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Mac Virus & Storage Clutter

soundsystem00

soundsystem00

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 15, 2016
69
6
Hello. I have had my MacBook air for a few years. Currently running OS Sierra. 10.12.2 i5 with 4gb ram.

My system has spyware or something on it. It acts like it is taking up more power and resources then necessary, and I am just browsing the web most of the time. Safari runs great after I restart but after a few hours, it starts to bog down and lag. Considering the specs of this computer and how new it is, this is unacceptable. The computer right now reminds me a bit of when I had Windows XP and had viruses and spyware all of the time.

I take responsibility for some of this. I was on a site and they let you download the videos in .mp4 format. During the process, a lot of popups will open and possibly install spyware. I never downloaded anything other than the .mp4 file. Is there a possibility that the virus can piggyback on the .mp4 file? If so, do I need to delete my stash of .mp4 files from my external hard drive too? I also use an online forum for downloading electronic music and I get a lot of popups, new tabs, and automatic downloads from there. I never open the files it downloads and always put it in the trash can immediately.

I know I have spyware because I get the "adchoice" **** that shows pictures and shopping I have already looked at. I HATE THAT. It is such an invasion of privacy and I know something is wrong.

I almost system restored, but I thought "man, I had to do this all of the time on windows but I should not have to do it on a mac".. Again, a lot of this is my fault and I made a pact to not download anything else unless I pay for it. I'm sure I am not alone in this mistake, but whatever.

I need some recommendations for the BEST virus programs that will actually find the spyware and viruses, and delete it. I know a lot of virus software out there is just another scam, and finds "viruses" and "deletes" them to look like it is working, but never fixes the problem. I currently have avast, dr cleaner, and ABP pop up blocker. They obviously aren't doing the job though because something is wrong. They're just free programs, anyway. I also need something to clear out my disk space, get rid of duplicates, and find worthless junk thats taking up a crapload of space. I'm willing to spend $20 or $30 bucks.

Sorry for the long post but I am desperate. Thank you so much.
 
so do you think it was spigot causing all of those problems? files can't piggy back on previously downloaded .mp4s and reinstall themselves, can they?
 
soundsystem00 said:
so do you think it was spigot causing all of those problems? files can't piggy back on previously downloaded .mp4s and reinstall themselves, can they?
Click to expand...
See how your machine is running now. It's possible you're completely clean. I'm not positive if a "piggy back" is probable, but if it were me, I'd dump the files. Important to note, Malwarebytes doesn't scan external drives.

By the way, there's no known in-the-wild viruses for OS X/macOS. There's adware and trojans. Two informative guides to get you started with taking charge of your situation; some of the material may be dated but they're a good place to begin :

http://guides.macrumors.com/Mac_Virus/Malware_FAQ
http://www.thesafemac.com/mmg/
 
[doublepost=1482702973][/doublepost]
rshrugged said:
See how your machine is running now. It's possible you're completely clean. I'm not positive if a "piggy back" is probable, but if it were me, I'd dump the files. Important to note, Malwarebytes doesn't scan external drives.

By the way, there's no known in-the-wild viruses for OS X/macOS. There's adware and trojans. Two informative guides to get you started with taking charge of your situation; some of the material may be dated but they're a good place to begin :

http://guides.macrumors.com/Mac_Virus/Malware_FAQ
http://www.thesafemac.com/mmg/
Click to expand...

Thank you very much for the help, rshrugged! It seems to be working better so far, but I just restarted so I'll know for sure in a few hours/days. Can you recommend me some free software for clearing out clutter and removing duplicates? I have Dr. Cleaner and its okay but I want something better. It is trying to charge me money to remove the duplicates. I may pay it but I wanted to see what people recommend first! :)
 
soundsystem00 said:
[doublepost=1482702973][/doublepost]

Thank you very much for the help, rshrugged! It seems to be working better so far, but I just restarted so I'll know for sure in a few hours/days. Can you recommend me some free software for clearing out clutter and removing duplicates? I have Dr. Cleaner and its okay but I want something better. It is trying to charge me money to remove the duplicates. I may pay it but I wanted to see what people recommend first! :)
Click to expand...
I'm not entirely sure what you're asking. If some files/data need removal, you can do that on your own by deleting them. If it's applications and their associated files and the app has no uninstall tool, you can use Finder : https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/best-way-to-fully-delete-a-program.999635/#post-11171082

EasyFind is mentioned at that thread; I've never used it. I have used OmniDiskSweeper to get a graphical representation of what's on my drive. If you decide to use either of those, or any other tool, do some research on them, here and elsewhere, and only directly download them either from the Mac App Store (if available there) or from the developer website. Don't use softonic, cnet and the like because those type of sites often include adware or extras with their offerings.

