[X4U] Undeletable file/folder

[Ralph]

Well, this one has me stumped. I hope one of you can help me.

As a small copy/print shop, we get files on USB sticks all the time  
-- sometimes from Macs, sometimes from PCs. (We use Macs exclusively  
for all our production tasks.) To speed things up, we usually copy  
files from the USB stick to the Mac's hard drive before working with  
them. Sometimes this means copying a folder or folders full of files.

Recently, we got in a USB stick that appeared to have Windows files  
on it (extensions like .exe). We copied data and graphic files off of  
the stick and onto the internal drive of an Intel iMac running OS X  
10.4.11. When the work was finished, we tried to delete all but the  
final production file from our hard drive. Turns out that one of the  
folders we copied over had a buried folder in it called System that  
won't delete. When we empty the trash, we get the message, "The  
operation cannot be completed because the item '.plma' is locked."  
The folder, which appears empty, remains in the Trash.

When I try to drag this folder out of the Trash, it COPIES onto the  
desktop, leaving an empty "System" folder still in the Trash and  
another new, empty "System" folder on the desktop! Now, we have two  
folders that won't delete.

Any ideas about what's going on, and how to get rid of these items?

Ralph Jones
Avatar Community Business Center
Fairfax, California

V:    (415) 457-5773
F:    (415) 457-5784
E:    ralph at avatarbiz.com
http://www.avatarbiz.com

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