Thursday, September 27, 2012

Cannot empty trash because item is in use


http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20110105041622966

Cannot empty trash because item is in use 
System
Sometimes it is not possible to empty the trash because an item is in use. There are many possible causes for this; here is one thing to try to eliminate the error.
  • Go to Finder and select Finder » Secure Empty Trash.
  • If this operation gets stuck, open the Activity Monitor utility and force quit the Locum process.
    Enter your admin password when requested.
  • Go back to Finder and select Finder » Empty Trash.
This fixed it for me.

[crarko adds: I found this thread in the MacOSXHints forums where the Locum process is discussed. It references a good source for finding out more information about this process. By the way, the word 'Locum' means 'place-holder' or perhaps 'temporary proxy' is more applicable in this case. Apparently it fills in for the Finder in the background while emptying the Trash. It also can consume quite a bit of memory while doing so with a large number of files.]


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