System Data taking up almost 200GB, how can I tell where it is coming from?

The above is not directed to me but chipping in anyways.

There are Specific Rules about using and posting on the ASC Forums that we ALL are required to adhere to them.

Those rules, when a user is in contravention of said Rules, the Moderators have the discretion to edit, alter or out right remove and entire posting.

Even I have posted inappropriate information for time to time and had elements of a posting removed.

Rare as it has been but it has occurred.

So, the user is not exclusive to this practice

JustSomeOldGuy wrote:

So, you don’t get banned for saying things like that? hmmm…

I've gotten a couple of edits today for telling people they need to find 100,000 friends and complain to Apple. But I just have to go back in and explain how Apple's feedback system works.

One of my pet peeves is that when users get totally stuck, the only answer we can can give them is to file product feedback or file an official bug report. (Both of which are now called "feedback" web sites, of course.) But the problem comes in when users actually do what we ask. They file feedback with Apple. Then, the next update rolls around and they get more upset because the problem they reported isn't fixed. Then we have to come back and explain how Apple scores those feedback submissions based on how many people reported the same problem.

After another couple of updates, they're still complaining. Then I have to explain how even the most simple problem, that impacts millions of users, that is easily reproducible, that I can literally fix right here in the forums, will take Apple 3 months to fix.

I must learn your clever, covertly subversive ways, oh wise one.

It would take more than a few days, or weeks, or years, of posting in the Wild to make you look like etresoft. And you would get banned first, unless you are made of sterner stuff than you look to be. (Adapted from Aragorn, son of Arathorn, in response to Pippin. But Pippin did end up taking out a troll, and he led the Tooks into battle to help put an end to Saruman. Neither of them ever duked it out over the internet. 😄 )

Regarding local snapshots, is there a particularly good reason to not disable those? To me, local snapshots seem like an excellent way to wear out your SSD and slow your computer. That’s in addition to tricking owners into believing they’re out of space, and thus need a “new and improved” Mac.

They normally don't cause any problems. They definitely aren't going to wear out your SSD at all. I think the problem usually comes in when users run very low on storage and then start deleting things to make room. Of course they check to see how much progress they've made. Then they are totally confused to see they've actually lost ground. Then I've got to explain how launch "daemons" work in the background. Another one of my pet peeves is the staggering amount of arcane Unix minutiae that Apple is putting in front of users.

In fact, the 256GB SSD died last year in my old 2015 MBP. But they say every cloud has a silver lining, and a dead SSD led me to discover M.2 SSDs. Did you know you can put up to 4TB in an old MacBook Pro or Air? I can personally attest to the fact that it works great. 👍

I'm glad it worked out for you. That's a risky procedure. It fails as often as it works. And even when it works, it can cause some strange side effects in many cases.

etresoft wrote:

But the problem comes in when users actually do what we ask. They file feedback with Apple. Then, the next update rolls around and they get more upset because the problem they reported isn't fixed.

Or, Apple actually fixes the problem in a future update, which upsets those who preferred the way it worked before they fixed it.

File an official bug report?

Ha ha. “Not a regression“ sums it up, I think.

I’m not made of sterner stuff?

I used to be. Years ago. But without your diplomatic talents, I shot myself in the foot more times than I can count. Besides, it was meant mostly as a compliment to you. ⭐️

Using an M.2 is risky?

Yes, definitely. All the horror stories got me to dig in and do my homework.

”Wait Master—it might be dangerous… You go first.”

-Igor, Young Frankenstein

Kind of like the either / or .

Otherwise we get complacent and very little work on the ASC Forums 😉