Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!ucsd!ucbvax!pasteur!franny.Berkeley.EDU!c8s-an
From: c8s-an@franny.Berkeley.EDU (Alex Lau)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: undeletable folder--help?
Message-ID: <17630@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: 25 Sep 89 05:12:45 GMT
References: <3762@blake.acs.washington.edu>
Sender: news@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU
Reply-To: c8s-an@franny.Berkeley.EDU.UUCP (Alex Lau)
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
Lines: 58

In article <3762@blake.acs.washington.edu> rowen@blake.UUCP (Russell Owen) writes:
>I have a folder I simply cannot delete. When I try, it says
>"The trash couldn't be emptied (a file was busy or a folder was not empty)"
>I have tried the following several times each:
>- rebuild the desktop (no help)
>- reorganizing the disk with DiskExpress (no help)
>- reorganizing the disk with SilverLining (no help)
>- Apple's DiskFirstAid (no problems found)
>- Booting off of other systems, including 5.3 and a bare (no inits) 6.0.3
>
>I have a Mac Plus with 2.5Mb RAM and am using System 6.0.3
>
>The folder originally contained a corrupted copy of QuickKeys
>(another cute problem--that QuickKeys was working just fine,
>but it had somehow grown to 4.5Mb, from its proper,
>fully-loaded-with-my-key-definitions size of 170Mb).
>The trouble started when I threw the folder+file out--the file
>was correctly deleted, but the folder got into this wierd state.
>
>I can simply initialize the disk and rebuild, but would rather not
>just for one stupid folder, at least until I've heard from the net.
>Any suggestions?
>
>Thanks
>-- Russell Owen
>internet: owen@phast.phys.washington
>bitnet: owen@uwaphast

Well, you've done just about everything right. Congratulations.

I've been hearing a lot of these problems lately. It's related to
a bug in the Finder that, at times, leaves a resource open in a
folder (don't ask me how or why) and leaves it undeletable. At
times, files in the folder disappear, although they're still
really there. The files are recoverable by SUM, but it's still
quite distressing. I think it has to do with a corrupted disk
directory, but I don't know for sure and I don't know how to
find out for sure.

Sometimes rebooting helps. Sometimes the passage of time (and
multiple rebootings) helps. Sometimes rebuilding the desktop
helps. Sometimes defragmentation, although dangerous, helps.
Sometimes throwing the folder in the trash, and then restarting
while it's in the trash helps. Sometimes humming "The Star-
Spangled Banner" while standing on your head helps, but not
often. Sometimes turning it invisible with DiskTop and
forgetting about it helps, but it solves the problem about as
well as humming the National Anthem.

The only way to get it off completely and with confidence is
by backing up, reformatting and restoring. Sorry to be the 
bearer of bad news, but hey - try humming the National Anthem
anyway. It's kind of fun.

--- Alex
UUCP: {att,backbones}!ucbvax!franny!c8s-an
INTERNET: c8s-an%franny.berkeley.edu@ucbvax.berkeley.edu
FIDONET: Alex.Lau@bmug.fidonet.org (1:161/444)