Q: The pinwheel spins constantly!!
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Dec 6, 2015 12:13 PMby Walsh1234,entresoft,
I downloaded malwarebytes. I downloaded AdwareMedic, previously know as Adwaremedic and that version didn't seem to do much. Hopefully the new version will be better. Do you also think I should increase my RAM if that is possible? I have 4 GB. I deleted MAIL and use Outlook. Could that be a problem also? I guess I will change to Chrome and see if that helps.
Thanks
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Dec 6, 2015 1:02 PMby ChitlinsCC,I do not mean to speak FOR our good friend etresoft, but let me clarify...
- Run Malwarebytes (nee AdwareMedic) - it will clean up known adware/malware and report what it found, if anything
- RAM is always your friend - the more the better is always true
- Chrome(and Firefox) and Outlook use MORE RAM than Safari & Apple Mail - your choices are backwards if you are trying to conserve RAM
In the short term, run only one app at a time - it will take a few more seconds to Quit one and Launch another than switching in between them.
Going forward, most RAM that you can get is your solution.
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Dec 6, 2015 1:49 PMby etresoft,Walsh1234 wrote:
entresoft,
I downloaded malwarebytes. I downloaded AdwareMedic, previously know as Adwaremedic and that version didn't seem to do much. Hopefully the new version will be better. Do you also think I should increase my RAM if that is possible? I have 4 GB. I deleted MAIL and use Outlook. Could that be a problem also? I guess I will change to Chrome and see if that helps.
Hello again Walsh1234,
Actually I meant to use only Safari. Chrome is one of the most RAM-hungry apps available.
You have a MacBook Air and it is not upgradeable. It does have an SSD, so I suggest you lean on that instead of the RAM. That means deleting everything from Login Items. Only run one program at a time, if possible. If you want, you can download and run a little diagnostic program I wrote to help show what is always running in the background. Download EtreCheck from http://www.etrecheck.com, run it, and paste the results here. EtreCheck is perfectly safe to run, does not ask for your password to install, and is signed with my Apple Developer ID.
When it comes to adware, you must always download and use only the most recent version of a tool. While AdwareMedic was a great app, that was months ago. Use MalwareBytes for Mac now. EtreCheck even includes some adware detection, but I base it on Apple's published list of adware and that list is over 4 months old now. Consequently, EtreCheck can't detect any modern adware released in the past 4 months.
If you have actually deleted Mail, then you may need to reinstall the operating system to get it back. While you can just re-install the OS on top of the current system, you should still have a Time Machine backup before attempting it.
Disclaimer: Although EtreCheck is free, there are other links on my site that could give me some form of compensation, financial or otherwise.
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Dec 6, 2015 1:58 PMby etresoft,ChitlinsCC wrote:
*Immediately missing* is New "to me", I guess -
Well, now that you mention it, that is a bit different. But the same fix seems to fix it.
I used to see your moniker more often, it seems to me... Maybe I am confusing our friend thomas-r's sabbatical with you taking one - he is missed.
Yes. He is missed. I think after the MalwareBytes acquisition, kin folk said California is the place he oughta be, so they loaded up the truck and moved to Beverly (Hills that is, swimming pools, movie stars). I'm still up on the farm in Canada, but focusing on some different software these days.
My understanding (based on the periodic maintenancenotices I receive from the JiveCommunity forums) is that the databases need "indexing" on a regular basis to provide accurate and relevant search results. Perhaps our AppleJiveTeam wizards-behind-the-curtain have taken a cue from the practices of the JiveJiveTeam? Hope so.
That seems odd. Any halfway-decent database should be able to keep itself properly indexed. If you have to go in and do it manually, then it is horribly broken.
I have been conditioned to rely upon Google Site search for all my Apple searching needs - maybe I'll give the in-house search a try (as I see your 'etrecheck' example seemed to provide good results if one scrolls down and chooses the "newest first" filter)
So far, it is holding up pretty well. I can't vouch for all options, but I know this URL works for etrecheck: https://discussions.apple.com/search.jspa?type=discussion&showAnsweredFirst=true &q=etrecheck&sort=updatedDesc
It is sure better than the method I used to use to look for problematic EtreCheck posts.
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Dec 6, 2015 2:45 PMby ChitlinsCC,maybe something in the content?
Piecemeal, then
etresoft wrote:
Well, now that you mention it, that is a bit different. But the same fix seems to fix it.
"same fix" - are you aware that - besides the posting of anything to any post - one can defeat the Phantoms by changing the "Discussion View" preference to whatever it is NOT at the time of the misbehavior?
Whenever I am afflicted with them (they do come in a spate for me), I open my Prefs page in a TAB and leave it there so I can switch it back to my favored 'threaded' view after I reply
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Dec 7, 2015 3:57 AMby thomas_r.,Walsh1234 wrote:
I downloaded malwarebytes. I downloaded AdwareMedic, previously know as Adwaremedic and that version didn't seem to do much. Hopefully the new version will be better.
