Will a Time Machine Restore free-up wasted space?

[quaffa]

Hello all.

When I got my MacBook Pro (my first ever Mac), about seven years ago I got confused about how to have Windows running on it under Parallels; I mistakenly thought that one had to use Bootcamp to create a Bootcamp partition on the hard drive, and run Windows from that. I now know differently, but back then I created a Bootcamp partition by whatever method Apple instructed. (Bootcamp Assistant?)

Wind-forward to this week, and I realised that I only had about 15GB of space on my hard drive, and that Bootcamp was using up 92GB on it. I decided that the time had come to get rid of the Bootcamp partition.

I sought advice from Parallels, and they told me to 'import' my Windows installation from Bootcamp before deleting Bootcamp. But that failed because one needs 50GB of free space to do it. And so my next thought was to simply delete the Bootcamp partition and then do a more conventional installation of Windows under Parallels without Bootcamp.

But, although this seemed perfectly logical to me, I managed to cock it up on Friday...

I used Disk Utility to remove the Bootcamp partition, and then I expected my available storage to jump up from 15GB to 107GB (15 + 92). But this did not happen. There is now no trace of any Bootcamp partition, but I still only have 15GB of free space. The 92GB seems to have vanished somehow, or is still being regarded by my Mac as being 'used' space rather than 'free' space.

I can't work out why this is, but I'm sort of thinking along the lines that I should have erased whatever had been on that Bootcamp partition first, and I now have no way of doing so, or I should have used Bootcamp Assistant to remove the partition instead of Disk Utility. Either way, I seem to be up a gum-tree with this, now having 92GB of wasted space that I cannot recover.

And so currently I have no Windows because I deleted Bootcamp, and I don't have enough free space to install it under Parallels conventionally on Macintosh HD.

I have been advised elsewhere that the only solution is to completely erase my Macintosh HD, and then do a 'clean' install of macOS 10.13.1, and then restore all my data using a Time Machine back-up. I am ready to go ahead and do that.

But my worry is that a Time Machine back-up will include whatever is still languishing in that unrecoverable former partition, and that doing a restore from it will simply get me right back to where I am already.

Can anyone advise me whether, a) the full erasure and clean install is the correct way to address this issue, and b), whether restoring from Time Machine would also restore the unwanted stuff that was in the former Bootcamp partition?

Thanks in advance.

 

[jbarley]

Can anyone advise me whether, a) the full erasure and clean install is the correct way to address this issue, and b), whether restoring from Time Machine would also restore the unwanted stuff that was in the former Bootcamp partition?
Thanks in advance.

The clean install would work, then I would suggest using "Migration Assistant" to bring back only what you need.
At the end of the install process you will be prompted by the Migration Assistant for a source, choose Time Machine.
You do not want to do a full Time Machine restore...
Best suggestion is to download the macOS install and create a USB installer, as you will need to be booted from something other then the HDD you are trying to partition and format.

 

[quaffa]

Thanks for that. Am I correct, then, in thinking that a full Time Machine Restore would indeed put back whatever wasn't deleted from Bootcamp?

If I were to go the Migration Assistant route, would this be the correct sequence:-

1. Download macOS 10.13.1 and create a USB installer with the downloaded Install macOS file. (I have a stick ready & waiting.)
2. Use Disk Utility to erase/format the Macintosh HD drive. (Or do I need to go deeper and use some other sort of eraser?)
3. Use the USB stick to reinstall macOS 10.13.1. Effectively have a new, fresh Mac.
4. Personalise the 'new' Mac by signing in with my Apple ID.
5. Use Migration Assistant to restore the applications & data as required. (Launch the MA app, click continue, then choose Time Machine as the source.)

 

[jbarley]

Sounds like you've got all your ducks lined up in a row.
Only change I would suggest, and I do this myself all the time, in step 2: is to not only erase the HDD but also to re-partition it.
This will get rid of the original system installation plus the adjoining Recovery Partition, which will be re-created with the new clean install.
Good luck and smooth sailing...

 

[quaffa]

Thanks for that, but I'm still a bit unclear how to do this.

Can it be done with Disk Utility itself? Because I've just opened Disk Utility and clicked on the 'Partition' button, and with the Macintosh HD selected I note that the 'Apply' button is greyed-out, which seems to imply that it won't let me partition it.

Or does the Disk Utility option in a recovery restart behave differently?

Confused...

 

[Weaselboy]

Thanks for that, but I'm still a bit unclear how to do this.

