Anyone know what this file is?

[Thirteenva]

This file keeps appearing on the top level of my drive (as seen in pic). It's always zero kb in size and if I delete it, I find it returns by the next day. I only have it on my G5. My alBook at home does not have this file.

Any idea of what it is, where it came from and if i can get rid of it?

Thanks.

http://homepage.mac.com/varezzi/.Pictures/zero.gif

[musicpyrite]

Well, I checked in my folder, and ther is no "0" file, hidden or not.

Since you've already deleted the file, I think it's safe to assume that you computer won't melt down if you get rid of it.


The only advice I have is for you to just hide the file, and forget about it.....

[Thirteenva]

I tried ignoring it but it bothers me that something is writing a file to my top level directory and I have no idea what.

Anyone else have a suggestion?

[jsw]

Odd - I've seen it in my account as well. Empty file, comes back if you delete it. If I can track down the reason why it comes back, I'll post back.... Likely some 3rd party app or script we're both running.

[Thirteenva]

Odd - I've seen it in my account as well. Empty file, comes back if you delete it. If I can track down the reason why it comes back, I'll post back.... Likely some 3rd party app or script we're both running.

What's odd is i have many of the same apps installed at home but the problem does not appear on my powerbook. At least not yet...

[yellow]

This is one solution, but it may not be a very good one..
Run this:

sudo fs_usage -f filesys | grep /0

It might show you what app creates this file, but it might not.
One way to test it is:

cd /
touch 0

and you won't see anything as output.. this is the reason it might not work. But this does work.

cd ~
touch /0

[frescies]

My imac G4 gets it. Its chaulk full of crap and miscellaneous apps. However, I also get it on my AGP g4 with barely anything on it... And I also get it on an Xserve G5 at work with NOTHING on it other than VNC. Delete it and it comes back... Go figure

The file has yet to appear on my ibook g3 though...

[frescies]

uh..... Wait... Is everyone who gets this file using a variant of VNC? If so, which one... I didn't get these files on my home computer untill after I installed OSXvnc

[yellow]

I do not use VNC (We use Timbuktu). I have never seen this file on any of our 250 Macs.

[Thirteenva]

uh..... Wait... Is everyone who gets this file using a variant of VNC? If so, which one... I didn't get these files on my home computer untill after I installed OSXvnc

That might be it, I do have OSXvnc installed. Anyone else with the zero file have vnc?

[jsw]

Oddly, I can't get OSXvnc to run now - 10.3.5 update? Firewall issues? Who knows... anyway, I can't tell if that's it until I can get it to run....

[Thirteenva]

Oddly, I can't get OSXvnc to run now - 10.3.5 update? Firewall issues? Who knows... anyway, I can't tell if that's it until I can get it to run....

If you have it set up as a startup item and then you launch the gui it will cause a failure because an instance is already running.

If that's not it then I'm glad I haven't downloaded the recent 10.3.5 update. I need OSXvnc up and running.

[jane doe]

It might be a file that was installed by some application that has a trial period. If that is what it is, this file would tell the application when the free period is over.

I have found several files like that on my system, I remove them when finished with the free trial.

[jsw]

If you have it set up as a startup item and then you launch the gui it will cause a failure because an instance is already running.

If that's not it then I'm glad I haven't downloaded the recent 10.3.5 update. I need OSXvnc up and running.
I do not have it as a startup item - I did, but not for many weeks now. I can't say that it's a result of the 10.3.5 update (can others use it?) - just that it doesn't work now - says the port is in use - and I recently upgraded to 10.3.5. I doubt it's the fault of the update. I'll look into it, as now I wonder why it won't work. The port shouldn't be used.

[jsw]

FWIW, this file is created at shutdown - not at startup. It might be created at other times, but it's definitely not at startup. I deleted it, waited an hour, shut down, waited ten minutes, rebooted, and the file clearly had been created as I was shutting down.

Odd? Yes. I have no idea what's doing it....

[jsw]

It's actually at logout, not shutdown. Deleting it, logging out, and logging on brings it back - but it's created on the logout. I still have no idea what it's from. Anyone know what gets run at logout time?