It won't do much if your problem isn't due to malware or adware. Sounds like yours has other causes. I'd advise you to follow some earlier advice to download EtreCheck, run it and post the output here. That will give responders more information to go on. Without that information, the only advice you can get is just general troubleshooting techniques rather than anything specific to your problem.
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Dec 7, 2015 8:01 AMby Walsh1234,Here it is:
EtreCheck version: 2.6.6 (226)
Report generated 12/7/15, 10:54 AM
Runtime 2:10
Download EtreCheck from http://etrecheck.com
Click the [Click for support] links for help with non-Apple products.
Click the [Click for details] links for more information about that line.
Hardware Information: (What does this mean?)
MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2013)
[Click for Technical Specifications]
[Click for User Guide]
MacBook Air - model: MacBookAir6,2
1 1.3 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU: 2-core
4 GB RAM Not upgradeable
BANK 0/DIMM0
2 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok
BANK 1/DIMM0
2 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok
Bluetooth: Good - Handoff/Airdrop2 supported
Wireless: en0: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Battery: Health = Normal - Cycle count = 163 - SN = D8635070TFAF90KAP
Video Information: (What does this mean?)
Intel HD Graphics 5000
Color LCD 1440 x 900
System Software: (What does this mean?)
OS X Yosemite 10.10.5 (14F1021) - Time since boot: about 9 days
Disk Information: (What does this mean?)
APPLE SSD SD0256F disk0 : (251 GB) (Solid State - TRIM: Yes)
EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted> [Recovery]: 650 MB
Macintosh HD (disk1) / : 249.77 GB (33.84 GB free)
Core Storage: disk0s2 250.14 GB Online
USB Information: (What does this mean?)
TOSHIBA External USB 3.0 500.11 GB
EFI (disk2s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
Boot OS X (disk2s3) <not mounted> : 134 MB
TOSHIBA EXT (disk3) /Volumes/TOSHIBA EXT : 499.43 GB (236.59 GB free)
Encrypted AES-XTS Unlocked
Core Storage: disk2s2 499.76 GB Online
Apple Internal Memory Card Reader
Logitech USB Receiver
Apple Inc. BRCM20702 Hub
Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
Thunderbolt Information: (What does this mean?)
Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus
Gatekeeper: (What does this mean?)
Mac App Store and identified developers
System Launch Agents: (What does this mean?)
[killed] com.apple.CallHistoryPluginHelper.plist
[killed] com.apple.CallHistorySyncHelper.plist
[killed] com.apple.printtool.agent.plist
[killed] com.apple.sbd.plist
[killed] com.apple.security.cloudkeychainproxy.plist
5 processes killed due to insufficient RAM
System Launch Daemons: (What does this mean?)
[killed] com.apple.AssetCacheLocatorService.plist
[killed] com.apple.GSSCred.plist
[killed] com.apple.ctkd.plist
[killed] com.apple.emond.aslmanager.plist
[killed] com.apple.ifdreader.plist
[killed] com.apple.installd.plist
[killed] com.apple.nehelper.plist
[killed] com.apple.nsurlsessiond.plist
[killed] com.apple.periodic-monthly.plist
[killed] com.apple.periodic-weekly.plist
[killed] com.apple.softwareupdate_download_service.plist
[killed] com.apple.tccd.system.plist
[killed] com.apple.wdhelper.plist
13 processes killed due to insufficient RAM
Launch Agents: (What does this mean?)
[loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist [Click for support]
[failed] com.adobe.ARMDCHelper.cc24aef4a1b90ed56a...plist [Click for support]
[running] com.adobe.AdobeCreativeCloud.plist [Click for support]
[loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist [Click for support]
Launch Daemons: (What does this mean?)
[loaded] com.adobe.ARMDC.Communicator.plist [Click for support]
[loaded] com.adobe.ARMDC.SMJobBlessHelper.plist [Click for support]
[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist [Click for support]
[loaded] com.google.keystone.daemon.plist [Click for support]
[loaded] com.malwarebytes.MBAMHelperTool.plist [Click for support]
[loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist [Click for support]
User Launch Agents: (What does this mean?)
[loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist [Click for support]
[loaded] com.citrixonline.GoToMeeting.G2MUpdate.plist [Click for support]
User Login Items: (What does this mean?)
iTunesHelper Application (/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunesHelper.app)
Firefox Application (/Applications/Firefox.app)
Other Apps: (What does this mean?)
