Can't recover memory from flash drive

[Zach]

Long story short, I transfer video files from my MacBook to my 8 GB Lexar flash drive so that I can watch them through my PS3. Whenever I want to the files from my flash drive, I simply drag the video files to my trash and I'm done. However, the last time I did this, it removed the files from my flash drive, but it didn't give me any of my memory back. The drive shows no files but only 180 MB of memory.

Anyone know of a way to recover my memory? Keep in mind that I'm using a Mac.

I fixed it somehow. I had to empty the trash bin, and for whatever reason, it took about 12 tries of plugging in my USB for the files to appear in the trash. Think my flash drive is just crapping out. >:l

Edited August 12, 2012 by Knightmare25

[Tim]

glad its fixed

[Zach]

thanks :^)

[Shinydude]

although it's fixed, allow me to tell you where this memory is going. Whenever files are deleted off of flash memory, they're queued for deletion. Sometimes, it won't be deleted immediately, hence there's software out there to recover lost files. Anyway. If you select folder options and toggle show hidden files and folders and go to the flash drive, at times, you'll see the file you deleted showing up as a shadow copy for trashing. This is where you can then manually delete it. And that's how you'd regain the space you lost. Also, a little tip, if you format a usb with a different OS, and then go back to another, you could lose its original size. No worries, as software and simply reformatting it on the os that made you lose the original size is the fix for it.