Empty trash doesn't free disk space

Hi,

Macbook pro running 10.5.8

I tried to transfer a few movies from an external disc and
inadvertently filled my HD (or nearly filled it).
The transfer failed, I ejected the disc, the files were gone,
but finder was still telling me I only had about 20 Mb free.

So I put about 20 Gb of stuff in the trash. Emptied trash.
Emptied the trash wih the external disc connected.
I even tried secure empty trash. Also restarted the machine.

Finder still tells me I only have 20 Mb free.
So does system profiler.
So does disc utility (which incidentally tells me my HD is OK).
I opened terminal and did a df -k, same story, only 20 Mb free.

Except I know that I put several Gb in the trash and emptied it !

Apart from that the computer still seems to work OK but
something must be wrong either with disc contents diagnosis
(at a very deep level) or with emptying trash.

now I'm out of ideas - please help !

thanks
Nick

 

OK looks like nobody could help - but the problem has cleared itself up.
Apparently restart was not enough, and I had to do a shutdown.
When I shutdown, filevault spent a long time doing something and
then when I fired up again the disk space was there.

Nick