can't empty trash, tried secure (option-cmd-shift-del) & Terminal

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Level 1

13 points

can't empty trash, tried secure (option-cmd-shift-del) & Terminal

Have had this issue for a while and searched the Community for answers before.

Had over a million items in the Trash (after trying to clean stuff up) - I know, I know.

I usually do the Secure Empty Trash, with no problems, but now that so much was in the Trash, it kept quitting the emptying process, and not actually emptying.

Then I tried the Option-Command-Shift-Delete, and am down to about 17,000+ items.

When I try to empty Trash now, it empties about 500-1000 items, then stops/quits emptying.

Then if I try it again, it counts up the items to empty and I still have that same 17k+ items.

Today I tried the Terminal commands, but the trash was still full when I signed back in...

So now what?

Thanks.

Diana

iMac, Mac OS X (10.7.5)

Posted on Jun 8, 2014 3:21 PM

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Answer 1

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,739 points

Jun 8, 2014 4:44 PM in response to dwstranger

Relaunch the Finder, then from the Finder menu bar, select

Finder ▹ Preferences... ▹ Advanced

and uncheck the box marked

Empty Trash securely

Try again to empty the Trash.

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Answer 2

dwstranger Author

Level 1

13 points

Jun 8, 2014 5:08 PM in response to Linc Davis

First, thanks.

Next, I did as you suggested and the emptying took off like the proverbial bat out of ****.... and kept going past 0. It's now "emptying" NEGATIVE items (i.e., the items to delete count is getting more negative)!

That would mean that it's actually putting things back into the trash (in a strictly numerical sense)...

It's slowing down now, but I'm afraid to stop it. It's at -68,414, and still going. Yikes!

Third, what's the point of "securely" emptying the trash if you can do it unsecurely just as easily?

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Answer 3

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,739 points

Jun 8, 2014 5:13 PM in response to dwstranger

Secure emptying doesn't make the Trash any more able to empty; the opposite, in fact. It makes the deleted files unrecoverable by any means.

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Answer 4

dwstranger Author

Level 1

13 points

Jun 8, 2014 5:53 PM in response to Linc Davis

And it's still going...

Up to -384,769

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Answer 5

dwstranger Author

Level 1

13 points

Jun 8, 2014 6:14 PM in response to dwstranger

It finally stopped counting, but there's still trash in there... Backup folder contents.

I told it to empty and it said there were locked items.

I told it to empty everything, and heard the crumpling, but those items are still there...

Now what?

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Answer 6

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,739 points

Jun 8, 2014 6:25 PM in response to dwstranger

It sounds like you moved a Time Machine snapshot, or part of one, to the Trash. That often results in a Trash folder that won't empty. The only escape is to erase the backup volume and start over. Don't do that unless you have at least one other backup.

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Answer 7

dwstranger Author

Level 1

13 points

Jun 8, 2014 7:03 PM in response to Linc Davis

I opened the Backup folder, and there are 4 copies of pretty much the same thing:

Backups.backupdb > My computer name > a numbered file > My HD name > system > Library > CoreServices > and finally (a locked) boot.efi

Now, how I got multiple copies of it, I don't know - prob, as you say, from Time Machine or something.

I tried unchecking the LOCKED box under Get Info, but can't because it's grayed out.

I tried taking it out of the trash so I could uncheck the LOCKED box, but it just copied the files. So now I have twice as many when I put those back in the trash!

I tried a bunch of stuff with Terminal and immutable files, but everything is the same...

Erasing my backup volume sounds like something I don't want to do...

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