Empty the trash using Terminal on install DVD?
iMac doesn't boot up - stuck on grey screen with spinning wheel, tried all the suggestions.
Thought a reinstall of Snow Leopard using the Install DVD would work. And of course I don't have enough space to do so...
This is what I have so far using Terminal via the install disc:
cd /Volumes
ls
.Trashes Mac OS X Install Disc 1 Macintosh HD
cd "Macintosh HD"
It then brings up all the files on my Mac HD but I'm not sure where to find the Trash and how to empty it :/
Apparently I can also install and boot from a USB but I'm not sure how that works either... help me please
I'd suggest getting an external hd. Install the os to the external hd. Do it this way you are less likely to loose your valuable data.
You need
ls -a
to see hidden files. I do
ls -laF
to remove a empty directory you need
rmdir
to remove a file you need
rm
The files are not recoverable. All deletes are final.
I recommand
rm -i
Here is an overview of the terminal commands. Lets assume that your account has a short user name of mac.
Macintosh-HD -> Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal
#What is my short user name? Type the whoami command.
mac $ whoami
mac
mac $
#How to list all of your disks.
# The ls command is for list
mac $ ls /Volumes/
Audio CD Macintosh-HD Spotless Tiger-ext
mac $
# Let's say your flash drive is named Spotless
# cd is change directory
mac $ cd /Volumes/Spotless
# pwd is Print Working Directory. A directory is the Unix name for a folder. You are always in a directory.
mac $ pwd
/Volumes/Spotless
mac $
# The ls command is for list
# l is long
# F is type of file where / is directory. For directories, the slash is pasted to the end of the name.
mac $ ls -lF
total 134704
-rw-r--r-- 1 mac staff 64560 Mar 3 2009 A-picture-of-Youpi-key.png
drwxr-xr-x 83 mac staff 2822 Nov 7 14:52 Applescript files/
drwxrwxrwx 12 mac staff 408 Dec 13 2008 Christmas Cards/
drwxr-xr-x 9 mac staff 306 Dec 21 17:39 Christmas Cards 2009/
... trimmed ... What does all this mean?
drwxrwxrwx
d = directory
r = read
w = write
x = executeable program
drwxrwxrwx
|| | |
|| | all other users not in first two types
|| |
|| group
||
|owner
|
What type of entry is this? d = directory, - = file, etc.
Every Unix resource: files, folders, etc has an owner, group, other
A Unix resource has one owner.
A Unix resource has one group. A group contains a list of users.
To gain access to a file, you can be the owner, in the group, or not the owner and not in the group hence you end up as other. The owner, group, or other has read, write, or execute permissions.
# l is long
# a is all to show hidden files & folders
mac $ ls -lFa
total 134736
drwxr-xr-x 41 mac staff 1496 Dec 22 17:11 .
drwxrwxrwt 8 root admin 272 Dec 24 13:55 ..
-rwxrwxrwx 1 mac staff 15364 Dec 23 12:52 .DS_Store*
drwx------ 4 mac staff 136 Jan 22 2009 .Spotlight-V100
drwxrwxrwt 5 mac staff 170 Sep 14 16:36 .TemporaryItems
d-wx-wx-wx 4 mac staff 136 Dec 31 1969 .Trashes
-rw-r--r-- 1 mac staff 64560 Mar 3 2009 A-picture-of-Youpi-key.png
drwxr-xr-x 83 mac staff 2822 Nov 7 14:52 Applescript files
drwxrwxrwx 12 mac staff 408 Dec 13 2008 Christmas Cards
drwxr-xr-x 9 mac staff 306 Dec 21 17:39 Christmas Cards 2009
... trimmed ...
# mv is move or rename
mv -i the-name the-new-name
# You can just rename the file back to what it was with mv command.
mv -i old-name new-name
Here is what these commands mean:
cd is change directory
pwd is a print working directory
ls is list
sudo is Super user do
mv is move or rename
For cryptic comments, you can always uses the manual command which is man. For example:
man mv
# Type the letter q to quit.
In case you have spaces in your filenames or directories, you need to escape them. See examples:
mac $ ls -l ~/"see it"
-rw-r--r-- 1 mac staff 3171 Oct 26 23:38 /Users/mac/see it
mac $
mac $ cd /Users/mac/Desktop/ttt\ html\ copy/
Do you know about tabbing? Type in a few letters of a name then press the tab key. The computer will type out the rest of the name if it is unique.
Press the up arrow key to see the previous command(s).
