Can't empy trash

When I try to empty the trash i get the following error message:
"The operation cannot be completed because the item "User Data" is in use."
I have the option of clicking stop or continue.

When i click continue i get the following message:
"The operation cannot be completed because the item "Localized.rsrc" is in use."
Again i have the option of clicking stop or continue.

When I click continue i get the same message.

Any ideas how to fix this problem?

Try logging out then log back in and try it. If that doesn't work, reboot and you should definitely work by then.

I ran into the same thing when I downloaded a corrupted file from the interweb.

I have restarted several times and it still doesn't work.

Check Activity Monitor to see if that file is being used by something. If so, quit the application/process, and try again.

Onyx

I do not usually like to suggest applications but if you cannot empty the trash because of some error, you can download Onyx. Onyx has a force empty trash function in the cleaning tab. You could try that...

http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/11582

I couldn't fine the task in the active task list. I don't want to download some other program to do this. OSX should have an empty trash feature that works.

anyway, I have a few other things so i think ill be reinstalling the os when i have the free time around new years.

in the top left portion of finder, do you have anything mounted besides your HD and network?

perhaps a dmg file has remained mounted, then you trashed it, and it remains mounted somehow?

secure empty trash

in finder choose secure empty trash:black:

yeah secure empty trash should work.

no drives are mounted. I tried secure empty trash and get the following message. "Palm Desktop Background: Unexpected error #-120"
I can only click ok and it just comes right back.

Ah! Palm Desktop is involved, I kinda figured. I had the same problem a couple of weeks ago because I decided to uninstall the Palm Desktop software without using their uninstaller. I learned from someone that Palm has an uninstaller after the deletion attempt.

I googled and found a Terminal trick that made you navigate to the root and empty the trash from there. I tried to find the article but can't right now (I wouldn't advise in trying Terminal tricks if you don't know what you're doing or don't have a serious, foolproof walk-through). I'll try poking around till I find it but for now I found someone recommending this in another forum, Force Empty Trash 1.0.

Ok, got more to add. I think I found more stuff on this.

First another, updated utility that does the same trick as the on I mentioned earlier, Super Empty Trash.

Now for a Terminal trick:

• drag the file out of the trash and unto your desktop
• launch Terminal (you'll find it in the Utilities folder, in the Applications folder)
• type in the window: cd ~/.Trash
• press Enter
• type in the window: sudo rm -rf (with a space after the f). Note that you have to be very thorough here in your typing: one typo and consequences might be a bit painful, if you know what I mean...
• drag the filein your Terminal window (path will be recorded)
• enter your admin password and then press in Enter

That should work. I also read that a safer command, to prevent accidental file or folder deletions, is to use the command line sudo rm [filename] instead.

Another easy trick I saw is this: simply create a new user account. Then drag and drop the recalcitrant file in the Shared folder. (Found here: Macintosh HD ---> Users ---> Shared)

Log out of your usual account, log in the new user account, go to the Shared folder, grab the file and drag it into this account's trash. At some point, you might be prompted for your admin password. Log out of the new account, log in to your usual account. Go to System Preferences ---> Accounts. Click on the new account you have just previously created (where you logged in to put the file in the trash) and simply delete that account. You will be prompted with these choices: Cancel, OK or Delete Immediately. Choose Delete Immediately.

And that should work as well.