Please Help! Hard drive full from OS??

[socalfringe]

Does anyone know how much space just OS X Panther takes up?? I just bought this iMac off e-Bay from a guy who only used it a few months. He restored the drive so it was like new when I got it... it has an 80 gb hard drive. The actual space is 74.4gb, and 73.3gb is used!

This is my first Mac and my last PC only had a 60gb hard drive and I wasn't even 1/2 way full on my hard drive and I had TONS of extra programs loaded on it. I've only loaded maybe 4 small programs and around 1gb of music so I'm wondering why my hard drive is so full! I thought I would have PLENTY of space with this...

I don't know Macs so I don't know what all I can delete to make more space. Is something wrong? Could he have loaded the OS twice or something (pardon me if that is impossible and I sound rediculous, I just don't know this system at all)?

Does anyone have any suggestions or any ideas of what I can do? I read that you can backup your important files, erase the disk and install the OS again, but I don't want to go through that if it's not going to help

 

[Ric]

Hi there,

Do you have the install disks?

Is there anything on the iMac that you want to keep ?

Panther install will take approx 2 to 6gb of space ! Depending on your install options !

Let us know wht you would like to do and we'll talk you through it.

I would personally wipe the lot and install then OS fresh, then you know there's no nasties left behind from the previous owner...

Once this is done you will have loads of free space...

 

[socalfringe]

Thanks so much for your reply!

Yes I think I have 3 install disks (I'm at work right now, so I think there were 3 included). The guy had told me he would do all of that, and when I got the comp, I did get prompted to register it in my name so I thought he did.

As far as things I want to keep most everything I already have on backup disks from my original switch, so there's only a few songs I'd need to burn before erasing & re-loading.

I've seen in the utilities where it says erase- is that what I need to do when I'm ready to start all over? Once it's erased will it shut down and let me start up again with the first install disk?

Please let me know if there are any tricks I need to know before starting the process (as I won't have access to a computer to ask anyone if I get stuck) Thanks again!!

 

[Ric]

If you have a quick read of this thread this should help,

I would suggest that you print out the PDF if you won't have access to a computer once you start...

..don't worry it is quite straight forward !

You will want to do the "Erase and Install option"

Make sure you have a note of your Internet connection settings, if you connect to the Internet from the Mac, so that you can get connected again once you have re-installed Panther...

best wishes

Ric

 

[socalfringe]

Thanks so much! I guess if you don't hear back from me tomorrow everything went well

 

[Ric]

Feel free to come back...even if everything "does" go okay ! LOL

regards

Ric

Note to Cory: We must take longer to fix peoples problems so they stick around longer... :wink:

 

[socalfringe]

Well all went well... though one major FYI that I didn't think about until it was too late is:

If you have the Bluetooth wireless mouse & keyboard- have an extra USB mouse available before you start!

As soon as it started of course I was disabled, and I should have know but just didn't think about it- so I went to a neighbor's and stole theirs, but it was the wrong connection so I had to run out to Rite Aid & buy a USB mouse so I could finish.... just something you might want to throw in there. Silly me!

And you don't have to worry, I'm sure this will become my 2nd home since this is the first Mac I've EVER used

 

[Ric]

Good, I am pleased for you !

Handy tip...thanks for that ! (Keep spare mouse !)

I hope you enjoy your new Mac, this is a fairly new website, so if there's anything you like or don't like or you think that might improve things, please let us know and we'll listen.

Some of us, in here, have been on Mac's before they were called 'Mac's' so if you need any help just ask...

Regards

Ric