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scooterguitar

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 7, 2008
227
0
I was playing around with garageband and want to delete a demo file i made. I tried to drga it into the trahs bin but it won't delete it.
When I open the window in gb, it won't allow delete as an option.
Has to be something very simple I am missing.
New to a Mac is frsutrating. I've been through all the tutorials over and over, just need more time of diving in and seeing where I can go I guess.
Thanks
 
I was playing around with garageband and want to delete a demo file i made. I tried to drga it into the trahs bin but it won't delete it.
When I open the window in gb, it won't allow delete as an option.
Has to be something very simple I am missing.
New to a Mac is frsutrating. I've been through all the tutorials over and over, just need more time of diving in and seeing where I can go I guess.
Thanks

So, you want to delete the Garage Band project you made? You'd need to open the folder where you saved it in the Finder and then drag that to the trash. Garage Band would need to be closed at the time, of course—if you have the file open it won't delete. It's just like deleting a file in Windows, you'd go into a Windows explorer window and delete the file.
 
I can't figure it out still.
I deleted the tracks within GB, but when I oen GB and open exisiting projects they are still there, well the titeles, but the music is gone. The properties still reads that they are taking up space.

I just go to the GFinder (upper left corner) and about, pref, empty trash, secure trash, services, hide, and hide others comes up.
What does the finder do?
 
What does the finder do?

The Finder is basically your desktop, or your shell. In Windows, its what you would call 'Explorer'.

Think of it this way: the way the menu bar works on the top of the screen, you always see the name of the application thats *currently* in the foreground. When garageband is up, you see its name and its menu at the top of the screen. now click on your desktop. 'Finder' is listed, and the menu changes to the context of the desktop (create new folders, etc).

In windows you just never see the name of it, except when you get an error the 'Explorer has performed an illegal operation and is being shut down' :rolleyes::D

As for your file, make sure garaband is closed, then click on your saved file. Now press Apple+I to bring up the Get Info screen (same as Properties on windows). Make sure the file is not locked, and that your name is the 'owner' with read/write permissions.
 
I can't figure it out still.
I deleted the tracks within GB, but when I oen GB and open exisiting projects they are still there, well the titeles, but the music is gone. The properties still reads that they are taking up space.

I just go to the GFinder (upper left corner) and about, pref, empty trash, secure trash, services, hide, and hide others comes up.
What does the finder do?

You need to go to where the file is stored on your hard drive, in Finder. If you saved it in the default location, it's in your user folder under Music/Garage Band. If you double click on your hard drive on the desktop, your home folder is in the sidebar with a home icon. Then double click on "Music" and then "Garage Band" and find the file you want to delete. Click it, and then drag it to the trash.

Did you never do any file management in Windows ever?
 
I was playing around with garageband and want to delete a demo file i made. I tried to drga it into the trahs bin but it won't delete it.
When I open the window in gb, it won't allow delete as an option.
Has to be something very simple I am missing.
New to a Mac is frsutrating. I've been through all the tutorials over and over, just need more time of diving in and seeing where I can go I guess.
Thanks

I'm new too. If you have iMac I figured it out and it's very easy. Make sure Garageband is closed first or it will not work.

  1. Click the 'Macintosh HD' icon on your desktop. A folder will pop up.
  2. In each list, click first the 'Users' folder.
  3. Then click on your home administrator.
  4. Then click on the 'Music' folder.
  5. Then 'Garageband' folder.
  6. Walah! All the projects you want to delete are infront of you.

Just drag it to your trash. Use SHIFT to highlight a bunch of projects. Be careful NOT to delete the wrong projects. Hope this helps!
 
You need to go to where the file is stored on your hard drive, in Finder. If you saved it in the default location, it's in your user folder under Music/Garage Band. If you double click on your hard drive on the desktop, your home folder is in the sidebar with a home icon. Then double click on "Music" and then "Garage Band" and find the file you want to delete. Click it, and then drag it to the trash.

Did you never do any file management in Windows ever?
Did you read the OP question???

Same question. I cannot delete a ".band" file. We know how computers work, the issue is the file will not delete by being dragged to the trash. It does not show up in a Finder window (mine is saved to desktop). It does not respond to <ctrl i>
I drag it to the trash and a pop window says that it cannot be deleted.
I have GB closed.
I open GB and try to find the file but it is nowhere, so I do not see an option to delete it in the app.
It will be as annoying as the guy who keeps saying "drag it to the trash" if I cannot get it off the desktop.
 
