Janette17

Q: Deleting old time machine backups from trash

I placed the old time machine backups on my full 1TB portable backup. Now I cannot empty the trash on my 2009 iMac, I am running OS X El Capitan 10:11:4.

How can I delete the trash?

I tried placing the trash by placing the folders in the Terminal as instructed in apple support but that did not work.

Posted on Apr 25, 2016 2:15 PM

Close

Q: Deleting old time machine backups from trash

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

Page 1 of 3 last Next
  • by Carolyn Samit,

    Carolyn Samit Carolyn Samit Apr 25, 2016 2:20 PM in response to Janette17
    Level 10 (122,026 points)
    Apple Music
    Apr 25, 2016 2:20 PM in response to Janette17

    Try holding down the Option key while tempting the Trash.

     

    You can't empty the Trash or move a file to the Trash

  • by Janette17,

    Janette17 Janette17 Apr 26, 2016 3:32 AM in response to Janette17
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Desktops
    Apr 26, 2016 3:32 AM in response to Janette17

    Hi Carolyn,

     

    This has not worked. I have 1623383 files in the trash and holding down the option button while deleting did not delete any but the computer closed down 'because of a problem' before restarting. I have sent the file that appears on the screen numerous time to Apple.  I have also received a message telling me of a runtime error

    as below

    Location: /Users/realsoftware/BuildSlave/StableCarbon/build/REALbasic/REALbasicXCode/../. ./Common/ClassLIb/RuntimeThreaad.cpp:2652

    Failure Condition:Temp Folder

    Failure Message: Please report what caused thus error along with all the details above.

     

    I have no idea what to do now. What do you suggest.? Should I download the freeware utility Trash It! or the shareware utility Cocktail?  I found this suggestion in The X Lab 'Solving Trash Problems"

     

    I look forward to solving what is happening.  Hope to hear more advice!

  • by dialabrain,

    dialabrain dialabrain Apr 26, 2016 4:07 AM in response to Janette17
    Level 5 (6,197 points)
    Mac App Store
    Apr 26, 2016 4:07 AM in response to Janette17

    Perhaps this will help…

    http://pondini.org/TM/E6.html

  • by Lexiepex,

    Lexiepex Lexiepex Apr 26, 2016 4:17 AM in response to Janette17
    Level 6 (10,477 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 26, 2016 4:17 AM in response to Janette17

    You should not remove old TM backup yourself: TM system is a cumulative backup system.

    When there is not enough space TM does make space by condensing (in time) and after that by deleting the oldest that are not changed a long time..

    To do what you did means that you compromise the TM backups.

    Read about how it works in the pondini sites.

  • by UltraProgrammer,

    UltraProgrammer UltraProgrammer Apr 26, 2016 4:17 AM in response to Janette17
    Level 1 (19 points)
    Notebooks
    Apr 26, 2016 4:17 AM in response to Janette17

    You could type rm -R in the Terminal then drag the file into it. Be carful though! With rm you could accidentally delete something and theres no undo button

    (keep in mind you'll need to do this for every file unless you place them all into the same folder and to it with the main folder)

  • by cdhw,Helpful

    cdhw cdhw Apr 27, 2016 1:18 AM in response to Janette17
    Level 4 (2,653 points)
    Servers Enterprise
    Apr 27, 2016 1:18 AM in response to Janette17

    Your 'runtime error' appears to arise because someone has installed a continuous integration system on your Mac. These are normally found in companies that develop software and allow developers to share the burden of building software packages across many 'underused' machines.

     

    So, please give us a bit more context, starting with do you know who installed 'Buildslave' on your Mac and whether it is still needed?

     

    I strongly advise you not to install Cocktail, Trash It, or any other 'utilities' of the same ilk because they probably won't solve your problem and probably will mess up your Mac even more.

     

    C.

  • by Lexiepex,Helpful

    Lexiepex Lexiepex Apr 27, 2016 1:17 AM in response to Janette17
    Level 6 (10,477 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 27, 2016 1:17 AM in response to Janette17

    Jeanette, do not remove anything yourself, let TM do it.

    When you want to make some space, the only way to do it as follows:

    decide which file or even a folder you can miss for ever including its history, select that one in your Finder, with the file/folder selected in Finder click the TM icon in the menubar and select "enter TM", you will enter TM with the file/folder still selected: now CTL+click that file/folder and select "delete all backups of ...":

    this will delete all occurrences of the file/folder through out the whole TM system... and that leaves your TM system not compromised.

