Empty trash needs password

Why does empty trash need password?

I have an iMac, with Lion, and suddenly, i have to put my password (just like when I install something new) when I put something (especially files that are on the desktop) in the trash
I used the disk utility in order to repair the permissions and It has found lots of problems.
But the problem was not resolved.
I dont know what should I do. Run again the disk utility, in order to see if the permissions are ok?
Thanks for any help

Similar Messages

Why all of a sudden is finder password needed to empty trash

why all of a sudden is finder password needed to empty trash... i looked in finder prefs and system prefs in security but cant find a "password protect trash action" menu button anywhere. i've
got no locks on my HD...
wat up??

1. Triple-click the line below to select it:
~/.Trash
2. Right-click or control-click the highlighted line and select
Services ▹ Show Info
from the contextual menu. An Info dialog should open.
3. The dialog should show "You can read and write" in the Sharing & Permissions section. If that's not what it shows, click the padlock icon in the lower right corner of the window and enter your password when prompted. Use the plus- and minus-sign buttons to give yourself Read & Write access and "everyone" No Access. Delete any other entries in the access list.
4. In the General section, uncheck the box marked Locked if it's checked.
5. From the action menu (gear icon) at the bottom of the dialog, select Apply to enclosed items and confirm.
6. Close the Info window and test.

Need help,trying to empty trash.

The operation can’t be completed because you don’t have permission to access some of the items.
This is the message that wont go away,even though I have admin rights and password am the only user of the computer,running 10.6.8 any suggestions out there as how to solve this not a tech head so stupid simple replies please.

Hi Linc,
think I sorted the problem went to system preferences then advanced uncheck the give warning for empty trash,then when I hit the drop down I had the option to empty trash instead of the secure empty which is the only option I had previous,and yes all the files where in the trash folder I backed them up to a external drive and wanted to make space by dumping them off the laptop.You might know is is possible to just delete folders without having to drop them into the trash? ,thanks Damian.

I am getting disc full messages on my Mac, unable to empty trash because not enough space, how do I proceed or do I need to increase my 4gig of memory

I am getting disc full messages on my Mac, unable to empty trash because not enough space, how do I proceed or do I need to increase my 4gig of memory in which case how do I go about this process.

You are confusing RAM (Random Access Memory) with hard drive data storage space.
Your hard drive storage is getting too full if you can't empty your Mac's main trash.
Here are some general tips to keep your Mac's hard drive trim and slim as possible
You should never, EVER let a conputer hard drive get completely full, EVER
With Macs and OS X, you shouldn't let the hard drive get below 15 GBs or less of free data space.
If it does, it's time for some hard drive housecleaning.
Follow some of my tips for cleaning out, deleting and archiving data from your Mac's internal hard drive.
Have you emptied your Mac's Trash icon in the Dock?
( as you mentioned, you can't empty this as your hard drive is too full.)
If you use iPhoto, iPhoto has its own trash that needs to be emptied, also.
If you store images in other locations other than iPhoto, then you will have to weed through these to determine what to archive and what to delete.
If you use Apple Mail app, Apple Mail also has its own trash area that needs to be emptied, too!
Delete any old or no longer needed emails and/or archive to disc, flash drives or external hard drive, older emails you want to save.
Look through your other Mailboxes and other Mail categories to see If there is other mail you can archive and/or delete.
STAY AWAY FROM DELETING ANY FILES FROM OS X SYSTEM FOLDER!
Look through your Documents folder and delete any type of old useless type files like "Read Me" type files.
Again, archive to disc, flash drives, ext. hard drives or delete any old documents you no longer use or immediately need.
Look in your Applications folder, if you have applications you haven't used in a long time, if the app doesn't have a dedicated uninstaller, then you can simply drag it into the OS X Trash icon. IF the application has an uninstaller app, then use it to completely delete the app from your Mac.
To find other large files, download an app called Omni Disk Sweeper.
Download an app called OnyX for your version of OS X.
When you install and launch it, let it do its initial automatic tests, then go to the cleaning and maintenance tabs and run the maintenance tabs that let OnyX clean out all web browser cache files, web browser histories, system cache files, delete old error log files.
Typically, iTunes and iPhoto libraries are the biggest users of HD space.
move these files/data off of your internal drive to the external hard drive and deleted off of the internal hard drive.
If you have any other large folders of personal data or projects, these should be archived or moved, also, to the optical discs, flash drives or external hard drive and then either archived to disc and/or deleted off your internal hard drive.
Good Luck!

Weird Trash Emptying Behavior, Need Help!

