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Q: Emptying a Memory stick

Wanting a completely empty   memory stick (a Scandisk) I deleted all the images on it and emptied the Trash, then put some pictures on the stick of my daughter's baby. She took the stick to a shop to have the pictures made into Christmas cards, and when she inserted it in the card-making machine all my deleted pictures were also shown. I thought I knew how to delete these 'invisible' files, but clearly I do not.

 

Can anyone suggest what I should have done (and can do in the future) to completely empty memory sticks please?

Mac OS X (10.5.8), 24" iMac, 17" MacBook Pro

Posted on Dec 12, 2012 8:06 AM

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Q: Emptying a Memory stick

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  • by Kappy,Helpful

    Kappy Kappy Dec 12, 2012 8:09 AM in response to Uxenden
    Level 10 (270,288 points)
    Desktops
    Dec 12, 2012 8:09 AM in response to Uxenden

    Drive Preparation

     

    1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.

     

    2. After DU loads select the flash drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.

     

    3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.

  • by Limnos,

    Limnos Limnos Dec 12, 2012 8:12 AM in response to Uxenden
    Level 9 (53,658 points)
    Mac OS X
    Dec 12, 2012 8:12 AM in response to Uxenden

    Are you absolutely positive you emptied the trash while the stick was attached to the computer?  Each drive has its own trash folder even though you only see one on the computer.  If you detach a drive and empty the trash then the folder on that drive will not be emptied.

     

    Kappy's extensive hard drive formatting post - http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=8340551 - note that instructions at end are for zeroing data.

     

    BDAqua's Formatting instructions - http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=8901255

     

    Pondini: Formatting,  Partitioning, Verifying,  and  Repairing  Disks... - http://pondini.org/OSX/Home.html

  • by Uxenden,

    Uxenden Uxenden Dec 12, 2012 9:19 AM in response to Limnos
    Level 1 (15 points)
    Dec 12, 2012 9:19 AM in response to Limnos

    Yes, I definitely emptied the trash. And I've just got the stick back and nothing shows in the trash - anything extra on the stick either. I have also just learned that the 'inivisible' images don't show up on my daughter's PC - yet they did on the shop's card-making machine. Not only curious, but potentially alarming for any number of people, I would say...

  • by Uxenden,

    Uxenden Uxenden Dec 12, 2012 9:22 AM in response to Kappy
    Level 1 (15 points)
    Dec 12, 2012 9:22 AM in response to Kappy

    Thanks. I have emptied trashed files using this method, though after today's experience I can't be totally sure that images aren't still lurking somewhere on the stick - see my answer to Limnos. 

  • by Kappy,Helpful

    Kappy Kappy Dec 12, 2012 11:14 AM in response to Uxenden
    Level 10 (270,288 points)
    Desktops
    Dec 12, 2012 11:14 AM in response to Uxenden

    If you erase the flash drive there should be nothing lurking around. But then with a SanDisk there may be their own proprietary software hidden in waiting. Repartitioning the drive should remove even that.