With that in mind, I wouldn't use any tool that purports to optimize (as Dr. Cleaner does) my machine; the OS can do that on its own. In your OP, you acknowledged that your computing habits needed change. If you do change them, and those linked informational guides will assist you in that effort, things will get much easier for you. You won't have to pay someone to allegedly optimize your machine. If you ever do have trouble, you can search for a solution that you'll be able to do on your own, or you can ask for help here at MR, Apple or elsewhere. There's plenty of info out there and plenty of people willing to help you to solve problems.
 
rshrugged said:
I'm not entirely sure what you're asking. If some files/data need removal, you can do that on your own by deleting them. If it's applications and their associated files and the app has no uninstall tool, you can use Finder : https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/best-way-to-fully-delete-a-program.999635/#post-11171082

EasyFind is mentioned at that thread; I've never used it. I have used OmniDiskSweeper to get a graphical representation of what's on my drive. If you decide to use either of those, or any other tool, do some research on them, here and elsewhere, and only directly download them either from the Mac App Store (if available there) or from the developer website. Don't use softonic, cnet and the like because those type of sites often include adware or extras with their offerings.

With that in mind, I wouldn't use any tool that purports to optimize (as Dr. Cleaner does) my machine; the OS can do that on its own. In your OP, you acknowledged that your computing habits needed change. If you do change them, and those linked informational guides will assist you in that effort, things will get much easier for you. You won't have to pay someone to allegedly optimize your machine. If you ever do have trouble, you can search for a solution that you'll be able to do on your own, or you can ask for help here at MR, Apple or elsewhere. There's plenty of info out there and plenty of people willing to help you to solve problems.
Click to expand...

I was talking about duplicate files. For example, I am a DJ and have a lot of individual MP3s. There are a lot of doubles of the same file. There is a program that will find the duplicates and delete the extra, leaving me with only one instread of 2 or 3.

PS. The ad choices are coming back. I deleted all of my cookies which is why I think they disappeared for a minute. They are also on my phone, so it probably isnt spyware. Know how to get rid of them, or are they there to stay?
 
soundsystem00 said:
I was talking about duplicate files. For example, I am a DJ and have a lot of individual MP3s. There are a lot of doubles of the same file. There is a program that will find the duplicates and delete the extra, leaving me with only one instread of 2 or 3.

PS. The ad choices are coming back. I deleted all of my cookies which is why I think they disappeared for a minute. They are also on my phone, so it probably isnt spyware. Know how to get rid of them, or are they there to stay?
Click to expand...
If you're getting ads while you're browsing, try using an adblocker.

For Mac Safari, there's a thread here, there might be another one in the Sierra sub: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/the-el-capitan-safari-9-content-blocker-thread.1924936/

I prefer to use a more wide spectrum blocker like uBlock or JSBlocker in Safari, NoScript and uBlock Origin in what I use 99% of the time, Firefox (There's someone in the process of developing uBlock Origin for Safari; it's at alpha).
----------------

For iOS I use Firefox Focus in Safari. There's many others, discussion here : https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/ios-9-content-blockers-mini-reviews.1918483/
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I haven't use any of the duplicate file products but did a quick search :
http://www.howtogeek.com/201007/how-to-find-and-remove-duplicate-files-on-mac-os-x/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/i-need-to-organize-duplicates-help.1903517/#post-21639522

Sounds promising that you'll be able to find something useful after some research. For something more specific to DJing, I'm sure there's members here who are DJs, you could always start a thread in the App sub-forum titled accordingly. https://forums.macrumors.com/forums/mac-apps-and-mac-app-store.2/
 
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