empty trash
I deleted files on an external drive but every time I plug it to the laptop it shows up in the trash ben how do I get rid of it
MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.3)
Use the empty trash from the Finder menu.
When you use the trash can, it's just a folder where the files are stored on the original volume, so you first have to empty trash from the Finder menu before dismounting (dragging the drives icon to the trash/eject) and physically disconnecting.