As Said.
I have tried to wipe the free space on my macbook air. OS X 10.9.5
Using disc utilities from launchpad, or going into recovery mode I can get to " Clean free space " but the bars are grey & do not work.
Exactly the same happens when I try, through CCleaner.
Why is this happening, and how do I get it to work ?
Thanks in Advance.
MacBook Air, OS X Mavericks (10.9.5)
Why are you trying to erase free space? It's a waste of time unless you have some prevailing security concern.
Excessive writes to an SSD wear it out too quickly.
SSDs do not work the way you think. When you write to an SSD block, that block is unmapped and moved to the garbage list. A new precleared block is mapped to where you are writing. The block with the data you were clearing is now sitting in the garbage list with all its original data.
Eventually the garbage list will get cleared, but not right away. The size of the garbage list can be several gigabytes.
NOTE: Writing zeros to a block is NOT pre-clearing it. zeros are just as much data as ones as far as the SSD is concerned. Pre-cleared is the state the SSDs needs before it can write new data to a block.
In addition, if a block becomes unreliable, it is removed from the spares and retired with whatever data it has still on it. It is technically possible to scavenged data from these retired blocks.
For all these reasons trying to clear free space is not a good idea.
If you are concerned about security, then you should enable System Preferences -> Security -> FileVault, and DO NOT loose the password. Then when you delete a file, the blocks just contain random bits, even if those bits are sitting on the garbage list or if the blocks have been retired.
NOTE: If you loose the password/encryption key, you cannot access the data. There is no practical way to recover the data if you loose the password/encryption key.
It is supposed to work ! It is NOT working. I am trying to fault find, in case I need to take the AIR for Repair, before a big breakdown.
What is an SSD ? The Air is supposed to work, not have certain areas that randomly do NOT work.
I am trying to get it to work.
I am beginning to think I need to take it to a MAC shop for a service or whatever .
If parts of your mac , do not work, do you just skip them , and carry on around them ?
I have found, over time, if the boat is leaking, it only gets worse.
So before something else just stops working, I want it fixed.
What is an SSD ?
Solid State Disk. Macbook Airs use SSDs for their storage. This is a very fast storage device, but it does not work the same as traditional rotational hard disks.
The Air is supposed to work, not have certain areas that randomly do NOT work.
I am trying to get it to work.
You didn't say that in your original post. We can only respond to what you wrote.
If you think your Macbook Air is failing, make a Genius Bar appointment at an Apple Store and get a free evaluation. If it needs repair, they will inform what it will cost before doing anything. If you do not have an Apple Store nearby, an Authorized Apple Repair center may charge a fee for the evaluation.
As far as I can see, my original post, clearly states, that :
I have tried to wipe the free space on my macbook air. OS X 10.9.5
Using disc utilities from launchpad, or going into recovery mode I can get to " Clean free space " but the bars are grey & DO NOT WORK
Exactly the same happens when I try, through CCleaner.
Why is this happening, and how do I GET IT TO WORK ?
Surely that tells everyone, that...........it is not working !
How much clearer , does it need to be ? to me, anyone telling me that something does NOT WORK , means , something is broken or needs fixing ?
You said something was not working, but what you described was the system working as it is supposed to do.
Check this Knowledge Base article, particularly the paragraph that starts:
"Note: With an SSD drive, Secure Erase and Erasing Free Space are not available in Disk Utility…"
Ok.
Thanks for all the responses.
Back from the local Apple Superstore, with wizards & technicians etc.
The Air was checked, and cleaned, supposedly everything is fine.
So the advice I got, was to uninstall CCleaner & try again, just to see if they are in conflict.
I will do that , later, and post whatever happens .
Cheers
Crypto
Thanks, funny the techs did not mention that.
So, does the same thing, disable CCleaner ?
Since that is not working either ?
Cheers
Crypto
PS, the AIR was bought to store & work on photographs, not because I have any knowledge of computers.
I don't know, but I would guess so.
Since, as Bob explained above, it wouldn't actually zero out the erased data anyway, and it would just cause unnecessary wear on the SSD, it isn't an option.
OK, I understand what you are saying, but, not knowing what you have just told me, at the time, it looked like something was there, but not lit up or responding.
At the risk of sounding stupid, why have they included a program, with disabled press buttons, when , as you say, it is not supposed to work, anyway ?
If explaining that, is going to take more than a couple of sentences; Please, do not bother, as I will probably not understand it anyway.
Cheers
Crypto
Neither Disc Utilities or CCleaner will wipe free space
