Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

You are here: MacNN Forums > Software - Troubleshooting and Discussion > macOS > Anyway to create a variable size disk image?

Anyway to create a variable size disk image?
Thread Tools
KraziKid
Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Dec 2003
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 20, 2004, 11:56 AM
 
The title says it all, is there any way to do this?
15 inch MacBook Pro 2.16 GHz, 2 GB RAM, 7200 RPM 100GB HDD.

Dual 2.5 GHz Power Mac G5, 1 GB RAM, 250 GB HDD, ATI Radeon X800XT.
     
jrafter
Forum Regular
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 20, 2004, 12:08 PM
 
Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility > New Image > Format: sparse disk image
     
Detrius
Professional Poster
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Asheville, NC
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 21, 2004, 06:41 PM
 
There is no variable size file system format. You would have to do a sparse image and set it at a size that will definitely hold everything you want.
ACSA 10.4/10.3, ACTC 10.3, ACHDS 10.3
     
Boondoggle
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: May 1999
Location: Seattle
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 21, 2004, 10:20 PM
 
Then what is the difference between a sparse image and a fixed size image?
1.25GHz PowerBook


i vostri seni sono spettacolari
     
gorickey
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Retired.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 21, 2004, 10:31 PM
 
Originally posted by Boondoggle:
Then what is the difference between a sparse image and a fixed size image?
Taken from "Mac Help"...

"You can create a full disk image that uses the same amount of disk space as the disk it represents, or create a sparse disk image that includes only the data on the disk. For example, a 10MB disk may have only 5MB of data. A full disk image would be 10MB, while a sparse disk image would be 5MB."
     
Boondoggle
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: May 1999
Location: Seattle
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 22, 2004, 05:39 AM
 
right, that sounds variable to me. You have a sparse image with 50MB of data and the img file is about 50MB. Delete half of the data and the sparse.img is about 25MB.

My question was in reference to Detrius' post. "there is no variable size..."
1.25GHz PowerBook


i vostri seni sono spettacolari
     
diskgolfking
Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2004
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 22, 2004, 09:45 AM
 
Originally posted by Boondoggle:
right, that sounds variable to me. You have a sparse image with 50MB of data and the img file is about 50MB. Delete half of the data and the sparse.img is about 25MB.
I believe that is not true. Deleting files from a sparse image does not shrink it. In your example it would stay at 50MB unless you compress it (which I believe can be done through the Disk Utility but I am not sure on the details).
     
Millennium
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Nov 1999
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 22, 2004, 10:33 AM
 
Originally posted by Boondoggle:
right, that sounds variable to me. You have a sparse image with 50MB of data and the img file is about 50MB. Delete half of the data and the sparse.img is about 25MB.

My question was in reference to Detrius' post. "there is no variable size..."
Detrius is still right. Even with a sparse image, you must set a maximum size that it can be, and while it can hold less data than this amount it cannot hold more.
You are in Soviet Russia. It is dark. Grue is likely to be eaten by YOU!
     
Art Vandelay
Professional Poster
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: New York, NY
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 22, 2004, 04:28 PM
 
The size of a sparse image file is about the same as the amount of data stored. It will grow to the maximum amount specified when created. However, it will not shrink as data is removed.
Vandelay Industries
     
Angus_D
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: London, UK
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 22, 2004, 04:44 PM
 
Originally posted by Art Vandelay:
The size of a sparse image file is about the same as the amount of data stored. It will grow to the maximum amount specified when created. However, it will not shrink as data is removed.
hdiutil compact image
     
Developer
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: europe
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 22, 2004, 05:04 PM
 
FileVault can shrink sparseimages (reclaim wasted disk space), so there must be some way to do it. It's just not automatic.
Nasrudin sat on a river bank when someone shouted to him from the opposite side: "Hey! how do I get across?" "You are across!" Nasrudin shouted back.
     
Angus_D
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: London, UK
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 22, 2004, 06:37 PM
 
Originally posted by Developer:
FileVault can shrink sparseimages (reclaim wasted disk space), so there must be some way to do it. It's just not automatic.
hdiutil compact image
     
dtriska
Mac Elite
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 22, 2004, 07:01 PM
 
Originally posted by Developer:
FileVault can shrink sparseimages (reclaim wasted disk space), so there must be some way to do it. It's just not automatic.
You're right. There must be some way. If only someone would tell us.
     
CatOne
Mac Elite
Join Date: Nov 2001
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 22, 2004, 07:36 PM
 
Originally posted by dtriska:
You're right. There must be some way. If only someone would tell us.
Are you ****ing serious? Angus just told you, TWICE.
     
dtriska
Mac Elite
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 23, 2004, 04:46 PM
 
Originally posted by CatOne:
Are you ****ing serious? Angus just told you, TWICE.
Man, some people are really dense.
     
PubGuy
Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Aug 2002
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 24, 2004, 01:21 AM
 
When you use Disk Utility to create a SPARSE disk image, the size that you select is the Maximum size that the disk will expand to. If you select a 2 G size, the disk image is created very fast and is real small in physical size. If you mount it and open it, Finder reports the full size of 2 G as available.

So, when creating a sparse disk image, the size you specify is the maximum size that the drive will expand out to.
     
   
Thread Tools
 
Forum Links
Forum Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Top
Privacy Policy
All times are GMT -4. The time now is 11:16 PM.
All contents of these forums © 1995-2017 MacNN. All rights reserved.
Branding + Design: www.gesamtbild.com
vBulletin v.3.8.8 © 2000-2017, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.,