why is trash so slow?

[ikos]

when I empty trash it takes a very long time to finish. for example I had one istat zip file and an older version of skype to empty and it said there were 160 items to delete, and it took about 10 minutes.

 

[Cboss]

Do you have the system set to securely empty the trash? This can make it take MUCH longer than normal. To check, go to Finder>Preferences>Advanced and uncheck where it says "Empty Trash securely" if it is checked.

 

[BlueRevolution]

As well, bear in mind that most applications are in fact bundles of hundreds or thousands of other files, so each file must be deleted individually—hence the wait when deleting applications.

 

[ikos]

Do you have the system set to securely empty the trash? This can make it take MUCH longer than normal. To check, go to Finder>Preferences>Advanced and uncheck where it says "Empty Trash securely" if it is checked.

yes I have it set to securely empty, what is the difference between normal and securely?

 

[old-wiz]

Normal returns the allocation space to the table and marks the file entry place in the table as unused. Secure goes one more step in and wipes the file data out.

 

[Objectivist-C]

Secure goes one more step in and wipes the file data out.

...by overwriting it seven times, by default (IIRC).

 

[miles01110]

As well, bear in mind that most applications are in fact bundles of hundreds or thousands of other files, so each file must be deleted individually—hence the wait when deleting applications.

when I empty trash it takes a very long time to finish. for example I had one istat zip file and an older version of skype to empty and it said there were 160 items to delete, and it took about 10 minutes.

In my experience, it's always told me when something I was deleting contained thousands of files.