Previous Systems Folders

I have 2 Previous Systems folders on my hard drive, each with an Applications, Library, private, System, and Users folder. Some are empty, but like the Applications folder is full of Mac software. These folders are in addition to the normal folders of Applications, Applications (Mac OS9), Library, System X, Systems Folder 9, Updaters, User Guides and Information, and Users.
Can I dump the Previous Systems folders and free up some valuable hard drive space?
Thanks,
Powerbook G4   Mac OS X (10.4.7)  

You can, as long as you have verified all the data from the previous Archive and Installs that you want to keep has been moved over to the current Users folder, and Applications folder. That means checking your iTunes library, iPhoto library, and any documents you stored. Typically if you Save User and Network settings all of them should be moved over. If you ever didn't save User and Network Settings, it might be a problem. Also the contents of the Shared folder which AOL uses may not have been moved over, if you use AOL.
The quickest way to get rid of those folders once you verified all the data is moved over, is first to backup your data, and then use http://www.macosxcocktail.com/
Note, Cocktail is a multipurpose utility which should only be used for troubleshooting and forcing deleting folders when you are familiar with what you are deleting. A lot of its functions which some claim are good for maintenance may actually cause more damage than good if used at the wrong time.

Similar Messages

  • What to do with Previous System Folders?

    First of all, Happy New Year to all!
    I just spent two days doing an "Archive and Install" on my iMac at the advice of an Apple Genius who checked out my iMac at the Apple store. He said my iMac was running very slow but couldn't find any reason for it.
    The first "Archive and Install" took six hours on the 30th, and then it was several more hours to get the software back up to speed with all of the updates. But after all of that, my system ended up in the Kernal Panic screen on start up. So today I got on the phone with Apple Care and they had me boot up with the Leopard Install DVD in the drive, holding down the C key. That worked, but I was back to square one with my Archive and Install.
    The second try yesterday took another 6 hours, and then it took several hours to get my software back up to speed again. The Apple Care guy told me the Install should only take an hour, so that right there tells me something isn't right. Anyway, here I am after two very long days, with my iMac at least functioning again, albeit not faster as I had hoped. It's still running slow as molasses. This post has taken me forever to write due to only being able to type three or four letters, then wait for SBOD to stop spinning, then another two or three letters. It's so frustrating.
    But, my main reason for posting here is to ask two questions.
    1. The two "Archive and Installs" left me with two "Previous System Folders" on my hard drive that are almost 21 GB's!! I had 74 GB's free before and now have only 53. Can I dump those folders and get my space back? I sure hope so. If so, how do I safely do it?
    2. The three folders on my dock at the right end; Applications, Documents, and Downloads, used to be in nice neat folders with symbols on them indicating what they are, but now they're just plain folders with stuff sticking out of the top of them, and in the case of the Applications folder, the Address book app is sitting on top of the folder, rather than inside of it, and all I see is the Address book icon, not the folder. How do I get those folders back to normal? I hate the way they look now!
    I'm very frustrated that I'm having all of these problems with my iMac, but grateful at this point that I extended my warranty before the first year was up. I'm definitely going to have to take it back in for more help. I don't think it should take four minutes for iTunes to start up and shut down, four minutes for iPhoto to shut down, or two minutes for a photo to open up in iPhoto after clicking on it, etc., etc. I have the Spinning Beach Ball of Death spinning way more than it should! I'm tired of constantly having to wait for it to stop so I can continue.
    Ironically, I installed two more Gigs of RAM less than six months ago so that I would have a faster computer, but I never really noticed a difference. Although it wasn't this slow the first few months.
    Thanks in advance to anyone who can answer my two questions up above, and thanks for listening to me while I expressed my frustration.
    Deb

