OS 10.5.5 Delete Confirmation Dialog Box Default

[Jon Wood]

The newest batch of Macs we've got are Intel G5's, running OS 10.5.5. On these boxes, the confirmation dialog box that's displayed when deleting files has the "Cancel" button highlighted by default instead of the "Delete" button and it doesn't except "command + D" as a confirmation to delete. I'm very much accustomed to deleting files without taking my hands off the keyboard but this forces me to go through the immensely laborious task of dragging that heavy mouse all the way to the "Delete" button and clicking. This is slowly driving me crazy. Is it just me? It used to be that the assumption was, yes, I meant to do that–thanks for the friendly reminder. Now the assumption seems to be that I'm a bumbling idiot that's just blindly smacking at the keyboard and I need to be stopped before I accidentally delete something important. I'm not saying that I'm not a bumbling idiot, I'm just extremely lazy and would like to be able to leave the mouse out of this operation if possible. Any (helpful) suggestions?

 

[Savage]

Well... If instead of pressing command+backspace to delete a file, you press command+option+backspace, it won't even ask for confirmation.

PS: There aren't any Intel G5's... They're either Intel Dual cores 2 our Quad Cores Xeon.

 

[Username]

That was a nice switch for everybody who was used to deleting files quickly. When it asks for confirmation and the Cancel button is highlighted instead of Delete, just hit the space bar. My mouse is heavy too and I didn't like dragging it up there to hit Delete.

 

[T]

Isn't that just a preference setting in the finder? "Show warning before emptying the Trash"

 

[Username]

Yes, it's in the Advanced pane of the Finder Prefs. You can turn the warning off there.

 

[Savage]

Isn't that just a preference setting in the finder? "Show warning before emptying the Trash"

But the dialog box the OP referes to is one that appears when you delete files from certain servers, and not the one that appears when you empty the trash.

 

[PrePress Guru]

When the delete dialog comes up, press the Tab key.
It will highlight the Delete button and you can press the Space button to delete the file.

-ian

 

[Username]

yes, it work with "certain servers", just hit the space bar. OK is highlighted when emptying the trash. It's opposite, and Cancel is highlighted, with servers.

 

[Jon Wood]

Thanks for all the replies. The only thing that worked for me was Savage's suggestion:

Well... If instead of pressing command+backspace to delete a file, you press command+option+backspace, it won't even ask for confirmation.

I tried the space bar thing... nothing happened and I had already tried toggling with the tab key but it doesn't work either. It toggles a highlight around the buttons but not the buttons themselves (???). Anywho, problem solved–sort of. I still stand behind my mini-rant.

Thanks everyone.

 

[Savage]

I tried the space bar thing... nothing happened and I had already tried toggling with the tab key but it doesn't work either. It toggles a highlight around the buttons but not the buttons themselves (???). Anywho, problem solved–sort of. I still stand behind my mini-rant.

Well... If you press TAB (highligting around the Delete Button), and then pressing space, it will also work... But i have heavy fingers, and that's just too many key presses to do such a simple task.