scratch disk

[AK_Tracy]

Good Morning.
@Vicki Robinson I have a questions and since you're the Mac wizard I thought you might know the answer. Oscraps has created a wonderful problem, and my laptop is almost filled up. When I open PSE and try to do anything it tells me "scratch disk almost full" and I cant do anything. I have all my kits and zip files on an EHD (2 actually) and wondered a few things. Dare I delete them off my hard drive? My gut says NO. In the Daily O discussion there was mentioned that I could change the way PSE does things and limit the scratch disk space its allowed to use or change it to use the EHD. The directions and experience were for a PC and well, that's not me. In PSE I did see scratch disk preferences but it only lists the hard drive on my laptop, cannot find how to add the EHD. I am wondering if you have any ideas. It tells me I have 4 gb available LOL So yes, its almost full. All my LO are on EHD so I can't delete any of those. I've emptied the cache. I have no extra un-needed files. I am deleting hubs phone backup (after I made him put it on his laptop) and that will free some space but I keep battling this issue every month. Partly all the amazing kits and partly all the photos I take. I hope this makes sense and isn't just the ramblings of an under caffeinated woman.

 

[Vicki Robinson]

Hi Tracey!

Let me see if I can help. Can you tell me how much RAM (memory, not hard drive space) your Mac has and which version of PSE youn use? Also, please attach a screen shot of the dialogue box you get when you go to the Main Menu Photoshop Elements>Settings>Scratch Disk.

• In case you don't know how to do that, when you get to the right place, hold down SHFT + CMD with your left hand and without letting go, with your right hand, press the 4 key. Then drag a selection around what you want the screen shot of. When you let go, the screenshot PNG will be on your desktop, named "screenshot" with the date and time. The PNG file size will most likely be too big to upload here, so just open it in PSE (just accept that warning message), then do File>Save for Web and give it a new name.

Mine looks like this:

 

[AK_Tracy]

Hi Vicky,
Sorry to be so long in getting this to you. Ran out the door for church after I posted.
Here is what I think you are asking for......


@Vicki Robinson

 

[AK_Tracy]

I have my EHD plugged in, unlocked but it doesn't show it.

 

[Vicki Robinson]

@AK_Tracy — sorry I haven't gotten back to you sooner —I've been trying to do some research on this issue. When you have a minute, please take a screenshot of what you see in the Performance Tab of the Settings. It's right above the Scratch Disk tab. Then, let's do a bit of troubleshooting.

Do you usually connect and re-connect to EHDs, or are they always plugged in?

Make sure they are plugged then close all the apps on your Mac and restart it.

Check in the Sidebar of Finder (towards the bottom usually, under the "Locations" section) to see if both drives show up there. If they don't, it means your Mac isn't recognizing them at all. This is what mine looks like:



Assuming they are there, open PSE and check to see if your EHDs show up in the Scratch Disk box. If so, check the one that shows the most available space. That should resolve the problem.

If they don't show up in the Scratch Disk box, see if you can open any element in PSE — it doesn't matter what — then do File>Save (as a PNG) and see if you can navigate to one of the EHDs and save the file there. Once it's saved, go back to the Scratch Disk window to see if that EHD shows up there.

Let me know how that goes.

 

[AK_Tracy]

Thank you so much Vicki. I appreciate you doing so much work to help me out.
First, yes I connect/disconnect my EHD every time. I'm using a laptop and its not convent to always have it plugged in. I always plug it in, unlock it, and then scrapbook.

Here is the screenshot. ..... Gonna try the next steps you suggest.

 

[AK_Tracy]

Here is the sidebar, it shows both locked or unlocked, so I know its plugged in and "found"

 

[AK_Tracy]

Nope, I opened the screen shot in PSE, saved it.........

It shows the EHD as a place to save.
Then I went back and tried to see if it shows in Scratch disk and it doesn't .

 

[AK_Tracy]

I can use the EHD in finder and look at everything on the drive, I just cant "scratch". LOL Its not set up as an automatic backup copy, and I dont know if that matters. I have a smaller EHD that I just plug in, it backs up computer and I unplug it when done. I dont navigate it like a folder. This larger one I do navigate it like a folder and pull all my scrap supplies off into PSE when I scrap. I hope that makes sense. I'm thinking either my computer is too old or I am too "unknowledgeable" about how to make it do what I want.

