iphonemichele

Q: Is the huge Other category why my computer is sluggish?

I'm getting  a lot of spinning beach balls and general sluggishness this month.

 

One thing I checked last week is my Storage status. 237 GB free of 999 GB, and 618 of that is the "Other" category!  I hate this vague "Other" category. Here's a screenshot.

 

stupid other.png

 

You can see I barely keep anything on my internal drive. I also don't have a lot of apps. The ones I use regularly are Mail, Safari, Lightroom, and Photoshop.

 

A couple years ago I learned about a procedure in Disk Utility to fully erase disk space but when I went to do that, I couldn't find it anymore, like El Capitan got rid of it. Is there something similar I can do?

 

Is that large amount of yellow on the bar as alarming as it looks and probably why my computer is being sluggish?

 

Thank you!

 

p.s. In another thread I'm going to post about a glitch that's happening with my Trash bin. Maybe it's related.

iMac, iOS 7.0.4

Posted on Dec 26, 2015 2:13 PM

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Q: Is the huge Other category why my computer is sluggish?

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Allan Eckert,Helpful

    Allan Eckert Allan Eckert Mar 13, 2016 12:31 PM in response to iphonemichele
    Level 9 (53,742 points)
    Desktops
    Mar 13, 2016 12:31 PM in response to iphonemichele

    The function of Secure Erase of Trash was removed at El Capitan. One reason was that it failed to work as advertised. The other is that it shortened the life expectancy of SSDs.

     

    I suggest your download and install OmniDiskSweeper. When you rum ODS, it will tell you the names of the files and folders which are using the most space. You can then either decide for yourself or ask us what can be detected or moved.

     

    The first step in the process should be a full backup of everything.

  • by Mike Sombrio,

    Mike Sombrio Mike Sombrio Dec 26, 2015 2:22 PM in response to iphonemichele
    Level 6 (17,234 points)
    Apple Watch
    Dec 26, 2015 2:22 PM in response to iphonemichele

    OS X: What is "other" space in About This Mac? - Apple Support

    Would you post an EtreCheck report http://www.etresoft.com/etrecheck That usually offers some clues as to why your mac isn't up to par.

  • by Kappy,

    Kappy Kappy Dec 26, 2015 2:32 PM in response to iphonemichele
    Level 10 (271,328 points)
    Desktops
    Dec 26, 2015 2:32 PM in response to iphonemichele

    Please read my user tip to learn all about "Other:" What is "Other" and What Can I Do About It?- Apple Support Communities.

  • by iphonemichele,

    iphonemichele iphonemichele Dec 26, 2015 2:38 PM in response to Mike Sombrio
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Desktops
    Dec 26, 2015 2:38 PM in response to Mike Sombrio

    EtreCheck version: 2.6.6 (226)

    Report generated 12/26/15, 5:35 PM

    Runtime 5:57

    Download EtreCheck from http://etrecheck.com

     

    Click the [Click for support] links for help with non-Apple products.

    Click the [Click for details] links for more information about that line.

     

    Hardware Information: (What does this mean?)

        iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011)

        [Click for Technical Specifications]

        [Click for User Guide]

        iMac - model: iMac12,2

        1 2.7 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU: 4-core

        16 GB RAM Upgradeable

        [Click for upgrade instructions]

            BANK 0/DIMM0

                8 GB DDR3 1333 MHz ok

            BANK 1/DIMM0

                8 GB DDR3 1333 MHz ok

            BANK 0/DIMM1

                Empty  

            BANK 1/DIMM1

                Empty  

        Bluetooth: Old - Handoff/Airdrop2 not supported

        Wireless:  en1: 802.11 a/b/g/n

     

    Video Information: (What does this mean?)

        AMD Radeon HD 6770M - VRAM: 512 MB

            iMac 2560 x 1440

     

    System Software: (What does this mean?)

        OS X El Capitan 10.11.2 (15C50) - Time since boot: about 5 hours

     

    Disk Information: (What does this mean?)

        WDC WD1001FALS-403AA0 disk0 : (1 TB) (Rotational)

            EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB

            Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / : 999.35 GB (229.33 GB free)

            Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>  [Recovery]: 650 MB

     

        HL-DT-STDVDRW  GA32N   ()

     

    USB Information: (What does this mean?)

        Western Digital My Book 1148

        Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver

        Apple Card Reader

        Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)

        Western Digital My Book 1230 5 TB

            My 5TB Book (disk3s1) /Volumes/My 5TB Book : 5.00 TB (2.46 TB free)

        Western Digital My Passport 0748

        Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub

            Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

     

    Thunderbolt Information: (What does this mean?)

        Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus

     

    Gatekeeper: (What does this mean?)

