Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Level 1

47 points

Startup disk almost full

This is my husband's iMac. It has become all but unusable. Every click of the mouse results in 3-15 seconds of waiting for the spinning wheel. I transferred the amount you see from my EHD to the Mac a few years ago planning to make a bunch of home movies. Add all of our apple device new video captures and I guess over half the storage is now video files--which I am guessing is causing the computer to run so slowly. The problem is iMovie doesn't have enough disk space to make NEW movies. So how do I delete what isn't important and how much space needs to be cleared so I can use iMovie to get rid of all the video files? It's a vicious circle... :/ Also, I have completed video projects that I can delete, but I don't know if it matters if I do? They are saved in iTunes. I think I learned from a previous conversation with Apple tech support that files are duplicated and can be in triplicate on your hard drive. Thanks in advance for any help!

iMac

Posted on Apr 15, 2014 7:42 AM

Best reply

Klaus1

Level 9

52,769 points

Posted on Apr 15, 2014 8:15 AM

Please tell us what Mac this is, with what version of OS X.

View in context

48 replies

MichelPM

Level 10

81,004 points

Oct 3, 2014 8:23 PM in response to Icelyn

Were you successful at all in linking the iPhoto library on your EHD to the iPhoto app with the instructions I have previously given to you?

DId you try qutting iPhoto and then relaunching it, again, using the Option key as you click on the iPhoto app icon?

If this didn't work.

You are creating this new Pictures folder on the EHD and moving the iPhoto Library on your EHD into this new folder that you made on the EHD.

This maybe the reason iPhoto may not be seeing more than one iPhoto library to choose from.

Once you move the iPhoto Library into this new Pictures folder, try Launching iPhoto, again, while holding down the Option key while you click on the iPhoto app icon.

Icelyn Author

Level 1

47 points

Oct 3, 2014 8:34 PM in response to MichelPM

Was I successful at linking the iPhoto library with your previous instructions? Well I followed the instructions, but there was no option box that came up or anything. I'm not trying to be difficult, but would rather not do extra steps if not needed. Is there any way to know for sure it is linked? Or should I just create the Pictures drive to be safe? Do I need to do anything specific after that when adding new photos to my iPhoto library, etc?

MichelPM

Level 10

81,004 points

Oct 3, 2014 8:41 PM in response to Icelyn

We're going to try two more things to get this to work.

Create the Pictures folder on your EHD and put the iPhoto library file into that folder.

Then relaunch iPhoto holding down the Option key as you click on the iPhoto icon.

PLease do this.

Icelyn Author

Level 1

47 points

Oct 3, 2014 9:08 PM in response to MichelPM

Ok sorry, I tried it again after closing the EHD window. I think this was the reason it didn't work the first time. Now doing it the second time the box pops up and shows different file paths for the iPhoto library. One is the hard drive, one is Volumes/my EHD/iPhoto library, and one is /Volumes/my EHD/Personal Photos/2009 more random pathing/iPhoto library...why?? I assume I choose the second one, but does the third option mean I have another copy of the iPhoto library there? Or did I just happen to have that path open the last time I opened with Option key?

Edit: I do see the icon and 'iPhoto library' in that other random spot. Do I have two copies of my library on the EHD ? Not sure how I did that? Hmm.. upon closer inspection, the random-spot library is only 33 GB while the one I just moved is 120 GB. Safe to just ignore the other?

MichelPM

Level 10

81,004 points

Oct 3, 2014 9:44 PM in response to Icelyn

Having a window open to the EHD changes nothing and should not have prevented iPhoto from showing the list of libraries to choose from.

I do not know what you did or are doing.

Why do you have 3 libraries worth of images now?!!!

If the iPhoto library you moved into the Pictures folder on the EHD is the one you need to select.

Then, look to see if you got all of your photos in iPhoto.

If some are missing, in iPhoto in the main menu bar under the File menu, in the drop down list there is an import function to import images from the other locations you have mentioned.

Do not delete any of these other image file locations until you are convinced that you have all your images all together in iPhoto.

The file you have that has 33 GBs of data, you can import.

A preview of these images should show before you import those 33 GBs of images.

If they are duplicate images, you can cancel the import of these images before committing to the import.

Icelyn Author

Level 1

47 points

Oct 3, 2014 9:46 PM in response to MichelPM

MichelPM wrote:

Why do you have 3 libraries worth of images now?!!!

1 on my iMac HD.

1 I just copied (or did I move it??) to my EHD

Apparently 1 I moved a long time ago to my EHD--should I just delete that? or click it to see what's on it? I'm afraid to mess up this whole thing. :S

Then, look to see if you got all of your photos in iPhoto.

