External HDD items won't remove from Trash

[PhazonUK]

I have a problem that doesn't effect how my Mac runs but just bugs the hell out of me.
I had some folders on an external HDD that I moved to the trash and then I moved around the folders on my external HDD and renamed some. Now the items that I moved to the Trash won't delete! They no longer have their normals icons and instead have the plain white piece of paper icon.
It seems the Trash can't delete them because it can't find the file's original file path. The items only reappear in my Trash when I connect the HDD but it's still really annoying.
Any way to fix?

 

[Mal]

I assume you’re making sure to empty the trash with the external HDD connected? I know, I know, but sometimes you have to ask the basic questions.

Try dragging one of the files into a Terminal window, that will show the path to the file. Let us know where that is.

jW

 

[PhazonUK]

Yes, the hard drive is connected. The items only appear in the trash if the hard drive is plugged into the laptop.
Anyway, opened a Terminal window and it won't let me drag any of the files into it. It let's me copy 2 of them, they have a folder icon rather than the white piece of paper icon. Their filepath is:
/Volumes/Mega\ Drive/.Trashes/501/Stuff
The hard drive is named Mega Drive which is why it has a \ in there.

 

[bjett92]

I'm having the same problem with my flash drive. The trash shows empty when I unmount the drive, but when it's mounted there's a folder that I can't delete in the trash.

 

[Mal]

OK, try this:

sudo rm -Rv /Volumes/Mega\ Drive/.Trashes/*

That will delete everything in the Trash on that external drive, and will give you output as it does it. Report back here if there are any errors or if that doesn’t work.

jW

 

[swampfoxib]

OK, try this:

sudo rm -Rv /Volumes/Mega\ Drive/.Trashes/*

That will delete everything in the Trash on that external drive, and will give you output as it does it. Report back here if there are any errors or if that doesn’t work.

jW

This didn't work for me. The terminal finished and listed the directory of that file in it's trash location and stated: "Directory not empty"