        Mac App Store and identified developers

     

    Kernel Extensions: (What does this mean?)

            /System/Library/Extensions

        [not loaded]    com.leapfrog.codeless.kext (2) [Click for support]

        [not loaded]    com.leapfrog.driver.LfConnectDriver (1.8.1 - SDK 10.7) [Click for support]

        [not loaded]    com.tascam.us200.driver (1.10.4 - SDK 10.7) [Click for support]

        [not loaded]    com.wdc.driver.1394HP (1.0.11 - SDK 10.4) [Click for support]

        [not loaded]    com.wdc.driver.1394_64HP (1.0.1 - SDK 10.6) [Click for support]

        [not loaded]    com.wdc.driver.USBHP (1.0.11) [Click for support]

        [loaded]    com.wdc.driver.USB_64HP (1.0.0 - SDK 10.6) [Click for support]

     

            /System/Library/Extensions/TASCAM_US200.kext/Contents/PlugIns

        [not loaded]    com.tascam.us200.driver_Tiger (1.10.4 - SDK 10.4) [Click for support]

     

    Launch Agents: (What does this mean?)

        [loaded]    com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist [Click for support]

        [running]    com.adobe.AdobeCreativeCloud.plist [Click for support]

        [loaded]    com.google.keystone.agent.plist [Click for support]

        [loaded]    com.hp.help.tocgenerator.plist [Click for support]

     

    Launch Daemons: (What does this mean?)

        [loaded]    com.adobe.SC.FPFeedbackService-1.0.plist [Click for support]

        [running]    com.adobe.adobeupdatedaemon.plist [Click for support]

        [loaded]    com.adobe.agsservice.plist [Click for support]

        [loaded]    com.adobe.fpsaud.plist [Click for support]

        [running]    com.backblaze.bzserv.plist [Click for support]

        [loaded]    com.google.keystone.daemon.plist [Click for support]

     

    User Launch Agents: (What does this mean?)

        [loaded]    com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist [Click for support]

        [running]    com.backblaze.bzbmenu.plist [Click for support]

        [loaded]    com.citrixonline.GoToMeeting.G2MUpdate.plist [Click for support]

     

    User Login Items: (What does this mean?)

        WDDriveUtilityHelper    UNKNOWN  (missing value)

        EvernoteHelper    Application  (/Applications/Evernote.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/EvernoteHelper.app)

     

    Other Apps: (What does this mean?)

        [running]    com.adobe.acc.AdobeDesktopService.108512.8A816A1B-9A23-4E70-B504-B701884C0BF2

        [running]    com.adobe.accmac.155872

        [running]    com.apple.xpc.launchd.oneshot.0x1000000b.EtreCheck

        [running]    com.evernote.EvernoteHelper.89312

        [running]    jp.co.canon.cijscannerregister.111392

     

    Internet Plug-ins: (What does this mean?)

        DirectorShockwave: Version: 11.6.3r633 [Click for support]

        Easy-WebPrint EX: Version: 1.1.0 [Click for support]

        o1dbrowserplugin: Version: 5.41.3.0 - SDK 10.8 [Click for support]

        Default Browser: Version: 601 - SDK 10.11

        FantashowPlugin: Version: FantashowPlugin 1.0.0.0 - SDK 10.7 [Click for support]

        AdobeAAMDetect: Version: 3.0.0.0 - SDK 10.9 [Click for support]

        FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 20.0.0.235 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

        Silverlight: Version: 5.1.30514.0 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

        QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3

        Flash Player: Version: 20.0.0.235 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

        googletalkbrowserplugin: Version: 5.41.3.0 - SDK 10.8 [Click for support]

        iPhotoPhotocast: Version: 7.0 - SDK 10.8

        NPRoblox: Version: 1.0.2.12 - SDK 10.8 [Click for support]

        EPPEX Plugin: Version: 3.0.5.0 [Click for support]

        JavaAppletPlugin: Version: 15.0.1 - SDK 10.11 Check version

     

    User internet Plug-ins: (What does this mean?)

        BlueStacks Install Detector: Version: 0.3.6 - SDK 10.7 [Click for support]

        WebEx64: Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

        CitrixOnlineWebDeploymentPlugin: Version: 1.0.105 [Click for support]

        Google Earth Web Plug-in: Version: 7.1 [Click for support]

     

    Safari Extensions: (What does this mean?)

        feedly

        Add To Amazon Wish List

        Evernote Web Clipper

        Pinterest

        Add to Wunderlist

        delicious

        Add To Amazon Wish List

        Save to Pocket

     

    Audio Plug-ins: (What does this mean?)

        TASCAM_US200: Version: Unknown - SDK 10.7 [Click for support]

     

    3rd Party Preference Panes: (What does this mean?)