You are making way to much work for yourself here. There is no need to reinstall at all. Just option key boot to the Time Machine backup and you will see a restore screen. From there open Disk Util and go to the erase tab then select the drive itself at the very top of the left column above where is says Macintosh HD. Now erase the whole drive to Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Now quit Disk Util then click restore and the OS and all your data will be moved back to the drive.

 

[quaffa]

Thanks Weaselboy. That looks easier, but again I find myself wondering whether this will restore everything, including the stuff that had been the Bootcamp partition but is now part of my Mac HD, thereby not freeing up any of that space that I want.

Thinking about it, would it be an idea to restore from a Time Machine back-up done before I made the error of deleting the Bootcamp partition, so that it will only restore what it had backed-up from the smaller Mac HD partition that I had before deletion of the Bootcamp partition?

And would this be possible using your shorter method?

 

[Weaselboy]

Thanks Weaselboy. That looks easier, but again I find myself wondering whether this will restore everything, including the stuff that had been the Bootcamp partition but is now part of my Mac HD, thereby not freeing up any of that space that I want.

Thinking about it, would it be an idea to restore from a Time Machine back-up done before I made the error of deleting the Bootcamp partition, so that it will only restore what it had backed-up from the smaller Mac HD partition that I had before deletion of the Bootcamp partition?

And would this be possible using your shorter method?

Doing a restore like I described will not bring back the Bootcamp partition or any data on it. It will only restore the Macintosh HD volume. There is no need to roll back to an older backup, a current one will work fine.

By erasing the entire drive first, you will be rid of the Bootcamp space.

 

[quaffa]

Just option key boot to the Time Machine backup and you will see a restore screen.

Okay... I've had a practice start with the 'option key boot to the Time Machine backup' method, and I'm afraid I became lost at the first stage.

If I've interpreted your phrase correctly, what you mean by it is to shut down my Mac, and then hold down the Option key while pressing the power button to restart it. Yes?

When I do that I am presented with two drive icons from which to boot, and no sign of Time Machine at all. If I do the same thing with my Time Machine external drive plugged in, that drive is added to the choice from which to boot, but I'm sure it isn't a bootable drive, and so I'm now at a loss.

Can someone assist me here please?

 

[Weaselboy]

If I do the same thing with my Time Machine external drive plugged in, that drive is added to the choice from which to boot, but I'm sure it isn't a bootable drive, and so I'm now at a loss.

It is bootable. Pick that drive and it will boot to a recovery screen, then follow my instructions.

The key here is you will be booted to that TM external drive, so this frees up the internal drive to be completely erased.

 

[quaffa]

Oh, right. I didn't think it was bootable, and I thought i'd gone wrong because I was expecting that other screen with the OS X Utilities shown in a table.

I'm ever so sorry for sounding so dumb, but I'm a bit paranoid after going wrong with Disk Utility the other day, and I'm frightened to death of messing up completely.

I will give it another go, grit my teeth and follow your advice.

Thanks again.

Edit: 2.40PM- Mac HD Erased; Time Machine restoring backup. Estimate 4 hours 53 minutes.

(I'll be a nervous wreck for 4 hours 53 minutes now...)

 

[Fishrrman]

My suggestion:
You will need an external drive
You will need CarbonCopyCloner, FREE to download and use for 30 days, which you can get from here:
http://www.bombich.com/download.html

What to do:
1. Erase the external drive. Format it to HFS+ with journaling enabled.
2. Use CCC to clone the contents of your internal drive to the external drive. DO NOT try to clone the Bootcamp partition. (didn't you already delete it?)
3. Once the clone is done, BOOT FROM THE CLONE:
a. power down the Mac
b. press power-on button and IMMEDIATELY hold down the option key and KEEP HOLDING IT DOWN until the startup manager appears
c. select the backup with the pointer and hit return.
d. you should boot from the cloned backup. When you get to the finder, check "about this Mac" to be sure you're actually booted from the clone.
4. Now, open Disk Utility and ERASE the internal drive. NUKE IT.
5. Next, launch CCC and RE-clone the contents of the external drive BACK TO the internal drive.
6. Done!

NOTE:
I don't see anything in your posts as to whether the internal drive is currently formatted for HFS+ or APFS (this is the High Sierra forum, right?).
CCC (latest version) can now backup and restore "either way", I believe.
My experience with APFS is limited -- I'd rather not touch it for now...

 

[Weaselboy]

Edit: 2.40PM- Mac HD Erased; Time Machine restoring backup. Estimate 4 hours 53 minutes.

