Strange file in trash and it won't empty

I have a strange file in trash and it will not empty.
There is an alias file that has a strange name and a date of dec. 31, 1903. It will not go away when I empty. I put other files in the trash to see if they would be deleted and they do, but the other will not be deleted.
In the name of the file there is small characters that say "null" then õ's as well.
I took a few screen shots and posted them on photobucket, Take a look. Any suggestions or theories?
This is a first
Link is http://s227.photobucket.com/albums/dd228/pschmidt63/
phil

pschmidt63 wrote:
I have a strange file in trash and it will not empty.
There is an alias file that has a strange name and a date of dec. 31, 1903. It will not go away when I empty. I put other files in the trash to see if they would be deleted and they do, but the other will not be deleted.
On the Mac there are actually multiple Trashes. The user Trash ".Trash" in user's home folder, and multiple (depending on number of volumes in machine) ".Trashes" folder(s) one each in root of volume. In the ".Trashes" folder there can be a trash folder for the user.
It looks like you have a corrupted/illegal character file which you can't delete via the UI. Via the terminal you may be able to. But... you have to go to the "trash" where the file actually is - and it may not be in "~/.Trash". But in the Mac desktop you will see it in your Trash icon.
Have a look at my post here
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=5864381#5864381
and the rest of the thread.
Get into Terminal and check your home trash folder, see if the file is there then go to the other trash folders ".Trashes" and look for it there and kill it with "sudo" command as shown in my other post here.
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=5864569#5864569
*Can you let us know if this solves it for you* - as I am interested to know if this is definite fix.
Cheers

Similar Messages

  • Strange items in trash, and they won't empty out.

    A couple of days ago, I noticed these really odd items in the trash. They won't open, and if I try to empty the trash they just stay there. Restarting doesn't work.

    Hi,
    Go here for help with that.
    Solving Trash Problems - X Lab
    Carolyn

  • Strange file in Trash that just won't go away.

    Since installing Snow Leopard, I have a strange file in the Trash that I can't get rid of. It appears to be a zero KB "Alias" file with "unknown" permissions. At first glance it looks as if it's called \\\Õ\\.Õ\ but the diagonal lines are actually the word "Nul" made up of a superscript 'N', a normal 'u' and a subscript 'l'- all in very small font size.
    I can't drag it out of the Trash to see what it does. It's info window holds no clues, apart from the "unknown permissions" thing.
    I have tried repairing permissions and have since upgraded to 10.6.1 and repaired them again.
    Any suggestions on what this file is - and on how to lose it would be gratefully received.

    Bob Bridges1 wrote:
    Since installing Snow Leopard, I have a strange file in the Trash that I can't get rid of. It appears to be a zero KB "Alias" file with "unknown" permissions. At first glance it looks as if it's called \\\Õ\\.Õ\ but the diagonal lines are actually the word "Nul" made up of a superscript 'N', a normal 'u' and a subscript 'l'- all in very small font size.
    I can't drag it out of the Trash to see what it does. It's info window holds no clues, apart from the "unknown permissions" thing.
    Are you willing to use Terminal to try to eliminate that file? If so, launch Terminal, then type the commands below.
    WARNING: In general, the "rm" command can be very dangerous. That's why the commands below (1) show what's there to be deleted and (2) ask for confirmation for each file to be deleted.
    cd ~/.Trash
    ls -a
    file *
    The "ls" command should show you three things: a single period, a double period, and your mystery file. The "file" command should show you the mystery file and an explanation of what type of file it is. If you're feeling nervous, you might want to mention here the reported type. If all is well so far, type this command
    rm -i *
    You should be prompted for deleting that file. If you like what you see, press the "y" key, then press the <return> key. If you see anything that makes you nervous, either (1) type control-c or (2) press the "n" key, then press the <return> key.
    If the system refused to delete that file, then (if you're feeling brave), type this command:
    sudo rm -i *
    That command will prompt you for your administrative password, then prompt you to delete your mystery file. The same responses apply.

  • SOMETHING IS WRONG, I SEND A FILE TO TRASH AND DOES NOT APPEAR IN TRASH, THE TRASH IS EMPTY

    SOMETHING IS WRONG, I SEND A FILE TO TRASH AND DOES NOT APPEAR IN TRASH, THE TRASH IS EMPTY

    I had the same problem. It was solved see the discussion at  https://discussions.apple.com/message/19433909#19433909

  • Have file in Trash and can not empty trash . Showing 63 files and tried to shut down and restart and still will not empty

    Have file in Trash and can not empty trash . Showing 63 files and tried to shut down and restart and still will not empty.Anyone know what can be done?

