Can't delete files/folders

Question

Level 1

12 points

Can't delete files/folders

I've researched all the posts about deleting stubborn files but nothing matches my situation and none of the solutions are helping.

Here is my situation, I have some .mp3 files, Rolling Stones Satisfaction that won't delete. I've had this file for many years but something has corrupted it. There is what looks like a trademark insignia in the file name. I've tried changing the file name but it won't change. I tried changing it to 'k' and when I do I get an error message that says "File name is too long, try removing some characters or punctuation". After I did this, I tried dragging the file to the desktop to work on it there. When I do this it makes a new copy. I have tried 2 commands in the terminal, sudo rm -rf ~/.Trash, and srm -rv. Neither of these have worked. Any other suggestions?

Mac Pro, OS X El Capitan (10.11.3), 12 core Westmere, 32GB of RAM

Posted on Mar 19, 2016 1:30 PM

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Answer 1

Jan 5, 2017 11:20 AM in response to j.esler

Success!

I had this issue for years ("null" characters in a file name, can't edit the name, and trash does not empty with the file inside). I stored the file away, but came across it recently and finally had success in getting it to delete.

I have Dropbox installed on my Mac, and moved the problem file into the local folder that Dropbox creates. This transfers it to Dropbox which I can then access via my account on their web site. Logged in, deleted the file, and BOOM problem solved!

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Answer 2

Eric Root

Level 10

684,039 points

Mar 19, 2016 4:28 PM in response to j.esler

Trash – Can’t Empty or Move File To Trash

Try holding down the option/alt key while trying to delete the Trash. If that doesn’t work, here is some more information.

Trash FAQ

Trash won’t empty

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Answer 3

j.esler Author

Level 1

12 points

Mar 19, 2016 11:34 PM in response to Eric Root

Ok, I've tried every suggestion in the links you provided with no luck. Here's a little more information on the situation. I just noticed that there are tiny letters following the .mp3 files that say NUL. There are now several of this same file, some are listed simply as Satisfaction.mp3 and some are Satisfaction.mp3.mp3.mp3. Some of the files have 3.4mb of data and some contain zero bytes. When I try to empty the Trash I'll get 2 different messages, sometimes it says unable to empty due to unknown error, error -50. And sometimes I get a message saying the file is in use. I did the script in the Terminal which is supposed to tell you which application is using the file but it didn't return any results.

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Answer 4

Barney-15E

Level 10

112,656 points

Mar 20, 2016 8:37 AM in response to j.esler

Tthere may not be a way to delete files with null characters in OS X, or even any UNIX-based OS. Formatting the drive may be the only solution, but then you have the problem of restoring without bringing back the corrupt files.

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Answer 5

j.esler Author

Level 1

12 points

Mar 20, 2016 9:29 AM in response to Barney-15E

Can you help me understand how this happened? I've had this file for years, but just discovered the issue when I tried to make a clone of my system drive recently with Super Duper. I've made many clones of my system drive for many years and have never had this issue.

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Answer 6

Barney-15E

Level 10

112,656 points

Mar 20, 2016 3:05 PM in response to j.esler

j.esler wrote:

Can you help me understand how this happened?

I have no idea. There are at least a couple of other threads on files with null characters in the name. You may want to search for them and see if there was any resolution, but at the time I read them, there is not much you can do.

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Answer 7

Mar 24, 2016 12:12 AM in response to j.esler

I have been having problems deleting files with too long file names.

I found "Long Path Tool" program.using this programe my prolem has solved..thanks

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