To edit a command, use the left arrow key to more left and the right arrow key to move right. Use the delete key to delete the key to the left. Type a letter to insert.
history to see many previous commands.
mac $ history
1 pwd
2 man ls
3 history
You may copy then paste from this list.
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2692161&tstart=0
Robert
Similar Messages
-
Emptying the trash makes my computer freeze and shut down
Hello. Everytime I try to empty the trash, my screen goes black and I get a message that I have to shut down. The computer totally freezes and the only thing I can do is shut down. I've tried deleting the trash using terminal and the same thing happens. Any suggestions as to how to resolve this?? thanks
( I don't think it's a file that is in the trash, as i have tried emptying the trash with just one file in it, a quicktime movie, and i still get the same problem)HI dgx,
Any and all "trash" issues, look here: http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/trash.html
Carolyn -
I manually deleted back-ups from Time Machine and now I can't empty the trash
I manually deleted back-ups from Time Machine and now I can't empty the trash.
Using Finder (deleting Time Machine backups) to manage Time Machine files is a mistake. The remedy is somewhat easy, but you will lose all the files on that TM drive.
If there is nothing elese on the Time Machine drive, try reformatting the drive with Disk Utility. This will effectively remove the files from that drive from the trash. If you have files on this drive, temporarily copy the files to another drive, then reformat the TM drive. -
Cant empty the trash-error 8003
Cant empty the trash-error 8003
Download and install this free utillity > Download Trash It! for Mac - Force-empty your trash can. MacUpdate.com
That should prevent the 8003 error and empty the Trash. -
Mac OS 10.5 /
I deleted the " Private" folder ... and emptied the trash. So the folder and its contents no longer exists on my computer at all !!!
I do have the OS 10.5 dvd that i purchased years ago...
But my computer will not start from it on its own.
My question is what is the open source or terminal language code used to tell my mac to look in the DVD rom drive for startup info? I know that im not the only person in this world who has deleted the "PRIVATE" folder and emptied the trash so it no longer exists on their machine...
That said theres gotta be a common fix for a Power PC G4 that has the OS X dvd in the rom drive but wont look to it to reinstall the vital contents of the PRIVATE folder.
Once again there is not a copy of this file or its contents in the recycle bin...
Also rebooting the machine , pressing and holding the letter C does not prompt the machine to look to the dvd rom drive.
I was reinstalling pro tools and figured I would make some room by cleaning my computers HD...
Lol It was a bad choice to delete this file ...
Thanks guysOkay sorry it took forever to respond... But for a while there I gave up on this computer!!!!
Money's been tight lately , so taking it in to a professional was not yet an option... though I did consider it eventhough.
Anyway long story short im glad I didnt spend any money because I already had all the tools necessary to fix this issue but was going about it in the wrong way. Okay so here is my scenario and the breakdown... Though this may not fix the issue for everyone :( which *****... But I know we all will have different circumstances.
Anyway here we go...
Okay so first things first.... Years ago I purchased the OS 10.5.1 disk ... So that has always been in my possession!!!!
I realize that some may not have a disk to reflash your OS to your hard drive... but if you do your in luck.
2ndly ... I had an external harddrive with all of my itunes downloaded music so it was more than okay with me to delete my primary HD because all the important stuff could either be copied over or repathed to be located.
-------If you dont want to read through the whole story the fix is summed up in the bottom section-------
Okay so now the SOLUTION!!!!
By trial and error , and pure boredom I opened up my computer to clean the inside...
AND
"Disconnected the primary HD"
and just because ....... REBOOTED my computer. Just to see what it would do.
Upon restart and though it looked like it would repeat its usual cycle...
About 1 minute in to that process my computer froze for about 2 seconds and flashed to the OS installation screen.
Mind you I havent seen this screen yet... Probably hasnt been since I installed the OS years ago.
After a bit of trial and error...
I decided to tell my computer to startup from the OS 10.5 disk located in my dvd rom drive and restarted once again...
this setting is under
Utilities / startup disk
After a little more trial and error ... I realized that I could reconnect the primary HD , restart the machine and return to the OS installation menu.
So upon this discovery
I went to the Disk Utility located under Utilities
Highlighted my primary HD located in the left hand column
Once highlighted ...
In the heading section on the right I selected the option
Erase
in which I erased My current OS on my primary HD ...
I used the first option in the list under security... Because it seemed like the least invasive and would take the least amount of time to see if this process would actually work.
I FORGOT to add something...
Another reason why I deleted my primary HD!!!!!
I forgot to say that it WOULD NOT!!!!! Show up in the STARTUP list as an option...Even After multiple reboots....