        Backblaze Backup  [Click for support]

        Flash Player  [Click for support]

     

    Time Machine: (What does this mean?)

        Skip System Files: NO

        Mobile backups: OFF

        Auto backup: NO - Auto backup turned off

        Volumes being backed up:

            Macintosh HD: Disk size: 999.35 GB Disk used: 770.02 GB

        Destinations:

            Time Machine [Local]

            Total size: 1.50 TB

            Total number of backups: 2

            Oldest backup: 9/29/13, 1:10 PM

            Last backup: 10/5/13, 9:50 PM

            Size of backup disk: Too small

                Backup size 1.50 TB < (Disk used 770.02 GB X 3)

     

    Top Processes by CPU: (What does this mean?)

             3%    WindowServer

             2%    kernel_task

             1%    coreaudiod

             1%    com.apple.WebKit.Plugin.64

             1%    Adobe CEF Helper(2)

     

    Top Processes by Memory: (What does this mean?)

        1.92 GB    com.apple.WebKit.WebContent(6)

        1.14 GB    kernel_task

        410 MB    Safari

        246 MB    mds_stores

        197 MB    Adobe CEF Helper(2)

     

    Virtual Memory Information: (What does this mean?)

        5.72 GB    Free RAM

        10.00 GB    Used RAM (4.68 GB Cached)

        0 B    Swap Used

     

    Diagnostics Information: (What does this mean?)

        Dec 26, 2015, 03:39:00 PM    ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/dynamiclinkmanager_2015-12-26-153900_[redacted ].crash

        Dec 26, 2015, 02:31:58 PM    /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Adobe Lightroom_2015-12-26-143158_[redacted].cpu_resource.diag [Click for details]

        Dec 26, 2015, 12:01:27 PM    Self test - passed

        Dec 26, 2015, 01:55:24 AM    /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Adobe Photoshop CC 2015_2015-12-26-015524_[redacted].cpu_resource.diag [Click for details]

        Dec 25, 2015, 03:30:45 PM    /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Skype_2015-12-25-153045_[redacted].hang

        Dec 24, 2015, 05:26:37 PM    /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/EvernoteHelper_2015-12-24-172637_[redacted].cra sh

        Dec 24, 2015, 05:26:24 PM    /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/AdobeCRDaemon_2015-12-24-172624_[redacted].cras h

        Dec 24, 2015, 01:16:12 PM    /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/iMovie_2015-12-24-131612_[redacted].hang

        Dec 24, 2015, 01:16:02 PM    /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/AdobeCRDaemon_2015-12-24-131602_[redacted].cras h

        Dec 23, 2015, 07:15:43 PM    /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Adobe Lightroom_2015-12-23-191543_[redacted].cpu_resource.diag [Click for details]

  • by Mike Sombrio,

    Mike Sombrio Mike Sombrio Dec 26, 2015 3:04 PM in response to iphonemichele
    Level 6 (17,234 points)
    Apple Watch
    Dec 26, 2015 3:04 PM in response to iphonemichele

    Before doing ANYTHING you need to make sure you have a current backup. Your last Time Machine backup was over two years ago.

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Dec 26, 2015 5:49 PM in response to iphonemichele
    Level 10 (208,000 points)
    Applications
    Dec 26, 2015 5:49 PM in response to iphonemichele

    A

    For information about the Other category in the Storage display, please see this support article. If the display seems to be inaccurate, try rebuilding the Spotlight index.

    Empty the Trash if you haven't already done so. If you use iPhoto, empty its internal Trash first:

              iPhoto ▹ Empty Trash

    In Photos:

              File Show Recently Deleted Delete All

    Do the same in other applications, such as Aperture, that have an internal Trash feature. Then restart the computer. That will temporarily free up some space.

    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—not the mythical 10%, 15%, or any other percentage. You also need enough space left over to allow for growth of the data. There is little or no performance advantage to having more available space than the minimum Apple recommends. Available storage space that you'll never use is wasted space.

    See this support article for some simple ways to free up storage space. A common waste of space is old iTunes backups of mobile devices. As illustrated in this support article, select the Devices tab in the iTunes preferences window, select the backups you want to delete, and click Delete Backups. Keep at least one backup of each device that you still use.

    You can more effectively use a tool such as OmniDiskSweeper (ODS) or GrandPerspective (GP) to explore the volume and find out what's taking up the space. You can also delete files with it, but don't do that unless you're sure that you know what you're deleting and that all data is safely backed up. That means you have multiple backups, not just one. Note that ODS only works with OS X 10.8 or later. If you're running an older OS version, use GP.

