Disk space vanishing, other strange behavior

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Level 2

179 points

Disk space vanishing, other strange behavior

In the last two days TechTool has been announcing that my free disk space is getting low. Started at 15%, but it keeps dropping down to 1%. I've deleted about 100GB of data in the last two days, but it isn't helping.

Checked my log files which aren't ridculously big. None of my processes are using a fraction of the 160GB+ it shows as being allocated to VM. Some strange log entries in console related to MacHelper, but I don't think I ever installed it. Ran an uninstaller just in case.

Prior to this happening some other odd things have been happening for a week or so:

External drives aren't dismounting correctly. Click eject and the name remains grayed out and if I unplug the drive I get chided for removing a drive.
System hangs and requires forced restart. Hangs during restart on the desktop image.
Had some trouble with an external e-sata drive dismounting all the time using the card slot adaptor for e-Sata. Card would get extremely hot. Used FW800 but had strange behavior with 5 additional drives reminiscent of SCSI. Once I changed the cables around it stopped doing this.

Posted on Aug 14, 2011 7:35 PM

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Answer 1

Eric Ross

Level 6

11,807 points

Aug 14, 2011 11:28 PM in response to G. Ewald

Try repairing your hard drive withdisk utility, also repair your permissions.

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Answer 2

BDAqua

Level 10

238,979 points

Aug 15, 2011 12:30 AM in response to G. Ewald

Open Console in Applications>Utilities, see if you're getting constant messages & huge log files as a result.

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Answer 3

G. Ewald Author

Level 2

179 points

Aug 15, 2011 6:56 AM in response to BDAqua

Log files not all that big. I was seeing some entries for MacKeeper which I didn't think I had installed, but I ran a script to remove it. My log is capped at 4000 entries.

The chronology of all of this is:

Problems dismounting external drives. Icon grays out, but computer complains if I unplug them. Only restart clears them.

On restart, computer hangs on blue screen with spinning progress icon. Left it over night last night and it still didn't restart. Another forced restart clears it up.

At start up, some apps loading on start up have very slow animation of splash screen graphic. Wireframe of border slowly steps out before loading graphic.

Mysterious filling up of hard drive. After restart from uninstalling MacKeeper the computer showed 125GB free (I've been deleting things like crazy since the computer kept filling up), and while Firefox was launching the hard drive filled up to 0% remaining. Firefox wasn't part of the problem. I only launched it to get to this forum. Hadn't been open when HD was filling up.

So far this morning the HD isn't filling up. Not sure if it is fixed yet. (Update, while typing this message the hard drive has filled up again).

Repaired permissions this morning. Nothing major spotted in the log.

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Answer 4

WZZZ

Level 6

13,220 points

Aug 15, 2011 8:03 AM in response to G. Ewald

You may not have gotten all of MacKeeper. From an earlier post of mine:

I'd search for it using EasyFind. Enter "MacKeeper" and "Zeobit." Set EF to scan all files and folders, invisible, case insensitive, package contents. Search using boolean and phrase. It will probably do a more thorough job than Spotlight. If you can't "Destroy" from EF, use Reveal in Finder to trash and authenticate from there.

It is also known to install a Windows emulator called "wine;" search for that.

Also, look in the Keychain for anything MacKeeper or zeobit related, and for its cookies in your browser. When finished, empty the Trash and restart.

http://www.devon-technologies.com/download/index.html

Somehow, as BDAqua suggested, I'm still suspecting it's the logs filling up with a constantly repeating message. Are there any other Users? Can you log in to those and see what's going on with those logs?

Permissons repair has nothing to do with this.

Get OmniDisk Sweeper. Run it logged in to all your users.

http://www.omnigroup.com/products/omnidisksweeper/

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Answer 5

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,541 points

Aug 15, 2011 8:14 AM in response to G. Ewald

In the other thread you started on this same subject and now seem to have abandoned, I suggested you boot in safe mode. Did you do that?

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Answer 6

G. Ewald Author

Level 2

179 points

Aug 15, 2011 11:26 AM in response to WZZZ

EasyFinder didn't find anything other than the removal tool.

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Answer 7

G. Ewald Author

Level 2

179 points

Aug 15, 2011 11:28 AM in response to G. Ewald

I have three users, but I am the only one using the computer. When I started in safe mode I couldn't select a user so I restarted in regular mode.

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Answer 8

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,541 points

Aug 15, 2011 12:57 PM in response to G. Ewald

If you can't log in in safe mode, but you can in unsafe mode, then you have major system corruption and should reinstall and then run Software Update. Then boot in safe mode and see whether you can reproduce the issue.

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Answer 9

G. Ewald Author

Level 2

179 points

Aug 15, 2011 3:11 PM in response to Linc Davis

WIll try tonight again. I might have been impatient at the log in stage. Thanks for the tip on OmniSweep. Found some sites selling it even though the author gives it away.

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