i just bought and iMac and this is my first mac, so i'm a newbie. i saw some software called mackeeper, which "better protects" my mac - supposedly. its free, but is it worthwhile? anyone have any experience or thoughts about this software?
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mackeeper
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Stay away from apps like Mac Cleaner, cleanmymac, or appzapper. They tend to cause more harm than good.
I would not recommend Mackeeper or other software of its sort.
1. It is not free, it's $40 per licence.
2. Even for price of free, it has virtually zero usefulness. "Cleaner software" for Mac OS X doesn't restore space or make the OS run faster as it does in Windows.
3. It can harm your system more often than help it.
Software that is useless on Mac OS X:
- Cleaner/Optimization software
- Defragmenter software
- Antivirus/Anti-Malware software
- Uninstaller software
Taking nothing away from the other responses, but there is only one thing that you need to know about MacKeeper. It is a scam. Period.
None of the above is quite true unfortunately. It is a UNIX system, of course you can optimise some of the things. There are many "defaults write" tricks that are floating around the internet, there are even dedicated sites such as macosxhints.com! Most of the websites and cleaner/optimisation software out there is about creating a single and simple interface where you can set certain parameters and clean up certain stuff. Most will simply use the built-in tools which are mostly UNIX tools. Since a lot of people get scared when they have to start something like Terminal this is a very welcome addition. The trick to this all is to know a little bit what it does. That's why these kind of apps should give the user a very good description of what something does. The problem is that this hardly happens which is why it is not very advisable to use such tools if you don't know what you're doing. In that case you can actually do more harm than good and end up reinstalling your system or restoring a backup. Still doesn't make this kind of software useless though!
Defragmentation is something that is also a problem with HFS+. There is an automated defragger in OS X but it will work only on certain small files. However, if you want to use boot camp or do any other partition things you can run into problems quite easily when the filesystem is fragmented. You need to defragment it before you can do anything else.
Antivirus/antimalware is something that is useful as well. We had some nasty malware stuff a couple of months ago. Apple responded by updating it's built-in antimalware system but that wasn't quite enough so they pushed out a new update that expanded the antimalware software so that it would update more often. This approach seems to be working, the amount of people that were infected went down. The problem with most of the antivirus software is that it scans for Windows stuff, not OS X stuff. If you exchange files with Windows users this might be a good thing because it prevents you to give somebody else an infected file and thus preventing you from looking like a complete n00b ("you infected me with a virus, you bastard!"). Very important in a business situation, it may cost you a project/client.
If you want to delete an app it will only delete the app and not the preferences or data. This can be useful but if you're never ever gonna use the app again than this is just polluting the system for no reason. You then need to manually remove things. Tools like AppCleaner makes this process easier. I use it so I can devote my time to other stuff. If there was a proper uninstaller this could have gone via the uninstaller asking you whether you want to remove things permanently or only the app (and leave the data/settings). It already does this when you want to delete an OS X account.
As you can see none of the software is actually useless because OS X simply lacks certain features are makes it too hard (when there is no need to).
This is a most reasonable and measured B.S. post. File fragmentation on the Mac in the worst case does not compare to ordinary file fragmentation on MS-DOS/Windows. Whether it is System 7, MacOS 8, MacOS 9, or MacOS X--it simply does not rank. Apple recommends third-party defragmentation utilities only for a tiny subset of users--particularly those who handle large video files. For the rest, MacOS X handles itself. This means that the vast majority of Mac users using any of the OSes listed above can go for years--yes, years--without noticeable performance degradation from fragmentation.
Antivirus software serves one useful purpose of a Mac. That is to disinfect files received from unprotected Windows users. It seems to have gone right over your head that the reason that the reason that Mac antivirus software scans for Windows viruses is that that is just about all there is to scan for. This is not true. They also scan for System 6-MacOS 9 viruses--all twenty-six (26) of them--and the myriad of Office macro-viruses.
And about the dreaded Mac Defender trojan--it nags you for your your credit card number so that it can protect you for otherwise non-existent threats. That is the depth, breadth, and height of the damage that it does to your system.
Calm and measured FUD is still FUD is still FUD. Please, no more FUD.
Nice sum up of your post indeed because you completely failed to read mine.
If you actually read my post instead of just hitting reply and starting your flame you'd have seen that I never said that it did. HFS+ has fragmentation and it does defragment itself. Do you need to worry about it? No because that fragmentation is not noticeable plus that whatever fragmentation there is will most likely get solved by OS X itself.
