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Art Vandelay · Oct 5, 2009, 10:05 PM

Originally Posted by JKT

Back on the topic of Snow Leopard. One new feature I am not at all happy about is that I can no longer Empty trash normally when I have Empty Trash securely selected in the Finder preferences. In Leopard, if I selected Empty Trash from the Dock icon it would do a normal (non-secure) erase, but a secure one if I used command-shift-delete. Now I can only secure erase for any empty trash action. Would it have been that hard for them to let me choose which option I wanted at the point of emptying rather than making it an all or nothing situation? It's tedious having to either wait forever for several thousand files delete securely when I didn't need them to, or tedious to have to toggle the preference on and off again just to securely delete the few files I need it for...

Hold Control while selecting the Finder menu and you'll get the standard Empty Trash option or Control-Shift-Apple-Delete when the FInder pref is set to secure empty trash.

Spheric Harlot · Oct 6, 2009, 02:14 AM

Command-shift-delete always did a completely ordinary "Empty Trash" on my machine - since as long as I can remember.

I've never had secure emptying enabled.

JKT's description seems off.

JKT · Oct 6, 2009, 05:50 PM

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot

...I've never had secure emptying enabled...

Hence why it has never done it for you.

@ erik. Yup it was most definitely inconsistent, but it was actually very nice to be able to do it.

@ Art, Charles etc. Thanks for the suggested solutions - I'm not sure which is going to be easiest for me to use. However, they still don't present the obvious fix that Apple should have implemented (if you have the option checked in Finder preferences) when you choose Empty Trash from the Dock menu, that is the ability to choose either method in the dialogue rather than presenting no choice. Ah well.

@ Art. On a side note, I think I have discovered my first ever keyboard "shortcut" from Apple that requires a five-key-chord: with the Finder pref for secure deletions checked, you need to press control-option-shift-command-delete to Empty Trash with no warning dialogue. Phew.

JKT · Oct 6, 2009, 05:56 PM

Originally Posted by CharlesS

No. You don't need to have that checked in order to use Secure Empty Trash, as it is right there in the Finder menu regardless of that setting.

Given that I have had the option checked since shortly after getting 10.5, that wasn't something I was aware of and nor would it be obvious as the opposite isn't true (there is no plain Empty Trash in the menu if you do have it checked). Fwiw.

CharlesS · Oct 6, 2009, 07:26 PM

Originally Posted by JKT

@ Art, Charles etc. Thanks for the suggested solutions - I'm not sure which is going to be easiest for me to use. However, they still don't present the obvious fix that Apple should have implemented (if you have the option checked in Finder preferences) when you choose Empty Trash from the Dock menu, that is the ability to choose either method in the dialogue rather than presenting no choice. Ah well.

But the whole point of that check box in the prefs is to always securely empty the Trash. If that's not what you want, then you simply shouldn't be checking that box.

JKT · Oct 6, 2009, 08:53 PM

From the Dock, I should have the means to pick the option I want without having to go to the Finder. With either Leopard or Snow Leopard, unless I am already in the Finder I have no way of toggling secure empty trash on (or off, if that setting is checked). I was hoping Snow Leopard would add it.

Cold Warrior · Oct 6, 2009, 09:04 PM

Originally Posted by JKT

From the Dock, I should have the means to pick the option I want without having to go to the Finder. With either Leopard or Snow Leopard, unless I am already in the Finder I have no way of toggling secure empty trash on (or off, if that setting is checked). I was hoping Snow Leopard would add it.

the command key toggles between secure/empty trash if you right-click its dock icon.

JKT · Oct 7, 2009, 02:20 PM

Originally Posted by Cold Warrior

the command key toggles between secure/empty trash if you right-click its dock icon.

Thank you! However, speaking of inconsistency, why isn't it control if that is what you have to use for the Finder menu?

Spheric Harlot · Oct 7, 2009, 05:13 PM

Control? It ought to be OPTION, like in every single other case.

CharlesS · Oct 7, 2009, 05:35 PM

Option is already taken - it's meant "disable the Empty Trash warning" since at least System 6.

Spheric Harlot · Oct 7, 2009, 06:30 PM

Ah. Right.

64stang06 · Oct 7, 2009, 07:19 PM

Originally Posted by JKT

Thank you! However, speaking of inconsistency, why isn't it control if that is what you have to use for the Finder menu?

It's not control because when you right-click, it's the same thing as control-click with the left mouse button or trackpad.

Eden Aurora · Oct 10, 2009, 09:56 AM

This thread has had over 962 replies and over 25,000 views. time to shut it down don't you think? none of the conversation is on point/topic. let it go.

Spheric Harlot · Oct 10, 2009, 10:25 AM

Did you miss the fact that it was helpful discussion up until the point it died off, or did you just want to prolong it by telling everyone how stupid they are?

imitchellg5 · Oct 10, 2009, 12:22 PM

If anyone's having a ton of crashes still under SL, iLounge has two proposed solutions... the first worked for me and my random Safari/iTunes crashes. Article