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HFS+ Private Data folder
The folder '????HFS+ Private Data' is sometimes present at the root level of a Volume, and is normally invisible, although it can sometimes be seen from OS 9 using various file utilities. In this normal use the folder is an important part of the HFS+ volume structure, and it should not be interfered with in any way.
The first four characters of this folder name are actually NULs and sometimes appear as ?s, sometimes as $s. On occasion I have seen more than four strange characters.
Occasionally this folder will turn up in the Trash, usually inside another folder, and you will be unable to get rid of it by emptying the trash. To complicate the issue, it is not normally in the '.Trash' folder in a user's Home folder; rather it usually appears in the /Volumes/volumename/.Trashes/501/ folder (where 501 is the typical User ID).
The reason that Trash cannot be emptied is that the folder '????HFS+ Private Data' has the System Immutable Flag set, so nobody, not even root, can delete it except by going into single user mode.
To reset this flag so that you can empty your Trash, see the accompanying FAQ Dealing with Immutable Files and Folders.
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