Folder from hell
- Thread starter bigmamma3
- Start date
Sometimes you can fix it by logging out and back in.
Other than that, the Terminal commands posted on this board will work 100% of the time if you do it right.
Other than that, the Terminal commands posted on this board will work 100% of the time if you do it right.
symphonix
Scratch & Sniff Committee
When logged in as an administrator account (such as the one you created when you installed OS X) open up a terminal window (in Applications/Utilities) and enter:
cd ~/.Trash
sudo rm -rf *
(You will be asked for your account password. This empties the current users trash. You'll then need to empty the volume trash folder.)
cd /Trash
sudo rm -rf *
Now, quit terminal, log out and back in, and check your trash. That should have done it.
cd ~/.Trash
sudo rm -rf *
(You will be asked for your account password. This empties the current users trash. You'll then need to empty the volume trash folder.)
cd /Trash
sudo rm -rf *
Now, quit terminal, log out and back in, and check your trash. That should have done it.
Thanks symphonix, I'll give that a try tomorrow on my mac at work. What I don't understand is, if the problem is that of privileges on a harddrive, why I can trash other files on the drive, except these 2? Both from HP, help files.
PS nkuvu, can you specify WHAT I should do with the big magnet......?
On a more serious note ahem, in my simple mind I thought that since the files came from the startup drive, and I didn't have any privileges on that (why that is so I will never understand, my own mac!!!), that I couldn't trash them because of this. Kinda same problem as last time you helped me, but these files are more stubborn.
PS nkuvu, can you specify WHAT I should do with the big magnet......?
On a more serious note ahem, in my simple mind I thought that since the files came from the startup drive, and I didn't have any privileges on that (why that is so I will never understand, my own mac!!!), that I couldn't trash them because of this. Kinda same problem as last time you helped me, but these files are more stubborn.
nkuvu
Gone
What symphonix posted should work, let us know if it doesn't.
The problem is not privileges on the drive itself, but on those specific files. Each file on your hard drive has an associated owner and permissions. So you may have read and write permissions for everything on the drive except those two files. (That's not really how it is, you don't have permissions to modify a bunch of files, but that's the way it's supposed to be)
I think I may have already pointed you towards the Unix thread, which discusses permissions a little more thoroughly. If not, slap me around and call me a silly tortoise.
Oh, one other thing to understand: Mac OS X is unlike any other Mac that came before it. Since it's based on Unix, it gets a lot from its Unix parents. One of those things are permissions. Unix was developed to be a multi-user, multi-processing operating system, connected to a network. When they looked at what is necessary for a networking operating system, they noted that they only want outside users to be able to do certain things. For example, they don't want anyone without privileges to delete system files, or change how things work, or make a general mess of things. But they still want to be able to change these things themselves, so the idea of multiple levels of users came into being. One of the many strengths of Unix is the security it offers. So when you log in using your normal account, you are running in a slightly restricted mode. There are things you can't do, files you can't delete, et cetera. But your account, since it is set up to be able to administrate your computer, can temporarily be bumped up to unlimited power. That account is called root. If you are root you can do anything, including royally messing up your system if you so desire.
The problem with running as root is that if you delete the wrong files, you could easily destroy your operating system, forcing you to re-install.
Okay! Enough rambling from the tortoise!
The problem is not privileges on the drive itself, but on those specific files. Each file on your hard drive has an associated owner and permissions. So you may have read and write permissions for everything on the drive except those two files. (That's not really how it is, you don't have permissions to modify a bunch of files, but that's the way it's supposed to be)
I think I may have already pointed you towards the Unix thread, which discusses permissions a little more thoroughly. If not, slap me around and call me a silly tortoise.
Oh, one other thing to understand: Mac OS X is unlike any other Mac that came before it. Since it's based on Unix, it gets a lot from its Unix parents. One of those things are permissions. Unix was developed to be a multi-user, multi-processing operating system, connected to a network. When they looked at what is necessary for a networking operating system, they noted that they only want outside users to be able to do certain things. For example, they don't want anyone without privileges to delete system files, or change how things work, or make a general mess of things. But they still want to be able to change these things themselves, so the idea of multiple levels of users came into being. One of the many strengths of Unix is the security it offers. So when you log in using your normal account, you are running in a slightly restricted mode. There are things you can't do, files you can't delete, et cetera. But your account, since it is set up to be able to administrate your computer, can temporarily be bumped up to unlimited power. That account is called root. If you are root you can do anything, including royally messing up your system if you so desire.
The problem with running as root is that if you delete the wrong files, you could easily destroy your operating system, forcing you to re-install.
Okay! Enough rambling from the tortoise!
yes, sigh I know. I have already trashed my startup drive forcing a new formatting in order for BigmammaIV (my G4) to wake up again. Several times. I think I am just an average mac user who has used a mac for many years and not so technically hindered, but this is the third and final time I have moved on from OS9 and the bugs that Apple haven't fixed yet are irritating.
I hate the slowww Finder. I hate not being to empty the trash. Photoshop7 isn't so great either. Where is the promised power and speed?
Sorry for the tirade. I think there is a silent majority out there who think the same.
I hate the slowww Finder. I hate not being to empty the trash. Photoshop7 isn't so great either. Where is the promised power and speed?
Sorry for the tirade. I think there is a silent majority out there who think the same.
nkuvu
Gone
Promised power and speed? Right here. When an application crashes, I get a note saying "This application has unexpectedly quit. Other applications have not been affected." It's that last sentence that makes all the difference in the world. OK, so that's not a good example of speed -- being able to work on multiple applications without crashing the system helps my speed, though.
Sorry for the rant of my own -- I just don't understand why a lot of people use OS X if they hate it so much.
Sorry for the rant of my own -- I just don't understand why a lot of people use OS X if they hate it so much.