Your network settings have been changed by another application ...

teleromeo said:

When I try to open the network control panel I get this warning. I have no idea what application changed it and why it pops up. Also, when I click Ok the warning pops up again and again and ... In other words, I can no longer acces the control panel to change my settings. Can anyone tell me what I can do to solve this ?

Click to expand...

As a workaround, I suggest you go to preferences -> Security, and check the box that says "require a password to unlock each system preferences pane". This should prevent whatever is changing your settings from doing that.

Same thing happened to me. The same repeating message.
The only way out was to force quit the System Preferences.

Started about three days ago. I was about to post a query when I searched first and found this thread.

I tried what you suggested and it seems to have worked.
Thanks emt1! You Rock!

Now, inquiring minds wish to know:
Why does this happen?
How can we find which app changed my settings?
Why did an app change my settings without my permission?
Why does emt1's workaround make it all allright?
Why now and why to two people? Any more out there?

Thanks in advance,

elZ

Happened After Update

This problem happened to me after the latest software update. Hopefully Apple will figure out the conflict and issue a new patch to fix it.

Look here for a possible solution:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/606716/

I just had this problem, and found a solution which worked for me (OS X.4.11 on a G4 ibook)

I went to Preferences > Network and pulled down the Location menu (I had to time it carefully, hitting return to clear the alert message and instantly clicking on the menu) to choose Edit Locations. Then I deleted all locations except for Automatic. (The alert did not pop up while I was doing this). Once that was done everything was back to normal.
.
Of course, it was easy for me to ditch those other locations since they were years old and obsolete. If you need those other locations you can recreate them again without the problem returning.

-Jim

This currently reported problem, which manifests after applying Security Update 2008-06, can be fixed permanently by removing the following preferences files:

Go to Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration and delete the following (suggest make copies to the desktop first if in doubt):

com.apple.airport.preferences.plist
NetworkInterfaces.plist
preferences.plist
com.apple.nat.plist

All these files will regenerate as necessary when the associated system features are accessed. If you're using Airport or Internet Sharing you'll have to reestablish the appropriate settings, because these will have been lost when the preferences files are removed. Small price to pay, however for a permanent, and very simple solution to this irritating problem.

Found this too:
Open "System Preferences" and go to "Security".

Tick off "Require password to unlock each secure system preference".

Now click "show all" at the top. I had to quit "System Preferences" to make the change take effect.

Open "System Preferences" again and choose "Network". (You will probably get the annoying pop up once, but this time when you click "OK" it shouldn't loop).

Notice that the padlock in the bottom left corner is now locked. Click it to unlock, and enter your password (assuming you are the administrator).

Now click back on the show all button. The Mac will think you made a change and ask if you want to " Apply configuration changes" click "Apply".

Once it saves the changes your problem should be fixed. You can go back to the "Security" pane and untick the option you enabled earlier.

Madog is correct. Depending on your airport settings you may have to remove all of the com.apple.airport.* files. Just "move" them to your desktop first to see if it works.

madog said:

Once it saves the changes your problem should be fixed. You can go back to the "Security" pane and untick the option you enabled earlier.

Click to expand...

after saving the changes and i went back to untick the option i enabled earlier, it started again.....
any help? or should i just leave it ticked off? is that a big problem?

thanks

legs111 said:

after saving the changes and i went back to untick the option i enabled earlier, it started again.....
any help? or should i just leave it ticked off? is that a big problem?

thanks

Click to expand...

Unlock, delete the files, reboot, run software update (their should be a security update newer than the one that caused this issue), reboot, check then. That should rule out everything.

My girlfriend had this problem on her G4 iBook 10.4.11, I got it fixed by deleting the files as per madog's suggestion (although the com.apple.nat.plist file was not there). At the same time as this glitch appeared we were both kicked off our D-Link router and I'm wondering if this is the common denominator in the problem. I checked the router's log and kept seeing a "deny all" message, there was no problem with my service provider, the sync and ready lights remained on throughout. I have contacted D-Link previously about this problem and the constant TX TCP reset message I get that coincides with my connection hanging on and off but they had no fix and eventually just stopped responding to me.
Anyroad... thanks for the fix!

Also, changing your firewall settings with a 3rd party app. like WaterRoof will give you the same message...

I had the same problem on a PB G4 running 10.4.11. For me the trick was to disable/turn off iDisk Syncing in the .Mac Control Panel.

Your network settings have been changed...

Thank you, thank you Madog!

Jim's suggestion worked for me. Thanks.

Jim's suggestion worked for me. Thanks.

jimmosk said:

I just had this problem, and found a solution which worked for me (OS X.4.11 on a G4 ibook)

I went to Preferences > Network and pulled down the Location menu (I had to time it carefully, hitting return to clear the alert message and instantly clicking on the menu) to choose Edit Locations. Then I deleted all locations except for Automatic. (The alert did not pop up while I was doing this). Once that was done everything was back to normal.
.
Of course, it was easy for me to ditch those other locations since they were years old and obsolete. If you need those other locations you can recreate them again without the problem returning.

