The PRAM Symptoms
I called Apple Support at 1-800-APL-CARE because I was having a problem with my computer.
It seems that disk utilities would show me that I had 1.5 or 2 Gigs free but within 30 minutes of doing routine work, I would get a message.
That message said: “Your Disk is Almost Full”
I would then open Disk Utilities again and sure enough, it would show that I had only a few megabytes of space left.
I would run a cleanup program and I would suddenly have more space again!
This continued about every thirty minutes or so.
Resetting PRAM
I called Apple Care for this problem. They told me that I needed to clear my PRAM – I had not heard of this before. (Silly of me, I know).
The procedure I was told to perform was this:
Restart the computer. Before the screen turn on, hold down Command-Option-P-R (4 keys) all together and hold them until you hear the ‘Chime’ Twice.
If you only here the chime once, you must restart again.
You need to hear the Chime TWICE before logging in.
This resets the PRAM.
Results
Sure enough, I checked Disk utilities again, this time I had a LOT more space than I was previously showing.
The problem seems to have disappeared now.
The only maintenance I had run previously was a ‘clean up’ utility and the repair permissions utility. I was not aware that any other routine maintenance was needed.
The only other problem I have had was with my battery – which AppleCare replaced for me at no charge!
So, now I know that sometimes there may be additional maintenance to perform.
Next time I need to do this, I will come straight to this post for the directions.
System
Just so you know what I am running in case you are thinking of comparing it to your system.
I have a 17 inch MacBook Pro with 8 Gigs of RAM, And a 120 GB HD that was installed by APPLE before I received the computer.
I am running LION 10.7.5 as an OS. The MBP was created in the summer of 2010. Processor 2.66 GHz Intel Core i7
* note, I cannot warrant or guarantee the suitability of the information provided here for your machine and your unique situation, be sure to call Apple Care for assistance before attempting to reset your PRAM – just in case you need a different set of instructions or have a different problem altogether than you may think. Proceed at your own risk!
Any thoughts? Post your comments and experiences below.