    But still. no nee, TM does clean up on its own.

  • by Janette17,

    Janette17 Janette17 Apr 27, 2016 1:26 AM in response to cdhw
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Desktops
    Apr 27, 2016 1:26 AM in response to cdhw

    I have no idea how Buildslave was place don my computer. I purchased it years ago from a company and since then the only time it has been out of my house is to have some extra memory installed. I would love to know how to be rid of Buildslave as it reads as though a develop is using my computer to build software - remotely logging on. Is this a correct interpretation?  This is happening without my knowdlege.

     

    As far as fixing my trash problem, I will have to take to a certified Apple repairer.  That is what all comments are pointing to.  Surely the problem is fixable????

    Thank you for telling me not to install Cocktail or Trash it.

     

    I appreciate all the advice I have had. Thanks Apple Support Communities!

  • by Lexiepex,

    Lexiepex Lexiepex Apr 27, 2016 1:33 AM in response to Janette17
    Level 6 (10,477 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 27, 2016 1:33 AM in response to Janette17

    Do not empty the Trash.

    Open your Trash by clicking on it, select the deleted backups, CTL+click on this selection, choose "Put Back".

    Now the blocking files are back where they belong, and the Trash can be emptied again.

  • by Lexiepex,

    Lexiepex Lexiepex Apr 27, 2016 1:35 AM in response to Janette17
    Level 6 (10,477 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 27, 2016 1:35 AM in response to Janette17

    Buildslave is a "BOT". You have to remove it. Someone with more experience with that will come in here, don't go back to the shop where you were last time. I will ask for help here.

  • by cdhw,

    cdhw cdhw Apr 27, 2016 2:02 AM in response to Janette17
    Level 4 (2,653 points)
    Servers Enterprise
    Apr 27, 2016 2:02 AM in response to Janette17

    Nothing you've described so far needs the machine to be taken to a certified Apple repairer, provided you have the patience to follow some instructions. If you do want face-to-face help, I would suggest a 'Genius Appointment' at your local Apple Store for a software problem. IME, 'repairers' tend to be better for hardware issues but no so good with software.

     

    I suggest addressing the Trash problem first and deal with Buildslave later. Make sure your files are backed-up before proceeding.

     

    Open Terminal.app and copy-and-paste this command:

     

         ls -len ~/.Trash

     

    at the prompt and use the return key to execute it. Paste the results here.

     

    Can you also be a bit more specific about what you meant by this:

     

         I placed the old time machine backups on my full 1TB portable backup.

     

    , please? Am I correct to think that you had an old Time Machine disk that you wanted to replace for some reason (e.g. with a larger one) so you dragged files from it across onto a new 1TB disk and then tried to delete the files on the old TM disk?

     

    C.

  • by Janette17,

    Janette17 Janette17 Apr 27, 2016 2:24 AM in response to Lexiepex
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Desktops
    Apr 27, 2016 2:24 AM in response to Lexiepex

    I had already tried this but I am not given the option to choose "put back" when I hold down control and click on aTM folder dated folder within trash. I get that option on a single tiff file in the Trash, but not on the TM backups. The only choices I get with Control and left click are

    Open in a new tab

    Get info

    Rename

    Quicklook

    The only choices I get with Control and right click are

    Open in a new tab

    Delete immediately

    Get info

    Rename

    Quicklook

  • by Janette17,

    Janette17 Janette17 Apr 27, 2016 2:25 AM in response to UltraProgrammer
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Desktops
    Apr 27, 2016 2:25 AM in response to UltraProgrammer

    Unfortunately this did not work

  • by Lexiepex,

    Lexiepex Lexiepex Apr 27, 2016 2:29 AM in response to cdhw
    Level 6 (10,477 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 27, 2016 2:29 AM in response to cdhw

    - It is better not to corrupt the TM database, which could be the case when emptying the trash with some backup files in it.

    Of course we can force empty the trash, but I am really worried about that.

    The files that block now are "system" files, named with a datum from the Backups.backupd

    - I asked for help on the Buildslave thing, it is a result of Build.bot  which again can be the result of an old Grand Theft Auto installation but also from something else and dangerous. In windows computers there is an uninstaller, I am not sure if it is really dangerous in this particular case, but I have asked for help here. I have no experience with it. It might be found in the SystemPreferences perhaps.

    Lex

Page 1 of 3 last Next