FileVault issues...

danieklerrdanieklerr
Posted:
in Genius Bar edited January 2014
Hello!



I have been using a Mac for many years, but recently decided to try FileVault, at the suggestion of a friend. Problem: When I try to turn on FileVault in the Security section of my SysPref, I get a message saying I need 4071 gigs (!) of space. Am I missing something? I've scoured the manual for hours now...



I am using a (non-Intel, 2005) Mini. I appreciate the help. Thank you!

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 6
    omegaomega Posts: 427member
    My help: Don't use FV*



    *unless you are a ninja
  • Reply 2 of 6
    danieklerrdanieklerr Posts: 2member
    Yeah, you're right. After more research, I realize the FV is not a very good choice for encryption. I believe, at this point, it's all about creating a disk image that will encrypt itself..
  • Reply 3 of 6
    manyourismsmanyourisms Posts: 50member
    So is your issue resolved?
  • Reply 4 of 6
    ichiban_jayichiban_jay Posts: 660member
    But for future reference, File vault needs this initial amount of space because it first has to encrypt all the data in your home folder, then it deletes your home folder and replaces it with the encrypted folder.
  • Reply 5 of 6
    slewisslewis Posts: 2,081member
    Null.
  • Reply 6 of 6
    nordstrodamusnordstrodamus Posts: 828member
    I can't believe that your home folder is actually 4 terabytes, so something is fishy. But usually for this you just need to move enough out of your home folder to allow it to have space to make an encrypted copy. I'd recommend...



    1. Open your home folder and select view options from the view menu.

    2. select "calculate all sizes" and see which folder is giving the wierd result.

    3. Comb through that one and get rid of whatever is causing it.

    4. Copy as much data over to a spare hard drive to allow enough space for filevault formation

    5. Copy moved data back.



    The only annoyance with that I've encountered is that it occassionally will keep eating up disc space. Usually this is fixed with a logout and it will request to optimize your folder. Once, however, I could only fix it by turning filevault on and off again.
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