So you've cleared out the folders on your iDisk—Sites, Pictures, Movies, etc.—yet according to the .Mac System Preferences pane you've still got megabytes of iDisk space occupied. What's going on?
When Ng Wee Nghee in Singapore asked me such a question, I suggested that he might use an AppleScript to show hidden files on his iDisk. The following script (I can't cite the original source I'm afraid) does the trick:
However, Ng wrote to say that .Mac Support offered him the following information:
What is filling up your iDisk are iSync files in the Library folder. Some files and folders in your iDisk are meant for system use. You can't change or edit them. These files help your iDisk work. If you try to make changes, you will usually see a -38 error. The contents of these files and folders are modified by applications that interact with your iDisk, such as HomePage, Backup, iCal, iPhoto, and iSync. If you manually deleted these files or folders, the applications will not work correctly.
iDisk folders you can change
- Documents
- Movies
- Music
- Public
- Pictures*
- Sites*
* iPhoto or HomePage may have saved files in these folders. Don't delete or change these files in the Finder. When you wish to delete or change them, use iPhoto or HomePage.
iDisk folders you cannot change
- (root level)
- Backup
- Library
- Software
The Backup and Library folders are created and modified by applications. Use the appropriate application to modify the contents.
The Software folder includes applications Apple makes available as a service to all .Mac members. You can copy the contents of this folder to your computer, but you cannot modify the folder contents. This folder is not counted in your iDisk space allotment.
Of course, while interesting, in the time-honored fashion of tech support responses—this didn't answer the question Ng had asked. The second round of e-mails, however, bore fruit, and indicates I was barking up the right tree with my initial suggestion:
In some circumstances, invisible temporary files may be left on your iDisk, usually as the result of a failed or interrupted sync. Although you cannot see these files, they will count towards your quota and can cause the discrepancy you have reported.
To delete these files and reclaim your iDisk space, first disable the local copy of your iDisk. Then, mount your iDisk via the Go menu in the Finder. Next, search your iDisk using the Finder's Find command and add the following two search terms:
- Name contains "fstemp" (do not include the quotation marks)
- Visibility: invisible items
The search results will list all the invisible .fstemp files on your iDisk, which you should then delete. To verify that your iDisk space has been reclaimed, check the iDisk usage tab in System Preferences.
This later advice apparently solved the problem for Ng.
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