If some are missing, in iPhoto in the main menu bar under the File menu, in the drop down list there is an import function to import images from the other locations you have mentioned.

There are over 9,000 photos! I have no way of knowing if they all were moved safely. Why wouldn't they all be copied? I will do my best to ascertain this, but I'm perplexed why this would even be something I have to worry about?

Lastly, I just want to know if there is a way to see the file path of my iPhoto window when I click it and assume it opens the iPhoto library on my EHD. I can't in good conscience delete my iPhoto library on my HD without knowing 1000% for sure all my photos are safely on my EHD. 🙂 Thank you Michel!!

MichelPM

Level 10

81,004 points

Oct 3, 2014 9:54 PM in response to Icelyn

All you have to do to check if you have all of your photos on the EHD is, first, on your iPhoto library on your internal HD, click once and use the keyboard shortcut Command- I keys to get info on the library to get the total file size of the iPhoto library on your internal drive.

Do the same for the iPhoto library you chose to use on the EHD. If the file sizes are the same, then you have ALLL of your photos!

😉

Icelyn Author

Level 1

47 points

Oct 3, 2014 9:58 PM in response to MichelPM

Okay, HD says it's 120.05, EHD says its 120.07... close enough? Heh :/ Now do I just drag the iPhoto library from the Finder window on my HD to the trash?? Yikes!! 🙂

Besides having all my photos safe, I want to make sure the next time I plug in my photo card to upload good pics it will automatically launch iPhoto in the new location--right?

MichelPM

Level 10

81,004 points

Oct 3, 2014 9:59 PM in response to Icelyn

If you picked the correct file path from the list in iPhoto, this is the library you linked to.

Every time you hold the Option key when launching iPhoto, this list will cone up allowing you to pick different iPhoto Library locations.

If you are not sure you picked the right location, you can choose it again when you launch iPhoto using the Option key on the keyboard.

There is no other confirmation.

MichelPM

Level 10

81,004 points

Oct 3, 2014 10:00 PM in response to Icelyn

You type quicker than I

GIve me some time to type out my next answer

🙂

Icelyn Author

Level 1

47 points

Oct 3, 2014 10:08 PM in response to MichelPM

The list doesn't come up at all now when I hold option to open iPhoto. 😟

haha: Okay, sorry! =)

I have to head to bed for now but I can't thank you enough for your help with this. Hopefully I will catch you the next time we both have some time so I can fix my poor full computer. 😐

MichelPM

Level 10

81,004 points

Oct 3, 2014 10:12 PM in response to Icelyn

You have two option or two courses of actions.

You can burn archival data discs of your iPhoto library before trashing it. This will take quite a few DVD discs to burn and archive.

OR get yourself a high capacity USB Flash drive to store your iPhoto library on a Flash Drive as a faster archive Backup method.

It's not as permanent as slow burned optical discs. but it is a much faster method of creating another backup of those images.

OR invest in another high capacity external hard drive so you can use either OS X Time Machine app or a complete data cloning app, like CarbonCopyClowner or SuperDuper, to create an identical and bootable copy ( clone) of your Mac's internal hard drive that includes another duplicate of your current iPhoto library onto another clean backup drive.

Then, you can drag your internal HD iPhoto library to the OS X Trash, then empty the trash.

It's completely up to you what you wish to do now with the data on your Mac's internal drive.

Old Toad

Level 10

207,829 points

Oct 4, 2014 8:21 AM in response to Icelyn

The last iPhoto Library open will always be the default library for subsequent launches. So as along as you've opened the library on the EHD last it will be the library that photos will be imported into. If you have any question as to what library you've opened just Control (right) - click on iPhoto in the top window frame

and you'll get the file path to the library

Icelyn Author

Level 1

47 points

Oct 4, 2014 11:38 AM in response to Old Toad

Hi Old Toad,

Nothing happens when I Control right click on iPhoto. If I left click it says "iPhoto library" "Ruth's EHD" beneath, and the name of this computer.

MichelPM

Level 10

81,004 points

Oct 4, 2014 12:35 PM in response to Old Toad

I do not know which version of iPhoto you are using, but I just tried the Control Click on the iPhoto title bar with iPhoto '09 and I got nothing.

Nothing. No drop down or file path drop down. This doesn't do anything in iPhoto ' 09.

If you launch iPhoto ( in the '09 version) with the option key held down, the list of available image libraries will always appear each time this is done,

Just pick the proper library in the list.

Startup disk almost full