Long time reader, first time poster. I just bought a new Macbook Pro (first mac). I just turned it on and the hard drive only has 95GB even though its the 120 GB model. Is this normal? Do the programs on the computer already take up that much space?
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New MBP hard drive space
- Thread starter nortmansdad
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120 "GB" = 120,000,000,000 bytes = 111.76 GB.
The other 15GB is probably OS and utility installations.
The other 15GB is probably OS and utility installations.
Yes, unfortunately when you factor is the space for overhead, formatting, OS and pre-instaled apps, that is about right. Part of it is the way storage spce is reported, i.e. GB / Gb, 1000 vs. 1024, that whole thing...
There are steps you can take to free up hard drive space though.
- use OmniDiskSweeper (not free) or my personal favorite WhatSize (free) to determine what all is taking up room on your HDD and where it is
- I also recommend Disk Inventory X to view HDD usage - it graphically shows you what is taking up space with a decent presentation and UI
- remove GarageBand and iDVD if you do not need them - that should free up around 6 GB right there
- check out /Library/Printers/ - 2 GB of printer drivers that you may or may not need
- use Monolingual to remove the unnecessary language resources from your Mac*. Another option is to use Delocalizer
- lastly, you could always use AppZapper (not free) to ensure that when you uninstall any programs that all those pesky sub-folders, etc. are deleted
That should just about do it.
* a note about Monolingual. If you are not careful this can seriously screw up your Mac if it is Intel-based. Basically, leave the Architectures settings alone. If you delete G3, G4, G5 then anything which is PPC-based which will try to run under Rosetta, won't. Otherwise, Monolingual is great.
There are steps you can take to free up hard drive space though.
- use OmniDiskSweeper (not free) or my personal favorite WhatSize (free) to determine what all is taking up room on your HDD and where it is
- I also recommend Disk Inventory X to view HDD usage - it graphically shows you what is taking up space with a decent presentation and UI
- remove GarageBand and iDVD if you do not need them - that should free up around 6 GB right there
- check out /Library/Printers/ - 2 GB of printer drivers that you may or may not need
- use Monolingual to remove the unnecessary language resources from your Mac*. Another option is to use Delocalizer
- lastly, you could always use AppZapper (not free) to ensure that when you uninstall any programs that all those pesky sub-folders, etc. are deleted
That should just about do it.
* a note about Monolingual. If you are not careful this can seriously screw up your Mac if it is Intel-based. Basically, leave the Architectures settings alone. If you delete G3, G4, G5 then anything which is PPC-based which will try to run under Rosetta, won't. Otherwise, Monolingual is great.
If you just bought the system, your best bet is to re-install
the os with a clean install and 'customize' it. Don't install
the printer drivers, languages, and extra fonts.
Only install the additional iLife apps you need.
Otherwise, you can use the above mentioned programs,
but a fresh clean install is better imho.
PS. If you haven't updated to Leopard yet with your free drop in upgrade
disc, that would be a good time to do this with an 'erase and install'.
the os with a clean install and 'customize' it. Don't install
the printer drivers, languages, and extra fonts.
Only install the additional iLife apps you need.
Otherwise, you can use the above mentioned programs,
but a fresh clean install is better imho.
PS. If you haven't updated to Leopard yet with your free drop in upgrade
disc, that would be a good time to do this with an 'erase and install'.