Trying to speed the performance of my imac, I moved all but the last time machine backup folder to the trash. Now I can't move them out of trash and I am unable to empty the trash. How can I empty the trash?
Hold an Option key while selecting Empty Trash from the Finder's File menu.
Montanamare wrote:
...I moved all but the last time machine backup folder to the trash.
See Here > Should I delete old backups? If so, How?
From Here > http://pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html
If the TRASH still won’t Empty... See Here > http://pondini.org/TM/E6.html
I tried holding "option" and it still wouldn't let me empty trash. There are over a million files!
Read the links in AnaMusic's post, in particular the last one. If you are not successful please describe the step that isn't working for you.
Hey,
Works on newer OS X versions and Time Machine, may work on older versions if the directory structure is the same.
Tip: Ignore ' ' as you type commands.
Open a shell and type 'cd /Users/Your_User_Name/.Trash' then type 'ls -al' the files deleted from TimeMachine and that show up in your trash can are not here.
You may need to turn on root user for the next steps: http://support.apple.com/kb/PH14281
Open a terminal and become root user type 'su - <press enter>' type root password, then 'cd to /Volumes/TimeMachine/.Trashes/' now type ls -al you should see your folder and files from what you deleted.
Now this next command you must be careful with as it is a UNIX remove command with Recursive (directories and files) and Force switch, always type the full path to be safe:
'rm -rf /Volumes/TimeMachine/.Trashes/What_Ever_Directory'
After it runs, if there is more than one directory, use the up arrow key and type in the next directory in the .Trash folder. Yes you could use wildcards but that can be really dangerous if you are not in the correct place in the directory structure.
Tip: The command 'pwd' will show you your place in the directory. Pressing tab key as you type the directory will auto complete the line.
Joe
Never delete TM backup files to Trash!! You can not recover, modify or move TM files once in trash. They can ONLY be removed by backing up all HD files on another HD. Then, Re format HD that has Trashed TM files. Terminal app will not work unless you are willing to delete each doc.
I emptied time machine backups into trash and now cannot empty my trash. Can't remove the items from trash. How do I empty the trash?