    You are welcome. Glad I could help/
    Allan

  • How can I empty trash? It won't empty. I received error code -8003.

    How can I empty trash? It won't empty. I received error code -8003.

    Usually rebooting clears it so you can empty the trash, otherwise:
    Can't empty trash:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1526?viewlocale=en_US
    How to Force Empty the Trash:
    http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/trash.html#Anchor-Force-11481

  • Strange file in trash that won't go away?

    I have a strange file that appeared in my Trash the other day. I tried to empty the trash multiple times, but it won't go away. Secure empty trash doesn't help, as it just gets stuck. Double-clicking on the file, getting info on the file, or dragging the file out of the trash just results in the item disappearing, only to reappear shortly thereafter. Here is a screenshot of the filename, as it is very strange (I am posting it as a picture so there are no font issues):
    Click on the image if it doesn't appear.
    I have no idea what's going on. I tried repairing permissions to no avail. Should I run a disk utility such as Techtool or Diskwarrior? Is this a virus? Could this be related to my weird Time Machine issues (where Time Machine will come up with an error, see below for picture)?
    Click on the image if it doesn't appear.

    from Apple docs worked for me. Mine was \\\\\\\.\\\ derived from installing Windows.
    If there are several locked files in the Trash, you can unlock them all at the same time at the command line. Follow these steps:
    1. Open Terminal. It's located in /Applications/Utilities.

Type: chflags -R nouchg 
Note: Type one space (not pictured) after nouchg in the line above, so that it ends in "nouchg ". Do not press Return yet.

    2. Double-click the Trash icon in the Dock to reveal the contents of the Trash. If necessary, arrange the Finder window so that a portion of the Terminal window is still visible.
    3. Press the Command-A key combination to select all files in the Trash.
    4. Drag the files from the Trash to the Terminal window. 
Note: This automatically enters the pathname for each file. This eliminates the need to individually empty multiple Trash directories, particularly when multiple disks or volumes are present.

    5. Press Return. No special text message will be shown indicating that the command was successful.
    6. Empty the Trash.
    If the Trash does not empty or if you see a message in Terminal that says "usage: chflags [-R [-H | -L | -P]] flags file..." you most likely did not type the text in step 2 as indicated or did not leave a space. Repeat the steps if this happens.

  • Mystery File in Trash and Locked Disks

    Hi all,
    Have some weirdness going on with my system. First, I have a mystery file appearing in my trash that can not be identified. It appeared about the same time as I started having problems with three of my external drives that I can not access anymore.
    The file is named ␀␀␀÷␀␀.÷␀ . It says that it is an alias as type. If you try to get info, it disappears. It will not trash or secure trash. It can not be removed from the Trash folder.
    At the same time I have had three external drives start malfunctioning. The files first became unaccessible, could not be copies or delete. The drives would not allow new files to be added. The drive will not unmount and indicates that the drive is engage with an application. Then, the file completely vanish from view. The disk show zero items, but the disk size still indicates the files are still on the drive.
    I've use DiskWarrior and DriveGenius to try and repair one of the drives with no success. Even booting from the CD/DVD disk, the drives will not unmount.
    I hope this is not some kind of virus or trojan horse.
    Let me know if there is something I can do.
    Thanks

    Take a look at this topic: NUL file in Trash won't go away.
    You'll almost certainly find this file is in the Trash on a Windows volume, and you'll need to use Windows to get rid of it.

  • Can't get rid of Strange file in Trash

    There is a strange file in my trash that i cant get rid of. It's called "␀␀␀õ␀␀.␀␀"
    If i click get info on it the file disappears, but anytime i send a file into the Trash or open it up it reappears
    Any help would be appreciated

    this worked for me and I had the same file name as you described.
    you must have win installed.
    1. Open Terminal. It's located in /Applications/Utilities.

Type: chflags -R nouchg 
Note: Type one space (not pictured) after nouchg in the line above, so that it ends in "nouchg ". Do not press Return yet.

    2. Double-click the Trash icon in the Dock to reveal the contents of the Trash. If necessary, arrange the Finder window so that a portion of the Terminal window is still visible.
    3. Press the Command-A key combination to select all files in the Trash.
    4. Drag the files from the Trash to the Terminal window. 
Note: This automatically enters the pathname for each file. This eliminates the need to individually empty multiple Trash directories, particularly when multiple disks or volumes are present.

