What Lion stuff can I discard please; need more disk headroom

[SteveZee]

I'm running Lion on a 40GB SSD and I'm running out of disk space.
What can I safely discard from the Lion installation to gain 5+ GB
of free space? All my apps refer to a scratch disk for cache & temp
functions. All created files are on another disk, all the obvious stuff.
Thanks!

Once in the past I cloned away this SSD disk and then cloned it back
and it tidied up nicely, as if I had defragmented a regular HDD. But
SSD's are different that way, aren't they?

 

[Mal]

You can try grabbing an app like Monolingual to clean out PPC code and extra languages, but be very careful. It also won't save you much space, though on a 40GB drive it might be worthwhile.

jW

 

[GGJstudios]

I'm running Lion on a 40GB SSD and I'm running out of disk space.
What can I safely discard from the Lion installation to gain 5+ GB
of free space? All my apps refer to a scratch disk for cache & temp
functions. All created files are on another disk, all the obvious stuff.
Thanks!

Once in the past I cloned away this SSD disk and then cloned it back
and it tidied up nicely, as if I had defragmented a regular HDD. But
SSD's are different that way, aren't they?

As Mal said, be careful. Removing the wrong language can cause problems with some apps. You're better off moving some of your user files to an external drive, such as splitting your iTunes library between internal and external drives. Also, if you don't use Garageband, you can move some of the included loops to the external.

Generally speaking, however, stay away from "cleaner" or "maintenance" apps that claim to free up space. You don't need "cleaner" or "maintenance" apps to keep your Mac running well, and some of these apps can do more harm than good. Some remove files/folders or unused languages or architectures, which does nothing more than free up some drive space, with the risk of deleting something important in the process.

These apps will not make your Mac run faster or more efficiently, since having stuff stored on a drive does not impact performance, unless you're running out of drive space. Some of these apps delete caches, which can hurt performance, rather than help it, since more system resources are used and performance suffers while each cache is being rebuilt.

Many of these tasks should only be done selectively to troubleshoot specific problems, not en masse as routine maintenance.

Mac OS X does a good job of taking care of itself, without the need for 3rd party software. Among other things, it has its own maintenance scripts that run silently in the background on a daily, weekly and monthly basis, without user intervention.

Five Mac maintenance myths​

 

[yeah]

As Mal said, be careful. Removing the wrong language can cause problems with some apps. You're better off moving some of your user files to an external drive, such as splitting your iTunes library between internal and external drives. Also, if you don't use Garageband, you can move some of the included loops to the external.

Generally speaking, however, stay away from "cleaner" or "maintenance" apps that claim to free up space. You don't need "cleaner" or "maintenance" apps to keep your Mac running well, and some of these apps can do more harm than good. Some remove files/folders or unused languages or architectures, which does nothing more than free up some drive space, with the risk of deleting something important in the process.

These apps will not make your Mac run faster or more efficiently, since having stuff stored on a drive does not impact performance, unless you're running out of drive space. Some of these apps delete caches, which can hurt performance, rather than help it, since more system resources are used and performance suffers while each cache is being rebuilt.

Many of these tasks should only be done selectively to troubleshoot specific problems, not en masse as routine maintenance.

Mac OS X does a good job of taking care of itself, without the need for 3rd party software. Among other things, it has its own maintenance scripts that run silently in the background on a daily, weekly and monthly basis, without user intervention.

Five Mac maintenance myths​

Cache files were originally intended to help
content load faster. However, when cache
files accumulate, they slow the browsing
experience and waste disk space.

Let the thread starter choose how he wants to clean his/her mac, not by how a "experienced user" decides.

 

[GGJstudios]

Cache files were originally intended to help content load faster. However, when cache files accumulate, they slow the browsing experience and waste disk space.

If you understood the topic at hand, you would know we're not talking about the browser cache.

Let the thread starter choose how he wants to clean his/her mac, not by how a "experienced user" decides.

Since the OP obviously asked for advice, it's entirely appropriate for "experienced users" to offer advice.

 

[satcomer]

First try this: How To Move an iTunes Library to an External. This will save you a huge amount of space.

 

[GGJstudios]

First try this: How To Move an iTunes Library to an External. This will save you a huge amount of space.

I agree that moving user files is a much safer and more effective approach than trying to mess with system or app files. Moving iTunes certainly helps, and for that your link is valuable. As a variation on that option, some may want to keep a portion of their music on the internal drive, so they have some music with them when they travel. For that scenario, this can help:

How to split a single iTunes library over two or more media locations

 

[Krazy Bill]

CleanMyMac does a pretty good job.

 

[GGJstudios]

CleanMyMac does a pretty good job.

Read my earlier post (#3). I would not recommend CleanMyMac, based on the number of complaints that have been posted in this forum and elsewhere. As an example: CleanMyMac cleaned too much. While you may not have experienced problems yet, enough people have that it's wise to avoid it, especially since there are free alternatives that have better reputations, such as Onyx. You don't need maintenance or cleaner apps, and some cause more problems than they claim to solve.