This is the part where you sit and have a beer.

 

[quaffa]

It is bootable. Pick that drive and it will boot to a recovery screen, then follow my instructions.

The key here is you will be booted to that TM external drive, so this frees up the internal drive to be completely erased.

Thanks for your advice on this. My Mac has just come back to life again after following the procedure and doing a Time Machine restore of everything.

The good news is that it is absolutely back to normal and works fine.

The bad news is that, instead of getting an additional 90GB of free space on Mac HD, I now have 2GB less free space than I'd had before I started.

 

[Weaselboy]

The bad news is that, instead of getting an additional 90GB of free space on Mac HD, I now have 2GB less free space than I'd had before I started.

It sounds like you only erased the Macintosh HD volume and not the entire drive.

Run each of these two commands in Terminal and paste up the output.

diskutil list

diskutil cs list

 

[quaffa]

My suggestion:
You will need an external drive
You will need CarbonCopyCloner, FREE to download and use for 30 days, which you can get from here:
http://www.bombich.com/download.html

What to do:
1. Erase the external drive. Format it to HFS+ with journaling enabled.
2. Use CCC to clone the contents of your internal drive to the external drive. DO NOT try to clone the Bootcamp partition. (didn't you already delete it?)
3. Once the clone is done, BOOT FROM THE CLONE:
a. power down the Mac
b. press power-on button and IMMEDIATELY hold down the option key and KEEP HOLDING IT DOWN until the startup manager appears
c. select the backup with the pointer and hit return.
d. you should boot from the cloned backup. When you get to the finder, check "about this Mac" to be sure you're actually booted from the clone.
4. Now, open Disk Utility and ERASE the internal drive. NUKE IT.
5. Next, launch CCC and RE-clone the contents of the external drive BACK TO the internal drive.
6. Done!

NOTE:
I don't see anything in your posts as to whether the internal drive is currently formatted for HFS+ or APFS (this is the High Sierra forum, right?).
CCC (latest version) can now backup and restore "either way", I believe.
My experience with APFS is limited -- I'd rather not touch it for now...

Thanks Fishrrman your suggestion, but I'd already begun the 'option key boot to Time Machine' procedure and the Restore was under way when you posted. I may yet still follow your advice, though, because the method I used didn't free up any space.
[doublepost=1511297455][/doublepost]

It sounds like you only erased the Macintosh HD volume and not the entire drive.

Run each of these two commands in Terminal and paste up the output.

diskutil list

diskutil cs list

Okay. I think I did erase the Macintosh HD, but it was that that was at the very top of the left-hand Disk Utility pane; there wasn't anything higher up in it to erase...

Here are the results of the two Terminal commands:-

diskutil list
/dev/disk0 (internal, physical):
#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER
0: GUID_partition_scheme *500.1 GB disk0
1: EFI EFI 209.7 MB disk0s1
2: Apple_HFS Macintosh HD 401.8 GB disk0s2
3: Apple_Boot Recovery HD 98.1 GB disk0s3
_______________________________

diskutil cs list
No CoreStorage logical volume groups found

I hope that they indicate something, because of course they mean very little to me. I'm wondering whether I should try doing what I did again, but with the earlier, pre-Bootcamp-deletion, Time Machine backup that I had been inclined towards before? (The one I used was the most current one from this morning, as you advised.) What do you think?

 

[Weaselboy]

3: Apple_Boot Recovery HD 98.1 GB disk0s3

Here is the issue and this tells me you only erased Macintosh HD, and not the entire drive.

Do it again, and make sure you have show all devices selected then select the drive at the top (Apple SSD in my case) and erase the whole disk. This is where you are going wrong.

No matter how you restore, with Time Machine CCC or anything else, this is the problem. You can use your most current TM backup, as that is not the problem.

 

[quaffa]

Rightio. Thank you for your continued help, (and patience with me). I will do it again and make sure that 'show all devices' is ticked. I admit that I didn't click that view button last time, (didn't realise I had to).

But that will be a job for the morning now.

I will let you know how I go on tomorrow.

Thanks again.

 

[Weaselboy]

I admit that I didn't click that view button last time, (didn't realise I had to).

Yeah... sorry... that is something new with HS and I should have pointed it out.

 

[quaffa]

YIPPPPPEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

The above screen shot says it all; free space up from 22GB to 115GB. Brilliant.

Weaselboy, You are a GENIUS! Thank you oh so much.