Error message when trying to empty Trash in Macbook

So, I went to empty my trash on my MacBook, and it comes back with this error message:

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

This is a new thing, and have no idea what to do. Any ideas?

I'm running Snow Leopard (Mac OS X Version 10.6.7)

And this is my hardware specs:

Model Name: MacBook
Model Identifier: MacBook2,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 4 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Bus Speed: 667 MHz
Boot ROM Version: MB21.00A5.B07
SMC Version (system): 1.13f3
Serial Number (system): W87131HBWGP
Hardware UUID: 00000000-0000-1000-8000-0017F2D91CBA
Sudden Motion Sensor:
State: Enabled

Thanks in advance for any help!

PB

Did you delete a file from and external HD/thumbdrive and then unmounted the HD/thumbdrive but left the deleted file in Trash?

Error when trying to empty trash

Thanks much, Juke, for responding!

So, to make sure I'm clear (understand I'm an absolute techno-moron, so I need everything spelled out...) are you asking if I perhaps deleted something from a thumb drive, then removed the thumb drive from the MacBook, but left the deleted file in the trash?

If so, it's possible (it would have been a thumb drive, not an external HD), but where in the world WOULD a deleted file go other than the trash? And you can't exactly keep a thumb drive plugged in when you're done...

I'm almost 100% certain I've done that over the years (you go to use a thumb drive, and there are files on it you no long need, so to make room, you delete some stuff), but this is the first time I've had an error when I try to empty the trash.

And if this is somehow the issue, how does one fix it? Thanks for any continued help you care to offer!

PB

You will have to reinsert the external thumb drive and then delete all files in Trash. For some reason when you delete a file to Trash it doesn't totally remove the file from the thumb drive.
Hopefully that will work.

Empty trash error...

Thanks Juke,

But it could have been any number of thumb drives (some of which I don't have anymore) and I have no idea which. I just inserted one I had nearby (thinking if it was nearby, it was the one I used most recently). Still wouldn't allow me to delete the trash...

Though I could have misunderstood your last note, which, I must confess, totally confused me. You wrote:

"You will have to reinsert the external thumb drive and then delete all files in Trash.

Install the thumb drive, THEN try to delete all files in Trash? How does one have anything to do with the other?

Then you wrote: "For some reason when you delete a file to Trash it doesn't totally remove the file from the thumb drive."

I'm sorry, but I'm lost. When I delete a file from the thumb drive, and send it to Trash, it doesn't delete it from the thumb drive?? And that is causing the completely separate Trash function to not let me delete the files? How does the Trash know (I feel like an idiot just writing like this!) the file isn't off the thumb drive which isn't connected? Just doesn't compute for me.

And, as noted before, I'm sure I've deleted plenty of files from thumbdrives over the years, and this is the first and only time it's ever NOT let me empty the Trash - so are yo sure that's what causing this?

I thank you much for trying here, and if you have any other ideas, I really want to hear them but don't want to put you out any more if this is a pain!

PB

The same as with Windows.

When you move anything to the trash from a thumb or external drive, empty the trash whilst still connected otherwise it stays on the drive. If still no joy try a reboot.

Empty trash error...

Thanks Harry,

I appreciate your weighing in...

I'm a pretty smart guy, but I'm sorry, I'm just not getting this...

I don't even know that this IS a thumb drive issue. But what's confusing me about all these instructions is that we're talking about my MAIN trash can on my MacBook... How does what I do with a thumb drive that's then removed from the computer affect my ability to empty my MAIN trash can?

You wrote:

"When you move anything to the trash from a thumb or external drive, empty the trash whilst still connected otherwise it stays on the drive."

So, let me make sure I get you here: When I delete something from a thumb drive, I need to keep the thumb drive connected and THEN empty the MAIN trash can on the MacBook before disconnecting the thumb drive. And if I don't, the file will stay on the thumb drive??

And if that's correct, what does it matter if it still stays on the thumb drive? How should that affect my ability to empty the trash? Like I noted to Juke, if I don't do it as you say, and the file stays on the thumb drive, and then I remove the thumb drive from the Mac, how in the world does the MAIN trash KNOW the file is still on the thumb drive, and, more importantly, how does that affect my ability to empty the trash.

Something's missing from my calculations here...

I SO appreciate your willingness to help out, but this isn't making any sense to me...

PB

Open up Terminal (/Applications/Utilities) and enter the following: Breakdown of that command:
sudo - gives you superuser privileges
rm - remove files
-rf - remove files recursively and force it
~/.Trash/* - ~/.Trash/ is the trash folder and the star at the end it there to signify that you want to delete all the files in it.

Enter your password when prompted.

Thanks Van,

I tried this, entered the code you provided, which it took just fine, but then, when I went to enter my password (and there was a Password line with a colon), nothing happened. As in, I typed in the password, but it didn't show up on the screen. Just an unblinking gray -box after the colon... Is this symptomatic of something worse? Sheesh...

PB