 

[Krazy Bill]

Read my earlier post (#3). I would not recommend CleanMyMac,

Naw... been using it for almost 2 years. Gigabytes of useless garbage removed. I use it about once a week. Snow Leopard and Lion.

I would recommend it.

 

[GGJstudios]

Naw... been using it for almost 2 years. Gigabytes of useless garbage removed. I use it about once a week. Snow Leopard and Lion.

I would recommend it.

There have been far too many reports of problems reported both in this forum and elsewhere for any responsible person to recommend this app. While you may have not had problems, recommending such an app to those who may not be as computer literate, especially knowing that so many have had problems, is doing a disservice to new Mac users. Since there is no need for such an app in the first place, and since many of the actions of the app can make performance worse, instead of better, and since there are free alternatives like Onyx and Monolingual that have far better reputations, I question the motives of anyone who would still recommend paying for an app with a questionable reputation and a history of user problems.

For anyone who wants to keep their Mac trouble free and performing well, stay away from this app.

 

[GermanyChris]

I like clean my mac too..Never had a second's issue

 

[Mal]

Naw... been using it for almost 2 years. Gigabytes of useless garbage removed. I use it about once a week. Snow Leopard and Lion.

I would recommend it.

You may not have had an issue yet (or you may just not realize it), but CleanMyMac has been the subject of far too many threads regarding problems with it "cleaning" the wrong things for me to ever recommend it to anyone. In my role as an Apple Consultant, I've actually helped several people uninstall it and other programs like it that have caused issues.

jW

 

[yeah]

There have been far too many reports of problems reported both in this forum and elsewhere for any responsible person to recommend this app. While you may have not had problems, recommending such an app to those who may not be as computer literate, especially knowing that so many have had problems, is doing a disservice to new Mac users. Since there is no need for such an app in the first place, and since many of the actions of the app can make performance worse, instead of better, and since there are free alternatives like Onyx and Monolingual that have far better reputations, I question the motives of anyone who would still recommend paying for an app with a questionable reputation and a history of user problems.

For anyone who wants to keep their Mac trouble free and performing well, stay away from this app.

Then explain why Clean My Mac got 5 stars out of a lot of reviewers. Then explain how manually deleteing files is safer than deleteing using a prepared file list that is constantly updated. Plus, you can't be sure you deleted all of the **** in your mac unless you use a free/paid program to scan all the **** files. Explain how a average mac person like you could be better at finding files then 10+ mac experts who made CMM. I understand it's your opinion, but you can't tell people to delete files manually. People go which way they want. You can delete manually, but ill stick to CMM cleaning for me.

 

[GGJstudios]

I use it about once a week.

Also, if you're running it weekly, especially to clear out caches, you're hurting your system performance, not helping it. Read the posts and links I've posted to learn why.

Then explain why Clean My Mac got 5 stars out of a lot of reviewers.

Because many of the "reviewers" are biased. Some may even be MacPaw employees. I'd trust user experiences more than "reviewers", and too many of those have been negative.

Then explain how manually deleteing files is safer than deleteing using a prepared file list that is constantly updated.

For one thing, many of those files that it deletes should never be deleted in the first place. You don't need to be constantly deleting files, manually or from a list.

Plus, you can't be sure you deleted all of the **** in your mac unless you use a free/paid program to scan all the **** files.

Most users have no idea what they're deleting. They're just doing what the app recommends, which many times is wrong. What you're calling **** files may be critical files that improve your Mac's performance.

Explain how a average mac person like you could be better at finding files then 10+ mac experts who made CMM.

First, they're not "Mac experts", regardless of what they might claim. They're just programmers who wrote an app to make money. Their motive is profit, not to improve the experience of Mac users. You and I have had this conversation before. Go back and read any of the several threads on this topic and you'll see absolute proof that apps like CMM are NOT better at finding and deleting files, as in the case of uninstalling apps. I've tested and proven this fact with many "uninstaller apps" including CMM.

I understand it's your opinion

No, it's not opinion. It's fact.

you can't tell people to delete files manually.

Yes, I can, when asked for advice, as in the case of this thread.

ill stick to CMM cleaning for me.

You can do whatever you want with your Mac. That doesn't mean it's wise for others to do the same.

 

[iThinkergoiMac]

You can try grabbing an app like Monolingual to clean out PPC code and extra languages, but be very careful. It also won't save you much space, though on a 40GB drive it might be worthwhile.

jW

Uhhh... what PPC code? Lion has no PPC code, that's part of how they got it as small as it is. Apart from Rosetta, Snow Leopard doesn't have any PPC code either.

OP, you won't be able to clear 5 GB out of the OS. It's just not possible. The entire download of Lion is less than 4 GB, the install is around 7 GB. You can't shrink the OS by 75% and have it still function. You need to clear other stuff that you have installed to make room. Clearing out other languages is about the only thing you can do.

 

[GermanyChris]

Uhhh... what PPC code? Lion has no PPC code, that's part of how they got it as small as it is. Apart from Rosetta, Snow Leopard doesn't have any PPC code either.