I've read the apple support article for emptying trash, changing file permissions, etc.; I've also tried searching the apple discussions... So I hope someone can help me here!
I recently deleted Adobe CS2 from my applications. A lot of files were dragged to the trash, and now there are two folders in the trash that won't delete.
They are:
1. a folder called "Adobe Illustrator CS2", containing a folder named "Legal", containing a file named "Tiếng Việt.html" (the name's characters seem to be from a different character set).
2. a folder called "Adobe Photoshop CS2", also containing a folder named "Legal", also containing a file named "Tiếng Việt.html" (same as above).
Here are the issues:
1. When I try to empty trash, nothing happens, these files just don't delete.
2. When I try to secure empty trash, I get the message: "The operation cannot be completed because the item 'legal' is in use."
3. I have permission to read and write the files and folders. Just to be sure, I tried "apply to enclosed items" in "get info", I get this error message: "The operation cannot be completed because one or more required items cannot be found. (Error code -43). I can open the trash and look at the files. They are definitely there.
4. I read somewhere that because the names contain weird characters, they may not delete. When I try to rename the files, I get this error: "An unexpected error occurred (error code -43)."
5. I've tried "chflags -R nouchg " and "sudo chflags -R nouchg " in terminal, and I get errors saying the files do not exist (after I drag the folders into terminal.)
Help! What should I do to try and fix this? I have no idea what is going on!

The problem is the illegal characters in the file name. Try booting from your install disk, then go to the menu and select Disk Utility and run the First Aid-Repair Disk function. Restart, and you should be able to empty the Trash.
Francine
Francine
Schwieder

Need help on emptying trash

The trash recipient always appear to cointain 17 messages but I can't see them.
I empty trash but there are always the same 17 messages there. Even I can't see any message incoming directly to this recipient. The only messages I can see, are the ones moved from other recipients to trash.
imac Mac OS X (10.4.8) emac

Hola quedius.
I don’t fully understand what you say. What is this “recipient” you’re talking about?
BTW, feel free to post in Spanish or Catalan if that’s easier for you -- I’ll continue replying in English, though. Alternatively, you can go to System Preferences > International and move English to the top of the list. The next time you launch Mail, it'll be all in English, which would make your life in these forums easier.

Yosemite is awful- unable to empty trash, volume options are haywire, error codes on file management, and files won't replace when moved. What are my options at this point?

Like the topic - "Yosemite is awful- unable to empty trash, volume options are haywire, error codes on file management, and files won't replace when moved. What are my options at this point?"
I installed this OS, and it looks nice, but it's terrible to use. I randomly have the volume controls get disabled, and sometimes the volume menu in the system tray does nothing when adjusted which I've never seen in an OS before. The trash won't empty. When I try to drag and drop newer files over existing ones, nothing happens. The old ones just stay there. I have to delete the old ones and then move the new ones. And when I go into the protected files to manage audio plugins (I make music), the first thing I hit are error codes galore, and password prompts that either don't popup when they should, or don't execute the command after I provide my password.
What can I do now that I installed the flames of **** onto my computer?

Back up all data before proceeding.
This procedure will unlock all your user files (not system files) and reset their ownership, permissions, and access controls to the default. If you've intentionally set special values for those attributes on any of your files, they will be reverted. In that case, either stop here, or be prepared to recreate the settings if necessary. Do so only after verifying that those settings didn't cause the problem. If none of this is meaningful to you, you don't need to worry about it, but you do need to follow the instructions below.
Step 1
If you have more than one user, and the one in question is not an administrator, then go to Step 2.
Triple-click anywhere in the following line on this page to select it:
sudo find ~ $TMPDIR.. -exec chflags -h nouchg,nouappnd,noschg,nosappnd {} + -exec chown -h $UID {} + -exec chmod +rw {} + -exec chmod -h -N {} + -type d -exec chmod -h +x {} + 2>&-
Copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C.
Launch the built-in Terminal application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the icon grid.
Paste into the Terminal window by pressing command-V. I've tested these instructions only with the Safari web browser. If you use another browser, you may have to press the return key after pasting.
You'll be prompted for your login password, which won't be displayed when you type it. Type carefully and then press return. You may get a one-time warning to be careful. If you don’t have a login password, you’ll need to set one before you can run the command. If you see a message that your username "is not in the sudoers file," then you're not logged in as an administrator.
The command may take several minutes to run, depending on how many files you have. Wait for a new line ending in a dollar sign ($) to appear, then quit Terminal.
Step 2 (optional)
Take this step only if you have trouble with Step 1, if you prefer not to take it, or if it doesn't solve the problem.
Start up in Recovery mode. When the OS X Utilities screen appears, select
Utilities ▹ Terminal
from the menu bar. A Terminal window will open. In that window, type this:
resetp
Press the tab key. The partial command you typed will automatically be completed to this:
resetpassword
Press return. A Reset Password window will open. You’re not going to reset a password.
Select your startup volume ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name) if not already selected.
Select your username from the menu labeled Select the user account if not already selected.
Under Reset Home Directory Permissions and ACLs, click the Reset button.
Select
 ▹ Restart
from the menu bar.