But like clockwork... Once I deleted its name IT SHOWED UP as an option!!!!
So back to the next step...
I returned to the STARTUP option under utilities ... And was then able to see MY primary HD now as a startup option...
But ofcourse it had no name because it we previously erased it.
So when Clicking my newly erased HD ... I was almost immediately prompted to REINSTALL the OS ...
Which said it would take about 57 minutes ... But I believe was alot less...
My issue was resolved ... My computer then stated the install was SUCCESSFUL!!!!!!! :))))))))))) lol ;)
It was like I was setting up for the first time ;) asking for my registration info...
The dilemma of deleting the private folder and emptying the trash is finally over resolved. Done ... and no extra money spent!!!!!!!!!
Its really crazy that the information for such a simple thing is not readily available. Especially being such a simple fix.
I know im not the only person who's had this issue , because i've seen numerous posts with similar wording.
I also know I wont be the last person to have this issue... So I hope this synopsis makes sense.
-------One more time the fix------
*Insert your OS dvd into your dvd rom drive.
*Unplug your primary HD or corrupted startup disk
*Reboot your machine...
Upon restart your primary HD will not be recognized...
* you will then be prompted to select your language.
Once selected
*Click Utilities/startup... Highlight the the selection that refers to the OS dvd located in the dvd rom drive.
* Click restart...
!!!!!!!!!!Be sure to reconnect your Primary HD Before your computer restarts and you hear the chime!!!!!!!!
If you do not replug your HD before the chime it will not be recognized.
In that case restart again.
Upon restart once again
*Choose your language...
*Click Utilities / disk utility
In the left column select and
*Highlight your HD ...
Then towards the top portion / center of the page
*Click the heading Erase
Then on the page toward the bottom
*Click security options
This will then provide erase options.
I USED THE FIRST OPTION
"Dont erase data"...
*click OK
* click erase...
Once erased which should take a few seconds
*Cancel the disk utility...
* Click Utilities / startup
And your newly erased HD should now appear in the list.
* Select your drive from the list by highlighting
It should no longer have a name.
*Once selected, you will then be prompted to restart and install the OS to your newly erased HD...
Thats it!!!!
Once everything reinstalls re-add your personal info or registration info and you are up and running.
Goodluck ;) -
Which application uses that file and prevents emptying the Trash?
Hi,
This has been with the OS for quite some time. Every once in a while, when trying to empty the trash, I get the error message:
"The operation can’t be completed because the item 'filename.estension' is in use."
How useless is that? Now, if OS X told me which application is using it, I could close that one application, delete the file, and get back to work. Sometimes, I can guess the application as the one I actually last used to access that file. But every so often, it's the Finder's "quick look," but every once in a while, I just haven't the clue.
So, is there an OS function (even if a UNIX/terminal command) or a utility that can tell me the application that is still using the file in the Trash?
Thanks, TristanHi,
OK, to clarify: yes I use Lion (OS X 10.7.4) and I'd rather not close all applications. With Lion, I can just as well log out (which will close them) and log back in (which will reopen them). But, you realize that this is using a bulldozer to swat a mosquito: somewhere in the bowels of the OS X/UNIX, there is a "file in use" message from some application/process, which has not been cancelled (either because the application/process is really holding the file open or because the application/process has failed to clear the "file in use" flag).
A similar "feature" of OS X is when it prevents you from ejecting a volume because "it is in use." In that case, the "What's keeping me?" utility (by HAMSoft Engineering) comes to rescue, unearths the relevant culprit and reports it to the user. Yes, OS X should be doing it all by itself, but the 3rd party utility is just fine.
So, isn't there a way to unearth this info? -
I can't empty the trash I have three different versions of Quicken Essentials that should have been deleted and also some iskysoft apps [two ]. I tries to delete them but I always get a -8003 error. I ve tried using the terminal with both the sudo and chflags methods. No effect. Can anyone give a method that would work to delete the five? In advanced appreciation.
Hey donnie90,
It seems like this article might be the best for helping you address this issue:
You can't empty the Trash or move a file to the Trash
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1526
Thanks for coming to the Apple Support Communities!
Regards,
Braden -
I inadvertently deleted Firefox and emptied the trash bin. I believe it was version 3.5. I have a MAC OSX 10.4.11. After several futile attemps how can I re-install the latest version of Firefox compatible to my MAC system? Thanks!
As of Firefox 4.0 and newer the Firefox builds from Mozilla requires both Mac OSX 10.'''5'''+ and a Intel.