    5. Press Return. No special text message will be shown indicating that the command was successful.
    6. Empty the Trash.
    If the Trash does not empty or if you see a message in Terminal that says "usage: chflags [-R [-H | -L | -P]] flags file..." you most likely did not type the text in step 2 as indicated or did not leave a space. Repeat the steps if this happens.

  • I erased some revery files by trash and my mac is very slow

    I updated to Yosemite, then my mac goes too slow, trying to improve a deleted all trash, trash recovered some files and I deleted as well and now my mac is taking 30 to 50 minutes to start up
    I ran etrek and found this error messages:
    EtreCheck version: 2.0.9 (96)
    Report generated November 2, 2014 at 8:01:09 PM CST
    Hardware Information: ℹ️
      MacBook (13-inch, Mid 2010) (Verified)
      MacBook - model: MacBook7,1
      1 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU: 2-core
      2 GB RAM Upgradeable
      BANK 0/DIMM0
      1 GB DDR3 1067 MHz ok
      BANK 1/DIMM0
      1 GB DDR3 1067 MHz ok
      Bluetooth: Old - Handoff/Airdrop2 not supported
      Wireless:  en1: 802.11 a/b/g/n
    Video Information: ℹ️
      NVIDIA GeForce 320M - VRAM: 256 MB
      Color LCD 1280 x 800
    System Software: ℹ️
      OS X 10.10 (14A389) - Uptime: 0:16:24
    Disk Information: ℹ️
      TOSHIBA MK2555GSXF disk0 : (250.06 GB)
      S.M.A.R.T. Status: Verified
      EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
      Macintosh HD (disk0s2) /  [Startup]: 249.20 GB (89.45 GB free)
      Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>  [Recovery]: 650 MB
      MATSHITADVD-R   UJ-898 
    USB Information: ℹ️
      Apple Inc. Built-in iSight
      Apple Inc. BRCM2070 Hub
      Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
      Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
    Gatekeeper: ℹ️
      Mac App Store and identified developers
    Kernel Extensions: ℹ️
      /System/Library/Extensions
      [not loaded] com.motorola-mobility.driver.MotMobileUSB (1.2.2 - SDK 10.5) Support
      [loaded] com.rim.driver.BlackBerryUSBDriverInt (0.0.74) Support
      [not loaded] com.rim.driver.BlackBerryUSBDriverVSP (0.0.74) Support
      /System/Library/Extensions/MotMobileUSB.kext/Contents/PlugIns
      [not loaded] com.motorola-mobility.driver.MotMobileMS (1.0.0 - SDK 10.5) Support
      [not loaded] com.motorola-mobility.driver.MotMobileMTP (1.2.2 - SDK 10.5) Support
      [not loaded] com.motorola-mobility.driver.MotMobileUSBLAN (1.2.2 - SDK 10.5) Support
      [not loaded] com.motorola-mobility.driver.MotMobileUSBLANMerge (1.2.2 - SDK 10.5) Support
      [not loaded] com.motorola-mobility.driver.MotMobileUSBSwch (1.2.2 - SDK 10.5) Support
    Problem System Launch Agents: ℹ️
      [failed] com.apple.CallHistoryPluginHelper.plist
      [failed] com.apple.CallHistorySyncHelper.plist
      [failed] com.apple.coreservices.appleid.authentication.plist
      [failed] com.apple.icloud.fmfd.plist
      [failed] com.apple.Maps.pushdaemon.plist
      [failed] com.apple.pluginkit.pkd.plist
      [failed] com.apple.secinitd.plist
      [failed] com.apple.security.cloudkeychainproxy.plist
      [failed] com.apple.telephonyutilities.callservicesd.plist
    Problem System Launch Daemons: ℹ️
      [failed] com.apple.awdd.plist
      [failed] com.apple.coresymbolicationd.plist
      [failed] com.apple.ctkd.plist
      [failed] com.apple.icloud.findmydeviced.plist
      [failed] com.apple.ifdreader.plist
      [failed] com.apple.nehelper.plist
      [failed] com.apple.nsurlsessiond.plist
      [failed] com.apple.secinitd.plist