Stuck with emptying trash, no files deleted

Hey all!
I'm trying to delete files from my Mac OS X Lion system, but it fails. Well actually, nothing happends. When i hit EMPTY TRASH, the dialog box opens with a note "emptying the trash" and showing the number of files to be deleted (486 files) - but nothing happends. It just hangs there.
I did the file persmissions repair, which initally took very long to kick off showing it will take some 7 hours... I got worried there, but then completed in about 5 mins....
Any ideas whats going on?

To see what's in the trash:
Launch Terminal and copy & paste these commands:
cd ~/.Trash
Press Return
Then enter ls Press return
This will list of the contents of your trash, so you can if there's anything you need you can drag it out. If not, follow these instructions:
Go to /Applications /Utilities/Terminal and launch it.
At the prompt, copy and paste this command
sudo rm -rf ~/.Trash
Press Return.
You will be asked to enter your admin password. It will be invisible.
Enter it and press Return.
Log out and back in or restart.
Let us know.

Can not empty Trash

Hi there, I have recently had a corrupt iphoto library. I have extracted the pictures and created a new library. After doing this I deleted the old library, which is in my MAC trash (not iphoto trash).
I can not empty my trash and have searched everywhere online for a resolution, these are things I have tried ....help I need to dump this large library.
Thanks
1- Right Click - empty trash
     I get The operation can’t be completed because the item “iPhoto Library .photolibrary” is in use.
          I have searched this error message and tried using terminal to see what has this in use using the following - couldn't find anything
                    xxx-iMac:~ ryanromero$ lsof | grep iPhoto Library .photolibrary
                    grep: Library: Is a directory
                    grep: .photolibrary: No such file or directory
2 - I've tried doing Secure Empty Trash in which i get the below message
        The operation can’t be completed because you don’t have permission to access some of the items.
3- I have tried using terminal to empty the trash using the following command - It acts like it will delete it but the trash is still there.
     Ryan-Romeros-iMac:~ ryanromero$ sudo rm -rf ~/.Trash/*
     Password:
4- I have also tried this which said it would delete the file but doesn't in terminal
     Ryan-Romeros-iMac:~ ryanromero$ sudo rm -rf /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto\ Library\ .photolibrary
Password:
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/._iPhotoAux.db: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/._iPhotoLock.data: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/._iPhotoMain.db: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/._Library6.iPhoto: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/._ProjectDBVersion.plist: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/._Projects.db: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/._DataModelVersion.plist: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/._tmSync.plist: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/apdb/._BigBlobs.apdb-journal: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/apdb/._Faces.db-journal: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/apdb/._History.apdb-journal: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/apdb/._ImageProxies.apdb-journal: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/apdb/._Library.apdb-journal: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/apdb/._lockfile.pid: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/apdb/._Properties.apdb-journal: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/apdb/BigBlobs.apdb-journal: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/apdb/Faces.db-journal: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/apdb/History.apdb-journal: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/apdb/ImageProxies.apdb-journal: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/apdb/Library.apdb-journal: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/apdb/Properties.apdb-journal: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/apdb: Directory not empty
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/DataModelVersion.plist/._ImageProxies.apdb-journal: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/DataModelVersion.plist: Directory not empty
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database: Directory not empty
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/iLifeShared/apdb/._ImageProxies.apdb-journal: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/iLifeShared/apdb: Directory not empty
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/iLifeShared: Directory not empty
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/iPhotoAux.db: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/iPhotoMain.db: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Masters: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Previews/Database/apdb/._ImageProxies.apdb-journal: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Previews/Database/apdb: Directory not empty
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Previews/Database: Directory not empty
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Projects.db: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Thumbnails: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary: Directory not empty

First, never try to empty the Trash in the shell. It's dangerous and unnecessary, and as you've discovered, it doesn't always work.
It's possible that the external drive is malfunctioning, but before you draw that conclusion, quit iPhoto and try again to empty the Trash.

