# Hard Drive full -- but not full



## Jrbot22 (Jan 29, 2009)

I just received a warning that my Mac Mini OS 10.5.6 hard drive is almost full. I have 111GB capacity. 'Get Info' shows I have used more than 110GB. However, when I 'get info' on every folder showing within the hard drive folder, it adds up to only 22GB, which should be correct. (What Size software confirms this with a more detailed view of hidden folders.)

Can anybody help me? Are their still hidden folders? I have checked every file I can think of, with almost all of my docs, including iTunes files, residing on my external drive.

I am now showing 812MB left. ??


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## fryke (Jan 29, 2009)

When you're selecting the folders, you're ignoring invisible system stuff as well as system stuff that is visible but not accessible directly, i.e. the Finder can't count it correctly. Use OmniDiskSweeper - http://www.omnigroup.com/applications/omnidisksweeper/ - in order to find out where the _big_ stuff is.

There might also be a secondary user folder involved that takes up space.


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## Mikuro (Jan 29, 2009)

It could also be that Spotlight has gone berserk and keeps adding data to its database. Spotlight's database might not show up in some of these apps because non-root users don't have permission to even view the contents of the folders. You can run these tools as root to avoid this problem, or just check on Spotlight from Terminal like so:
	
	



```
sudo du -h -d0 /.Spotlight-V100
```


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## Jrbot22 (Jan 29, 2009)

Got it! Thanks!

Found a folder marked /private/var/log/asl. 1,450 58MB files that I can't ID. I trashed them. Now the secured trash is taking forever to empty.

So two issues. Why is trash emptying so slow? How did these runaway files get there? (They appear to be related to iMovie or iTunes,)


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## Jrbot22 (Jan 29, 2009)

The above was answer to OmniDisc Sweeper success. What is Spotlight?

Thanks.


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## ElDiabloConCaca (Jan 29, 2009)

> Now the *secured* trash is taking forever to empty.


I'm not sure what you meant by "secured," but if you performed a "Secure Empty Trash," then the places on the hard drive where those trashed files resided is being overwritten multiple times with garbage data, which helps to prevent forensic recovery of that data.

It's for the super-paranoid and those who have sensitive data they wish to get rid of permanently... kind of like the difference between throwing a paper in the trash, and taking that paper over to the paper shredder and running it through five times before throwing it in the trash.

I don't think you need to use "Secure Empty Trash."  The only benefit you get from it is peace of mind that no one can now recover those files that contained unknown data anyway.  The drawback is that it takes much more time to simply empty the trash.


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## Satcomer (Jan 29, 2009)

Jrbot22 said:


> What is Spotlight?



Well the best way to describe Spotlight  is in 10.4.x (and fixed in 10.5.x) Apple included  Spotlight in the Finder's menu item in the right hand corner that looks like and magnifying glass. Spotlight indexes your files so a Mac user can quickly find (through searching with Spotlight). In 10.5.x if you search for an application and it appears as the *top choice*, a Mac user can just hit the 'return' button to launch that Application. So now it is a searching utility/application launcher.


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