how to reformat my macbook back to factory settings
i've been having memory problems and just cant figure them out. mainly, i have no memory left to even run my applications smoothly and i have nothing left on the computer. i moved everything to my desktop mac, documents, music, movies, photos, its all deleted on the laptop and the trashbin is empty too. it says the applications use 8.5 gb of space so i really dont know where all the other space went, but since i cant figure it out i want to just reformat the whole thing. i have the 2 install discs but no recovery disc. will i still be able to do it with those 2 and if, how do i do that?
anyone have any advice?
thank you
romini wrote:
i've been having memory problems and just cant figure them out. mainly, i have no memory left to even run my applications smoothly and i have nothing left on the computer.
Do you really mean memory? RAM? Reinstalling has nothing to do with RAM.
If you mean harddrive space, that's not memory.
i moved everything to my desktop mac, documents, music, movies, photos, its all deleted on the laptop and the trashbin is empty too. it says the applications use 8.5 gb of space so i really dont know where all the other space went, but since i cant figure it out i want to just reformat the whole thing. i have the 2 install discs but no recovery disc. will i still be able to do it with those 2 and if, how do i do that?
anyone have any advice?
thank you
Download the program WhatSize
http://whatsize.en.softonic.com/mac and run it. It will tell you what is taking up harddrive space. It sounds as if your HD is simply too small.
This isn't a memory issue, it's available disk space that's the issue here.
A cluttered desktop can lead to a myriad of problems, you don't want to do that.
Performance tip: Keep the Desktop clutter-free (empty, if possible)
Mac OS X's Desktop is the de facto location for downloaded files, and for many users, in-progress works that will either be organized later or deleted altogether. The desktop can also be gluttonous, however, becoming a catch-all for files that linger indefinitely.
Unfortunately - aside from the effect of disarray it creates - keeping dozens or hundreds of files on the Desktop can significantly degrade performance. Not necessarily because the system is sluggish with regard to rendering the icons on the desktop and storing them in memory persistently (which may be true in some cases), but more likely because keeping an excessive number of items on the Desktop can cause the windowserver process to generate reams of logfiles, which obviously draws resources away from other system tasks. Each of your icons on your desktop is stored as a window in the window server, not as an alias. The more you have stored, the more strain it puts on the window server. Check your desktop for unnecessary icons and clear them out.
Keeping as few items as possible on the Desktop can prove a surprisingly effective performance boon. Even creating a single folder on your Desktop and placing all current and future clutter inside, then logging out and back in can provide an immediately noticeable speed boost, particularly for the Finder. And it is why Apple invented 'Stacks' for Leopard.
You need to check the hard disk for possible errors..
To check the hard disk:
Open Disk Utility, in the Utilities folder in the Applications folder.
Insert your Mac OS X Install disc in your computer’s optical drive or an optical drive connected to your computer, and then restart your computer. When you hear the startup tone, hold down the C key until you see the progress indicator, which looks like a spinning gear.
Follow the onscreen instructions until the menu bar appears with the Utilities menu in it, choose Utilities > Disk Utility, click First Aid, and then click Repair Disk. When it's finished, from the Menu Bar, select Utilities/Startup Disk. In the Startup Disk window select MacintoshHD 10.x.x and click Restart.
If you want to reinstall Leopard:
Under some circumstances, you may need to reinstall Mac OS X. You can reinstall Mac OS X while keeping your files and user settings intact.
Insert the Mac OS X Install DVD and double-click the Install Mac OS X icon.
Follow the onscreen instructions. In the pane where you select the destination disk, select your current Mac OS X disk (in most cases, it will be the only one available).
Click Options.
If you want to save your existing files, users, and network settings, select “Archive and Install,” and then select “Preserve Users and Network Settings.”
If you want to erase everything on your computer and reinstall Mac OS X, select “Erase and Install.” You can’t recover erased data.
Click Continue.
Click Customize to select which parts of Mac OS X you’d like to install, or click Install to perform a basic installation (recommended).
NOTE: If you selected “Erase and Install” in step 3, you may need to use the Applications Install DVD that came with your computer to reinstall your iLife applications (GarageBand, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, and iWeb). If you are prompted to use the Applications Install DVD, insert the Applications Install DVD, double-click the Install Bundled Software icon, and then follow the onscreen instructions.
If you purchased a standalone version of Mac OS X, these installation instructions are in a PDF file located on the Mac OS X Install DVD.