Cannot send files to trash...cannot empty trash of certain folders...

Hi, Bit of a problem with deleting certain files from my external hard drive.
There seems to be some files that finder doesn't like moving to the trash, I move them, and it asks for my password. I do this and they remain in place. I've tried over and over, emptying trash and rebooting eternal hard disk. This works for most stuff, why i dont know... :/
Some folders still wont die, so I open problem folder and move to trash one at a time - this actually works for all but one folder. I had no problem deleting this folder before when moving stuff back and forth from my old PC. It doesnt seem to be write protected. What do I do???
ALSO - some of the stuff that did move to trash now refuses to be emptied form trash folder. It says: cannot complete operation because you do not have sufficient user privileges. I want aware i needed any to delete these seemingly mundane files - one folder that wont go is empty also...
can anyone suggest anything?
many thanks,
Mr T

it seems clear that the drive in question is a windows drive formatted FAT. OS X often has various problems with such drives of the sort you are seeing now. in that case the ONLY remedy short of completely reformatting the drive is to delete the folders in question from Windows.

Empty Trash vs. Secure Empty

What is the difference between normally emptying the trash, and going to finder, file, secure empty trash? Which should i do?

You can delete files, folders, and other items on your disk that you no longer need.
You may want to store a backup copy or an archive of important items if you are trying to clear space on your hard disk for other things.
Drag the items to the Trash (at the end of the Dock).
Any files or folders you drag to the Trash remain there until you empty the Trash. If you change your mind about something, you can still retrieve it from the Trash if you haven't emptied it yet. Click the Trash icon to open the Trash window, then drag items back to your home folder.
Choose Finder > Empty Trash.
Even after you empty the Trash, deleted files may still be recovered by using special data-recovery software. To delete files so that they cannot be recovered, choose Finder > Secure Empty Trash. Files deleted in this way are completely overwritten by meaningless data. This may take some time, depending on the size of the file. To prevent the recovery of files you deleted previously, open Disk Utility (in Applications/Utilities), choose Help > Disk Utility Help, and search for help on erasing free disk space.
If an item is locked, you cannot put it in the Trash. Select the item and choose File > Get Info, then deselect the Locked checkbox in the General pane. If you do not own the item, you may need to provide an administrator's name and password to put the item in the Trash.
Press the Option key when you choose Empty Trash to prevent the warning message from appearing. You can also turn off the warning in the Advanced pane of Finder Preferences.
-Bmer
Mac Owners Support Group
Join Us @ MacOSG.com
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Can't empty trash-- iPhoto 08 crashes when I empty trash

I installed ilife 08. I want to delete some photos. I have 1300 photos in trash. Everytime I hit "empty trash", the photos disappear, but then iPhoto "unexpectedly closes." When I reopen the program, the trash is full again.

flinch13:
What I had to do after installing Leopard is the following:
Open Terminal and enter "sudo chmod -R -N ". Note the space after the N. Drag the iPhoto Library packaged into terminal to set the path and hit the Return button. Enter your admin password when prompted. That should clear that up. I had to do my entire User folder but you should only have to do the iPhoto Library package. If that doesn't help, try running it on the Pictures folder.
But first, try turning off the option to "Show image counts" in iPhoto's general preferences and the try to empty the trash.
Happy Holidays
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto database file and keep it current. If problems crop up where iPhoto suddenly can't see any photos or thinks there are no photos in the library, replacing the working Library6.iPhoto file with the backup will often get the library back. By keeping it current I mean backup after each import and/or any serious editing or work on books, slideshows, calendars, cards, etc. That insures that if a problem pops up and you do need to replace the database file, you'll retain all those efforts. It doesn't take long to make the backup and it's good insurance.
I've created an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger), iPhoto dB File Backup, that will copy the selected Library6.iPhoto file from your iPhoto Library folder to the Pictures folder, replacing any previous version of it. It's compatible with iPhoto 08 libraries and Leopard. iPhoto does not have to be closed to run the application, just idle. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.

