RRod7
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Q: startup disk full MacPro FCPX

Hello,

 

I have a MacPro, running on Yosemite, I could not find the specs on the computer because currently it is not responding. Today I got a message that the startup disk was full, so I emptied trash, downloads, got rid of a lot of unnecessary files. When I last looked at finder it said about 11GB available. All I have on this computer are my applications and some random files (no music, no pictures, no movies). *Side note: I use this computer to edit video projects on fcpx, but save the libraries, events, and projects on an external hard drive* So I continued editing. The message appeared 30 min later saying it was full, now I have the color wheel and my computer is not responding. Right now my main concern is how to get my computer to respond so I can continue the process of cleaning (like the chache). I'm worried that if I manually restart my computer that it will not turn back on or start since there is no more room on the start up disk? Will this happen? How do I get my computer to respond? Currently it is frozen in the FCPX application, all other applications were forced quit. Also worried about loosing any editing progress. Any advice or help to the right direction is greatly appreciated! 

Mac Pro (Late 2013)

Posted on Jul 16, 2015 12:27 PM

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Q: startup disk full MacPro FCPX

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  • by Linc Davis,Helpful

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Jul 16, 2015 2:43 PM in response to RRod7
    Level 10 (208,037 points)
    Applications
    Jul 16, 2015 2:43 PM in response to RRod7

    Step 1   

    The first step is to secure the data. If you want to preserve the contents of the startup drive, and you don't already have at least one current backup, you must try to back up now, before you do anything else. It may or may not be possible. If you don't care about the data that has changed since the last backup, you can skip this step.

    There are several ways to back up a Mac that is unable to start. You need an external hard drive to hold the backup data.

    a. Start up from the Recovery partition, or from a local Time Machine backup volume (option key at startup.) When the OS X Utilities screen appears, launch Disk Utility and follow the instructions in this support article, under “Instructions for backing up to an external hard disk via Disk Utility.” The article refers to starting up from a DVD, but the procedure in Recovery mode is the same. You don't need a DVD if you're running OS X 10.7 or later. 

    b. If Step 1a fails because of disk errors, and no other Mac is available, then you may be able to salvage some of your files by copying them in the Finder. If you already have an external drive with OS X installed, start up from it. Otherwise, if you have Internet access, follow the instructions on this page to prepare the external drive and install OS X on it. You'll use the Recovery installer, rather than downloading it from the App Store.

    c. If you have access to a working Mac, and both it and the non-working Mac have FireWire or Thunderbolt ports, start the non-working Mac in target disk mode. Use the working Mac to copy the data to another drive. This technique won't work with USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.

    d. If the internal drive of the non-working Mac is user-replaceable, remove it and mount it in an external enclosure or drive dock. Use another Mac to copy the data.

    Step 2

    You might be able to start up in safe mode even though you can't start up normally. Otherwise, start up from an external drive, or else use the technique in Step 1b, 1c, or 1d to mount the internal drive and delete some files. According to Apple documentation, you need at least 9 GB of available space on the startup volume (as shown in the Finder Info window) for normal operation.

  • by The hatter,

    The hatter The hatter Jul 17, 2015 3:13 AM in response to RRod7
    Level 9 (60,935 points)
    Jul 17, 2015 3:13 AM in response to RRod7

    Have the system on an SSD. I would go for 500GB SM951 PCIe-SSD.

     

    Do a clean install of the system. Use Setup Assistant.

     

    Clone the system. Always have one or two spare systems, and one that is just for maintenance and so you always have something more than just Recovery Mode where you can repair, inspect and do other chores and have 3rd party utility and Finder.

     

    Only apps and the system will go on the boot drive except for about 5-10GB for your home account library.

     

    That means you have 4 internal drive bays that can have 4 hdd of up to 6TB.