Chris449

Q: How do I free up space in recovery mode

I recently (tried) to install OS X Capitan Beta on my macbook. My macbook froze during the last few seconds of installation and as a result, I did a hard shutdown.

When I try and log on, my macbook automatically shuts down. I thus decide to reinstall OS X Yosemite.

However, when I try to reintall Yosemite using recovery mode, it states that I need to free up space. Obviously I cannot do this by loggin in, thus I have to try and free up space via the recovery mode.

There is a large file on the desktop that I would like to delete - what would the command be in Command?

 

Thanks

MacBook Pro with Retina display

Posted on Jul 23, 2015 3:11 AM

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Q: How do I free up space in recovery mode

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  • by OGELTHORPE,

    OGELTHORPE OGELTHORPE Jul 23, 2015 3:31 AM in response to Chris449
    Level 9 (52,700 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 23, 2015 3:31 AM in response to Chris449

    When dealing with a beta version of an application, there may be risks associated with doing so and you must be willing to accept them.  That appears to be the case here.

     

    What you can do in recovery mode is to erase the HDD which then should allow you to install an OSX.  This will delete all user data, but if you have a backup, that should not be a significant problem.

     

    Ciao.

  • by Chris449,

    Chris449 Chris449 Jul 23, 2015 3:41 AM in response to OGELTHORPE
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 23, 2015 3:41 AM in response to OGELTHORPE

    Unfortunately I do not have a backup, hence why I would like to reinstall instead of deleting my whole hdd. I have 7.5gb free, so I only need to delete a few files to be able to do this!

  • by OGELTHORPE,

    OGELTHORPE OGELTHORPE Jul 23, 2015 4:04 AM in response to Chris449
    Level 9 (52,700 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 23, 2015 4:04 AM in response to Chris449

    See if a safe boot will allow access:

     

    https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201262

     

    If not, try Target Disk mode;

     

    https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201462

     

    Or take out the HDD, install it in an enclosure and connect it to another Mac via USB.

     

    Ciao.

  • by Chris449,

    Chris449 Chris449 Jul 23, 2015 4:13 AM in response to OGELTHORPE
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 23, 2015 4:13 AM in response to OGELTHORPE

    Sare mode does not work - it still just crashes when trying to log on.

    I Don't have another Mac nearby to do TD mode.

    Do you know the command line to delete a file on the desktop in Command recovery mode? If I can delete that (it's 5gb in size) I can simply reinstall OS X. In command it keeps saying 'file not found'.

     

    Thanks

  • by OGELTHORPE,

    OGELTHORPE OGELTHORPE Jul 23, 2015 4:25 AM in response to Chris449
    Level 9 (52,700 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 23, 2015 4:25 AM in response to Chris449

    Chris449 wrote:

     

    Do you know the command line to delete a file on the desktop in Command recovery mode?

    No I do not.

     

    The last option that might work is to install an OSX on an external HDD and boot the MBP from that.  Then you can access the internal storage device and delete data.  This assumes that you can get into Internet recovery, OPTION + COMMAND + R at startup.

     

    Ciao.