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jbleisure · May 23, 2007, 09:27 AM

the receipts folder in the library is taking up a lot of space, can I empty it without problems or are the contents crucial to the smooth running of the system:

Douglashh · May 23, 2007, 09:40 AM

No DO NOT under any circumstances delete the 'Receipts' Folder.

JonoMarshall · May 23, 2007, 09:52 AM

But he reeeeally wants to...

mac128k-1984 · May 23, 2007, 10:11 AM

You have 284GB available, I would not be mucking around your library folder looking to delete stuff with so much free space.

JonoMarshall · May 23, 2007, 10:29 AM

But he could have 285gb or more (?!?), oooh, itchy trigger finger syndrome's kicking in... I'm going to go home and delete EVERYTHING!

CatOne · May 23, 2007, 11:40 AM

Sure, you can delete it. Just be aware that many things will then no longer work:

* Repair permissions will be permanently broken and will never be able to fix anything, ever, at all
* Software update will be broken (as in, TOTALLY broken)
* You will have problems installing many applications and the system will not know what is installed on your system

But other than that, you're golden!

chabig · May 23, 2007, 11:48 AM

I'm going to delete my System folder to free up space...

chabig · May 23, 2007, 11:49 AM

Originally Posted by jbleisure

the receipts folder in the library is taking up a lot of space...

Actually, it's not. How much, maybe 100-150MB? That's nothing.

Art Vandelay · May 23, 2007, 12:06 PM

Originally Posted by CatOne

Sure, you can delete it. Just be aware that many things will then no longer work:

* Repair permissions will be permanently broken and will never be able to fix anything, ever, at all
* Software update will be broken (as in, TOTALLY broken)
* You will have problems installing many applications and the system will not know what is installed on your system

But other than that, you're golden!

Actually, only the first bullet is true. Software Update and Installer will still work just fine.

fisherKing · May 23, 2007, 01:21 PM

Originally Posted by Art Vandelay

Actually, only the first bullet is true. Software Update and Installer will still work just fine.

not sure that's correct; doesnt apple software update check receipts to see what version of apple apps has been installed ? think i once deleted an app receipt, and had to reinstall from the os disk, THEN update again...

better to clear out desktop pics, or empty the user cache...

jbleisure · May 23, 2007, 02:49 PM

Some people just love to jump to conclusions don't they!!

However:

You have 284GB available, I would not be mucking around your library folder looking to delete stuff with so much free space.

I posted the question from my iMac in the office but the issue really relates to my G4 PB which only has 6.2 GB space left and I'm looking for files that I can delete.

It was a simple question so now i realize I need to look elsewhere.

chabig · May 23, 2007, 03:02 PM

Do you have any Garageband loops installed? If so, start there.

Simon · May 23, 2007, 03:14 PM

Originally Posted by jbleisure

It was a simple question so now i realize I need to look elsewhere.

Maybe you should try WhatSize.

jbleisure · May 23, 2007, 04:22 PM

Thanks for the Whatsize tip. I had a copy of it on another harddrive which I came accross earlier. It's perfect for this job.

Art Vandelay · May 23, 2007, 04:43 PM

Originally Posted by fisherKing

not sure that's correct; doesnt apple software update check receipts to see what version of apple apps has been installed ? think i once deleted an app receipt, and had to reinstall from the os disk, THEN update again...

better to clear out desktop pics, or empty the user cache...

Maybe in pre-Tiger days but not so now. In the labs that I run, I've deleted the receipts since size is a concern in imaging and everything works fine, except for repairing permissions of course. In a lab, however, repairing permissions is not needed when you can simply reimage a Mac in a few minutes. Software Update is much smarter now. It doesn't solely rely on receipts anymore.

On a personal machine, I do agree that you'd be much better off saving space by deleting something else and leaving the receipts alone.

mac128k-1984 · May 23, 2007, 09:03 PM

Originally Posted by jbleisure

Some people just love to jump to conclusions don't they!!

However:

I posted the question from my iMac in the office but the issue really relates to my G4 PB which only has 6.2 GB space left and I'm looking for files that I can delete.

It was a simple question so now i realize I need to look elsewhere.

fine but it was your screen shot and question that led us to jump to conclusions, perhaps next time post an accurate screen shot

Simon · May 24, 2007, 01:55 AM

Ah com'on, those are excuses. The guy had a legitimate question and rather than simply answering it quickly (and accurately!) a couple of people here jumped the gun. An apology and a good answer would suffice.

JonoMarshall · May 24, 2007, 03:03 AM

Sorry... and umm 4?