Destroy all the things.

February 27, 2012 12:56 PM

Hey, please help me delete these files in OSX. They just won't go away.

While moving files from one server to another, I noticed that some of the files refuse to be deleted. OSX tells me that the files are locked. When I go into the file info and try to click on the box to unlock the file, nothing happens. There are hundreds and hundreds of files, so I'd like to be able to unlock them all at once and then delete them.

I've seen a few things about terminal and batching and all that out on the interwebs, but I have no experience with that, and I'd prefer to not destroy all the things.

Basically, I can follow instructions (terminal-wise), but none of the instructions involve working from a server. So, how can I do this? Help me destroy some of the things.

posted by degoao to computers & internet (9 answers total)

You tried Option/delete right?
posted by StUdIoGeEk at 12:58 PM on February 27, 2012

1. Reboot. A program may still use these files. Hence they are locked.
2. Does OSX have something like a superuser? Try to delete the files then as a superuses IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING.
posted by yoyo_nyc at 12:59 PM on February 27, 2012

Onyx will do this I believe. But follow yoyo's advice: reboot and make sure you're not tossing system files first!
posted by bessel functions seem unnecessarily complicated at 1:00 PM on February 27, 2012

Tried rebooting, but I'm working in an office with 10-12 other computers on the same server. I guess I can get everyone to reboot.

I think that it's pretty unlikely that someone has over 500 images open on their computer though.
posted by degoao at 1:06 PM on February 27, 2012

Tried rebooting, but I'm working in an office with 10-12 other computers on the same server. I guess I can get everyone to reboot.

Wait. So...These files you are trying to delete are the ones on the server? Not files actually on your Mac? What flavor of server?
posted by Thorzdad at 2:26 PM on February 27, 2012

I can't recall how we did it, but my IT guy and I figured out a UNIX-esque command line way to delete an undeletable pdf once. Maybe take a look at some OSX command line resources?
posted by digitalprimate at 2:49 PM on February 27, 2012

Can you move the files you want to delete into a single folder? If so, you then select the folder and get info. In Sharing and Permissions make it read and write and then click on the cog at the bottom and choose 'Apply to enclosed items'. That should unlock all of them.
posted by unliteral at 5:25 PM on February 27, 2012

I want to say, "Terminal->rm (drag and drop problematic directory here) (Return)"

But, the server situation gives me great pause.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 6:11 PM on February 27, 2012

Sounds like you don't have write permissions for the files. Did you set up the server you're trying to delete things off of? If you know the admin or root password for the machine you could use a tool like BatChmod to batch change permissions and then delete, without getting into the scary Terminal funkiness that can be the sudo and rm commands.
posted by cosmologinaut at 9:23 PM on February 27, 2012