Trash will not empty. I end up with a window full of indeterminate progress bars

Suggest the User start with Points 1 to 4 and then Test

Still having issues, move onto Steps 5 and 6 and Test Again

Still no resolve - move onto Step 7 and follow instructions therein 

1 - Restart in Safe Mode. This will perform a Disk Repair, clear cache files and only load Apple Software, extensions and fonts. The boot up will be slow and can take some time - Normal.

2 - Safe Mode will also eliminate Third Party Software, extensions and drivers from loading. It will only load the Minimum amount of Core Apple Processes to allow the the computer to function at a reduced Level of Performance 

3 - Does the issue present in this mode ?

4 - Sometimes a Safe Boot followed by a Normal Boot will just put things right.

5 - If not - there could be something in the main User Account playing up. To further isolate this - Set up users, guests, and groups on Mac. Then log out of the Main User account and log into the dummy account and test again if the issue persists.

6 - If the issue is present in the dummy account - then, this appears to be a System Wide issue on the computer.

7 - Download the Application Etrecheck directly from the Developer.

This is a Diagnostic Tool that makes no changes to the computer.

It makes a coherent and readable inventory of both the Hardware and Software used on the computer 

The application is free or paid from added features. 

The Report will Not Reveal Any Personal Information. 

Post back the Full Report - copy and paste - >>>> using the Additional Text Icon ( 3rd Icon to last ) <<<<

If you are unable to empty the trash on your Mac, there are a few things you can try:

1. Force empty the trash: Press and hold the "Option" key on your keyboard and then click on "Empty Trash" in the Finder menu. This will force empty the trash and delete all the files in it.

2. Close any open programs that are using the files in the trash: Sometimes, files in the trash are locked because they are being used by open programs. Close any open programs that might be using the files in the trash and then try to empty the trash again.

3. Restart your Mac: Restarting your Mac can sometimes resolve issues with the trash not emptying. After your Mac restarts, try to empty the trash again.

4. Use Terminal: If the above steps don't work, you can use Terminal to force empty the trash. Open Terminal (you can find it in the Utilities folder in Applications) and type in the following command:

sudo rm -rf ~/.Trash/*

This command will delete all the files in the trash, so make sure you really want to delete them before you run it. You will need to enter your admin password to run this command.

If none of these steps work, you may need to repair your disk using Disk Utility or contact Apple Support for further assistance.

Are these files Originally located on the Internal Drive ?

Are these files Originally located on and External Drive ?

If on an External Drive, in what exact drive format is the External Drive ?

Force Shutdown of the computer by holding the Power Button and until it goes OFF.

Disconnect the problematic Drives

Commence the Trouble Shooting processes

Good Work there 👍