Transfer Library/Application Support to another drive?

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Level 1

5 points

Transfer Library/Application Support to another drive?

Background:

I've got time ago a SSD drive, which is 90 GB, for my Mac Pro. I've decided to use it as startup

I've installed just the OS (Lion), and then I've used a regular HDD (500 Gb) as "home", so my desktop, music, documents and such does not go to clutter the small SSD drive.

Now thou, after about a year, I've almost filled that SSD, and I was wondering how is it possible.

First problem! The Application folder

STuff downloaded from the store goes in that folder by default, and there is no option in the store to say "save the download here, and when I checl for update check there".

Told myself: this is easy, is OSX! So I just made an Application folder on the drive where I have my home directoy, and copied most of the software that I don't use often, or that would not benefit from being on a SSD drive.

Now some works, but some other introduced the

Second problem! Library/Application support has a bunch of data that you cannot move.

Software like Garageband, Adobe, Logic and many others, save data there (which in some cases means GB and GB of data), which you cannot move, or the program won't run, or give errors because files are missing.

So, is there any way to tell OSX that I want this data somewhere else? The single app has no control over it, and I am not sure if this is even possible.

I want to move only some of these huge folders out of /Library/Application Support, so if I can selectively move folders would be great; otherwise I am just fine in moving the whole thing out to the regular drive...altho in part you loose the advantage of the SSD speed in this way, since every software will have to go to the other slower drive, to load config and main data.

Any suggestion is more than welcome!

Posted on Jun 5, 2013 1:35 AM

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Answer 1

petermac87

Level 5

7,447 points

Jun 5, 2013 1:46 AM in response to darshie76

darshie76 wrote:

Software like Garageband, Adobe, Logic and many others, save data there (which in some cases means GB and GB of data), which you cannot move, or the program won't run, or give errors because files are missing.

Trying to run software as you have listed, to me, would cause nothing but problems on a 90GB Drive. The only suggestion I woud give would be to buy a bigger SSD as they are becoming a lot more affordable. Also by running these Applications from a non SSD External Drive then you really don't gain anything in speed.

Pete

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Answer 2

darshie76 Author

Level 1

5 points

Jun 5, 2013 2:02 AM in response to petermac87

Thanks for your reply.

Indeed that's exactly what I said. I am aware that the programs does not work, if I move the content, since I have already experimented various solutions.

And as final attempt I asked here to see if there is some way to achieve what I want: move selectively data out of the application support, on another drive.

I could buy a bigger one, but that would just postpone the same issue; to me the more logic solution is to ask the user where do they want to save their data, but so far I think that only FC asks it (I may be wrong; I installed these software quite some time ago).

As now I run without problem the system, even if my home is on a slower disk; my main objective is to have a quick boot and to speed up some software that I use the most, and so far everything works fine. The problem is just the space 🙂

After all OSX is Unix, there must be a way to create some sort of symlink that would make the OS happy, that's the only road that I ddn't pursue yet, but I would gladly avoid to do such a hack, to not cause disruption to the OS (it is a joy to use it, never crash or fail, so why pull the carpet under it's feet ? 😝)

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Answer 3

petermac87

Level 5

7,447 points

Jun 5, 2013 2:09 AM in response to darshie76

Well best of luck in your endeavours. I have never seen it done successfully the way you are suggesting, but somebody else may have.

Good luck

Pete

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Answer 4

darshie76 Author

Level 1

5 points

Jun 5, 2013 3:00 AM in response to petermac87

Thanks Pete

So it seems that the symlink trick works; just copy the whole application support folder to another drive, then go in console and:

cd /Library

sudo mv Application\ Support/ appsupport

sudo ln -s /Volumes/[drive where you put application support]/Application\ Support/ 'Application Support'

Once I've done that, I tried to open Garageband and play some instruments, and they were correctly loaded, Same goes for Logic and other applications, so I guess the solution was pretty simple: make a symlink.

Will try to see what happens once that I use for a bit longer the computer; maybe it will just blow up; who knows 🙂

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