Photoshop space/scratch disk issues

D
Posted By
djfix8
Jan 19, 2009
Views
585
Replies
11
Status
Closed
Hello,
We are having problems with one of our machine where the computer runs out of scratch disk space.

Example.
We are opening a 500mb image (res and everything is okay, 300dpi) The HD space is 150GB free, and the machine has 4GB of RAM. Specs: PowerMac G5 Dual 2.5Ghz, running 10.4.11, CS3 Production

When we open the image and it automatically uses up 30GB of space, and as we edit the image it uses up HD space very fast. Within 10 edits we are out of space on the scratch disk. We also have a second HD on in the computer and is set as the secondary scratch disk and the space on the is used up as well.

Things we have tried to resolve the issues:
1. Reinstalled CS3 (complete re-install)
2. Swapped RAM chips with ones from another machine
3. Reformatted the entire machine with complete reinstall of the OS. (Erase and install)
4. Opened the file on another machine and we don’t have this space/scratch disk issue

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks
Brian
Related Tags
disk issue scratch space

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NK
Neil_Keller
Jan 19, 2009
Brian,

How is the maxed out scratch disk affecting your image editing?

Neil
AF
Andrea_F_Watson
Jan 20, 2009
Brian,
We need to troubleshoot with you a bit more to assist you further…

1. Neil asked a really good question. You should reply to him first.
2. Have you tried defragmenting both disks?
3. What brand of RAM chips did you use? Doritos or Pringles?
4. Are you sure there isn’t a corrupt font in the file? Maybe try using a font cach clearing application?

Andrea
B
Buko
Jan 20, 2009
Do not use the system disk as a scratch disk.
D
djfix8
Jan 20, 2009
Neil
– we are not able to complete the editing of the images. currently our retoucher is making a couple edits. quitting and then opening it back up. Doing a couple more edits, save, quit and repeat.

Andrea
2. Yes we degrafraged both disks
3. Using Kingston chips
4. Pretty sure the image isn’t corupt cause it happens to all our images on that machine. They don’t use fonts on that machine cause all he does is retouch images. But to answer the question is did run FontNuke.

Buko
we’ve tried switching the order of the scratch disk and as well making the second disk the primary scratch disk.
B
Buko
Jan 20, 2009
If you use the system disk as the primary scratch it must fight with the system which writes SWAP files so the system and PS are both using the same read write heads. this will also fill up the free space faster.

If you are having space problems get a bigger second hard drive. You can get a 1TB drive for around $100. make the first partition for Photoshop scratch.
P
PeterK.
Jan 20, 2009
You can try doing an Edit-Purge All to free up memory. You could also reduce the number of History States to fewer than 10 or whatever number of edits makes you run out of space. I’m guessing that the file has a great number of layers in it and once it is uncompressed and loaded into memory that is what is using up all your swap space.
A
AdobeMaster
Jan 20, 2009
Brian,

First, I assume your an end-user because you don’t sound like your in I.T. Kingston doesn’t make RAM chips. All machines have fonts.

Have you tried having your user/retoucher try another machine.

Try creating another user account on the original machine.
B
Buko
Jan 20, 2009
if all the free space on the both drives is only 150GB that is not enough.
AF
Andrea_F_Watson
Jan 20, 2009
Brian,
I got it!!

Try these steps and your problem should be solved:
– run a defrag
– You should use at least 2 hard drive’s as your scratch disk, then create a RAID 1+ 5. – Use either factory Mac ram or Buffalo ram ONLY!!
– run FontNuke
– then upgrade OS to 10.5

I assure you that this will fix all your problems!
If all else fails, call tech-support, or contact your IT department.

Andrea
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djfix8
Jan 20, 2009
AdobeMaster:
Well if you want to get specific, then yes you are right Kingston doesn’t make the chips, they make the memory sticks. When i said RAM chips i meant the memory.

And yes i understand that all machines have font, but we are not using fonts in the image. Its a strictly image retouching station. Besides the system fonts, and the fonts that are installed with software no other fonts are used. The question was "4. Are you sure there isn’t a corrupt font in the file? Maybe try using a font cache clearing application? " not if the machine had fonts. I guess i could have made my answer clearer, but i figured someone would understand i meant no fonts in the file.

I have tried a different account on the machine as well.

Buko
HD 1: 150GB free
HD 2: 100GB free
Is there a way to calculate how much space is required? using up 150GB of scratch disk seems like a lot of space.

When we open the image on other machines it only uses up maybe 30GB of space at the most and we are able to make all the edits without any problems.
CC
Chris_Cox
Jan 20, 2009
Check the scratch usage reported in Photoshop.
Have you made sure that Photoshop is using the disks you think it is using?

Reformatting should have cleared the preferences — and that would rule out excessive presets and cache levels.
But it is suspicious that you don’t see this problem on another system. Have you tried creating a new user on this system and seeing if the problem still happens?

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