[running] com.adobe.PDApp.AAMUpdatesNotifier.10256.F029D516-E212-4A4F-AB40-F6069737A3BD
[running] com.apple.xpc.launchd.oneshot.0x1000000a.EvernoteHelper
[running] com.apple.xpc.launchd.oneshot.0x1000000b.Microsoft Word
[running] com.apple.xpc.launchd.oneshot.0x1000000d.Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
[running] com.apple.xpc.launchd.oneshot.0x1000000f.EtreCheck
[failed] com.mackeeper.MacKeeper.Helper
[loaded] com.mackeeper.MacKeeper.service.clean
[failed] com.megabackup.MegaBackupAgent
[running] com.microsoft.Office365Service.104828
[loaded] com.microsoft.Word.101136
[running] com.microsoft.autoupdate.fba.89208
Internet Plug-ins: (What does this mean?)
AdobeAAMDetect: Version: AdobeAAMDetect 2.0.0.0 - SDK 10.7 [Click for support]
FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 19.0.0.245 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]
Default Browser: Version: 600 - SDK 10.10
AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: Version: 15.007.20033 - SDK 10.8 [Click for support]
AdobePDFViewer: Version: 15.007.20033 - SDK 10.8 [Click for support]
Flash Player: Version: 19.0.0.245 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]
QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3
SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.5.8 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]
Google Earth Web Plug-in: Version: 7.1 [Click for support]
Unity Web Player: Version: UnityPlayer version 4.5.5f1 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]
Silverlight: Version: 5.1.40728.0 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]
User internet Plug-ins: (What does this mean?)
CitrixOnlineWebDeploymentPlugin: Version: 1.0.105 [Click for support]
Picasa: Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]
3rd Party Preference Panes: (What does this mean?)
Flash Player [Click for support]
MacFUSE [Click for support]
NTFS-3G [Click for support]
Time Machine: (What does this mean?)
Skip System Files: NO
Mobile backups: ON
Auto backup: YES
Volumes being backed up:
Macintosh HD: Disk size: 249.77 GB Disk used: 215.92 GB
Destinations:
TOSHIBA EXT [Local]
Total size: 499.43 GB
Total number of backups: 21
Oldest backup: 1/14/15, 3:55 PM
Last backup: 12/7/15, 10:46 AM
Size of backup disk: Too small
Backup size 499.43 GB < (Disk used 215.92 GB X 3)
Top Processes by CPU: (What does this mean?)
100% plugin-container
19% firefox
10% WindowServer
2% kernel_task
2% fontd
Top Processes by Memory: (What does this mean?)
1.10 GB firefox
587 MB kernel_task
119 MB plugin-container
94 MB mdworker(8)
78 MB Finder
Virtual Memory Information: (What does this mean?)
80 MB Free RAM
3.92 GB Used RAM (728 MB Cached)
240 MB Swap Used
Diagnostics Information: (What does this mean?)
Dec 6, 2015, 03:19:31 PM ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/plugin-container_2015-12-06-151931_[redacted]. crash
thanks
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Dec 7, 2015 8:41 AMby etresoft,Hello again Walsh1234,
It certainly looks like Firefox is running crazy. It is taking 119% of your CPU and 28% of your RAM. On a 4 GB MacBook Air, you don't have either CPU or RAM to spare. Quit Firefox and remove it from your Login Items.
Also, you have "MegaBackup" and "MacKeeper" installed. They may have been partially uninstalled. I suggest using only vendor-provided uninstallers or uninstallation instructions. Never try to manually delete files in hidden directories. Never use an "app zapper". Since these have already been partially uninstalled, you should first reinstall them. Then use the proper uninstallation technique.
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Dec 7, 2015 9:13 AMby thomas_r.,etresoft wrote:
Also, you have "MegaBackup" and "MacKeeper" installed. They may have been partially uninstalled.
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for Mac should remove the remaining components of both of those. (It categorizes both as "PUPs," or Potentially Unwanted Programs.)
I should note that I am affiliated with Malwarebytes.
Thomas Reed
Director of Mac Offerings, Malwarebytes
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Dec 7, 2015 9:24 AMby etresoft,thomas_r. wrote:
etresoft wrote:
Also, you have "MegaBackup" and "MacKeeper" installed. They may have been partially uninstalled.
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for Mac should remove the remaining components of both of those. (It categorizes both as "PUPs," or Potentially Unwanted Programs.)
Thanks! That's good to know.
I should clarify something though. I warn people never to use "app zappers" but I do not consider MalwareBytes for Mac to be an "app zapper". There is a vast number of Mac programs available and many of them write files in various locations. Sometimes they include other software that appears to be unrelated, like libraries or drivers. OS X does not have a software installation architecture like Windows. There is no inherent association between files that just happen to be installed together. It is not possible for an "app zapper" to correctly uninstall every app. They would have to research each individual version of each app and there is no way they do that.
But because MalwareBytes focuses on adware, malware, an PUPs for the Mac, they have far fewer software packages to check and I am confident that they do perform the necessary research.
