Gigabites...

[Takushi Rena]

'Ello! I come with a computer question, and I'm going to go ahead and say that I'm on a Mac, instead of last. Not sure if knowing that'll help anything, but I guess it's good to have that there.

I'm having a bit trouble with the space on my harddrive. As in, where did it all go? I had about 40 GBs when I first got the computer and it's now down to less than maybe a tenth of that original amount; though I'm not 100% sure about that fraction. Most of what's taking up space is my music, which is about a fifth of 40 GBs. Pretty much, all of the space seems to being taken up is about 13 GBs, so how did over 20 just disappear?

I've had the computer for a bit, so I'm not sure if that has any part of this. So, my question is: is there something I can do to get the amount back up without deleting too much? The reason is ask is because I need to use Photoshop for doing artwork, mainly for portfolio and selling stuff, and I can't do a thing 'cause it's so slooooow.

Thanks in advance for the help!

[All-Star Gamer]

My dad has a similar problem with his mac. It always seems like he is short on memory.

Though I don't know why that is, I can give you maybe a few tips that could help. Delete any files that you are no longer using or don't wish to keep. Extras, old files, etc. Also, get rid of any programs that you have no use for to free up space. If you're not going to use it ever, then it can probably go. Go ahead and delete everything on a whim if you want. You can always sort through all the stuff in the recycling bin. But just be sure that when you empty the recycling bin, everything inside it is stuff you no longer need, because once it's gone, it's gone for good.

My hp has a function called disk clean up, which searches for redundant files on your computer that takes up space and drags it down. Search for a similar program on yours. If you find one, run it and select whatever you want to get rid of. It'll indicate how much space it'll free up, and when you hit okay, it'll go about doing so. Make sure to select "Temporary Internet Files" Because your computer often keeps track of what happens and appears on your computer while online, and if you do a lot of surfing/spend time online, that can quickly build up.

Another thing: Keep up this sort of maintenance. Especially disk clean up. Keeping your computer working in tip top condition requires you being proactive.

Hope you find these useful.

Edit: I just ran a disk cleanup. I was able to free up 7.70 Giga Bytes of memory, lol.

[square-enix]

Macs by default automatically defrags smaller files so constant maintenance is a non-issue. For Windows, defraging may speed up your system but this is only because Windows users often forget to defrag for long periods of time while Macs do it by constantly. It wouldn't hurt to try AppleJack, iDefrag, or TechTool Pro to do a more in-depth defragment of the larger files.

Storage space has little relevance to how well your computer runs a program. Is this issue of Photoshop being slooooow (sic) a recent issue? When you were first introduced to Photoshop, was it running at a perfectly normal speed?
If the answer to both is no, does your system specs surpass the minimum requirements for running Photoshop?

As to the issue of where most of hard drive space is being allocated, you can try WhatSize which can be gotten here or Disk Inventory X
Screenshots of what they can do can be found here and here.
The main things that should be taking up your drive is the OS itself, your Apps folder, your music, and your .psd/image files which I think you would have unless they've been deleted.