      [failed] com.apple.softwareupdated.plist
      [failed] com.apple.wdhelper.plist
    Launch Agents: ℹ️
      [loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist Support
      [loaded] com.hp.help.tocgenerator.plist Support
      [loaded] com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist Support
      [running] com.trusteer.rapport.rapportd.plist Support
    Launch Daemons: ℹ️
      [loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist Support
      [loaded] com.google.keystone.daemon.plist Support
      [loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist Support
      [loaded] com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist Support
      [loaded] com.oracle.java.JavaUpdateHelper.plist Support
      [running] com.trusteer.rooks.rooksd.plist Support
    User Launch Agents: ℹ️
      [loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist Support
      [loaded] com.facebook.videochat.[redacted].plist Support
      [running] com.google.Chrome.framework.plist Support
      [running] com.microsoft.LaunchAgent.SyncServicesAgent.plist Support
      [invalid?] com.swarmcast.mlbnexdefautobahn.plist Support
    User Login Items: ℹ️
      Microsoft Database Daemon ApplicationHidden (/Applications/Microsoft Office 2011/Office/Microsoft Database Daemon.app)
      Google Drive ApplicationHidden (/Applications/Google Drive.app)
      AdobeResourceSynchronizer ApplicationHidden (/Applications/Adobe Reader.app/Contents/Support/AdobeResourceSynchronizer.app)
      Microsoft Outlook ApplicationHidden (/Applications/Microsoft Office 2011/Microsoft Outlook.app)
      BlackBerry Device Manager Application (/Library/Application Support/BlackBerry/BlackBerry Device Manager.app)
      HP Product Research Application (/Library/Application Support/Hewlett-Packard/Customer Participation/HP Product Research.app)
    Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️
      o1dbrowserplugin: Version: 5.38.5.0 - SDK 10.8 Support
      Default Browser: Version: 600 - SDK 10.10
      Flip4Mac WMV Plugin: Version: 2.3.8.1 Support
      OfficeLiveBrowserPlugin: Version: 12.3.3 Support
      AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: Version: 11.0.09 - SDK 10.6 Support
      FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 15.0.0.189 - SDK 10.6 Support
      LogMeIn: Version: 1.0.935 - SDK 10.7 Support
      Silverlight: Version: 5.1.10411.0 - SDK 10.6 Support
      Flash Player: Version: 15.0.0.189 - SDK 10.6 Support
      LogMeInSafari32: Version: 1.0.935 - SDK 10.7 Support
      googletalkbrowserplugin: Version: 5.38.5.0 - SDK 10.8 Support
      iPhotoPhotocast: Version: 7.0
      AdobePDFViewer: Version: 11.0.09 - SDK 10.6 Support
      QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3
      SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.4.5 - SDK 10.6 Support
      JavaAppletPlugin: Version: Java 8 Update 25 Check version
    Safari Extensions: ℹ️
      Cuevana Stream
    3rd Party Preference Panes: ℹ️
      AppTrap  Support
      Flash Player  Support
      Java  Support
      Trusteer Endpoint Protection  Support
    Time Machine: ℹ️
      Time Machine not configured!
    Top Processes by CPU: ℹ️
          11% WindowServer
          2% Google Drive
          1% mds_stores
          1% launchd
          0% mds
    Top Processes by Memory: ℹ️
      63 MB mds_stores
      52 MB Google Drive
      49 MB System Events
      45 MB rapportd
      39 MB Finder
    Virtual Memory Information: ℹ️
      98 MB Free RAM
      475 MB Active RAM
      351 MB Inactive RAM
      317 MB Wired RAM
      3.52 GB Page-ins
      256 MB Page-outs
    Wha can I do?