And that was not my point. Again, if you read it next time you'll see I was talking about boot camp and fragmented filesystems. Now if you do a search with something like Google you'll be able to dig up quite a lot of problems regarding boot camp and fragmentation of an HFS+ partition. Even though that fragmentation is very little and not noticeable to a user the system has problems with that when creating the new partition scheme for boot camp. If you want to resolve it you actually have to defragment it manually which is ridiculous.
That is a very subjective point of view and only half of the story. For someone who will be sharing files with people with Windows it might be necessary to have it scan for Windows malware stuff as well. Especially in a commercial environment where infecting others is seen as not done and might cost you a client. For someone who is only using UNIX systems and the like there is absolutely no reason for that. In the end it is entirely up to the user if they would use one.
I personally do not use any because I think the malware protection in OS X is enough for my needs. I do not exchange files that much with Windows users and most already have virusscanners for their mail and their systems. I've seen others use one because they don't want to rely on that and make sure they don't send any kind of malware to say their boss or their important client.
No it seems once again that you didn't read somebodies post! This is not in my reply but only between your ears. You also don't seem to understand what the antivirus software scans for. The name doesn't cover what it actually does and this has been for many many years now. It scans more than just viruses. It scans for any kind of malware: spyware, virus, trojans, worms, etc. The proper name should be "antimalware", not "antivirus". What they scan are Windows malware, MacOS malware and MacOS X malware. There isn't that much MacOS X malware though so there is not much to scan. Saying there isn't is indeed talking over your head
If you're talking about the effects it has on your system than yes, this malware does little. The outbreak however did point out that OS X isn't as safe as people think. This malware uses social engineering and no OS will protect you from that. Antimalware tools can help because they can detect and stop things from happening but only if they are able to recognise it (which is what Xprotect in OS X does and the reason why Apple changed the update frequency; Xprotect is the built-in antimalware tool). The fact that this malware does little says nothing about the future btw.
Then do what your saying here and start by deleting your reply as it is a flame and complete FUD. And stay away from the alcohol cause you obvious seemed to have had too many since you can't even read somebodies post properly, let alone type your own reply properly (there are a lot of repeating pieces in it). You're making everything up.
Again: there are valid reasons you can think of that make the aforementioned software useful and not useless. Everybody should make up their own mind if it is useful or useless to them. You shouldn't be making that decision for somebody else which is exactly what you and gorskiegangsta are doing. Just give proper advise instead of your current BS and let people decide for themselves.
This is untrue. Cleaning the leftover files rarely increases performance or speeds up the system. Most apps do not leave more than a few small preference files behind anyway.
Bootcamp employs a whole different filesystem - NTFS - which is susceptible to fragmentation. Thus, my statement that defragmenter software is useless for Mac OS X holds true.
Antivirus software is useless since there aren't, and have never been, any viruses for OS X. The malware you mention were trojans, which required to be downloaded and manually executed/installed to be of any degree of harm. Thus, Anti-malware software would be effectively useless as well.
It is not polluting the system as those files do not impede the system in the same way a Windows registry does. I, personally, have installed around 800 applications on my old aluminum Macbook (late '08 model), of which I currently have only about 100. I haven't removed a single "leftover" file and yet my system boots up in less than 35 seconds and is as snappy as it was 2.5 yrs ago when I first got it.
You don't need to remove the leftover files manually at all. And, btw, Apps like AppCleaner, AppZapper, TrashMe, etc.. do not remove every leftover file anyway.
There is a proper uninstaller - dragging the .app file to the trash.
+1. However, I would disagree with some of the above comments. File deletion utilities are not useless in Mac OS. Simply dragging and an application's icon into the trash does NOT remove all of the installed files in your library.
Many cleaners help you to get rid of these files. Some suck, others not so much. Google is your friend. Look around, take your time, and don't download things on a whim. The less you download and install the less c*** in your system.
To the contrary, I read every word of both posts. The problem is not that I did not read them, it is that most of what you wrote is just plain wrong. As a Mac user of 22 years, I would be derelict in my responsibility to the less veteran members of this forum to allow your misinformation to stand. I am sure that gorskiegangsta feels the same way. BTW, it is intellectually dishonest to claim that these issues are open to debate.
Some third party apps create log files and cache folders that can become multiple GBs in size. For some users, a maintenance app is useful to free up this space. Currently, there is no compatible maintenance software that I would recommend for beginners.
