01-15-2007, 03:17 AM

I found a file called "Sleep Image" that is taking up 2GB of space and requires password verification to delete. Thats 2GB I would like back if this file isnt supposed to be so big.
Is it safe to delete?

01-15-2007, 01:41 PM

What sort of file is it?
What folder is it in?

01-15-2007, 05:32 PM

It is a document owned by the root in my boot drive in the folders: private>var>vm

I assume it does something but it seems kinda big.

01-15-2007, 07:22 PM

From what I've seen in google so far, looks like you need that file. It's kinda like a temp file that stores what apps are open, if you have work that is still open, etc. as your laptop goes to sleep. When it wakes it looks into that temp file and everything is as it was before it went to sleep. The sleep mode can happen just about any time, btw, not just when you let the laptop idle for too long:

From Apple's Knowledge Base Article Calibrating your computer's battery for best performance:

Tip: When the battery reaches "empty", the computer is forced into sleep mode. The battery actually keeps back a reserve beyond "empty", to maintain the computer in sleep for a period of time. Once the battery is truly exhausted, the computer is forced to shut down. At this point, with the safe sleep function introduced in the PowerBook G4 (15-inch Double-Layer SD) computers, the computer's memory contents have been saved to the hard drive. When power is restored, the computer returns itself to its pre-sleep state using the safe sleep image on the hard drive.

Edited to add:

It also seems that the file size is dependent on the amount of RAM you have on your Mac.

From Moving the hibernate image file on a MacBookPro…:

So I like to partition my Macs so that my user directory is on a different partition to the system drive.
I got kind of frustrated when I got my MacBook Pro and realised that due to having 2Gb of RAM, the hibernate settings by default were taking up an extra 2Gb on my system partition with the sleep image file at /var/vm/sleepimage.

01-15-2007, 09:14 PM

From Apple's Knowledge Base Article Calibrating your computer's battery for best performance:

Do I have to do the same for the MBP too?
Cause I use my MBP as a desktop pretty often..
It would be great if I don't have to plug out the battery every now and then

Thanks!

01-15-2007, 09:45 PM

I haven't read that article in that perspective, 4g63t. I was just trying to find some reference to this Sleep Image business. You'd have to read and see what Apple means by this procedure.

Oh and btw, welcome to Mac-Forums!