Delete updaters and save disk space

Apr 24, '06 07:30:00AM

Contributed by: umijin

Software update likes to insist that you have and download the latest version of iPod Updater and iSight Updater--even if you aren't using these devices. Even if you do use the iPod and/or iSight, it doesn't delete the previous updaters that were downloaded. These files can take up a lot of disk space.

My 12" G4 PB is about 2 years old, and I've downloaded every iPod updater and iSight updater since May 2004. My 60GB hard drive is almost full, so I've been looking for ways to clean up space, including deleting extraneous photos and music I don't need.

When looking through my Applications folder, I saw all the iPod Updaters. For kicks, I checked to see how much space the folder was using, and was shocked to find it was well over 600MB!

I deleted all but the most recent version of iPod Updater in that folder, and the same for the iSight Updater, and now my hard disk has much more room.

[kirkmc adds: While many people know that you can "ignore" an update in Software by selecting it and pressing the Delete key, I'm sure many others aren't aware of this, and end up downloading all these iPod and iSight updates. (There also may be other updates you don't need, such as Bluetooth and AirPort.) You can reset these ignored updates from the Software Update application (not the preference pane), so if you do need these updates at a later time you can do so. However, it might be a good thing to hold on to the two latest iPod Updaters, just in case you have a problem and need to downgrade your iPod.]

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