Either you can use 3.6.19 from http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/all-older.html
Though for you 3.6.18 will be safe also as 3.6.19 was to workaround a font crashing issue on 10.7 Lion that was not fixed in time on Lion before release. http://releases.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/releases/3.6.18/mac/ and pick your language and download the Firefox 3.6.18.dmg -
i accidentally deleted a .docx file today and emptied it in the trash!! i tried to use softwares like iskysoft,stellar,wondershare, but none can find the required file! I also tried to use terminal to recover my file by typing --> Tserings-MacBook-Pro:~ tseringdorjee$ mv .Trash/OS copy . but ended with
mv: rename .Trash/OS to ./OS: No such file or directory
mv: rename copy to ./copy: No such file or directory
where OS copy is the name of my .docx file! i also tried to put .docx after the file name, but it doesn't work too!
so, please help!!!If you placed the file in the trash and emptied the trash and recovery software is unable to get the file back, I'm afraid it is gone.
You will have to resotre from backups if you any, or else try sending the drive to a commercial data recovery outfit. But it will be very expensive and the likely hood of a better outcome is not high.
regards -
I have a lot of photos in my trash bin and was thinking about emptying the trash. However, I got a message that said that if emptied, I would not be able to recover them. I chickened out. I looked at several pictures in the trash and noticed that they were the same pictures in albums that I had created. I compared the numbers shown on those pictures in the trash and found that they were the same as the numbers shown in on the pictures in the albums that I had created. I would like to delete the pictures to create more space, but I don't want to lose pictures that I can't replace.
yes - albums are not copies or places - they are pointers in the databae pointing to the photo in the library - you can see it in an album, under photos or under events - but it is all the same photo - if you delete it it is gone everyplace - and no additiponal space is used for an album (or many albums - a photo can be in many albums without using any additional space
Only put photos that you do not want to keep in the trash
How much free space do you have on the disk volume that the iPhoto library is on?
LN -
I have a Macbook Pro with OS X Lion 10.7.2. I have sent a work file to the trash bin along with many other files. When I empty the trash this one particular file remains and I get a message that this file is still in use. I have tried returning the file to my documents, opening it, closing it and then sending it to trash and again I try to empty trash but the same message comes up - Q - How can I trash this file permanently?
First just try logging out and back in. Whatever is holding on to it may not be running after the logout thus freeing it so you can trash it after logging back in.
You might also try Trash It!
Lastly, look at the following for suggestions:
The X Lab: Solving Trash Problems -
I recently transferred some data from my external hard drive to my desktop, but there was an error transferring some of the files and it couldn't respond, and eventually i simply removed the external hard drive. However, the folder/files are still on my desktop, and when i try to move them or delete them, this error message appears:
“-folder/file name-” can’t be opened right now because it’s being used by another task, such as moving or copying an item or emptying the Trash. Try again when the current task is complete.
Since I removed the external hard drive before the files were finished transferring, there is no way for the current task to be completed. How can I resolve this and delete the folders/files from my desktop?I just managed to resolve this by going to the apple sign in the top left, choosing force quit (or you could do option+command+esc), then i chose finder, and i clicked relaunch. After relaunching finder, the error message doesn't appear anymore, and I could move these files/folders, and delete them just fine.
Hope this will help other people who encounter similar problems in the future! -
How do you empty the trash if a file is in use
I somehow deleted a file although it was in use. Part of Time Machine. Now I can't empty the trash.
Any hlep would be appreciated
Thanks,Take a look at this resource (in particular: E6):
http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html -
Photo in trash can but it says i can't empty the trash b.c. it's being used
I downloaded pictures to my mac, then i put them on my desktop now i want to delete them off my desktop so i dragged it into my trash can and it says i can't empty the trash can because the photo is being used. help please!
Do you have the picture file open in a program like preview? If there is a little lit dot below the Preview icon on the dock you may have it open - hence it can't delete it from the Trash.
M. -
Hello - I had deleted files off of my external HD which I thought would not affect my Itunes library... Unfortunately I was incorrect in my assumption. Additionally, I empty the trash as I was hoping to regain storage space for the external HD. My question is, can i restore these files now that the trash has been emptied? I do have a regular back-up running on a Time Capsule, however when I chose the ext HD and enter into the time machine to restore it will not allow me to locate any files on the external HD??
Help!!!Is Time Machine configured to backup the external disk drive?
It doesn't sound like it is. Which means that they is no way to get anything from that EDD from TM.
Your only alternative now is file recovery software. For a review on such software, try http://data-recovery-software-review.toptenreviews.com/mac-recovery-software/
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