Had a hang while running a free space erase, now I have a gigantic temp file squatting on my HD. I've looked up how to get rid of it, but the most recent thing I found was regarding 10.4. I'm running 10.6 and the fix does not work. Help.
What temp file is that? Where is it located? Depending on the location and type of file, you might need different approaches.
Restarting the machine will clear that file.
The problem you have is not just what you stated in your OP.
What you have is a full hard drive that is going to fail shortly if you don't start clearing some major chunks of space. If you don't mind loosing all your data that's another story.
See this link to see my point:
http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/os-x-operating-system/216254-storage-problem.html