re-installed OSX, Lost 17GB HD space!

[will0407]

I re-installed OSx on my new macbook to try and save some HD space by tking out all the unnecessary languages etc. It was on 111GB when i got it. I inserted the install disk, clicked the icon and satrted the install. I was never given an option to select the languages i wanted to install, but i let it go anyway. When it had finished (both discs), The HD space was down to 94GB!

anyone know why, and if I can get it back up to what it was?

((black MB, 120GB HD, 2GB RAM- duno if that has any bearing on it or not!)

 

[iBookG4user]

Was the drive blank? If it wasn't blank then it could put the previous mac os x files in a folder called "previous system" and that would take up a lot of disc space.

 

[plinden]

What have you lost? The 111GB (120x.93) is the size of the disk with nothing on it, and so your OS X takes up 17GB.

Actually, the OS itself is pretty small, but GarageBand is about 4GB, iLife
Sound Effects another 2GB, iDVD 2GB, the iWork demo (if you have it) 1.5GB, printers 1.5GB, probably another 1GB for languages. Edit: Also, 2GB RAM means 2-3GB used up in /private/var/vm. That's 14-15GB already.

My wife's MacBook is still pretty clean, a factory install with Office:Mac installed - her home directory is 1GB and Office is 500MB, and it 16GB is being used, so that means 14.5GB for the install.

Get WhatSize and see what's taking up the space.

 

[will0407]

Well, I turned my MB on, set up my acc etc and started using it (just surfing the net). Anyway, I read somewhere that you can save HD space by re-installing the OS and choosing not to install some of the languages.

Just before I put the disc in, it said there was 111GB free. When I'd done the install etc it was at 94GB. Does this mean that garageband, ilife etc wasn't installed when I turned it on for the first time?Because the icons were in the dock.

 

[dejo]

Just before I put the disc in, it said there was 111GB free. When I'd done the install etc it was at 94GB. Does this mean that garageband, ilife etc wasn't installed when I turned it on for the first time?Because the icons were in the dock.

Where did it say there was 111GB free? If it was underneath the icon for your HD that sits on your desktop, that's not available space on the drive but total capacity.

 

[michaeldmartin]

Try this app: http://macupdate.com/info.php/id/13006
Tell us what's taking up the space!

 

[yellow]

Did you erase it before installing? Or do an "Erase & Install"?

Otherwise you probably did an archive & install, which moves the previous install into /Previous Systems/ and would account for your useed space issues.

 

[Obsidian6]

yeah whatsize is a glorious program. it has been incredibly useful in finding what was taking up all the space on my powerbook. i freed up something like 30GB thanks to whatsize

 

[plinden]

Just before I put the disc in, it said there was 111GB free.

Nope - it couldn't possibly be 111GB free. Remember, HD manufacturers give capacity in 1GB = 1000x1000x1000 bytes, but the computer sees 1GB = 1024x1024x1024 bytes, so a 120GB disk is 111GB to the computer, or 93%. You don't "lose" 7% this way, the size is exactly the same, only measured differently. So the 111GB you saw was the total capacity of the disk. 94GB seems ok for the free space remaining.

Use Monolingual to remove unnecessary languages (but DON'T remove "English" if your own language is British, Canadian, Australian or US English. They all require English to be installed).

Then download WhatSize and see what you can remove ... major candidates, GarageBand and iDVD, but DON'T remove /private/var/vm.

You had absolutely no need to reinstall. You should have come here first.

 

[will0407]

"You had absolutely no need to reinstall. You should have come here first.", whoa, sorry dad!lol.

Yes, I know I should have asked first, or really I should have just gone into accounts to see if I could alter my problem.

Used Monolingual, and whatsize. Have just deleted all but one of the printer plug ins which I won't be needing, which has cleared an additional 1.5GB, so now up to 92.93, and then once i put my music on,ill be on about 62GB!

anyway, thanks for all the suggestions, they were extremely helpful

 

[kblessinggr]

Nope - it couldn't possibly be 111GB free. Remember, HD manufacturers give capacity in 1GB = 1000x1000x1000 bytes, but the computer sees 1GB = 1024x1024x1024 bytes, so a 120GB disk is 111GB to the computer, or 93%. You don't "lose" 7% this way, the size is exactly the same, only measured differently. So the 111GB you saw was the total capacity of the disk. 94GB seems ok for the free space remaining.

Apple must be the only company I know to do that then, if I go out and buy an 80GB HDD for my PC, it is indeed an 80GB hard drive, and so is a 120, or 160 or so forth. Course once I format that drive for say windows, linux or other the system does take up a little bit of space (typically say 3 to 5GB if using an 80 on a typical windows machine) for the FAT (File Allocation Tables) which keeps a record of where all the files are located on the harddrive, and that's before you even install an operating system on it.

This may be true of the mac as well (I recently got a Macbook 2.1ghz to which I noticed that it said the harddrive "Capacity" was 111gb, not 'free' just how big it would be without anything on it.) maybe a journaled file system takes up a bit more space for it's index and such than a typical Fat/Fat32/NTFS/XF2, etc. I mean if you think about what a journaled file system does, it may actually make some sense.

 

[Mindflux]

Apple must be the only company I know to do that then, if I go out and buy an 80GB HDD for my PC, it is indeed an 80GB hard drive, and so is a 120, or 160 or so forth. Course once I format that drive for say windows, linux or other the system does take up a little bit of space (typically say 3 to 5GB if using an 80 on a typical windows machine) for the FAT (File Allocation Tables) which keeps a record of where all the files are located on the harddrive, and that's before you even install an operating system on it.

bbzt, wrong. Seagate was sued for this 'practice'. 1000MB = Gig to HD mfg's, not 1024MB.