If you need to reinstall the version of Mac OS X that was on your computer when you purchased it, or if you need to restore all the software on your computer, including Apple software, third-party applications, and other printer drivers, review the instructions in the manual that came with your computer.
If you need to reinstall Mac OS X and you’ve been using Time Machine for backup, you can easily restore your applications, files, and user settings from your Time Machine backup disk after you’ve reinstalled Mac OS X.
i guess i'm not sure at all what it means, memory or hard drive space. i just keep getting messages saying that i dont have enough space left to run this or that program (for example mail, and then it shuts down) or when i pop in a dvd to watch it cant do that anymore. it says i have 74.8 gb and 66 of them are used. but i dont know what they are used by. my desktop is not cluttered at all, i have nothing left on the computer. the only icon on the desktop is the hd and when i check my folders they are all empty. no more documents left, no music, no pictures, nothing. i deleted everything after i transfered it to my other computer. i used to have all my pictures on here and some movies and slowly i had to get rid of things because there wasnt anymore space. now its all gone and i still dont have space. its just very confusing to me. i also ran whatsize already, but that just showed me that my applications are using 8.5 gb and that was the only thing it came up with that was marked red. i guess i will try to repair the disc with the installation cd but i'm not sure i have an application cd with all the apps. i do have a dc2 so that might me it?
if you have any other advice it would be much appreciated. if not, then thank you so much for your tips and i guess i will try to repair the "erase and install".
thank you
romina
If you do an erase and reinstall Leopard, go to the link that Nerowolfe gave you for WhatSize. It can tell you the size of the files and folders on your hard disk.
BTW, a Mac needs 15% free drive space just to boot. Leopard requires 9GB of disk space alone, let alone any 3rd party applications, images/audio/video. One way to keep track of your available drive space is to do this: Right or Control Click your MacintoshHD icon on your Desktop, then click: Get Info. When the Get Info window opens, click the black arrow next to where it says: General so it faces down. You will see: Capacity and Available. Make sure you have a minimum of 10 to 15% free drives space all the time.
When you insert your restore disk(s) to either repair or completely erase and reinstall the system you will get dialog boxes telling you which disk to insert.
i ran whatsize already but as i said it only showed my applications taking up 8.5 gb in red. that was the biggest file it showed. when i control click on the hd it says that the capacity is 74.21gb and that i'm already using 66.36 gb, leaving me with 7.85gb free space. so i dont know how i can make sure that i have 10-15 % available if the only visible thing left to delete are the apps. and even when i delete those i will only have around 16gb available.
i will try to repair the disk i guess and if that doesnt help i will just erase and install from scratch.
thank you for your hepl
romina
First, run Disk Utility from your restore disk and click the Verify button. If DU reports errors, click Repair.
Available drive space is really important on a computer. The less drive space available, the slower apps run, the more you experience freezing and crashing. Remember, every time you do a Software Update, the size of those files is listed in that window. Tip: run Disk Utility from your Applications/Utilities folder BEFORE and AFTER every software update. It will save you many a headache later on.
It's not hard to erase the disk and reinstall Leopard. Your Mac will do most of the work for you. And once you have done this and gained experience from it, you'll feel more confident if it's necessary to do it again.
thank you very much for your help. i tried to repair the disk with the installation cd but it only came up with "everything seams to be ok" so i reformatted the whole thing. now its finally running smoothly again and i have tons of space left. now i need to figure out how to get my programs back from my other computer without having everything from the other computer being transfered onto the laptop, meaning only selected programs and documents. but i will start a new thread about that.
thanks again
romina
To migrate files from one Mac to another all you need is a Firewire cable.
Transferring files between two computers using FireWire
If you have two Macs that are FireWire-equipped, you can connect them so that one of them appears as an external hard disk on the other. This is sometimes called Target Disk Mode.
To transfer files using FireWire:
Shut down the computer to be used as a disk. Leave the other computer on.
Connect the two computers with a FireWire cable.
Start up the computer to be used as a disk, then open System Preferences, click Startup Disk, and click Target Disk Mode. (Or, start it up while holding down the T key.)
A disk icon appears on the desktop of the other computer.
Transfer files by dragging them to and from the disk.
Eject the disk by dragging its icon to the Trash. (While you drag, the Trash icon changes to an Eject icon.)
On the computer you used as a disk, push the power button to shut it down, and then disconnect the FireWire cable.