OP, you won't be able to clear 5 GB out of the OS. It's just not possible. The entire download of Lion is less than 4 GB, the install is around 7 GB. You can't shrink the OS by 75% and have it still function. You need to clear other stuff that you have installed to make room. Clearing out other languages is about the only thing you can do.

It just takes it out of universal binaries..10.6 and 10.7 have no PPC code (unfortunately)

 

[SteveZee]

OP, you won't be able to clear 5 GB out of the OS. It's just not possible. The entire download of Lion is less than 4 GB, the install is around 7 GB. You can't shrink the OS by 75% and have it still function. You need to clear other stuff that you have installed to make room. Clearing out other languages is about the only thing you can do.

Yes I understand this. However, this start up disk only has apps + OSX. Ignoring the apps, my 4 GB systyem has grown to 15 GB. In the interest of keeping this small SSD trim, cuz I just dont want to buy a bigger $$D and toss this one, I presumed there was stuff to toss that you experienced users could point out, including items the apps throw in there. Thanks for the discussion, it's interesting & helpful.

 

[iThinkergoiMac]

It just takes it out of universal binaries..10.6 and 10.7 have no PPC code (unfortunately)

True. The question was about clearing space from the Lion installation, so that's what I addressed. I think it's about time PPC code was dropped, but that's a different debate and not one for this thread.

----------

Yes I understand this.

Then why did you write:

What can I safely discard from the Lion installation to gain 5+ GB of free space?

Maybe it was just not phrased in quite the right way. "Lion installation" refers to just the files installed with Lion, excluding your apps and whatnot.

 

[GGJstudios]

Yes I understand this. However, this start up disk only has apps + OSX. Ignoring the apps, my 4 GB systyem has grown to 15 GB.

For space issues, there are a few things you can try, some of which may or may not apply:

• Begin by restarting your computer as a first step. This sometimes resolves issues, especially if you're frequently exceeding your installed RAM capacity and paging to a swap file.
• For Time Machine users on notebooks running Lion, space may being consumed by Time Machine local snapshots, which can be disabled.
  OS X Lion: About Time Machine's "local snapshots" on portable Macs
• Search with Finder to see if the space is being consumed by a very large file or several large files. Adjust the 50GB in the illustration to whatever size you deem appropriate.
  
  
• Use OmniDiskSweeper, JDisk Report, Disk Inventory X or GrandPerspective to see how space is being used on your drive. Some of these apps may show more detail than others, so try several.

I presumed there was stuff to toss that you experienced users could point out, including items the apps throw in there. Thanks for the discussion, it's interesting & helpful.

Generally speaking, it's best to leave system files and app-related files and folders alone. Moving user files is a better approach. Also, if you don't use Garageband, you can move the loops (which can be quite large) to an external drive. Also, you could move some of the built-in voices used in Text to Speech. Alex, in particular, is quite large, as I recall.

 

[GermanyChris]

True. The question was about clearing space from the Lion installation, so that's what I addressed. I think it's about time PPC code was dropped, but that's a different debate and not one for this thread.

Right and removing PPC code from universal binaries will save some space but its SOME..

The OP just needs a bigger than 40GB SSD IMHO

 

[GGJstudios]

The OP just needs a bigger than 40GB SSD IMHO

I wholeheartedly agree!

 

[Krazy Bill]

CleanMyMac has been the subject of far too many threads regarding problems with it "cleaning" the wrong things for me to ever recommend it to anyone.

jW

Well, then shame on you for not looking at what it's about to delete. It puts a list right in your face. Nothing hidden from you. Then... for "touchy" files it even asks you to authenticate what you're about to nuke - again, listing what those files are and giving you a chance to abort.

And as far as missing cache files affecting any noticeable performance... nonsense.

I'm not a shill for macpaw. It's basically a search engine that saves a lot of manual sleuthing. I see no difference in deleting a file within CMM's window vs. the Finder. (except CMM is much easier and faster).

 

[GGJstudios]

And as far as missing cache files affecting any noticeable performance... nonsense.

It's not nonsense. Read the links and educate yourself, as you appear not to understand the purpose of a cache.

I'm not a shill for macpaw.

Of course not!?

It's basically a search engine that saves a lot of manual sleuthing.

It's much more than that, which is what makes it dangerous in the hands of a user who doesn't know what various files/folders are used for.

I see no difference in deleting a file within CMM's window vs. the Finder. (except CMM is much easier and faster).

Finder doesn't present a neophyte user with a suggested list of things to delete. If a user doesn't fully understand what a file is and what it's used for, it's not wise to delete it. CMM facilitates deleting things that a typical user doesn't have sufficient knowledge to question.

If I was successfully using any app, and I learned that a great number of users did have issues with that app, while I may continue using it myself, I would refrain from recommending it, to protect others from potential problems. But then, my motivation is to help Mac users, not to promote any particular app.

 

[Michaelgtrusa]

Their was a case here several months ago where a user used Xslimmer on his Lion install and Safari would not play flash any longer! He had to reinstall lion.