Cannot empty trash because item is in use
Jan 20, '11 07:30:00AM
Contributed by: MacTipster
Sometimes it is not possible to empty the trash because an item is in use. There are many possible causes for this; here is one thing to try to eliminate the error.
- Go to Finder and select Finder » Secure Empty Trash.
- If this operation gets stuck, open the Activity Monitor utility and force quit the Locum process.
Enter your admin password when requested.
- Go back to Finder and select Finder » Empty Trash.
This fixed it for me.
[crarko adds: I found this thread in the MacOSXHints forums where the Locum process is discussed. It references a good source for finding out more information about this process. By the way, the word 'Locum' means 'place-holder' or perhaps 'temporary proxy' is more applicable in this case. Apparently it fills in for the Finder in the background while emptying the Trash. It also can consume quite a bit of memory while doing so with a large number of files.]
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Mac OS X Hints
http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20110105041622966