Onyx is a good tool for more experienced users. There is an app for more novice users by the same developer called "Maintenance" but a Lion version is not yet available.
Disk Utility, which is included in OS X by default, includes several maintenance functions.
Verify disk functions within these apps, including Disk Utility, can create issues with Time Machine so be wary of running any maintenance routine before unmounting the backup drive.
Mac OS X automatically defragments files smaller than 20mb in the background. Larger files do not typically become heavily fragmented. Defragmentation is not needed with OS X.
Mac OS X includes basic anti-malware protection by default. See the "Mac Security Suggestions" link in my sig for more info.
Uninstaller apps have both benefits and deficits. Using one is a matter of personal preference.
Regardless of the method used to remove files associated with apps being uninstalled, be careful to review every item prior to moving the files to the trash. Deleting the wrong file can cause difficult to fix issues.
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You really don't need "cleaner" or "maintenance" apps to keep your Mac running well, and some of these apps can do more harm than good. Most only remove files/folders or unused languages or architectures, which does nothing more than free up some drive space. It will not make your Mac run faster or more efficiently, since having stuff stored on a drive does not impact performance, unless you're running out of drive space.
Mac OS X does a good job of taking care of itself, without the need for 3rd party software.
One app that I would not recommend, based on the number of complaints that have been posted in this forum and elsewhere, is CleanMyMac. As an example: CleanMyMac cleaned too much.
You don't need any antivirus software to protect Mac OS X from malware. No viruses exist in the wild that can run on Mac OS X, and there never have been any, since it was released 10 years ago. The handful of trojans that exist can be easily avoided with some basic education, common sense and care in what software you install:
That "nasty malware stuff" was a trojan that was easily avoided without the need for antivirus/antimalware software by simply choosing not to install it. The first section of that link deals specifically with the MacDefender/MacSecurity/MacProtector/MacGuard issue, which is not a virus. I encourage you to read it.
ClamXav scans for both.
If you really want to do your Windows-using clients or friends a favor, tell them to install their own antivirus protection. If they don't, they're exposed to far greater risk of infection from other sources than they are from files that came from your Mac. The only way you can possibly send a virus to a Windows computer from your Mac is if you first receive it from a Windows computer. If you create files on your Mac and send them, there is zero chance of sending an infected file.
Files/folders left behind from deleted apps do not "pollute" the system. They only take up disk space and have zero effect on performance.
App removal software like AppCleaner doesn't do a thorough job of deleting files/folders related to deleted apps. For more information, read this.
The most effective method for complete app removal is manual deletion:
MacKeeper has one feature I find quite useful: its Update Tracker, which scans the versions of all your current applications, tells you whether there's a newer version, and in nearly all cases does an update on the ones you select to update.
It even tells you when there are new beta versions of stable applications you're running.
If you're using only Apple software, then no need. Ditto if you use just a couple of 3rd party apps. But if you're using a bunch of 3rd-party applications, this is quite useful. It takes care of such maintenance in one fell swoop.
Perhaps there are alternatives, but I haven't seen them.
So you'd rather pay $40 for one tiny feature rather than do a simple google search for free alternatives? Bodega, Appfresh and AppUpdate (dashboard widget) do this as well, if not better, and they're free.
Most third party apps for OS X use the sparkle framework.
http://sparkle.andymatuschak.org/
Third party apps downloaded from the Mac App Store are checked for updates when MAS is launched.
With these two services in place, I find that there is no reason to run any other update management software.
http://sparkle.andymatuschak.org/
Third party apps downloaded from the Mac App Store are checked for updates when MAS is launched.
With these two services in place, I find that there is no reason to run any other update management software.
MacKeeper is a scam. It has no useful features, at least not at the price. The single feature that you find useful is available free from CNET. It is called CNET TechTracker. A similar utility is available from MacUpdate.com. A $20/year, you may have MacUpdate Desktop 5.
MacKeeper is produced by a company named ZeoBIT. The developer ported its little-regarded PCKeeper to the Mac. It relies on saturation marketing to separate a few uneducated Mac users from their money.
Look. MacOS X and Windows have fundamentally different underpinnings. Windows is simply not a platform on which a developer can gain experience to defend a Mac against threats.
As for your "one useful feature," my guess is that it is a poor copy of a similar feature in another utility. Whatever it is, it is certainly not worth my money, either hard-earned or found.
