04-25-2007, 06:24 PM

I'm starting this thread (hopefully I didnt overlook an existing one, I did a search) for not only myself but for people who would like to save some more space on their hard drives/remove programs/files that are not of importance.

When I first opened my Mac I had 2 reactions:

1) WOW, this is gorgeous!

2) WOW, theres over 30gbs of space already taken up.

I had been on Mac forums for around a month before I got my mac reading up, trying to learn as much as I could to make the switch easier.

When it comes to saving hard drive space, it seems like many offer the following tips:

1) Remove unwanted programs (Espically MS Office Free Trial). Do this either by using the finder and searching for the related files/folders, or by using an application such as Appzapper.

2) Use Monolingual , which is an application which removes the languages that you will not be using (it lets you pick).

3) When importing music into iTunes, use AAC format, as it takes up less space than MP3, this can be ajusted in iTunes>Preferences>Advanced>Importing

4) Use a program(s) such as MainMenu or Onyx to clean system/internet catches and fix errors.

That is all I have done on my system, and I hope you all have some more suggestions to help not only myself, but anyone else who wishes to get the most out of their Mac. I'm not NEARLY as savvy as some of the other members on this website, but I thought this thread would provide a little bit of knoweldge and encourage people to share some of their new ideas. I look foward to your replies!

:mac:

04-25-2007, 06:49 PM

AppZapper is nice, but all you really need to do is dump the app in the trash. Those few files left around (plist, read me, etc) are not taking up much space and are not going to impact anything else on your computer. You would literally have to have at least several thousand apps installed for the plist files to take up any meaningful amount of space. Since most files used by an App are either in the app or in the same folder as the app, simply deleting that will gain you the most space.

You're dead on about the languages though. Those take up an inordinate amount of space are are usually the first thing I dump when I boot up a new Mac.

04-25-2007, 07:05 PM

I'm runnung monolingual right now. Wow, it's getting rid of alot of junk.

04-25-2007, 07:07 PM

Originally Posted by Netty4mac

I'm runnung monolingual right now. Wow, it's getting rid of alot of junk.

It saves alot of space!

04-25-2007, 07:10 PM

I use AppZapper too. Saves a lot of time and gets rid of rogue/orphaned files with one click of the button.

04-25-2007, 10:23 PM

How about running iPhoto diet?
http://www.rhythmiccanvas.com/software/iphotodiet/

04-25-2007, 10:55 PM

Wow, I cleared up 3 GB of space with monolingual.

04-26-2007, 12:09 AM

Originally Posted by Netty4mac

Wow, I cleared up 3 GB of space with monolingual.

Awesome! =) Thats gotta be a record.

04-26-2007, 12:11 AM

Originally Posted by giulio

How about running iPhoto diet?
http://www.rhythmiccanvas.com/software/iphotodiet/

Dont really have alot of pictures, but I'm downloading it right now, I'll let ya know how it turns out! =)

EDIT: Just tried it out, didnt save any space, but I'm sure it'll help out someone

04-26-2007, 12:23 AM

iphoto diet is deadly. I want and need those originals I can revert back to. Since I rely completely on iPhoto for managing my images, I don't take my chances with it.

04-26-2007, 12:25 AM

Hey Netty,

How did u shave off 3GB, I was only able to save 544MB, after I removed the languages.

Please let me know. Thanks

CHeers

04-26-2007, 12:28 AM

Originally Posted by MinaMACMan

Hey Netty,

How did u shave off 3GB, I was only able to save 544MB, after I removed the languages.

Please let me know. Thanks

CHeers

Yes 3GB! I just got rid of all the languages except english. I checked all the boxes except 2 or 3.

04-26-2007, 12:55 AM

I only saved 944 mb when I did it, so you're not alone =)

04-26-2007, 01:37 AM

I'm with Netty, I saved around 2-3GB when getting rid of extra language packs. From what I've read, this number seems to be the norm. Don't know why you guys are getting such measly numbers. Did you get rid of every language except English or did you leave a few in?

04-26-2007, 07:59 AM

It will also depend on how many programs you have with multiple languages. If you have less programs, there is less language files to delete, so the savings will be less.

Another way to free up space is to trim the unused archetecture from universal apps. If you're on a PPC, get rid of the intel part. If you're on an intel, get rid of the PPC code. There are utilities for this action, but I don't know of any off hand.

Oh - here's one:
http://www.xslimmer.com/

Here are some example savings seen by our users:

• Audio Hijack Pro 2.6.7, from 12.7Mb to 9.6Mb (3.1Mb, 24%)
• BBEdit 8.5, from 33.6Mb to 23.5Mb (10.1Mb, 30%)
• Google Earth 4, from 101Mb to 52.8Mb (48.2Mb, 47%)
• Photoshop CS3 Beta, from 246Mb to 144Mb (102Mb, 41%)

Xslimmer not only frees space wasted by unused code, it can even increase your Mac's performance. Some of our users have reported applications loading in almost half the time, because OS X does not need to analyze Xslimmed applications in search for the most suitable version of the code.