Is there any particular reason that you need to securely remove your files? If not, don't bother. If you do, note that it may take some time especially if you have a lot of files.
They technically don’t still “exist”.
When you normally empty the trash, it tells the finder that these files no longer exist, and the finder uses that space for something else.
well, I realized that if I don't secure trash it, the files will remain in the system. I'm sure it will take bunch of bits/space from my hard drive. does it matter if I just trash it? I hate to have files still exist when i delete it.
They technically don’t still “exist”.
When you normally empty the trash, it tells the finder that these files no longer exist, and the finder uses that space for something else.
you saying it doesn't make much difference? why would some sites say it does, but it's hidden?
Emptying the Trash clears room on your Mac for other files. But the data hasn’t actually been removed from your computer — the space occupied by these files is simply available to be overwritten by new information. Until this happens, it may be possible for someone to use data recovery software to restore your “deleted” files. And if this information is sensitive or confidential, it could potentially end up in the wrong hands.
Ah...finally got it. Thanks. In conclusion...I don't need to worry if I don't need those files.Printerman answered this here:
Straight from Apple:
So what this means, is that once you delete stuff, when using your computer, the space starts getting overwritten.
The more you use you Mac after deleting items the more the free space is overwritten.
So, for instance, if you were to accidentally delete something, and you wanted to retrieve it using data recovery software, or professional data recovery technicians, it is crucial that you don't use your computer in order to have the best success rate in recovery.
I've never had secure trash freeze, but it certainly can seem to go on for ever when deleting large or numerous files.
When you you wrote "I got files that I need to delete, but it freeze" I wasn't really sure what you meant.
I am guessing that you had a message in a dialogue box on the screen for a while saying something along the lines of "preparing to secure empty trash!"
Is this the case?
Even though I doubt it will fix it, give the combo updater a go Mac OS X v10.6.4 Update (Combo)
Personally, unless you are in secret intelligence, run a financial institution, are under investigation for illegal activities, etc. I wouldn't wast my time and effort with secure empty trash .