private/var/log/asl folder = 71.2 GB!!!

[munirlmanu]

Hi everyone,

My iMac G5 has been running really slowly for the past few weeks, spinning wait cursor is constantly appearing even when doing simple things like running safari.

Also I am getting the "startup disk full" error all the time. Even when I erase some files to make room, after only a few minutes the HD is back down to zero KB.

I have ran OmniDiskSweeper to try & figure out where my memory is gone & it showed that my users folder was only 43.5 GB & a hidden folder private/var/log/asl is 71.2 GB!!

I am assuming there is something wrong because that seems ridiculously high for a log folder.

Has anyone seen this problem before?

Could someone advise me on how to get this 71.2 GB back? Do I have to erase the files through Terminal & if so how? Should freeing up this space improve the performance of my iMac?

Help really appreciated, thanks in advance

 

[840quadra]

Hi everyone,

My iMac G5 has been running really slowly for the past few weeks, spinning wait cursor is constantly appearing even when doing simple things like running safari.

Also I am getting the "startup disk full" error all the time. Even when I erase some files to make room, after only a few minutes the HD is back down to zero KB.

I have ran OmniDiskSweeper to try & figure out where my memory is gone & it showed that my users folder was only 43.5 GB & a hidden folder private/var/log/asl is 71.2 GB!!

I am assuming there is something wrong because that seems ridiculously high for a log folder.

Has anyone seen this problem before?

Could someone advise me on how to get this 71.2 GB back? Do I have to erase the files through Terminal & if so how? Should freeing up this space improve the performance of my iMac?

Help really appreciated, thanks in advance

Hi,

You should check out this thread on this topic.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/641936/

™

 

[munirlmanu]

Hi,

You should check out this thread on this topic.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/641936/

™

Thanks, went with the lazy option & erased the whole folder, lets hope it works out

 

[840quadra]

Thanks, went with the lazy option & erased the whole folder, lets hope it works out

No problem. Hopefully it resolves itself!

 

[-aggie-]

Thanks, went with the lazy option & erased the whole folder, lets hope it works out

You should have read the logs before deleting, but if it grows again, make sure you read them. It will tell you what software is creating the logs, and you can then uninstall and install the software to fix it.

 

[brn2ski00]

You should have read the logs before deleting, but if it grows again, make sure you read them. It will tell you what software is creating the logs, and you can then uninstall and install the software to fix it.

The majority of users will not even be able to understand any type of system logs. Nerds like us will so to prevent the problem, but the reality is that the average user wouldn't think to, let alone be able to understand whats in those logs.

Good tip though!

 

[840quadra]

Good tip though!

Agreed.

That point was covered quite well in the link I provided. I believe that munirlmanu understood that when he / she posted their reply to said link.