    Hi Deb,
    This may be ten days late, and way, way too long, but you might want to try some of these suggestions, especially if AppleCare, or someone else, hasn't fixed it for you. You'll probably need to print out all this stuff. It's all stuff I've found useful in similar situations. There is no particular order to check things, but you might want check the utility "Activity Monitor" first and then try setting up a new account. That has worked for me.
    Launch "Activity Monitor" (found in the utility folder inside the root Applications folder) and click on the CPU column to see if some background process or another application is running and using a large percentage of the processor's time. Also check the RAM columns to see if something is using a lot of the available RAM. If there is something that doesn't seem right, you can select it and double click the questionable item - a dialog box will appear that allows you to quit. That may solve the problem of spinning "pizza wheels" of death without a restart. At the least you'll have a good question to ask AppleCare (though they'll definitely suggest Activity Monitor.
    You may also want to set up a new account in Apple Menu/System Prefs/Accounts with a different name and password. Then within that account try launching some apps from the Root Applications folder. They may now work in the new account. You can also install some apps you use most within the new account. Those apps will be placed in the Applications folder within the new home folder of the new account - NOT in the root Applications folder (the one you see when you double click the hard drive icon).
    If you haven't set up a new account before it will seem strange when you first startup. Nothing is the same - the desktop, dock, etc will be like when the machine was new. But often, using the new account, and finding the sluggishness is now gone, tells you the problem was in the old account - even if you can't find what the problem was. The old account is still there. But setting up the new account will take some additional drive space if you reinstall applications.
    Whatever you do, *_don't just delete the old account_* as that will also delete all your documents, videos, photos, etc. You can copy or move between accounts with your administrator password. The Library folder in the old Home folder will contain a lot of stuff you may want to keep, but also can contain the corrupt file that caused the sluggishness problem. You may want to copy the contents of different User/New Acct Home folder/Library folders a little at a time and reboot after changes. If the sluggishness reappears, then pull out the last items you put in and try to narrow it down.
    If you don't want to set up a new account initially try some of these suggestions. Uninstall and reinstall the major applications that run slowly. Use the uninstaller that comes with the app. If there is none, then just reinstall and restart. That might solve the problem. Reinstall whatever apps you need. Can't hurt and may eliminate some file corruption.
    After you restart, and BEFORE you launch any application, press and hold the Cmd (Apple) Key and then hit tab. You will see which apps are running in addition to the Finder. If there is stuff you didn't launch, keep pressing Cmd-Tab which will highlight each application. When selected, you can quit the application [Cmd-Q ]. Or just release the Cmd-Tab keys with the app selected and it's name should appear at the top left of the menu bar. There, you can pull down the menu and quit it (or press Cmd-Q). If it doesn't quit try to Force Quit [Opt-Cmd-Escape]. Try not to quit the Finder. Then launch the apps you need and see if they are still sluggish.
    If there was stuff running and you don't know why, check your Account (Apple Menu/System Prefs/Accounts). Accounts is the first item on the System row (next to last row down). Click Accounts and when it opens, click the the account you're using (if there are more than one). Then click the Login Items tab near the top of the window. You'll see a list of apps that launch whenever you start up (sometimes in the background). If you don't recognize some of what's there you can remove them using the [-] icon. You'll have to unlock the account with your password and then re-lock it to prevent others from changing stuff.
    Restart or log-out and log-in and see if the machine is faster without one or more of the removed items. There are things that are best not touched, but you'll probably know by their names. Pretty much anything you'd add will be found in the Applications or Utility folders. Other stuff is added by applications when they are installed. Make a list of whatever you remove if you have to add it back. If an application needs something you removed, you may be asked to reinstall the app.
    That's it - hope it helps.
    MartyP

  • Previous system folders hav 10gb on an 80mb disk  could not repair vol

    I'm trying to install Virtual PC. It seems to hang and the reason I suspect is there isn't enough disk space. Can I delete the previous system folders? I shouldn't need them for anything I can think of. There are two of them 5gb each.
    I have another problem I ran disk repair and it said one vol could not be repaired in red but it did say 1 vol was repeaired. I'm not sure what this means since there should only be one vol on my hard drive? When I ran disk repair I got the following messages:
    Checking HFS+ vol
    checking Extents overflow file
    checking catalog file
    Reserved words in catalog record incorrect data
    checking multi-linked files
    checking catalog hierarchy
    checking extended attributes
    Invalid leaf record count should be 6706 not 549
    checking vol bitmap
    checking vol info on Mac HD
    Repairing vol
    the vol was repaired
    1 HFS vol repaired
    1 vol not repaired
    I have MySQL Server and PHP installed. I just upgraded from Tiger to Leopard. I need VPC to run and I need space to install Windows on the Mac HD but I'm wondering why disk repair could not repair 1 vol and why it thinks there were two volumns.
    thanks in advance,

    Is there a second partition for Virtual PC, or other use?
    In Disk Utility, each partition should be listed below the main line (with the Drive name/size).
    If there are two (or more) then you have multiple volumes.
    The one named "Mac HD," that was repaired, is almost certainly your boot volume, so look at the other(s).
    See what the format of each is, by clicking on it and looking at the bottom. If it's not some flavor of Mac OS Extended, then DU likely can't repair it.

  • Archiving "Previous Systems" folders (unsuccessful)

    I have been trying to archive "Previous Systems" folders on DVD to get them off my hard drive where they're taking up space.
    Every time I try to burn them to DVD using OS X's Burn facility or Toast, it starts to burn, but eventually says something along the lines of 'Some of the files could not be burned because you do not have sufficient privileges.'
    I tried to compress them using OS X's .zip compress tool as well as just about every third party compression tool available, but got a similar message.
    Does anyone know a way to successfully archive on an external medium (DVD) "Previous Systems" so they aren't sitting there taking up room on my hard drive?
    Any help is appreciated.
    -Mike

    you should simply delete that folder once you know everything on your system works. there is no reason to keep it around or back it up.

