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Terminal says brain-damaged?? 10.6.8

T

taylert123

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 1, 2009
19
0
c2oa1.png


I went to use terminal to ping a website (I don't know my way around it very well) and when I opened it, it says this. What's happened? I feel like I must have a virus or something, but I haven't done anything out of the ordinary and everything else seems the same as it always has been.
 
That's the name of your computer. You can change it or reset it in the Sharing preferences.
 
I'm confused, my computer name (in sharing preferences) is [name]'s MacBook Pro. I was using internet sharing to give my iphone a signal (the wifi is too crappy and I have ethernet), but I'm in a dorm. Could someone else have changed it somehow?
 
taylert123 said:
I'm confused, my computer name (in sharing preferences) is [name]'s MacBook Pro. I was using internet sharing to give my iphone a signal (the wifi is too crappy and I have ethernet), but I'm in a dorm. Could someone else have changed it somehow?
Click to expand...

That prompt really is the name of your computer (you can verify using the hostname command), although there are things that can change it other than Sharing Preferences. By any chance are you using some kind of VPN software or other application that you had to install to use the network in your dorm?
 
maybe a practical joke someone played on you by changing your computer name. been to the genius bar with it lately? or let a friend use it?
 
His computer is not hacked. The host name shown in the terminal can change when the comouter is giving a fully qualitified host name, NetBIOS is running on the network and changes it, or if there are two devices with the same name. Really nothing to worry about.
 
CarlSGutekunst said:
That prompt really is the name of your computer (you can verify using the hostname command), although there are things that can change it other than Sharing Preferences. By any chance are you using some kind of VPN software or other application that you had to install to use the network in your dorm?
Click to expand...
To use my school's internet, we connect to the wifi (or ethernet) and the browser window takes you to a registration page where we put in the MAC ID, username/password.

Intell said:
His computer is not hacked. The host name shown in the terminal can change when the comouter is giving a fully qualitified host name, NetBIOS is running on the network and changes it, or if there are two devices with the same name. Really nothing to worry about.
Click to expand...

So I don't need to do anything? I would rather it not say brain-damaged if at all possible ;) It's kind of embarrassing.
 
Morod said:
Personally, I like brain-damaged!
Now I'm thinking of changing my computer's name to that.
Click to expand...

Quite right. Brain damaged would describe my Performa 6200 extremely accurately. Maybe that's what I should start calling it.
 
Your computer is getting that host name from the network. That is probably a name another computer used on the network at one time and is associated with the IP address you pulled.
 
Intell said:
His computer is not hacked. The host name shown in the terminal can change when the comouter is giving a fully qualitified host name, NetBIOS is running on the network and changes it, or if there are two devices with the same name. Really nothing to worry about.
Click to expand...


Oh yeah i get all that. But IF none of those are the case, and the guy didn't set it - well, it didn't set itself :D


Maybe i should rephrease "hacked" to "unauthorised access".

You don't leave your mac laying around unlocked/logged in do you?
 
throAU said:
Oh yeah i get all that. But IF none of those are the case, and the guy didn't set it - well, it didn't set itself :D


Maybe i should rephrease "hacked" to "unauthorised access".

You don't leave your mac laying around unlocked/logged in do you?
Click to expand...

They sometimes do set themselves. Depending on the network, the computer will use the one assigned to it by the network. Or if two devices with the same hostname exist on the network, the second to join will rename itself.
 
Intell said:
They sometimes do set themselves. Depending on the network, the computer will use the one assigned to it by the network. Or if two devices with the same hostname exist on the network, the second to join will rename itself.
Click to expand...

Like i said, i get that (i've been doing network admin for 15 years now).

I've seen it myself. But unless someone had "brain-damaged" in teh DHCP server, which would seem pretty unlikely to me, unless the admin is having a laugh, i don't see it happening.

My vote is unlocked machine, and friend having a joke.
 
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