OSX will freeze when desktop starts to load

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wakeupscreaming

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My problem is that osx will freeze when trying to load up the desktop. Through single-user mode, and Unix commands, I was able to navigate to the desktop, and saw thousand's of JPEG files. So, its probably choking on them as it tries to load. I inadvertantly moved the files there -- not intentionally. I have tried deleting with unix, the files in the desktop directory with "rm *.jpg" but it says the files are read-only. I had a friend try some stuff he suggested, and I think a cmd almost deleted all my files, including folders on the desktop and files in sudirectories. I don't care about the jpgs on my desktop, but the subdirectories include my work, art, music, etc, important stuff I want to keep. Thankfully the command he gave me didn't work because of "read-only" issues, so it didn't delete everything.

I simply want to delete all . jpg files on my desktop, (not any of the subdirectories or folders on the desktop). And it seems like such a simple thing, but osx snow leopard will freeze once it tries to load up the desktop.
 
Boot it in Target Disk mode by holding the T key on boot. Hook up another Mac by Firewire and go into the Desktop Folder in your home directory and delete the jpgs.
 
Thanks Rat, but is there a solution that doesn't involve having another Mac? I have just the Mac Pro Xeon, and a Dell Laptop, and my smartphone, which is what I'm on now.
 
Well, yes, but that means the OP needs to have another Mac.
And, the OP won't fix this in the home directory, but to go into the mounted FireWire hard drive, to the Users folder, open the folder with the OP user folder, and then open the Desktop folder. You should then be able to drag all the .jpg files to the trash. Be sure to empty the trash once that file move is complete.
Another suggestion is to make a folder for the JPGs. Drag the pix to that new folder. That would clean up your desktop just fine, without deleting all the pictures in the process.
 
Do you have multiple hard drives in that MacPro?
It's very simple to add hard drives. Install OS X on the new hard drive, boot to that new drive, and make your file moves on the old hard drive. Easy-peasy...
 
I made 3 different suggestions - which one did you use? Might be helpful for others who read this thread.
 
I simply boot from another fresh installation of osx i made on another harddrive, and deleted the files.
If anyone is curious, it was 21,000 jpegs on the desktop (no, not all porn). That amount of files compromised my system, making it nonresponsive. Maybe the OS should have a limiter so this type of thing doesn't happen?
 
The problem exists, because OS X displays each object individually that sit as icons on the desktop. The problem begins when trying to grab 21,000 files, and try to drag them across the desktop to (a folder, which might include the trash). Any hesitation might begin a drop action, even though you don't want that to happen. The system begins to place all those objects on the desktop, then slows to a crawl. A few thousand items on the desktop can take several minutes to display, and the system basically provides all resources to that action.
One method to use to avoid future problem? if you need to move thousands of files, leave them complete in a folder so you can drag just the folder. If you drop the folder on the desktop, only one object is dropped.
Another choice, if all files are going to the trash - select all files, then right click on those selected files, and choose "Move to Trash" from the contextual menu. No chance of accidentally dropping the files on the desktop if you don't drag and drop.
 
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