How to erase or format USB flash disk

The "Delete" key is immediately to the left of the "Power" button. It's clearly labeled, "Delete."

Personally, I haven't had any problems erasing USB flash drives.

On European keyboards, the Delete key is unlabeled. It works just like the Backspace key on PC keyboards, and also looks the same.

To erase your flash drive go to Disk Utilities (at Applications->Utilities folder)
Chose the erase tab -> click on your flash disk-> erase

The behaviour of the trash bin is a little different in Mac OS X compared to Windows. As far as I can remember, Windows will immediately delete files from removable media (such as USB flash drives) and use the trash bin only for local drives. Mac OS X places files in the trash first, regardless of where they were before.

Try the following: delete a file from your USB drive and watch the trash bin in the dock. When you remove the drive, the trash will appear empty, even though you didn't empty it. Once you re-insert the drive, the trash will appear as full again and will show the file you just deleted.

This means that Mac OS X stores deleted files in a folder named .Trashes (the "." hides the folder from Finder, so you don't see it) on the flash drive. Empty the trash while the flash drive is mounted, and the space will be freed.

As another new Mac user (though having desired one for years) I had the same flash drive query - reason for my visit today to the support pages.

And I was interested in your comment about the delete button because it has been driving me mildly insane in the month since I got my MacBook. There is no delete button - and the backspace isn't the same thing at all, but yesterday I discovered that the shift key + end will highlight text which can then be deleted by backspacing.

I gues it will take a lot of practice to find out all the subtle things that make a Mac a Mac - but I don't swear at my Mac like I have to swear at my PC

Hi

Have read on the forum about flash disks, I have read
the Info and I have read and write permissions.

I am sharing, USB 1 and 2, flash disks between PC and
my new Mac Book. Fine for reading or writing. But,
problem arise when erasing files, the disk space is
not released, te disk space seems to be locked ? I
can only really erase on the pc not on the Mac.

Another stupid question, is there no "delete " key on
the Mac keyboard ?

Do I need to say that I am a new Mac user ?

THKS

Tim is correct about the .Trash file on removable media. Took me a while to figure this out why i couldn't get a 32 meg podcast on my mp3 player (non ipod) and I realised that all the shizzle was still in the Trash can.

I am of two minds as to whether this is better on mac or windows.

A forward delete can be done by pressing delete with the fn key held down.

Also, in most text boxes, CTRL-D works. This might be easy to adapt to if you're used to UNIX or Emacs at all.