I have been searching the web, forums and such for the magical answer because some one has to have resolved this. There are so many opinions and other thoughts.
Ok when I review my drives in settings, I am sure all have seen the Dreaded "Other" folder at the end of the list. On my PS4 it is 75GB in size. Recently down from 150GB in size. I have heard it is everything from a system folder, bad downloads, program saves, frozen downloads, updates, and such, including the system software.
Here is the thing, if this is true, and related to the system. Then why do I have this same folder on my extended storage drive (This is Drive 1)? Much of my games are all on this drive, there is no operating system on this drive. This is an 8TB drive, and there is no system software on this drive, just games, and get this. The "Other file is 255.5GB in size.
Here is another curve for you all. I have not one but two 8TB Drives, the first (Drive 1) is 200GB shy of filled, the other (I label as Drive 2) has 2.5TB filled on it (yes games) and it has the exact same 255.5GB "Other" folder.
I have been trying to track this down. On my primary drive on the PS4, I think it may contain the "System Storage Exclusive Data" files which range from 500mb to a whopping 52.5GB (for Call of duty WWII).. But these can be deleted, and it did not change the size of the 75.5GB "Other' file, so these files are obviously not in there, and there are none of these exclusive data files on the other two drives.
This is just nuts,. Hell on the PS4 I have no real big issue (well I do but not as much) but come on, 255.5GB on the storage drives. Someone said bad sectors.. But come on 255.5GB bad sectors on both extended drives?
@Sac_Ratchet_002 I’ve often wondered about the “Other” files also, but mine are not nearly that big. I think my internal drive “other” file is like 60GB and my external HDD is around 10GB. Like you, I’ve heard these are partial downloads, orphaned DLC, a cache of various temp files, system software and whatnot. But yeah, the fact yours is so big on your external drives makes me think they must be game related files.
If you’ve not done it recently, you might try rebuilding your database to see what happens to the “other” file size. Maybe it’ll sort some of it out if any of the data belong with individual games instead of in “other”
Does your PS4 run sluggish?
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
@Sac_Ratchet_002@Th3solution I'm not sure about the "other" folder on the external drive but the "other" folder on the internal drive contains files needed to run games on the external. The more games you have on the external, the bigger your internal drives "other" folder will be. It contains other unknown stuff but that is the bulk of it if your folder has ballooned out that much.
I discovered this when I rebuilt the database a few times, with and without the external drive plugged in. When I rebuild the database without the external drive plugged in, the "other" folder shrinks to <10GBs but then grows exponentially once I plug in my external drive and the PS4 reads all the files on it.
It can also include downloads including DLC for games that aren't installed so they kind of get stuck in limbo. Deleting all notifications will clear this.
Edit:: Sorry I've just re read your post and see your "other" folder is large on the external drives... I'm a bit flummoxed by this. I haven't discovered the cause of that! My apologies!
@Th3solution No actually it runs just fine, and I have rebuilt the database, and the Other on the system did go down, it was much larger, I have cleared notifications, old downloads, have non paused, and many other things.
@ralphdibny No need for any apologies, it is just a mystery. I have done all the suggested things I have read. But the extended drives are what really have me wondering, as it makes no sense.
@Sac_Ratchet_002 haha I'm british, we apologise all the time! Joking of course, I'm just leaning into the stereotype for the sake of humour.
Just having a look at my "other" folders on ps4 now so I can provide you with some more data for your research:
Internal 2TB (System Storage):
Usable (Total) Storage - 1.77 TB
Used Storage - 1.62 TB
Other Folder - 13.21 GB
External 2TB (Extended Storage):
Usable (Total) Storage - 1.84 TB
Used Storage - 1.26 TB
Other Folder - 3.32 GB
My notifications are cleared too. Not sure what else might affect the Other folder. I probably haven't booted up half the games I've installed too so there might be an element of data not being created upon start up :/ not sure really!
@ralphdibny Yeah my PS4 is a thin line model, 1 TB, I was shocked at a 150GB file initially showing, but honestly I did not remember seeing it at first. But after reading threads all over the place, I followed many of the suggestions and it was cut in half.
But the ones on my Extended storage drives, those are another subject. Because they are the exact same size at 255.5 GB and like I said, one is nearly full ( i like to keep a buffer) and the other is only a third full, so it appears to be some partitioned off portion of the drives, which if so, is such a waste of space.
As for the primary drive, after the last system update I see the Exclusive Data Files, they I believe are data related to the games locations on the drives, but damn some are huge. Biggest was Call of Duty WWII, it was a whopping 52.5GB, but funny thing is I deleted it, and the amount of space on the drive was not affected. But the min I attached the 2nd Extended Drive where the game is located, it came back.
