Re: Query about .xsession-errors file
On 10/09/2014, Bret Busby <bret.busby@gmail.com> wrote:
> On 09/09/2014, Chris Bannister <cbannister@slingshot.co.nz> wrote:
>> On Tue, Sep 09, 2014 at 03:29:04PM +0800, Bret Busby wrote:
>>> Hello.
>>>
>>> I am concerned that, should I simply delete the file, the system will
>>> crash or otherwise damage to the boot session, would occur.
>>
>> I very much doubt that any such damage would occur by deleting it, but
>> the following incantation is one answer:
>>
>> tal% ls -alh .xsession-errors
>> -rw------- 1 chrisb chrisb 33K Sep 9 17:40 .xsession-errors
>>
>> tal% :> .xsession-errors
>> tal% ls -alh .xsession-errors
>> -rw------- 1 chrisb chrisb 0 Sep 9 21:25 .xsession-errors
>>
>
> Well, that kind of works.
>
> Before seeing the above message, after someone previously saying that
> deleting the file would not cause any (extra) problems, but would not
> free up disc space, I deleted the file, then ran "Empty Trash Can",
> but, no disc space was freed, then, subsequently, I observed that a
> new file had been created;
> .xsession-errors.old
> with a size of about 33kB, and so I overwrote that, as described
> above, and that reduced its size to zero, but, I now do not have the
> original file with which to do that, and, I have about 750MB of
> missing disc space.
>
> I have had to move files off the HDD, to make it usable (it does not
> work with no free space, which is what the file did to it).
>
> Does a way exist, for me to reclaim the vanished disc space, without
> having to reboot the computer?
>
> Maybe this is why, as I posted some time ago, resources repeatedly got
> progressively consumed, until no free resources were available, so the
> system required rebooting every couple of weeks or so (a bit like
> Win95, I think it was, but, I believe that Win95 generally lasted for
> about four weeks, before needing rebooting), or, it simply crashed.
>
>
Just out of interest, "top" shows the system as having been up for 21
days, so, the xsession-errors file grew to 743MB, in 21 days. I saw,
at the top of that file, before I deleted it, reference to 21 August,
so, the file apparently, grows quite fast.
--
Bret Busby
Armadale
West Australia
..............
"So once you do know what the question actually is,
you'll know what the answer means."
- Deep Thought,
Chapter 28 of Book 1 of
"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:
A Trilogy In Four Parts",
written by Douglas Adams,
published by Pan Books, 1992
....................................................
Reply to: