harddrive in my iMac reports capacity as 297.77 GB with only 70.37 GB available. I can't find 227 GB of data. I ran Disc inventory X on the drive and it reports 103 GB used (that seems about right). So what is the other 120GB? Am I missing something obvious?
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Missing Harddrive space
- Thread starter mpshay
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Hmm... What happens if you restart? It sounds like a file is growing out of control, but Disk Inventory X isn't recognizing it.
See what Activity Monitor has to say.
See what Activity Monitor has to say.
I verified the disc (repair was not available) It told me the volume appeared to be OK. As far as anything being odd...not that I see, but certainly possible that I'm over looking something that would be obvious to others.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/3Tew8YIFIwxSaOpee384HQ?feat=directlink
Spent another hour or two and still can't figure it out. OmnidiscSweeper, Whatsize and Disc Inventory X all agree on about 100GB used but finder (get info) has it at 227 GB. I'm always willing to chalk small differnces up to a rounding error but 120GB seems a bit much
I looked at some old posts in various forums at mentioned some terminal commands to use in order to find files in various places (/volumes) but did not really find anything on my disc. Far from a terminal pro so maybe I missed something.
I'll check back in the morning and see what suggestions may have been offered.
I looked at some old posts in various forums at mentioned some terminal commands to use in order to find files in various places (/volumes) but did not really find anything on my disc. Far from a terminal pro so maybe I missed something.
I'll check back in the morning and see what suggestions may have been offered.
Give GrandPerspective a try. It should help you locate the large files, as well as a bunch of small files that could be eating your space up.
Here we go again......
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS "MISSING" HARD DRIVE SPACE!!!!!!!!!!!!
HD space does NOT just magically "disappear". Granted some folks may not understand what/where/how space is used by the 100,000's of files on their hd's, BUT the space IS still there.....
mods how about a stickie to this effect, or at least some minor editing of post titles to something other than "missing" hd space ?
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS "MISSING" HARD DRIVE SPACE!!!!!!!!!!!!
HD space does NOT just magically "disappear". Granted some folks may not understand what/where/how space is used by the 100,000's of files on their hd's, BUT the space IS still there.....
mods how about a stickie to this effect, or at least some minor editing of post titles to something other than "missing" hd space ?
Would you feel better if I said available space is less than it should be based on the sum of all folders/files in finder? I think it conveyed the point I was trying to get across. I know aliens did not come down and take one of the platters inside the harddrive.
I just ran GrandPerspective and it reports that the size of the scanned files is 100 GB which is pretty much what all the others said. However, it also states "Miscellaneous used space 125GB" How the heck do I find out what that is and then delete it?
The first thing to do is to find out how big your user directory is. Then work out from there. You'll find that there are files that have been left in your user directory as part of something you've done. It gradually builds up over a period of time.
Macsliseme,
That's just it. It's not part of my user directory (or any other folder). This mysterious 125 GB does not shop anywhere in Finder. The only place it makes its presence know in when I look at the space available listing in Finder. The one exception to that is Grandperspective that lists it as "Misc used space" and not part of "Size of Scanned Files" section where everything other file I know of on my computer is listed.
That's just it. It's not part of my user directory (or any other folder). This mysterious 125 GB does not shop anywhere in Finder. The only place it makes its presence know in when I look at the space available listing in Finder. The one exception to that is Grandperspective that lists it as "Misc used space" and not part of "Size of Scanned Files" section where everything other file I know of on my computer is listed.
Thanks for the link, but the decimal vs binary discrepancy is already factored in to the OS stated capacity of the drive. In my case 297.77 GB vs the 320 GB quoted by the manufacturer.
I have torrented 3 or 4 files, but should those files be visible to finder or the other drive inventory programs I used? I have a hard time understanding how the space is used yet nothing I have tried can tell me what exactly it is.
Nearly identical problem here - iMac with 300 GB drive (reports as 297.77 capacity) and stated available capacity of 37.78 GB. When I browse the drive, using the "View Option" to "calculate all sizes" I then add up ALL the amounts shown. The total comes out to where I should still have ~135 GB remaining (e.g. all the files and folders add up to ~165 GB). Thus the ~100 GB discrepancy between actual total file contents and reported available space.
I was reading through this whole thread shaking my head and many of the responses, because I GET what you are talking about, since I am having the same problem!
Do you use PowerTunes or iPhoto Library Manager, by the way? (this is my wife's computer and the only non-Apple apps running on it are these and Acquisition)
$h! , this thread looks almost abandoned
I have been dealing with this problem (or at least similar ones) for over 2 years. Iam surprised that this hasent already been widely dealt with and answered in all that time - at least not that I know of.
Anyway, at one point I found out that parallel's virtual disk expands and even after light use, could go from 3gb to 10 or 20gb (WTF?) Anyhow that has been dealt with.
But still if I add things up I can find 30, 80, or 100Gb just unaccounted for?!?!?
I few months ago I just threw a 500GB drive in and thought that it would take my mind off it for a while, and it has - but now its full again, so....
I know turning my mac all the way off (i.e not sleeping) will usuall retrieve a few GB, maybe 5, 10, 15, or so. But that is not the same thing as the remaining 100 or so still unaccounted for.
I hope someone gets to the bottom of this soon
I have been dealing with this problem (or at least similar ones) for over 2 years. Iam surprised that this hasent already been widely dealt with and answered in all that time - at least not that I know of.
Anyway, at one point I found out that parallel's virtual disk expands and even after light use, could go from 3gb to 10 or 20gb
(WTF?) Anyhow that has been dealt with.But still if I add things up I can find 30, 80, or 100Gb just unaccounted for?!?!?
I few months ago I just threw a 500GB drive in and thought that it would take my mind off it for a while, and it has - but now its full again, so....
I know turning my mac all the way off (i.e not sleeping) will usuall retrieve a few GB, maybe 5, 10, 15, or so. But that is not the same thing as the remaining 100 or so still unaccounted for.
I hope someone gets to the bottom of this soon
That seems to ve exactly what caused the missing GB for me - I aborted a Boot Camp partitioning - that got my Partition able wrong. Check our start disk with disk Utilities (verify Disk).