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Does my Mac have a virus?

A

akadmon

Suspended
Original poster
Aug 30, 2006
2,006
2
New England
Sorry, just couldn't think of a better subject line to get folks to read on.

I'm having strange things happen on my mac (see sig) that is running a fresh install of Leopard (updated to 10.5.1). I've noticed that certain system prefs seemingly change on their own, at random. For example, sound output has changed to digital out from line out a few times (I don't have anything connected to the digital out jack), the iChat preference which prevents iChat from loading automatically when the external iSight camera is turned on has reset back to the default setting (I use the iSight with Skype, I don't use/want to use iChat at all). And to top it all, today the CD tray eject button stopped working: instead of opening the CD tray, pressing the eject key brought up the widgets! This happened in all 4 accounts I have on the machine.

I repaired permissions and all is well again (for now), but what worries me is that Disk Utility reported (and continues to report) a bunch of errors that say sometying like SUID "file name and path here" has been modified and will not be repaired". I know Apple has put out a KB doc that says not to worry about these errors, but still I wonder...
 
You guys are really helpful.

I called Apple Care last night, and after waiting to speak to someone for "15 minutes or longer" (actually longer, as usual), I describe the problem to the tech and...all I hear is silence. Now I assumed he was doing some research in his Knowledge Base, so I kept waiting patiently. Finally, after about 5 minutes of this I said "hello, are you there". What do you know -- silence! Funny thing is the timer on the phone continued ticking up, so it doesn't seem I got disconnected. I smell a rotten :apple: conspiracy :rolleyes:
 
If you didn't do an Archive and Install, you might consider doing so, but first try running Repair Permissions and restarting. Also, keep in mind that not everyone gets on between midnight and 9:00AM, so don't be surprised when you don't get a reply to a post like this during that timeframe.

And no, you don't have a virus on your Mac.

jW
 
akadmon said:
You guys are really helpful.
Click to expand...

Please don't bump threads, it's against the rules. (See my sig for a link).

If nobody replies, it's probably because nobody knows the answer - rest assured if someone does, they'll reply when they can. I've known your pain - some of my questions have gone unanswered for days, not just hours - but someone usually always ends up replying helpfully.

"Patience is a virtue. The ability to wait for something without excessive frustration is a valuable character trait." ;)


Follow Mal's advice. He's on the track I'd be advising you on. A clean install between major (10.x) versions is always the best move. If you're doing disk checks, do them off the MacOS install disk - you'll get a more thorough check, as the startup disk can be unmounted.
 
As I stated in my original post, I clean-installed Leopard, and I did not use Migration Assistant afterwards (reinstalled all my apps and users manually).
 
helloooo.....can anyone help me please, my apple imac just keeps shutting down on me every now and then when i am in safari, do i have a virus or does anyone know how i can resolve this problem? suzi
 
suzi2309 said:
helloooo.....can anyone help me please, my apple imac just keeps shutting down on me every now and then when i am in safari, do i have a virus or does anyone know how i can resolve this problem? suzi
Click to expand...


Hi Suzi! You'll get a better response if you start a new thread.

First, it's unlikely, nay, near impossible that you have a virus, so relax on that score. Next, let us know which model of iMac you have and which version of the OS. That makes identifying potential trouble spots easier.
 
hello akadmon.. i have this problem too!
with disk utility saying that the SUID file things have been modded and cant be repaired. did u find out what was causing it and manage to fix it???
any help appreciated
thanks :)
 
suzi2309 said:
helloooo.....can anyone help me please, my apple imac just keeps shutting down on me every now and then when i am in safari, do i have a virus or does anyone know how i can resolve this problem? suzi
Click to expand...

G5 ??
Is it coming back on it's own?
If yes - i have the same problem :eek:
 
venusangel said:
hello akadmon.. i have this problem too!
with disk utility saying that the SUID file things have been modded and cant be repaired. did u find out what was causing it and manage to fix it???
any help appreciated
thanks :)
Click to expand...
venusangel: The SUID permission warnings are usually alright to ignore, even Apple has said so. I've only seen them with the 10.5.1 update from Software Update, the full update from Apple's website doesn't show as many SUID issues in Disk Utility so you might want to try applying the full 10.5.1 update if you're concerned.
 
iCeFuSiOn said:
venusangel: The SUID permission warnings are usually alright to ignore, even Apple has said so. I've only seen them with the 10.5.1 update from Software Update, the full update from Apple's website doesn't show as many SUID issues in Disk Utility so you might want to try applying the full 10.5.1 update if you're concerned.
Click to expand...

Can you please tell us what are the differences between the software
and the full update as i was under the impression their the same thing
And why would apple release half a update threw the software update??
Do you have to go to their site for the rest of it??
 
neil321 said:
Can you please tell us what are the differences between the software
and the full update as i was under the impression their the same thing
And why would apple release half a update threw the software update??
Do you have to go to their site for the rest of it??
Click to expand...
No, the update that is sent through Software Update is smaller and only updates what it needs to, whereas the full update file will update everything, even files that may not be fully affected. I'm not entirely sure how this works (I've only been using a Mac for a week), I'm just passing on the information that I've heard elsewhere and verified. I'm sure someone else with more knowledge with Mac OS X and updates could shed more light on that subject.
 
iCeFuSiOn said:
No, the update that is sent through Software Update is smaller and only updates what it needs to, whereas the full update file will update everything, even files that may not be fully affected. I'm not entirely sure how this works (I've only been using a Mac for a week), I'm just passing on the information that I've heard elsewhere and verified. I'm sure someone else with more knowledge with Mac OS X and updates could shed more light on that subject.
Click to expand...

Oh ok i wasnt doubting you(as i stated ive heard its not a issue)but didnt know why,you learn something new everyday
 
akadmon said:
You guys are really helpful.

I called Apple Care last night, and after waiting to speak to someone for "15 minutes or longer" (actually longer, as usual), I describe the problem to the tech and...all I hear is silence. Now I assumed he was doing some research in his Knowledge Base, so I kept waiting patiently. Finally, after about 5 minutes of this I said "hello, are you there". What do you know -- silence! Funny thing is the timer on the phone continued ticking up, so it doesn't seem I got disconnected. I smell a rotten :apple: conspiracy :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I had same thing when called Apple yesterday about HDD replacement, it said wait for 15 min or less then silence over again then finally got it, just be patient and wait for 15 min or less.
 
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