    Deleting files inside a photo or iTunes library will corrupt the library. Changes to such a library must be made from within the application that created it. The same goes for Mail files.

    Proceed further only if the problem isn't solved by the above steps.

    ODS or GP can't see the whole filesystem when you run it just by double-clicking; it only sees files that you have permission to read. To see everything, you have to run it as root.

    Back up all data now.

    Install the app in the Applications folder as usual. Quit it if it's running.

    Triple-click anywhere in the corresponding line of text below on this page to select it, then copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C.

    For ODS:

    security execute-with-privileges /A*/OmniDiskSweeper.app/*/M*/* 2>&-

    For GP:

    security execute-with-privileges /A*/GrandPerspective.app/*/M*/* 2>&-

    Launch the built-in Terminal application in any one of the following ways:

    ☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)

    ☞ In the Finder, select Go Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.

    ☞ Open LaunchPad and start typing the name.

    Paste into the Terminal window by pressing command-V. You'll be prompted for your login password.

    The application window will open behind other open windows. When you scan a volume, the window will eventually show all files in all folders, sorted by size. It may take a few minutes for the app to finish scanning.

    I don't recommend that you make a habit of doing this. Don't delete anything as root. If something needs to be deleted, make sure you know what it is and how it got there, and then delete it by other, safer, means. When in doubt, leave it alone or ask for guidance.

    When you're done with the app, quit it and also quit Terminal.

    B

    When you see a beachball cursor or the slowness is especially bad, note the exact time: hour, minute, second.  

    These instructions must be carried out as an administrator. If you have only one user account, you are the administrator.

    Launch the Console application in any one of the following ways:

    ☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)

    ☞ In the Finder, select Go Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.

    ☞ Open LaunchPad and start typing the name.

    The title of the Console window should be All Messages. If it isn't, select

              SYSTEM LOG QUERIES All Messages

    from the log list on the left. If you don't see that list, select

              View Show Log List

    from the menu bar at the top of the screen.

    Each message in the log begins with the date and time when it was entered. Scroll back to the time you noted above.

    Select the messages entered from then until the end of the episode, or until they start to repeat, whichever comes first.

    Copy the messages to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. Paste into a reply to this message by pressing command-V.

    The log contains a vast amount of information, almost all of it useless for solving any particular problem. When posting a log extract, be selective. A few dozen lines are almost always more than enough.

    Please don't indiscriminately dump thousands of lines from the log into this discussion.

    Please don't post screenshots of log messages—post the text.

    Some private information, such as your name, may appear in the log. Anonymize before posting.

    When you post the log extract, you might see an error message on the web page: "You have included content in your post that is not permitted," or "The message contains invalid characters." That's a bug in the forum software. Please post the text on Pastebin, then post a link here to the page you created.

    If you have an account on Pastebin, please don't select Private from the Paste Exposure menu on the page, because then no one but you will be able to see it.

  • by iphonemichele,

    iphonemichele iphonemichele Mar 13, 2016 12:34 PM in response to Allan Eckert
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Desktops
    Mar 13, 2016 12:34 PM in response to Allan Eckert

    I never thanks you for answering my question about Secure Erase Trash disappearing. I've been wishing for it again lately as I'm still dealing with the stuck item in my trash as I wrote in another thread.  Thank you.

  • by Allan Eckert,

    Allan Eckert Allan Eckert Mar 13, 2016 1:01 PM in response to iphonemichele
    Level 9 (53,742 points)
    Desktops
    Mar 13, 2016 1:01 PM in response to iphonemichele

    No Problem.

     

    The reasons for Apple dropping Secure Erase from Trash besides it not working reliably to remove all data was because with the proliferation of SSD, the Secure Erase was a hazard to them.

     

    A much better solution is to just encrypt the disk using File Vault 2. Then when you get rid of the disk all you need to do it reformat. This will remove the encryption key from the disk. While the data is still there, it is completely irrecoverable even if you have the key.

  • by Old Toad,

    Old Toad Old Toad Mar 13, 2016 3:50 PM in response to iphonemichele
    Level 10 (141,316 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 13, 2016 3:50 PM in response to iphonemichele

    If you have a file that you can't delete, like when you get a message that some application still has it open

    Finder001.jpg

     

    select the file and use the following key combination:  Option+Command+Delete.  That will give you this window:

     

    Finder002.jpg

    OTsig.png

  • by iphonemichele,

    iphonemichele iphonemichele Mar 13, 2016 4:39 PM in response to Old Toad
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Desktops
    Mar 13, 2016 4:39 PM in response to Old Toad

    Thank you OT, that's useful to know.  Unfortunately on this extremely stubborn stuck document, it didn't work. I still go the error message, "The operation can't be completed because an unexpected error occurred (error code -50).