I'm cleaning up files on my iMac and noticed a file in my Documents folder (where I keep applications installation files) that is called "backup-fri-feb-08-15_42_35-2013.tar". This file is over 7 gb so I would like to remove it but I can't find anywhere what it is. I found a wiki page that explains that .tar files are old Unix format but what do I need it for and what program created it?
iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.5)
I was able to extract the files from this backup and found that it was a backup from my website files that were no longer needed. 🙂
A tar file (tarball) is a long concatenation of files rolled up into one. Based on the file name, it looks like a backup file. Could be some other program created this if you did not. I have never seen TM place tarballs in the documents folder before.
Do you use Time Machine on an external drive? If so, I would probably delete it.
I use an external drive but I use Carbon Copy Cloner instead of Time Machine and I have TM turned off. I'm wondering if it is a backup file from a program I don't even use any longer. I also use Parallels for 2 Windows programs and I'm finding that some of the Windows programs create backups of stuff I don't need or use. Sounds like it would be safe to delete it.
Thanks so much.
What is a .tar backup file and can I delete it?