Want to run an archive and install, but can't empty trash to free space

I don't know where to begin... at some point recently something caused problems with several applications, so after trying to repair permissions and repair disk with no luck, I decided to archive & install. Now I want the old problems back: Word/Excel/Photoshop will not open because of some library error (Carbonlib?), and my network settings keep going screwy such that if my computer goes to sleep, I couldn't pick up my wireless signal anymore without restarting (and then ta-da, there it was like there was never any problem).
So in trying to archive and install I keep stalling at the very beginning... I'll leave it for hours hoping it would proceed but it wouldn't. I've repaired disk several times, with the same errors ultimately coming up. So without being able to archive and install I figured I'd better back everything up and do an erase & install. Started backing things up in prep for moving them onto a server, but when I plugged the server in, my computer said it couldn't get on. Same exact server wire had just come out of my work computer which connects just fine. So now I've got duplicates of all my files on the desktop, so I try to trash them and when I select 'empty trash' or 'secure empty trash', I get the box that says "preparing to empty trash" and then everything except my wallpaper goes away, and eventually comes back as if I've restarted. Now I definitely can't archive and install because with duplicate copies of all my files I have only 1.7gb available and need 1.9 to install just the required files.
I'm at a total loss! Incidentally, my ipod won't mount if I try to plug it in.
Are there other options in disk utility that I can try? I don't know enough to feel comfortable just trying something, and I don't know what the "Restore" option does.
Oh goodness, I hope somebody knows something that can help me out of this.

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=3366422
Odd, the link works for me.
-mj
[email protected]

Empty trash The operation can't be completed because an unexpected error occurred (error code -8003).

I can't empty my trash. The operation can’t be completed because an unexpected error occurred (error code -8003).
I have started up in a guest account and that show empty trash bucket.
I have use 'option' or all three, control, option, command. and nothing works.
This has been a problem for about 3 weeks now.
I have an external WD hardrive for back up, these are the files that I try to erase - and I have unlocked each one, still no luck....
Can some one give me a hint what to do?
Jan

Don;
Plus all of you that have tried to help me with my 'empty trash' problem. I have it solved!
I am running a Western Digital external hard drive. I phoned them just now and they asked me to unplug the WD drive, and I reset the back up occasions, it was backing up every hour, which was way too often. The trash emptied when I unplugged and now I have rebooted and the trash is still empty
Thanks to all who gave me suggestions as to what I needed to do to empty my trash can! It had more than 1600 items living there. What a relief.
Jan

Unable to empty trash with data from Time Machine Drive

Hi there,
Cause of the current issue:
I am hoping the experts can help me with this one. I have an external hard drive which is used for my Time Machine Backups. Recently there has been an error on the backup to this drive on occasion. This error only occurs when the system does the back up, and appears only periodically, never when I do the back up manually. One of the threads I read to solve this issue is to delete some older backup files from your time machine drive, and all is good. This worked for awhile.... but now a new problem:
New Problem:
I have been able to empty all of the trash save one particular set of folders. So the trash always appears with content.
The structure of the trash content appears as such...
Macintosh HD
+-Users
+--<username>
+---Library
+----FK6T0KGc9y4KBB <-- This changes each time I try to empty the trash.
The library folder always has the time/date of the last time I tried to empty the trash.
What I have tried:
1. I have tried to empty the trash Securely. No good.
2. I have tried the terminal command : sudo rm -rf ~/.Trash with no success
3. I have tried this terminal command : sudo rm -rf ~/.Trash/* with no success
4. I have tried just plain old Empty Trash. But I get the message "This operation cannot be completed because the item 'FK6T0KGc9y4KBB' is in use.
Any thoughts, recommendations?

Hey thanks for the help anyway VK.
I tried that command and no go either.
Last login: Fri Jul 25 08:13:39 on console
iMac:~ tmlohnes$ sudo rm -rf /Volumes/Time\ Machine\ Backups/.Trashes/501/*
Password:
rm: /Volumes/Time Machine Backups/.Trashes/501/2008-03-28-160634/Macintosh HD/Users/tmlohnes/Library/8xMlmPGUHzilET: Directory not empty
rm: /Volumes/Time Machine Backups/.Trashes/501/2008-03-28-160634/Macintosh HD/Users/tmlohnes/Library: Directory not empty
rm: /Volumes/Time Machine Backups/.Trashes/501/2008-03-28-160634/Macintosh HD/Users/tmlohnes: Directory not empty
rm: /Volumes/Time Machine Backups/.Trashes/501/2008-03-28-160634/Macintosh HD/Users: Directory not empty
rm: /Volumes/Time Machine Backups/.Trashes/501/2008-03-28-160634/Macintosh HD: Directory not empty
rm: /Volumes/Time Machine Backups/.Trashes/501/2008-03-28-160634: Directory not empty
iMac:~ tmlohnes$
I am wondering, would it make sense to try this same command if I were to do a safe boot?
What about formatting the external hard drive and starting fresh?

Empty trash needs password

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