Mac OS X 10.8.2 Shows wrong available disk space

snacks wrote:

So the question is, based on your warning, why wouldn't I want to delete the local snapshots if they are causing a problem, especially when I have proper backups on two time capsules?

What you just described is entirely different from wiping the local snapshots just to make two meaningless numbers match up.

However, I'd warn you that what you observed may be the result of the initial stages of disk failure, and really had nothing to do with the local snapshots except for the fact that removing those files made it possible for Disk Utility to repair, because the corrupted parts of the disk happened to involve the local snapshot files. Fortunately, it sounds like you already have two backups... but you may want to consider making a third, using a different backup tool (like Carbon Copy Cloner), just to be on the safe side.

The only issue is that this does not seem to be a permanent solution, after a while my "PetaByte" drive reappeared and I had to apply the same fix again. Let's hope the guys at Apple have this sorted in the next update.

Phil 1960 wrote:

The only issue is that this does not seem to be a permanent solution, after a while my "PetaByte" drive reappeared and I had to apply the same fix again. Let's hope the guys at Apple have this sorted in the next update.

They won't, because it's not a problem, as has been pointed out several times earlier in this topic.

Anyone here who is having an actual problem, such as crashes, slow performance, messages about insufficient free space, etc, needs to start their own topic. Describe the problem. Whatever those problems are, they are not the result of a completely normal discrepancy between the Finder and the Storage display accessed through About This Mac.

Those who are simply worrying over the discrepancy, I say again that it is completely normal. Compromising your computer's backups is a very poor solution to something that is not a problem.

Nikolaus Heger wrote:

I had the Finder report 236 TB of free space... if only

😉

That's a very different issue than the one described here. That could be nothing more than a one-time glitch, or it could be a symptom of something more serious, such as corruption of the hard drive in question, which could also mean impending drive failure. I'd advise you to take your backups very seriously, and if you only keep one backup, make at least one other, on a different hard drive, preferably using a different tool than Time Machine, such as Carbon Copy Cloner. (Not that there's anything wrong with Time Machine, it's just best to have all bases covered, and using two different backup programs for multiple backups gives you the best redundancy and the least chance that something will go wrong with your backups when you need them most.)

If the problem comes back, I'd recommend starting a new topic for assistance.

Thomas,

This is not a one time glitch, many seem to have the same repeatable issue with the storage report saying that their disk contains Peta Bytes of Backup. The temporary work around is to turn off the Time Machine and then go into "About This Mac" and get a sensible breakdown of disk usage under the Storage tab. I then turn the Time Machine back on again. I don't think anyone is recommending turning the Time Machine off permanently.

The storage report continues to show the correct information for a while after the Time Machine is turned back on but eventually the buggy behaviour returns. I am not sure what prompts the bug to reappear. Apple do need to sort this bug out but I guess it is a low priority.

What you describe is not what is being discussed here. I've said repeatedly on this topic that what's being discussed here is not actually a problem... in your case, though, you do have a problem. Your issue isn't as simple as the perfectly normal difference between the storage display including local snapshots in its calculations and the Finder not doing so. You're seeing a completely bogus, impossible number. That may not seem like a big deal, but it makes a very big difference... like the difference between not remembering where you parked your car and your car not actually being where you parked it! Small difference in details, big difference in end result.

Since your problem has been repeating, and there seems to be some kind of involvement (I'm not sure exactly what) with your backups, you need to make absolutely sure that you have a working backup system, and shouldn't assume that the backups you already have are still good. As I mentioned, one possible cause of your problem is that either your system drive or your backup drive is failing.

Phil 1960 wrote:

Apple have fixed this bug in release 10.10.4

No they haven't. First, because it's not a bug, as has been stated multiple times here. Second, because I just checked on my own 10.10.4 system, and it still shows the same behavior: a discrepancy between the storage display and the Finder, caused by inclusion of the local snapshots in the former and its exclusion in the latter.

Edit: I refreshed my memory by looking at your previous posts, and now recall that what you were seeing was not the same as the problem described by shamalk and the other folks here. What was causing your particular issue is still unclear. In any case, 10.10.4 most assuredly does not change the behavior that the other people here have described.

I'm actually expieriencing the same problem. I deleted a bunch of music files about 15GB should have been freed up. However, the space is not freeing up. How did you manage to fix this problem?

I'd tried everything and toggling the on/off switch in Time Machine was the solution all along.

Now I seem to have a PetaByte Hard Drive... who knew?

I had the same problem. I did reboot with Command + C. Than choose DISK UTILITY and REPAIR DISK.

It worked.

Hope it helps.

Hi,

I confirmed. About This Mac > More Info > Storage, toggling the Time Machine switch off then on again fixes everything.

Thank you.

I've also confirmed this trick works for OS 10.9 Mavericks

Toggle time machine fixed the problem, THANK YOU