  • Dumping 'previous system' folders - curious about time required

    Hello - In an effort to free up disk space, I've dumped the 'previous system' folder (created during 'archive and install' operation). There were two instances of this, hence two prev sys's. There are 853,563 items to delete and it looks as though it manages to dump roughly 5,000 items per hour.
    The math indicates that it could take about 170 hours to complete this process. Does that sound right?
    Thanks.
    Message was edited by: Michael Murphy2

    Thanks for your reply. What you told me to do makes sense - I did as you said:
    - Stopped the deletion of the prev sys's
    - created a new untitled folder on desktop
    - dragged two prev sys files from Trash into new unnamed folder
    - created two new folders and named them 'precisely' as the old folders
    - dragged them onto unnamed folder that contained the two actual prev sys folders
    ? was not asked for confirmation about replacement
    ? when I clicked on unnamed folder it contained the two new 'empty' folders plus a folder named "Previous Systems" that I didn't put in there. Within that folder were the two actual prev sys folders.
    I tried moving them around - I tried creating a new desktop folder named "Previous Systems" and dragging the empties into that and then that into the unnamed folder. Was never asked for confirmation about replacement . . .
    Any hints?
    Thank you for your help.
    Mike

  • Performed Archive and Install now Previous System User File is Empty

    Performed Archive and install yesterday -selected the save users and networks option. When it was complete - the machine worked - but when I went into the previous system folders the user folder is empty. I have almost no space left on my drive - so i think my stuff is still out there somewhere - is it?
    Help!
    I do have backups of most things - but there is no room on my hard drive to restore from my backup.

    How much space DO you have?
    If you can boot from another fdrive for now, that;d be good.
    How much free space is on the HD, where has all the space gone?
    OmniDiskSweeper is now free, and likely the best/easiest...
    http://www.omnigroup.com/applications/omnidisksweeper/
    Perhaps they are there but invisible!?
    If you want to try to recover them, you should quit using the computer asap. Possibility exists of losing everything. Backup if at all possible.
    Unfortunately DU can't fix all that much, your best bet is DiskWarrior, you need the CD though.
    http://www.alsoft.com/DiskWarrior/
    If DW can't fix it, you might try Data Rescue II...
    http://www.prosofteng.com/products/data_rescue.php
    (Has a Free Demo to see if it could or not, but you'll need another drive to recover to).
    Or FileSalvage...
    http://www.subrosasoft.com/OSXSoftware/index.php?%20mainpage=product_info&productsid=1
    to recover what you can.

  • Previous systems in hard drive

    I have an iBook G4. My problem is this. My computer is very slow in closing down or re-starting; I have two previous system folders on my computer, and have had them for some time. They are there because of problems I had about two years ago. Can I delete these? I have updated periodically and now have version 10.4.11. I know that I am getting short of memory and could use the space as these two previous systems take up a lot of space.

    Hi. It is perfectly OK to Trash those previous systems as long as you have moved everything that you want into your current system. Don't forget to empty the Trash
    Have fun,
    Adrian

  • 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.

  • 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

  • About "Previous Systems" into "Macintosh HD".

    I installed 3 times in one year tiger on my PowerBook G4, that by
    preserving my initial adjustments.
    That functions well and correctly;
    but I question myself in Macintosh HD, then in the file "Previous Systems", if I must preserve the files "system preceding 1"; "preceding system 2"; "preceding system 3".
    I notice that they take much memory to me and I believe that they are not used any more for nothing after the complete reinstalment Tiger.
    - is this exact that I can throw them to the trash?
    Thank you to say to me if I must preserve them or not.
    regards.
    Pierre
    Powerbook G4 - 17 "   Mac OS X (10.4.9)  

    Hi
    If you have done an Archive & Install, & if you have everything out of the Previous System Folders that you need, then you can throw then in, then empty, the trash.
    Steve

  • How can I restore folders and files from Previous Systems folder

    I have been unable to migrate files (or even find the option to migrate files) located in my Previous Systems folder. I've been able to change the Privilege of these files to Read & Write (though my Permissions still indicate "You can only read.") and drag them from my previous Users folder to my current desktop, which creates a situation where I have them but am still unable to alter them (or delete them).
    thanks, all.

