HELP : Files on disk deleted but free space remain the same

[parvie]

I wanted to delete files on several external drives (USB flashdrive, SD card etc) on my Mac OS X Lion 10.7, the files are shown to be deleted and went to the trash, but the disk space is not freed, it remains exactly the same even after i cleared the trash, and i cannot put new files in if they exceed the displayed free space.

I have tried formatting the drives but with no success. I saw on the internet that some people have the same problem even with their hard drives. Is there anyway to solve this ?

Many thanks in advance!!!!

 

[Kaveman]

Are emptying the trash while the drive is plugged in?

 

[parvie]

i didnt know its so simple! It works, thanks a lot! so this is a completely normal situation ? So every time i delete things on my external drives i will have to remove the trash as well for the space to clear up ?

 

[Kaveman]

Yes, each device has it's own .Trash folder and that's where the "deleted" files go until you Empty Trash. If you eject the drive before doing that they remain in it's .Trash folder.

The only time the Mac deletes files immediately is if the file is on a remote server, then it will ask you if you are sure you want to do this.

Just the Mac looking out for you.