As I said before, MacKeeper is a scam. You need know nothing more about it.
It does but when you face problems applications like these are helpful because you don't have to Google every command and part of the system to be able to trigger them. Those apps will do that for you. As always, you need to know what you're doing, even if it uses the built-in tools.
You could have saved that if you actually read what I said. The only person mentioning viruses is you. I was talking only about malware which are viruses, trojans, worms, spyware, etc. OS X is definitely not malware-proof for various reasons. One of them being social engineering. While education, common sense and care does lots of good it will not prevent you from getting infected 100%. Why? Because of social engineering. Even professionals can be fooled. With social engineering it is all in appearance, making the victim believe everything is ok. A piece of software is more difficult to fool because it follows guidelines and does this very strictly. While you may think something is ok, the software will still scan it and say it is not ok when it in fact is not ok. Because of social engineering we need antimalware tools, no matter what operating system you are running. While you can evade the older malware for OS X this does not say anything about new malware.
In the MacDefender case it was quite a harmless piece of malware as most of the previous ones. It did however show that malware on OS X isn't a harmless business and that some level of protection is very necessary. Apple took note of this and expanded the built-in Xprotect detection accordingly. The Xprotect however is lacking some features and thus is not able to fully protect the user. For that you need those 3rd party tools. Unfortunately not all of them are good so you need to take a close look at them.
I encourage you to first read my reply because it seems you didn't do that very well. This is clearly from your obsession with viruses. I never talked about that, I only talked about malware in general. In other words: first practice what you preach
Most will already be running one. Try telling a potential client this. They might not take it so well and turn to the competition. Telling somebody what to do is not always the wisest thing to do. Be careful with that.
Taking up space IS polluting the system as when taking up any other kind of resource.
It does. I took out your link because it is completely meaningless. There are some figures without any information about how you got those figures. I can suck some figures right out of my thumb and put them here. I can make them say whatever I want. The second link shows the locations where some of the apps store their files (preferences and data) but not all of them. Funnily the tools like AppCleaner will do the same by simply issuing a Spotlight search with the apps name and then returning you the files it found. Wait, that is EXACTLY what your second link is saying! In other words, you just told everybody not to use your own link because it does not do a thorough job of deleting files/folders related to deleted apps. The problem with this is how the app builder names his files/folders. Not everything is named the same as the app or the app builder. Both the cleaner app and the user will need to know how the app builder names his files/folders to be able to delete it thoroughly. With some apps this is quite frankly impossible.
Yes, it will. That's because if you're using education, common sense and are careful about where you get software that you install, you won't fall prey to social engineering tactics.
That is false, for two reasons. First, the very nature of social engineering threats is to prey on those who aren't informed or careful. If someone is informed about the threats that exist and they practice safe computing, they will not fall for any social engineering attempts. Second, the MacDefender example proved that anti-malware was useless in protecting against that threat when it was first encountered, since no anti-malware app initially recognized it as a threat. Those who depended on software to protect them would have fallen prey, while those who practiced safe computing completely avoided any problems.
The level of protection needed for all existing Mac OS X malware is the user practicing safe computing.
No 3rd party tool can fully protect the user, either.
I have no "obsession" with viruses. I was referring to the MacDefender, which is malware, but is not a virus. It's not even a true trojan.
My clients pay me to give them good advice like that. Some pay me to install and configure their antivirus for them. I would be doing them a great disservice not to recommend it, and they are smart enough to recognize and appreciate that fact. Anyone who's foolish enough to turn to the competition because I recommend something for their benefit is someone I don't want to do business with.
Taking up disk space isn't polluting a system. If that were true, you should delete all your music, movies, emails and documents immediately, as they're "polluting" your system.
I explained very clearly where those numbers came from. If you failed to read or comprehend the information, that's your problem.
It's not intended to show all the locations. Again, you didn't comprehend or didn't fully read the post. It's a detailed set of instructions on how to search, regardless of the location.
Which is why they frequently miss things, since Spotlight will not search all folders. That's why you need to use the method described in that post to search with Finder, as opposed to Spotlight.
That's why you need to search for other files installed at the same time. In most cases, the items will have the same name. In the few cases where they don't, it's more difficult to identify everything, but you'll get most of it with that method.
There are rare cases where something isn't identified by name, but in the vast majority of cases, the manual method will identify more files/folders than app removal software such as AppCleaner.