-Jim

Click to expand...

thanks

me too...PB G4. Jim's suggestion above worked for me too. Ridiculous little mac bug huh! jeez.

Jim's suggestion also worked for me (iBook G4 running 10.4.11). Had an old Earthlink dial-up location still in there. Deleting everything except the "Automatic" location did the trick. Thanks!

Add me to the list who (a) were driven nuts by this bug and more importantly, (b) were helped by Jim's suggestion. In my case, in addition to "automatic", I had two other locations--including one that I used and one I no longer used. I tried deleting only the location I didn't use--leaving automatic and my location I currently used. Just doing that worked for me. Thanks!!!

-Rob

There is another way to deal with the looping issue...

Hi all. This has happened to my G4 tower about a year back, and most recently to my friends Mac Mini, both PPC running latest Tiger. As soon as you click "OK", "OK" pops right up again. Here's some fun for you gamers: if you set your mouse over "location", and put your other finger on the return key, hit the return key and click your mouse almost simultaneously. If you hit it just right, it will break you out of the loop. Yes it works. Not a joke. It will allow you to access the settings and make a change. Once I made some authorized changes, my machine stopped putting up the warning window. Also, without deleting plist files, etc.. the problem, at least in my case, has not returned. With my friends Mac Mini, she was also able to break the loop and get into setting up a new account (she was changing ISP's). It only took her two or three tries. She had never opened this window before, although the machine had been working all along. At least we have some ways to deal with it. One last thing. There was a trojan said to possible cause this issue, but I think it's an isolated once in a blue moon cause. There was a small freeware utility called 'DNSChanger removal tool', put out by MacScan. You might want to find it and run it just for the heck of it. In my case, both machines came up clean.

Interesting what 'cpgneinc' said about the DNS changer.

I've also had the network message panel problem too on my G4 laptop, however I also had another problem which was a 5 second delay on my broadband internet - I'd click a link and nothing would happen, then the page would eventually load. I tried everything changing cables, routers etc. Eventually I found this blog:

http://www.skyuser.co.uk/forum/sky-...-5-10-second-delay-before-web-page-loads.html

In turned out my DNS settings had been changed and when I put them back to the right ones my internet was back to normal. I wonder if it was down to a trojan, could the delay have been someone re-routing my internet access?

jimmosk said:

I just had this problem, and found a solution which worked for me (OS X.4.11 on a G4 ibook)

I went to Preferences > Network and pulled down the Location menu (I had to time it carefully, hitting return to clear the alert message and instantly clicking on the menu) to choose Edit Locations. Then I deleted all locations except for Automatic. (The alert did not pop up while I was doing this). Once that was done everything was back to normal.
.
Of course, it was easy for me to ditch those other locations since they were years old and obsolete. If you need those other locations you can recreate them again without the problem returning.

-Jim

Click to expand...

This solution worked for me.

I had this same problem on Tiger after the mentioned security update. In my case I was able to track down the offending software to Verizon's Access Manager, used to manage cellular broadband devices. Installing VZAM caused the problem to occur, and deleting VZAM would get rid of the problem in direct correlation. I also experimented with the other workarounds such as requiring a password to make changes and deleting the plist files. In the long run, for me, the simplest (and most satisfying) thing was just not use VZAM for my broadband card.

this is absolutely the easiest fix

jimmosk said:

I just had this problem, and found a solution which worked for me (OS X.4.11 on a G4 ibook)

I went to Preferences > Network and pulled down the Location menu (I had to time it carefully, hitting return to clear the alert message and instantly clicking on the menu) to choose Edit Locations. Then I deleted all locations except for Automatic. (The alert did not pop up while I was doing this). Once that was done everything was back to normal.
.
Of course, it was easy for me to ditch those other locations since they were years old and obsolete. If you need those other locations you can recreate them again without the problem returning.

-Jim

Click to expand...

I found this to be the easiest solution to the problem. I did it once and the problem was gone. thanks!

unable to change network settings and Verizon VZAccess Manager

Jim's suggestion worked very well to get rid of the looping message, after which I was able to get rid of the Verizon tentacles. The problem had to do with the installation of a VZAccess Manager. Verizon should be clobbered for taking over network settings.


Quote:
Originally Posted by jimmosk View Post
I just had this problem, and found a solution which worked for me (OS X.4.11 on a G4 ibook)

I went to Preferences > Network and pulled down the Location menu (I had to time it carefully, hitting return to clear the alert message and instantly clicking on the menu) to choose Edit Locations. Then I deleted all locations except for Automatic. (The alert did not pop up while I was doing this). Once that was done everything was back to normal.
.
Of course, it was easy for me to ditch those other locations since they were years old and obsolete. If you need those other locations you can recreate them again without the problem returning.

-Jim