hello, i have an SSD 500GB, it has a quite complex root structure, that i inherited from an previous device, i get lost track in it and would back to return to one main root, how i can perform that without losing all my files on it, i run sim machine on regular times, but i am afraid that would in case of a reinstall of the system completely insert the faulty structure again
sse screenshots below
thanks
iMac 27″ 5K, macOS 13.5
if i would remove the 'mackintosh HD-Donnees, would the 432 GB being shifted to the 'top" apple SSD?
That would delete all of your data. Do you not want your files?
All of the storage space on the drive (500GB) is allocated to Container Disk1. Every volume inside of Container Disk 1 has access to all 500GB. Your data uses the vast majority of the 500GB.
Except for the additional Subsidiary volume, your drive is configured as it should be. Can you explain what it is you are trying to do? There is nothing wrong with your drive setup. You have used all of the space with your data. If you need more space, move some of the old data to an external drive or delete it.
would the Mac stilll start,
Maybe, but… you would have no users into which to log into since you deleted them.
and when i want to complete wipe out the Apple SSD,
That is completely unnecessary since the OS is stored on a cryptographically sealed snapshot that is mounted Read Only. Nothing can "corrupt" the OS short of disk failure.
If you have a Mac with a T2 chip or Apple Silicon, the drive is always encrypted and you can now "Erase all Content and settings" which erases all of your data and deletes the encryption keys. You can then start fresh or migrate from a backup.
how to reinstall the Mac OS ?
How to reinstall macOS - Apple Support
I really would like to envision an clean install with just one main partition
That is not something that can happen.
Partitions don't exist in APFS. A Container is very similar to a Partition, but a container can be subdivided into Volumes which all share the storage space in the "partition."
macOS divides the startup drive container into functionally discrete volumes. All of those volumes previously existed as folders or partitions on the old HFS+ (Mac OS Extended) drive structure.
The two primary volumes are System and Data. The OS is installed into the System volume.
All User data is stored in the Data Volume. The remaining volumes are Recovery, VM, PreBoot, and Update
All of this is hidden from the user in Finder. You only see the name of the startup drive. Finder makes it appear that there is only one volume, but that is just a trick.
What do you think is faulty about that structure? The Subsidiary volume is the only thing abnormal, but not faulty.
If you want to remove that volume, move all of the files off it and into your Data volume. You can then remove it.
belgiantirak wrote:
thx, i assume you mean the lowest level (subsidiary = 38,5 GB)?
will the 38,5 GB be added to the structure one level higher, automatically ?
Not if you move the data from it to your other volume. Volumes in a container share the total storage of the parent container. Once you move that 38.5 GB of data to your other volume, Subsidiary will no longer take up 38.5GB of storage, but the space will be consumed on the other volume.
if i would remove the 'mackintosh HD-Donnees, would the 432 GB being shifted to the 'top" apple SSD?
would the Mac stilll start, and when i want to complete wipe out the Apple SSD, how to reinstall the Mac OS ?
I really would like to envision an clean install with just one main partition
Thx again
thx, i assume you mean the lowest level (subsidiary = 38,5 GB)?
will the 38,5 GB be added to the structure one level higher, automatically ?
SSD structure reorganise