    Here's my exact issue: I've spent many hours converting vinyl records to mp3s, which were then stored in the iTunes folder of my previous system. Upon performing the Archive and Install, all of these files were located in my Previous Systems>Users>"X">Music folder, which initially could not be opened, prompting the notice, "The folder Music could not be opened because you do not have sufficient access privileges." So, I clicked "Get Info" and changed the Privilege from Read Only to Read & Write. From there I could open the folder, and as you pointed out, move these files wherever I chose. The problem is that I can't use them in any practical sense; I can't import them to my iTunes library and I can't delete them, being notified, "The operation can't be completed because backup items can't be modified." Which, would lead me to believe that I have yet to restore them properly.

  • 10.5.6 update is installing updates in Previous System/Applications folder.

    After updating from OS X 10.5.5 to 10.5.6 I discovered several of the updates were installed into Previous System/Applications rather than the Macintosh HD/Applications folder.
    This resulted in Mail (3.1 build 914/933) quitting repeatedly which is when I discovered I had a newer version (3.5 Build 933) in the Previous System folder.
    I then checked some of the other applications and further discovered that Spaces 1.0, Bluetooth 2.13, ical 3.06, Key Chain 4.0.2, X11 2.1.5 and Address Book 4.1.1 also installed to the Previous System folder.
    I switched the applications between the two folders and everything seems to be working OK but is this going to mess things up when 10.5.7 comes around?

    Just and update:
    -Previously I had deleted the Previous Systems folder.-
    I backed up my files and downloaded the massive 10.5.6 Combo update on top of the previous update. Restarted the computer and everything is working fine, all the newer versions of software are installed and running fine.
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  • I no longer have access to system folders that allow me to remove old or incorrect PAGES templates. Need to find out how to do that. The only way I can do it now is to blank the template and replace the bad template with a blank.

    I no longer have access to system folders that allow me to remove old or incorrect PAGES templates. Need to find out how to do that. The only way I can do it now is to blank the template and replace the unwanted template with a blank. It was previously possible to go to MY TEMPLATES and remove the unwanted templates. I don't if this issue is before or since installation of 10.8 (a nightmare in my case, which led to significant failure issues).  And because I haven't tried to remove templates since finally managing to install 10.8 (now at 10.8.4), I don't know if this is typical of the newer OS or a problem. I've been a Mac user for more than 25 years, but I think I'm nearing the end of the road. By the way, I've never needed to do this before because the manuals always offered an answer... they don't seem to do that anymore. In any case, I don't know how this works... I'd prefer an email reply if that's possible. But that would probably be too easy, and I don't know how to get a reply.

    Thanks, I appreciate the help.  I think this is one of the problems Apple is creating by changing the OS so often. I had fomer colleagues at [a major aerospace contractor] who told me that so many original files were ultimately lost because of the deadly change in the "Save As" operation that they are now afraid of every OS update. Apple has badly damaged their support base with that very prominent company (they won't update now until they've fully examined and understand changes in the pre-conditioned nature of OS computer functions), and they are a whole lot less enthaled with Mac-related equipment/software. Can't blame them, I too used orginal files that way (as easy-to-use templates), and lost some important files before I realized what was happening (to late to revert). Companies should not have to retrain employees each time an OS gets an update, it's can be very expensive several different ways. They learned a painful lesson with that one. And because I'm now retired and don't use multiple devices, I need iCloud like I need a hole in the head... but I'm told there's no way to keep Apple out of my computer. Fortunately, because of major problems when initially installing Mountain Lion, one hold-over of the hardware/software damage I experienced was that iCloud can no longer access my computer even though everything else is working fine again. That was the only "good luck" I had as a result of that expensive nightmare.

  • How do i return to a previous system after updating?

    After trying to update our IMac to improve how it runs, we are unable to go back to our saved previous system. the entire computer is now set up differently and has none of our information on it. I think it's even running an older OS. I see all of our old files in a folder, on our hard drive, marked "Previous System", but I have no idea how to restore? HELP@!

    Most likely you will need to reinstall your third-party software. However, before you do that try instead locating the various support files these applications use. Start with these folders:
    /Home/Library/Applications Support/
    /Home/Library/Preferences/
    /Library/Applications Support/
    /Library/Preferences/
    Look for files or folders pertaining to your third-party applications. For CS3 you might look for folders named "Adobe" and "Photoshop." In the preferences folder look for files beginning with "com.adobe."
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  • Getting Iphoto files out of Previous System file

    I upgraded to Leopard using the Archive choice. My iphoto and iweb files are in the Previous System file under User and won't load when I load the programs. How do I get them to load. How much free disk space do I need on my HD

    axk2
    You're going to have to change the permissions on that path to get access to the files there.
    You can do this using the Get Info Window, just make yourself the owner of the folders in turn. When you get to your Home Folder, drag the foldes you want to the desktop. When you've that done post back and we can get you the rest of the way there.
    Regards
    TD

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