I have thought of removing all my games and re downloading, cleaning the drives, you know start from scratch, but I have over 350 games shared over the three drives (yes I collect games lol) so the undertaking would be huge to do this.
I guess it is just a mental irritant about the space, I need to ignore it as I believe it cannot be solved. Hell when I need more space, I will get a 3RD drive... LOL
@Sac_Ratchet_002 hmm weird, I don't think I have any visible Exclusive Data Files for any of my games except what's in the inaccessible and therefore invisible "Other" folder. I think I know what you mean though as I recall seeing something like that in the past but it was probably from a PS Plus game that I've now deleted. (CoD:WWII matches that description!)
It might be worth a clear out to be honest but I'd be a bit peeved if I redownloaded 350 games only for the problem to persist. Having said that, it can be undertook largely in the background. When I swapped my internal hard drive I downloaded the games I wanted to play immediately first. Then I just kicked off the rest of the downloads and put the system in Rest mode and let it do its thing. I'd probably do it in like groups of twenty for that many games though. Let them download over a day or two then turn the system off completely for a few hours and then kick off the next 20. If only to not stress the hard drives too much. I broke a brand new hard drive on my PS3 by letting it download for like 24-48 hours, admittedly the hard drive must have been faulty out of the box though for it to fail under those circumstances so if anything it just brought the issue to light earlier.
But yeah, it's a bit of a weird one. I would be annoyed at losing that much space and have been annoyed in the past at having that Other folder stuck at around 75gb, which is much less but still annoying. That's why I kind of started from scratch when I upgraded the hard drive. I only backed up my saves, game captures and whatever else was insignificant but irreplaceable, maybe a couple of games that have been removed from the ps store just in case I couldn't download them again. I'd hoped the redownloaded data would write itself to the hard drive logically in an orderly fashion which I think it did. I think the data can get a bit mishmashed after a while as you delete things and download new things, it gets put all over the place on the drive so I was happy to start fresh on that.
Yeah I may have to do that. I just connected the secondary extended storage, and I am going to let it be connected for a day or two, to see if there may be some updates to games on that drive I am not seeing, then see if the other file reduces more.
I will try to get a screenshot of the Exclusive Data files from the primary drive just to show what I am referring too. I just went on to check things out and there is an update for COD Warzone which says "Install-able" but is not installing. It is on the extended storage, but I think it feels there is not enough space, so moving a game to primary drive to free up a few GB to see if it installs, then I will get the screenshot.
@Sac_Ratchet_002@ralphdibny I have always wondered what happens when /if I have a game installed on the internal drive but then download the DLC or updates to the external drive (or vice versa). I would think it could create chaos within the system and I’m always trying to be diligent to watch for this as I’m downloading and deleting.
I was looking at my content and I have in my library some add-on items that don’t have a game attached to them. So when I check my library, I now have an icon for Hitman 2 since I downloaded the Legacy Pack for Hitman 1. When I click the H2 icon in the library it prompts me to buy H2 from the PSN. That wasn’t there before I downloaded the Legacy Pack from H1.
Other examples — I have an icon for HZD and UC4 in the library when when I click on shows add-on content (pre-order bonus weapons and outfits) that say “installed” next to them despite the fact I deleted each of those base games off my HDD after I completed them. So the game data is gone but the add-on content is apparently still floating around on there.
There is no separate file for DLC on a game, supposedly it just gets lumped into the game’s base file and it is supposed to delete also when you delete the game, but I’m not sure it always does, based on what I’m seeing.
Also, I wonder if it makes a difference of whether the game data is from a physical disc or a digital copy. In the above two examples I have HZD and UC4 on physical disc, but the Add-on content is obviously digital only, so when I deleted the game off my drive the add-on content stayed on there (with apparent no way to get it off) which is fine when it’s just a few MB for an outfit but more annoying if it’s a large DLC pack
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
@Th3solution Yes you could be very well right there, I have always assumed that when I move a game the contents including DLC move with it. But as I was looking at some things today, going through games, I find that the system puts it in all sorts of places. I was looking at my COD Modern Warfare versions, in the Infinity, there is DLC from COD III in there, hell looking further it seems to just stick it wherever. I have always figured when I download DLC, it always goes into the game folder, I am seeing this is not the case. But the thing is I open the games, and all do work fine.
But I think I may have to bite the bullet and just wipe it all and start over, and organize it, but then again, it ain't broke, why fix it comes to mind.
