Trash questions

[dops7107]

Something dawned on me today.

I have a 512 MB USB key. When I open it in Finder, as normal it tells me how much available space there is. It is recently formatted, and I had about 25 MB of files on there, but only 400 MB or so of space. Then I remembered that all drives have a ".trashes" hidden file or something like that - hinting that perhaps some of the space was taken up by trash. Upon deleting the Trash, the space returned - but of course, I emptied all of the other items in the Trash, including those originating from the hard drive.

So the questions:

1. Can I permanently delete things from the removable drive without them going in the Trash?

2. What happens when I move the USB key to another computer - do the key's Trash items move to the Trash of the other computer (I know I could test that out to see)

3. Is there a way to empty the Trash of one drive without emptying the entire Trash, except for selecting individual files (whose origins are not immediately clear anyway, and this would be very tedious)?

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

1. Can I permanently delete things from the removable drive without them going in the Trash?

2. What happens when I move the USB key to another computer - do the key's Trash items move to the Trash of the other computer (I know I could test that out to see)

3. Is there a way to empty the Trash of one drive without emptying the entire Trash, except for selecting individual files (whose origins are not immediately clear anyway, and this would be very tedious)?

1. Yes, using rm command in Terminal, but why don't you just Empty Trash before ejecting the USB key drive...?

2. The thrash is on the key drive (in .Trash or .trashes, either way a hidden folder on your key drive), so yes, you can say it tags along to a new computer, if you will...

3. No, it's not possible to empty part of the Trash. But I (and many others) has a "maybe trash"-folder, where you put things you're not sure if youd like to keep...

 

[dops7107]

1. Yes, using rm command in Terminal, but why don't you just Empty Trash before ejecting the USB key drive...?

Because in doing so, I will delete everything else that is in the Trash - making it impossible to reclaim space on the USB key until I do so.

Seems barmy if you ask me - why have the same Trash for different drives?

 

[mad jew]

But it's also a little bit barmy to keep thing in the trash that you don't intend on getting rid of...

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

Because in doing so, I will delete everything else that is in the Trash - making it impossible to reclaim space on the USB key until I do so.

Seems barmy if you ask me - why have the same Trash for different drives?

I thought we covered that in question 3...

And do you store things in the Trash in reall life, too...?

 

[dops7107]

I thought we covered that in question 3...

And do you store things in the Trash in reall life, too...?

Toenails make good toothpicks. ;-)

But really - I guess I'm just used to Windows where removeable drives don't have a trashcan - I mean, Recycle Bin. Space is a bit more valuable on a removable drive, so you don't want trashed files clogging it up. Why have a recycle bin/trash can at all if you don't intend to rescue files occasionally?

 

[snickelfritz]

Dragthing 5 offers an enhanced desktop trashcan with prefs to include a listing of separate disks in a contextual menu.
I haven't had a chance to use this feature myself, but seems like it might be what you're looking for.

 

[blodwyn]

So the questions:

Is there a way to empty the Trash of one drive without emptying the entire Trash, except for selecting individual files (whose origins are not immediately clear anyway, and this would be very tedious)?

I use Compost

There are numerous options for managing trash, and it allows you to customize the settings for each volume. It has been working silently and effectively in the background on my system for almost a year now. One of those 'set it and forget it' utilities.

 

[PlaceofDis]

I use Compost

There are numerous options for managing trash, and it allows you to customize the settings for each volume. It has been working silently and effectively in the background on my system for almost a year now. One of those 'set it and forget it' utilities.

sounds like a nifty app, too bad its 'temporairily' unavailable....

 

[blodwyn]

sounds like a nifty app, too bad its 'temporairily' unavailable....

Yes, looks like an update is imminent

 

[dops7107]

I use Compost

There are numerous options for managing trash, and it allows you to customize the settings for each volume. It has been working silently and effectively in the background on my system for almost a year now. One of those 'set it and forget it' utilities.

Hmm, looks good - I'll give it a try when it is released.

 

[blodwyn]

Hmm, looks good - I'll give it a try when it is released.

The update has just been released - registration is $8.95 and you can download from this page