Applications stored on external HD

[tungo9]

I'm considering replacing the drive in my MBP with an SSD. However, this process will take me from 500gb down to 120gb, so I have to be much more discerning about how I use space. I have already moved all the media off of my comp, but now I'm wondering if I could move some applications onto an external drive?

An example would be moving most of the Adobe suite (I only use it rarely) off to an external - would it still be usable when I connected it, or would I have to copy it back to the applications folder on the SSD? I also know this would be a problem in Windows if the drive letters got mixed up or anything (in the case of more than one connected drive), but am not sure how this would work in Lion.

Thoughts?

Merry Christmas!

 

[GGJstudios]

It's not a good idea to move apps out of the /Applications folder. Many won't function or update properly if moved. You're better off moving user data and leaving apps where they are.

 

[tungo9]

It's not a good idea to move apps out of the /Applications folder. Many won't function or update properly if moved. You're better off moving user data and leaving apps where they are.

If I needed to update, couldn't I copy them back to /Applications when I wanted to use them and update then? This wouldn't be an issue if I didn't have to dual boot with Win7 on a 120gb drive...

 

[GGJstudios]

If I needed to update, couldn't I copy them back to /Applications when I wanted to use them and update then? This wouldn't be an issue if I didn't have to dual boot with Win7 on a 120gb drive...

I wouldn't recommend moving any apps. If you choose to, that's your call.

 

[tungo9]

I wouldn't recommend moving any apps. If you choose to, that's your call.

Fair enough, I guess I was just looking for someone to give me 'permission' to do so, worry free. Thanks. I'll just try to be more judicious in my use of space and leave 'em where they are.

Happy holidays

 

[GGJstudios]

Fair enough, I guess I was just looking for someone to give me 'permission' to do so, worry free. Thanks. I'll just try to be more judicious in my use of space and leave 'em where they are.

Happy holidays

Many have successfully used Monolingual to remove unwanted languages and architectures to free up drive space. Be aware that extreme caution should be exercised when using such apps, as deleting certain languages or architectures can create significant problems. At best, deleting these things may buy you 1-2GB of drive space. If you're not certain about what you're doing, don't delete anything. The small drive space savings are not worth the risk of potential problems.

 

[tungo9]

Many have successfully used Monolingual to remove unwanted languages and architectures to free up drive space. Be aware that extreme caution should be exercised when using such apps, as deleting certain languages or architectures can create significant problems. At best, deleting these things may buy you 1-2GB of drive space. If you're not certain about what you're doing, don't delete anything. The small drive space savings are not worth the risk of potential problems.

Pretty cool program - I never would have thought of taking out all the language files to save space! I usually try and only get English versions during the initial install process if possible, but usually forget after the fact. Thanks for the link.

 

[robgendreau]

I wouldn't just "move" them; I'd run their installers, if any, and see if you could custom install them elsewhere. Usually if the installer allows it then things work. Some applications that just drag and drop might work as well; experiment as needs be.

OTOH I wouldn't even try with Adobe stuff. In my experience their installations are really fiddly, and they tend to splat stuff all over the place. Moving anything tends to destroy links that cause problems. Maybe you could reinstall and see if you could minimalize what gets installed.

And remember that most all applications are gonna put stuff in the user Library, and often the Library at the root level. So you'll probably have to leave that stuff where it is, unless you want to experiment with symbolic links.

Rob