@Sac_Ratchet_002 that's weird! My apps folder doesn't show that much detail... I've got NBA 2k20 installed on my external but I've never played it. I've just opened it up to see if it creates any internal storage exclusive data.
....no itemised listing has appeared that looks like that.... But my other folder has ballooned to 18.57 gigs 😂. 18.57-5.38=13.19... well it's 0.02gb off what my other folder was originally so I imagine booting NBA 2k20 is the cause. Are you somehow looking inside your Other folder to get all that info? I can't even scroll down far enough to select it.
(Edit: just googled this and aparently the data will be itemised if the external drive is disconnected, which mine never is so I guess that's why I can't see it! The exclusive data thing must have rung a bell from when I was messing around after I upgraded the internal drive.)
I do wonder if that cod warzone update is the cause though. Aren't they normally the size of the game anyway? And the PS4 reserves the same amount of space again so it can install the downloaded file. So 127.75gb download + 127.75gb free space to install could make that 255.5gb? Maybe move some games around the drives so there is at least 256gb (just to be on the safe side) free on every drive (including the internal). Plug a drive back in, open warzone, see if it works itself out and do the same for the other drive.
That pic you posted has what I assume is your real name in the bottom right corner by the way. Not sure if you want to crop it or delete it depending on how fussed you are about internet privacy. I guess not much if you've used a legitimate profile pic! Well either way, I thought I'd point it out incase you didn't realise. Some people aren't that fussed and some people are, so either is fine!
Naw I am ok with my name.. and the profile pic is real.
As for the drives, the data files just started I think you are correct, when I added my 2nd Drive, and moved games to that drive, but as for the "Other" Folder... I cannot access those, not unless I try to pull it and connect to the home computer, but I have not done that.
And yes in order to play games on the 2nd drive I must turn off, change the extended drives and turn back on, the system scans the extended drive and then I can play the games
@Th3solution that is kind of weird about the DLC. The games run off the hard drive and not the disc so deleting the games should delete the DLC too. I've always understood it to be like this:
The disc installs the game on to the hard drive as it appears on the disc.
The system may (probably will) update and in some cases replace this file from the network. So the disc installation has parity with the most recent digital installation file from the network.
From now on, the disc only works as a physical license key - an equivalent to a digital license key that would be tied to your PSN account had you bought the game from the PS Store.
Obviously if you delete the game from the hard drive then you can use the disc to reinstall the base game which would then get updated from the network and so forth.
Generally I don't think it's that chaotic but I would assume (but don't know) that if a solid block of physical space is available on the hard disk then linked files (such as you would find in a game installation) would be grouped together on the physical disk that they are written to.
I think they'd only be not grouped together if for example you installed 3 games, deleted the 2nd game and then installed a 4th game that would write itself to the physical space the 2nd was written to and maybe a bit after the 3rd if it didn't quite fit. I don't think it's a huge issue if the files are a bit all over the place but I would imagine that things would take longer to load as the drive searches the physical disk platter for the data and it may result in a shorter life span for the drive as a whole because of the extra spinning it has to do to find the relevant data. Not much shorter mind you, but I think that's how it works anyway.
It only changes on the System drive, on the Extended Drive it appears to remain constant, 255.5 GB, it is like some form of partition, but I will find out what it is hiding from me...LOL
@ralphdibny So here’s one example of something that I ran into recently — I recently played Telltale’s Guardians of the Galaxy. When you download the game (in my instance it was a digital download from PSN but I know it’s usually the same for the discs they sell for TT games) it only downloads the first episode. You have to manually download the other episodes. Well for some reason I put the base game with episode 1 on the internal drive a long time ago (like 2 years) and only got around to playing it recently and when I went to download episode 2, I have my default application download location as the external drive, and so after a couple minutes when I checked the download and saw it was going onto the external drive I quickly cancelled the download and changed my settings to download to the internal drive. I’m not sure what would have happened if I had episode 1 internal, episode 2 external, espisode 3 internal again.... I’m sure the game and CPU were going to be able to find the files, but would I end up having data folder for GoG on both internal and external HDDs? I have a feeling not. I have a feeling that even though episode 2-5 might be on external, the data would show as “other” on the external drive rather than making a “Guardians of the Galaxy” heading on the external drive also.
Anyways, I stopped the download and changed it due to my obsessive-compulsive tendencies to try to keep things as tidy as possible on my HDD. I also feared that when I deleted GoG from my console, I’m not sure that the console would be smart enough to know to go into the external drive to delete those other files, or would it just orphan them there forever? 😅
I’m not very tech savvy so don’t laugh at me. 😛
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
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Topic: Dreaded "Other" Folder
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