    More RAM would help 4 GB is about the minimum required. The 2 places I’ve seen recommended most to buy reliable RAM are below. I have purchased RAM several times from Other World Computing and have always been very satisfied with the product and service. They have on-line instructions on how to replace the RAM. OWC has also tested RAM above what Apple states is the maximum. I now have 6GB installed on a machine supposedly limited to 4 GB.
    Crucial
    Other World Computing
      [loaded] com.rim.driver.BlackBerryUSBDriverInt (0.0.74) Support
      [not loaded] com.rim.driver.BlackBerryUSBDriverVSP (0.0.74) Support
    Uninstall and test. RIM has caused other people problems and definitely un-install Trusteer. Un-install using the developer’s instructions to make sure you remove all parts of the application.
    Trusteer Rapport Uninstall
    Activity Monitor - Mavericks  also Yosemite
    Activity Monitor in Mavericks has significant changes
    Performance Guide
    Why is my computer slow
    Why your Mac runs slower than it should
    Things you can do to resolve slowdowns  see post by Kappy

  • UNABLE TO VIEW ANY FILES IN TRASH, AND UNABLE TO DELETE THEM.

    Hi i wondered if someone can help ,me on this one as i have searched for an answer and nothing works.
    I have upgraded to my new iMac and migrated all my files over, i have now deleted some of the unwanted files and folders, to free up space.
    HOWEVER - i have tried deleting them and cant, so as some of them are locked i went back into the trash to unlock them and even though there are thousands of files in the trash none of them are viewable, so i cant drag them back out, drag them to the terminal window or anything.
    I have repaired privileges
    I have tried to use the terminal window and delete files, but cant view them to drag them
    I have tried to secure deleted them
    My problem is i cant view the files so i cant do anything with them.
    Does any one have any ideas,
    should i try to delete the .trash file as i think someone mentioned in which case how do i do that.
    Any help would be fantastic. Thank you in advance
    Kris Watson

    I have managed to resolve this problem (however it is still deleting the files so fingers are crossed still.) Thanks for the help by the way.
    A friend showed me a way to do it, thought ide put it out there so people might benefit from it.
    I restarted with the shift key pressed down. after about 4-5 mins it starts in Safe Boot mode, ive logged in, and started to secure delete the files and it seems as though it is working although very slowly as there are thousands of files.
    The reason the are so many files is that they are all 'old' time machine back ups from my old powerbook. Me being the extra cautious bunny that i am have several copies of every file anyway 'just in case', so it will take house but it will free up huge amounts of space.
    thanks again

  • Cross-post: strange file in trash

    In my trash I have found a file associated with iTunes/iPod: iPod2,12.2.1_5H11aRestore.ipsw
    I didn't put it there, and don't know why it should be there - the trash was empty not long before, and I haven't restored my iPod for years.
    My questions: is it safe to trash it? If not, where does it properly belong?
    Thanks in advance for any help. This is a cross-post from the iPod Classic forum

    Yes, you can delete it. It's a discarded backup that was produced when you last synched your iPod.

  • Strange file in Trash

    Hi, I have a file that i cannot delete from the Trash. it is labeled with 5 rows of slanted dots followed by a period, an N with a tilde over it and one quote. the date modified is 12/31/1903 at 5PM.
    when i try and delete it it returns immediately, when i Get Info it disappears and re-appears immediately.
    does anyone know what this could be ?? maybe an intrusion or virus?? how might i get rid of it?
    Thanks
    Mike

    sounds like a windows ghost. do you have bootcamp? If so boot into windows and repair the drive using [chkdsk|http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107297].

  • Strange File in Trash Cannot be Deleted

    I have this file in my trash:
    "␀␀␀õ␀␀.␀␀"
    I am unable to work out where it came from. It has been there for several weeks and will not delete with the usual means mentioned in the forums. I have also tried Trash It without success.
    Does anyone recognise this file? And anyone have any ideas how to get rid of it?
    Thank you,
    Jake

    Yes, I am sure you are right. I have gone back to the command prompt and run the correct command line:
    "chkdsk C:/r"
    However, when I reboot Parallels, it keeps freezing during the check/repair stage and never completes. Looks like I will have to re-install my Virtual Machine...
    Thank you again for your help,
    Jake

  • Trying to install Photoshop CC 2014 from inside Craetive Cloud panel and my antivirus says it has a Trojan file in it and it won't install

    I am trying to update and install Photoshop CC 2014 from the Creative Cloud panel and my antivirus stops the installation and says the setup file and a droplet file have a trojan within them.  The Trojan.Win32.Generic.pak!cobra is quarantined in my antivirus program.  I can't believe others are not having this same issue!  What do I do now?

    Anti-malware software nowadays has a lot of heuristic behaviors - meaning it's probably not definitively detecting a virus, but spotting something it thinks smells vaguely like one.  It's a transition (from hard detection to heuristics) that's been happening in recent years all across the anti-malware industry and a lot of folks are caught off guard by it.  It's possible your antivirus software maker simply needs time to assimilate reports of false positives and make an exception for Adobe's software.
    Considering that Adobe probably does some pretty tricky things to ensure people can't easily steal their software, that it is detected acting in a manner attributed normally to malware becomes a bit less surprising.  But I don't think there's a virus in it.
    Adobe does recommend stopping your antivirus software before installing.
    -Noel

Maybe you are looking for