Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Express: How to Stop Capturing After Disk Full Message

Symptom

While using Capture Now in Final Cut Pro or Final Cut Express, the following message appears:

"Your startup disk is almost full. You need to make more space available on your startup disk by deleting files."

After clicking OK, pressing the Esc (Escape) key does not stop the capture as usual.

Solution

To avoid the issue in the future, update to Final Cut Pro HD. To address the issue immediately, follow the steps below.

To end the capture

1. Click the Final Cut Pro or Final Cut Express icon in the Dock, or click one of the application's menus (such as File or Edit).
   
2. Press the Esc key.
   

To prevent this issue from occurring in the future, choose a scratch disk other than your startup disk.

To change the scratch settings

1. Open Final Cut Pro or Final Cut Express.
   
2. From the Final Cut Express menu, choose Preferences, or from the Final Cut Pro menu, choose System Settings.
   
3. Click the Scratch Disks tab.
   
4. Choose a different volume for your scratch disk.
   

This document will be updated as more information becomes available.