Trash emptying for two days!

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Level 1

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Trash emptying for two days!

I noticed that the trash bin was full on my iMac. Instinctively, I tried to empty the trash, however it is full of old Time Machine backups which contains "system" files along with others that would normally not be recommended for deletion. Being backups, it shouldn't matter much, however it has been emptying for two days now and over 1.2 million files. (No wonder the computer was performing so slowly!).

Apart from keeping an eye on the trash and emptying more regularly, any ideas on how to avoid this in the future?

MacBook Air, OS X Yosemite (10.10.1)

Posted on Mar 15, 2018 2:33 PM

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Answer 1

John Galt

Level 10

140,930 points

Mar 15, 2018 2:42 PM in response to Troysfilson

Don’t delete Time Machine backup files. There is never a need to do that, and there is a great likelihood that the Time Machine backup will become corrupted if you do.

The solution is to erase the TM backup drive, and let Time Machine manage its own storage requirements.

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Answer 2

Troysfilson Author

Level 1

9 points

Mar 15, 2018 2:48 PM in response to John Galt

Time Machine is managing its own storage requirements. These backups were over 2 years old and automatically set to "fall off" the external drive. I don't know why they have ended up in the Trash and why they are continuing to pile up. It's obviously not set up correctly, but any tips on proper set up would be appreciated.

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Answer 3

Troysfilson Author

Level 1

9 points

Mar 15, 2018 6:14 PM in response to John Galt

Yes, I'm sure they are T.M. backups. This is also confusing to me. Owned Apple computers since I was a teenager and it's the first time I've seen this.

I also understand the same thing; the older backups are removed automatically. This is the first time I've seen them end up in the Trash.

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Answer 4

julieda

Level 7

32,024 points

Mar 15, 2018 6:46 PM in response to Troysfilson

I had the same problem. I made the mistake of deleting my old backups. I just kept deleting (emptying my trash) and after a couple of days it finally emptied all of the old backups. In the future I will let my computer handle it automatically. You might want to call Apple Support for help.

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Answer 5

John Galt

Level 10

140,930 points

Mar 15, 2018 6:49 PM in response to Troysfilson

If you reconnect the drive those files will reappear because they are in its Trash directory, not your startup drive.

If you did not drag those TM backups there then I don't have an explanation for their appearance in its Trash. The only solution I have would be to erase that backup drive and start a new set of backups. You need more than just one backup drive anyway, so if that is the only TM backup you have it's a good excuse to get another one. Besides, 500 GB isn't all that much these days. 1 TB would be about $50, and twice that capacity for not much more.

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Answer 6

John Galt

Level 10

140,930 points

Mar 15, 2018 6:46 PM in response to Troysfilson

That's ok; Apple doesn't manufacture hard disk drives. If you disconnect it do the files in the Trash remain?

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Answer 7

John Galt

Level 10

140,930 points

Mar 15, 2018 3:57 PM in response to Troysfilson

Old, “expired” Time Machine backups are removed automatically without any need to set anything. They will not appear in the Trash. Are you quite certain those files in the Trash are TM backups?

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Answer 8

Troysfilson Author

Level 1

9 points

Mar 15, 2018 6:23 PM in response to Troysfilson

And now a bigger problem has come up. I cannot empty my trash of these back ups at all because the system thinks they're "in use" but they are clearly not.

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Answer 9

John Galt

Level 10

140,930 points

Mar 15, 2018 6:32 PM in response to Troysfilson

What are you using as the Time Machine backup disk? A Time Capsule, or...?

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Answer 10

Troysfilson Author

Level 1

9 points

Mar 15, 2018 6:34 PM in response to John Galt

I'm using a WD 500GB external drive. Not an Apple product.

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Answer 11

Troysfilson Author

Level 1

9 points

Mar 15, 2018 6:42 PM in response to John Galt

WOW! The Trash is empty after disconnecting the drive. I only ejected it on the UI, not physically from the machine and suddenly those files disappeared...

What dark magic is this?! 😁

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Trash emptying for two days!

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