I did look at the date. Old computer goes with old threads I guess. This problem will likely not be answered from knowledge of much newer laptops…
I have not tried the Terminal app. I am not good at it. I have used Terminal a few times but only with specific instructions for a specific thing.
Would this be the way to delete?
 
Paste this into a Terminal window:
Code:
ls -la ~/Desktop
then press the RETURN key on your keyboard.

Then drag-select the entire output text, press ⌘C to copy to the clipboard, and paste that into a reply in this thread.

The above command assumes you've saved the Garage Band project to your Desktop, like you mentioned earlier. If it's not stored directly on your Desktop, the command would be different.

This command won't delete anything. It lists the contents of your Desktop folder (or should), with permissions and ownership shown. The purpose of this is to find out why you can't trash the item from the Desktop.


You actually can open a Finder window to your Desktop. Look in the Go menu in Finder. There should be a Desktop item there. Choose that. It should open a window that shows every file and folder you have on your Desktop.

If there isn't a Desktop item in Finder's Go menu, choose the Home item, which should open a window with your Home folder's contents. There should be a Desktop folder item in the Home window. Double-click it, and it should open Desktop in a window.
 
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ls -la ~/Desktop
Thats a one, 1. or two ones, not L?
Doesnt work in Terminal app.
I suggested copy and paste for a reason. It's lower-case ell, lower-case ess, space, minus-sign, lower-case ell, lower-case ay, space, tilde, slash, "Desktop". There are no ones.

When it doesn't work, please post the output that appears in the Terminal window. "Doesn't work" is too vague to determine what's wrong.
 
drwx------+ 12 apple staff 408 Jun 6 21:10 .
drwxr-x---+ 25 apple staff 850 Jun 4 09:02 ..
-rw-r--r--@ 1 apple staff 15364 Jun 6 21:10 .DS_Store
-rw-r--r-- 1 apple staff 0 Oct 6 2011 .localized
-rw-r--r--@ 1 apple staff 1992517 Mar 23 10:49 Cam6.jpg
drwxr-xr-x 10 apple staff 340 Jun 6 12:01 Desktop stuff
-rw-r--r--@ 1 apple staff 2139536 Mar 23 10:48 M3's AV cable.jpg
-rw-r--r--@ 1 apple staff 214528 Mar 27 20:41 SB Tax 2018.xls
-rw-r--r--@ 1 apple staff 196518 Mar 27 19:50 f10402018.pdf
-rw-r--r--@ 1 apple staff 165006 Apr 6 21:56 f1040sc2018.pdf
-rw-r--r--@ 1 apple staff 144013 Apr 6 22:02 f6198year2018.pdf
-rw-r--r--@ 1 apple staff 171 Oct 11 2016 ~$2017

And the June 4th would be the create date, so maybe that is the thing…
 
Code:
drwx------+ 12 apple  staff      408 Jun  6 21:10 .
drwxr-x---+ 25 apple  staff      850 Jun  4 09:02 ..
-rw-r--r--@  1 apple  staff    15364 Jun  6 21:10 .DS_Store
-rw-r--r--   1 apple  staff        0 Oct  6  2011 .localized
-rw-r--r--@  1 apple  staff  1992517 Mar 23 10:49 Cam6.jpg
drwxr-xr-x  10 apple  staff      340 Jun  6 12:01 Desktop stuff
-rw-r--r--@  1 apple  staff  2139536 Mar 23 10:48 M3's AV cable.jpg
-rw-r--r--@  1 apple  staff   214528 Mar 27 20:41 SB Tax 2018.xls
-rw-r--r--@  1 apple  staff   196518 Mar 27 19:50 f10402018.pdf
-rw-r--r--@  1 apple  staff   165006 Apr  6 21:56 f1040sc2018.pdf
-rw-r--r--@  1 apple  staff   144013 Apr  6 22:02 f6198year2018.pdf
-rw-r--r--@  1 apple  staff      171 Oct 11  2016 ~$2017
I don't see anything like a Garage Band project listed. Unless it's the oddly named "~$2017". Is that it? It seems unlikely because it's only 171 bytes long.

I see 2 jpg files, 3 PDF files, 1 excel spreadsheet, a folder named "Desktop stuff", and that oddly named file.

If it's that oddly named file, I suggest renaming it to something less odd, like "killme".

If that's not it, and it's really in the "Desktop stuff" subfolder, then you'll need to use the command below.

I also don't see any obvious permission problems, but a more extensive list might be needed.

Command to paste:
Code:
ls -leO@ ~/Desktop/"Desktop stuff"
The quotes are required.

