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Can't empty iphoto trash, 30,000 some files
- Thread starter Dany M
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Apparently there is and all the pictures are in trash and I can't view it either or it freezes.
Try putting them in a plain folder where they are, and then send it to the trash. One or more could be locked.
Also, open finder, and use the "secure empty trash button"
Also, open finder, and use the "secure empty trash button"
OK, I just messed around with this and found a couple of potential solutions for you to try.
Since we don't know if iPhoto is freezing because of the unimaginably large # of photos you want to dump or an internal problem, the first step would be to try to empty the iPhoto trash (which yes, is a separate trash) when booted into another user account on your Mac.
If that fails, then the next step would be to delete the iPhoto preferences file and try again to empty. The pref file for it can be be found at Users/yourusername/Library/Preferences/com.apple.iPhoto.plist
Last suggestion is that if you open the iPhoto trash by clicking the trashcan in the left hand pane of iPhoto it will show you all the items in the trash. Highlighting a boat load of them (click the first one to highlight, then scroll down quite a ways and then shift+click one which will select all between those two points) and then selecting the "Photos--->Restore to Photo Library" will remove those from the trash. Perhaps after a bunch were removed it might be able to empty, at which time you could re-trash the ones that were moved back to the Library and empty a second (or third or fourth....) time.
Realistically though, it might just be easier to export (File-->Export) the ones that you want to keep. With 30K being thrown away, I have to guess you would be keeping less than that. One they were exported you could just set up a new iPhoto library (by holding Option at the startup of iPhoto) and just reimport them to the new library. Then just delete the old library.
Oh - as always, back up everything before you start!
Since we don't know if iPhoto is freezing because of the unimaginably large # of photos you want to dump or an internal problem, the first step would be to try to empty the iPhoto trash (which yes, is a separate trash) when booted into another user account on your Mac.
If that fails, then the next step would be to delete the iPhoto preferences file and try again to empty. The pref file for it can be be found at Users/yourusername/Library/Preferences/com.apple.iPhoto.plist
Last suggestion is that if you open the iPhoto trash by clicking the trashcan in the left hand pane of iPhoto it will show you all the items in the trash. Highlighting a boat load of them (click the first one to highlight, then scroll down quite a ways and then shift+click one which will select all between those two points) and then selecting the "Photos--->Restore to Photo Library" will remove those from the trash. Perhaps after a bunch were removed it might be able to empty, at which time you could re-trash the ones that were moved back to the Library and empty a second (or third or fourth....) time.
Realistically though, it might just be easier to export (File-->Export) the ones that you want to keep. With 30K being thrown away, I have to guess you would be keeping less than that. One they were exported you could just set up a new iPhoto library (by holding Option at the startup of iPhoto) and just reimport them to the new library. Then just delete the old library.
Oh - as always, back up everything before you start!
Difficult but works
This might be extremely difficult for you based on the amount of files you have to delete but I have a workaround. I too have this problem; I prefer to use RAW images which create a larger file. As a result, if I try to delete more than 15 images, the program will freeze. What I do is create an event to store the files that need to be deleted and then delete a few, then empty trash, then delete a few more, then empty the trash again. You might have to restore a few photos at a time, go through and find the restored images and then put them into a new event. This will be tedious but it's the best way that I've found.
This might be extremely difficult for you based on the amount of files you have to delete but I have a workaround. I too have this problem; I prefer to use RAW images which create a larger file. As a result, if I try to delete more than 15 images, the program will freeze. What I do is create an event to store the files that need to be deleted and then delete a few, then empty trash, then delete a few more, then empty the trash again. You might have to restore a few photos at a time, go through and find the restored images and then put them into a new event. This will be tedious but it's the best way that I've found.
thanks!
i was having a hard time emptying about 5,000 pictures and this advice worked for me:
"... then the next step would be to delete the iPhoto preferences file and try again to empty. The pref file for it can be be found at Users/yourusername/Library/Preferences/com.apple.iPhoto.plist"
i was having a hard time emptying about 5,000 pictures and this advice worked for me:
"... then the next step would be to delete the iPhoto preferences file and try again to empty. The pref file for it can be be found at Users/yourusername/Library/Preferences/com.apple.iPhoto.plist"