Konspirator
Level 1 (4 points)
Notebooks

Q: I'm really starting to hate, loathe, DETEST, my Macbook Pro, and all things apple...

For some reason, the amount of space taken up by files hasn't changed, but it seems like what was once a lot of photos and videos has now become that "other" category. What gives? Anyone? Please please please... stop in advance with the "I have the same problem". Good for you. We can get matching jackets later - I want ANSWERS AND SOLUTIONS PLEASE! I don't need to to scroll through "I have the same problem".

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X Mavericks (10.9.1)

Posted on Mar 29, 2016 3:55 AM

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Q: I'm really starting to hate, loathe, DETEST, my Macbook Pro, and all things apple...

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  • by OGELTHORPE,

    OGELTHORPE OGELTHORPE Mar 29, 2016 4:12 AM in response to Konspirator
    Level 9 (52,424 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 29, 2016 4:12 AM in response to Konspirator

    First understand what OTHER actually is:

     

    https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202867

     

    Also be advised that the display is not to be relied upon for accuracy.  There is a bug in the program that initiates it.  Often, but not always, a Spotlight reindex will correct it.

     

    https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201716

     

    If still no success, download from the Internet OmniDiskSweeper and Grand Perspective (both free) and open them. They will show all of your files and the respective sizes. Transfer to an external HDD or delete files you no longer want on your MBP.

     

    Do not forget to empty trash. Only then is space allocated for new data.

     

    Ciao.

  • by dwb,

    dwb dwb Mar 29, 2016 5:36 AM in response to Konspirator
    Level 7 (24,209 points)
    Notebooks
    Mar 29, 2016 5:36 AM in response to Konspirator

    Konspirator wrote:


    What gives? Anyone? Please please please... stop in advance with the "I have the same problem". Good for you. We can get matching jackets later - I want ANSWERS AND SOLUTIONS PLEASE! I don't need to to scroll through "I have the same problem".

    Calm down and leave the attitude at the door, please. It doesn’t help get problems solved and drives some would be helpers away.

     

    That pretty colored bar is built by the file indexing software called Spotlight and Spotlight has a long standing bug. I don’t know if Apple has decided the bug isn’t a priority or if it is a priority but difficult to fix. At any rate at any time for reasons unknown the index file can become corrupted. When that happens files that should be counted under a specific category such as Audio or Movies will become categorized as Other, Other being a catchall for anything not specifically named. This makes it look like Other is taking over the computer. It isn’t.

     

    As Oglethorpe says, you can reindex the hard drive and Spotlight will once again show the correct statistics…until the next time the index becomes damaged. As for me, I’ve accepted the inevitable and ignore Spotlight since it isn’t an important part of my workflow.