the "Previous Systems" folder before I update OSX?
I'm not sure that I fully explained myself in the first post. My computer is working fine right now, but when I did a restore to 10.4.6, it kept my previous system settings so that, when I update to 10.4.8, it will restore the settings I had the last time I had 10.4.8 installed. I'm concerned that it saved the USB information that wouldn't allow my keyboard, trackpad, and mouse to work.
There is a folder under "Macintosh HD" that say's "Previous Systems," if I were to delete that folder, would I eliminate a problematic update to 10.4.8, or would I create more problems for myself?

IL_Dem87:
If you elected to "Preserve User and Network Settings" when you did Archive and Install your Preferences will be saved along with your data, third party apps in the Applications folder and others (see linked article). If you do not care about your data you don't have to migrate it and can just delete the Previous Systems folder. You can then restore from your backup of your data.
Good luck.
cornelius

Can't delete Previous System File

Hi,
I did an archive and install and was left with a Previous System folder that is about 13G. I used "whatsize" app to move it to the trash where I then did a Secure empty trash. Trash can is empty, but when I run Whatsize again, the same previous system folder is still there, taking up 13G's of hard drive space. Any idea how to get rid of this file?
Thanks!

How To Fix Stubborn Trash and Why it Won't Delete
http://www.osxfaq.com/Tutorials/LearningCenter/HowTo/Trash/index.ws
Solving Trash Problems
http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/trash.html
 Cheers, Tom

Is deleting previous systems folder save when looking for more HD space?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for