 

[Vicki Robinson]

Nope, I opened the screen shot in PSE, saved it.........
View attachment 429991
It shows the EHD as a place to save.
Then I went back and tried to see if it shows in Scratch disk and it doesn't .

Did you actually save the file to the EHD? The research I read said that we need to test if PSE can actually write (save) a file to the EHD.

 

[AK_Tracy]

Did you actually save the file to the EHD? The research I read said that we need to test if PSE can actually write (save) a file to the EHD.

As far as I could tell it did. I save all my layouts to the EHD. How would I test it? I assume its writing on the EHD as I have all my kits, layouts and photos on the EHD.


This is found by clicking (in finder) the EHD (Seagate) then folder scrap pages, then it shows these. They're not on my hard drive. I always save items to Seagate folder which is the EHD.

 

[Vicki Robinson]

As far as I could tell it did. I save all my layouts to the EHD. How would I test it? I assume its writing on the EHD as I have all my kits, layouts and photos on the EHD.

View attachment 430012
This is found by clicking (in finder) the EHD (Seagate) then folder scrap pages, then it shows these. They're not on my hard drive. I always save items to Seagate folder which is the EHD.

Do you see the file you tried to save to the EHD from within PSE? your drive is definitely working because you have files there, but we’re trying to see if PSE knows the drive is there.

 

[AK_Tracy]

Do you see the file you tried to save to the EHD from within PSE? your drive is definitely working because you have files there, but we’re trying to see if PSE knows the drive is there.

Oh Duh, okay, totally misunderstood what you wanted me to find. Let me open PSE and see if it will open a file. I believe it does as I have edited layouts but I didn't check to see if it then showed the EHD for scratch disk. Let me check.

 

[AK_Tracy]

So I can open files,.

It reads the EHD from "open" in PSE but then I looked to see scratch and it didn't show.

 

[Vicki Robinson]

ok.. do this. open a file from within PSE, save it with a new name to somewhere on the EHD. Leave PSE open and then go to the EHD in Finder to see if it’s there. Then go back to PSE and see if the EHD shows in the Scratch disk area.

 

[AK_Tracy]

Nope.

 

[Vicki Robinson]

Nope.

Not the file wasn’t on the hard drive ir it was but not showing in the scratch disk area?

 

[AK_Tracy]

Not the file wasn’t on the hard drive ir it was but not showing in the scratch disk area?

File saved to EHD. I could see it in finder. I then looked for scratch disk and it still didn't show the ehd

 

[Vicki Robinson]

Ok. Let me do a bit more research. If you have a chance, could you try that same process with that second EHD you have? I’m trying to figure out if the problem is just that one EHD.

 

[AK_Tracy]

Okay, I will try the other EHD and see what happens. I really appreciate all the time you have put into figuring this out.

 

[AK_Tracy]

I can open files from the small EHD I have but I can not save through PSE to that EHD. It keeps saying something else is using the program or I'm not allowed.

 

[Vicki Robinson]

@AK_Tracy - I recorded a short video for you

 

[AK_Tracy]

Oh Vicki!! Thank you thank you thank you! I so appreciate all you have done to help me. Sadly, my EHD doesn't say what it needs to say.

And yes, I freaked out when you said reformat I was so relieved when you quickly followed with we dont want to do that!! I am so bummed that this wasn't an easy fix. But what I did learn is I need another EHD that I can format correctly and use for scratch disk. Thank you so so so much!!

 

[AK_Tracy]

I checked both my EHD and they are both the same. GUID Partition Map.

 

[Vicki Robinson]

Depending on how full those drives are, you COULD move the files off of one onto the another, format the empty one the way it needs to be and then move the files back.

Three things, just so you know.

1. Any EHD that can be used for a Mac can be formatted the way it needs to be, so you don't need to find something special.
2. You can put files on an EHD that you want to use as a Scratch disk, so it's not a wasted drive.You just want to be sure you leave about half the space free
3. You'll probably need to leave that EHD plugged in because otherwise you'll have the same problem. At the very least, plug the EHD in and then restart your laptop so the drive is "officially" recognized by PSE, even though the Mac shows the drive in Finder. Don't know why PSE is that picky.

 

[AK_Tracy]

Thank you so much. I really appreciate all the help and letting me know everything I need to know. I will probably get a new EHD as I have a lot on the one already. 50 years worth of photos lol all scanned in years ago. Thank you!

 

[Vicki Robinson]

You’re very welcome … just wish I had better news.