The added middle piece ("eO@") are command-line options telling the 'ls' command to produce a more extensive listing, which includes various things that the earlier command didn't show.

EDIT

"Jun 4" is the last-modified date of the parent directory for this dir. That will normally be your Home folder.

"Jun 6" is the last-modified date of the folder "Desktop stuff". A folder's modified-date changes when you add something to it, move something out of it, or rename something in it. It's also typically changed when you save a document to the folder, even if that document was in the folder previously.

The user-name "apple", who owns all the files and folders shown, seems a bit unusual to me, in light of the name you joined MacRumors with. Is that the actual short user-name you chose for this user account?
 
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yes, there are 3 pdf, 2 jpeg, 1 xls, 1 file folder (Desktop Stuff) and 1 .band file that I cant move or delete or anything…
8 things on desktop that I can see on the screen, but can only see 7 if I look in a desktop file folder. The 2017 file had two words (names) behind it I cut out of post for privacy reasons and it is not on the desktop
[doublepost=1559874993][/doublepost]I see your edit…
I deleted stuff out of that desktop stuff folder today while I was in there poking around.
Don't make me laugh. I am a very creative person, but I named my Mac, Apple to keep it simple. Its not my first Mac.
So, I was hoping to delete this band thing through Terminal, but we just see stuff but do not see the band thing?
[doublepost=1559875147][/doublepost]also, no, it is not in the folder named Desktop stuff, it is on the actual desktop. The folder, Desktop Stuff, is like a desktop but keeps my desktop uncluttered yet holds random stuff I have yet to file properly on my apple named apple.
[doublepost=1559875607][/doublepost]I tried also
sudo rm -rf /Users/apple/Desktop/My Song.band but nothing
 
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]I tried also
sudo rm -rf /Users/apple/Desktop/My Song.band but nothing
That was dangerous. There are no quotes or escapes for the space, and you told it to be recursive. So if there was a folder named "My" in your Desktop, it would have completely nuked it. Or if you'd accidentally had a space at an earlier location, it would have nuked more than just a "My" folder.


Try this.

Type or paste just this in a Terminal window, then press RETURN after it:
Code:
rm -f \
It should prompt you with a ">" character, because the backslash was a "continue" indicator, and it's waiting for more input.

Now, drag the "My Song.band" file from the Finder, and drop it on the Terminal window. It should expand to the pathname of that object. If it does, then click the Terminal window to activate it, and then press RETURN. This will complete the command line, so it should run it.

If there's any error message, copy and paste it exactly into a post here.

If you have to elide something for privacy reasons, then put a placeholder of XXX so I know that you elided something.

Note that I DID NOT use 'sudo', because AFAICT it shouldn't be needed.


I'll be away from the computer for a while, but I'll check this thread again within the next couple of hours. Otherwise it'll have to wait till tomorrow.
 
I tried without a space and nothing, and then with. glad nothing was titled MY.
I can't drag the band file is why I typed it. I can drag the jpeg file so I saw what was happening.
I can drag the band file and see its icon move around but there is nowhere I can put it that it moves or stays, and
Myonly the trash acknowledges that I tried to move it. It is like it doesn't exist.
Ill be in bed soon so tomorrow fine.

I put in what you said but dragged the jpeg file, but then just mimicked it and put in the band file as MySong.band where the picture.jpg file was instead.
rm -f \ /Users/apple/Desktop/MySong.band (not sure why both slashes are there now, maybe it got mad and made a frownie)
Nothing, except it did ask for a password, normal, so I put that in.

Maybe this goes away with a restart?
 
It might go away with a restart.

I also suggest a safe boot.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201262

When it boots in safe mode, it performs some housekeeping, including deleting a bunch of cache files, and rebuilding some things. It also runs pretty slow in safe mode, so I suggest logging in, looking to see if the file still exists, and trying to trash it if it does. If that fails, then don't bother trying anything else, just restart and go back to a normal boot. Once again, login and see if it's still there.


You might also benefit from starting up to your Recovery partition and trying a Repair Disk on your normal startup disk. When the file-system misbehaves, there's a possibility that the reason is damage that a Repair Disk might be able to correct.
 
restart did it. I guess it was some kind of ghost file?
Probably not really a file, just the Finder getting confused.

An alternative I wish I'd thought of earlier is to force relaunch the Finder. This can be accomplished by holding down the OPTION modifier key on your keyboard, then right-clicking (or ctrl-clicking) the Finder's icon in the Dock. A "Relaunch" item should appear in the contextual menu, and choosing it will relaunch the Finder without doing a complete restart. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't.
 
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