My G4 may have a virus

Dear mrtotes,

Thank you very much for your prompt response to my post, and for your excellent advice regarding the problem that I am experiencing running my G4. I apologize for my delayed reply to you, and appreciate your patience.

I took a look at the Firefox link that you directed me to, and you were correct about the fact that Firefox had not been located in the Applications folder of my system. I took the steps that you recommended and copied Firefox to the Applications folder. Having done so, I am now able to drag the Firefox icon to the dock and simply click once on that icon in order to launch that program. Previously, the Firefox icon would not go into the dock, except while running - when it could be dragged to the right partitioned side of the dock next to the trash.

However, the untitled volume to which I had originally posted about continues to pop up on the desktop. Also, applications that are running, including the Finder, while that volume is present continue to freeze or fail intermittently. I had not encountered those symptoms prior to this situation with the untitled volume. Though I don't have the Mac experience to conclude that this volume is causing these problems, it certainly continues to appear likely.

Do you have any further thoughts about this, taking into consideration the aforementioned developments?

Also, I have a couple curiosities concerning this matter, and I hope that I might ask these of you. I notice at the Firefox installation site that you directed me to that the white volume that was shown there had the title "Firefox." However, the white volume that appears on my desktop is labeled, "untitled." Does that difference indicate anything to you?

Also, when Norton Antivirus 10.0 for Macintosh scans the volume, the scan results show that 0 items were scanned. Shouldn't Norton show that 1 item was scanned?

Typically, the "untitled" volume icon appears on the desktop when I am launching or running other applications. It is typical for a window to open in another application other than Firefox, and for the "untitled" volume to pop up on the desktop either immediately with the new window or shortly after. When I drag the "untitled" volume to the trash, it ejects. However, it reappears on the desktop a moment later. Does this behavior mean anything?

Once again, I thank you mrtotes for your kind assistance. I appreciate both your knowledge, as well as your willingness to share it with others.

Best, dhhomm

Dear japamac,

Thank you sincerely for replying in response to my post regarding the difficulties that I am experiencing running my G4. Also, thank you for excusing my delayed reply to you. Please realize that I appreciate your input and suggestions. I simply needed a little time to carry out your suggestions, due to my hectic schedule.

Clicking on the "untitled" volume merely opens an empty window with the title "untitled."

Disc Utility shows the following: In the main Disc Utility window, there is a sub-window in the left area. Illustrated in that sub-window is an icon of the hard drive followed by; 38.3 GB IBM-IC35L040AVER07-0.

Underneath that information, there is another icon of the same hard drive that is slightly indented to the right of the icon above it. Following that icon is: Macintosh HD.

Underneath that second entry, there is a horizontal line that seems to divide the window. Beneath that divider line is an icon of what seems to be the Firefox drive followed by: cdr80-proxy.dmg.

If the "untitled" white volume is not presently in existence on the desktop, there is no further information in the Disc Utility window. If, however, the volume is currently on the desktop, there is another line item showing that "untitled" volume's icon. That item is displayed underneath the item labeled "cdr80-proxy.dmg." It is slightly indented to the right, indicating presumably that it is a subsidiary of the item above it.

When I highlight the item "cdr80-proxy.dmg," the following information displays in the bottom of the Disc Utility window:

Disc Description: cdr80-proxy.dmg
Disc Write Status: Not mounted
Connection Bus: Disk Image
Disk Image Path:/System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app/Contents/Resources/cdr80-proxy.dmg

Clicking on the above link produces the "untitled" volume. Highlighting that volume shows the following information:

Mount Point : /Volumes/Untitled Capacity : 670.0 MB (702,545,920 Bytes)
Format : Mac OS Extended Available : 660.7 MB (692,830,208 Bytes)
Permissions Enabled : No Used : 9.3 MB (9,715,712 Bytes)
Number of Folders : 0 Number of Files : 0

I have no prior experience with disc utility nor with this problem involving, or seeming to involve, that untitled volume. Therefore, I have taken no further steps with disc utility. There continue to be freeze-ups and failures of both applications as well as the Finder when the "untitled" volume is present on the desktop. Dragging the volume to the trash ejects it successfully, only to have the volume pop up again moments later.

Do you have any further thoughts regarding this situation? I thank you once again, japamac, for your considerate involvement.

Best, dhhomm

Dear japamac,

In my first response to your post, I forgot to answer the following questions that you had asked:

Could it be, you have had a partition without knowing you did so?

I am not familiar with a drive being partitioned, and certainly did not knowingly do so. The dividing line in the Disc Utility window seems to indicate such, is that correct? If so, what are the implications of that?

Do you use any automated backup software?
No, I do not.

Thank you again, japamac, for your involvement.

Best, dhhomm

Hi japamac,

Thanks again for your input regarding my problem. Per your opinion, as well as mrtotes, I will trash the .dmg file and see what happens with the performance of my G4. I will update you whether the freeze-ups and other problems clear up after having some time to observe the situation following the trashing of the .dmg file.

Thanks once again. dhhomm

Hi mrtotes,

Thanks again for your input regarding my problem. Per your opinion, as well as japamac - who agrees with your advice, I will trash that .dmg file and see what happens with the performance of my G4.

It is too soon to tell if the more important issue of the freeze-ups that I have been experiencing will actually rectify from trashing the .dmg file. I will update you whether the freeze-ups and other problems clear up after having some time to observe the situation following the trashing of the .dmg file. Therefore, please allow a little time for me to observe how well the G4 runs before considering this matter solved.

Thanks once again. dhhomm

Hi mrtotes,

I am unable to locate that .dmg file in order to trash it. You say to follow the path of that item in order to locate it. However, I have run into a problem following that path, which I list here:

Disk Image Path : /System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app/Contents/Resources/cdr80-proxy.dmg

Accordingly, I begin by going to System on the drive (its' icon folder has a Roman numeral 10 on it.)

Then, in System I go to Library. So far, so good.

Then in Library, I go to CoreServices. So far, still good.

However, in CoreServices there is no Finder.app. There is an icon (Happy Mac) titled Finder - not Finder.app. Clicking on that icon produces nothing - no Contents nor Resources nor "cdr80-proxy.dmg" file.

I then tried searching with the normal search window, located in the upper right corner of the Macintosh HD window. I click on the image "Macintosh HD" on the desktop. A window opens listing the entire contents of the drive. I checked off "Everywhere" from the pull down menu and inserted the term "cdr80-proxy.dmg" in the search window. Nothing turned up - nothing. How can that be, when the darn thing is still sitting there in Disc Utility when I check on it?

At this point, I would like nothing more than to drag that file to the trash. Would you please think of a way for me to locate it, so that I can do so.

Thank you once again, mrtotes. I remain grateful for your expertise and direction.

Best, dhhomm

Hi again mrtotes,

Thank you once again for your speedy reply, and also for your advice and detailed information regarding the case of my G4. I've taken your suggestions and here is an update. I navigated to the Finder.app and located that .dmg file. I did drag it to the trash, but have not emptied the trash.

FYI, there are aprox. 30 files in the Finder.app with that same creation date - all of them are listed as Apple Image Icons. Some of those other file titles are:

cdr4-proxy.dmg
crd21-proxy.dmg
cdr63-proxy.dmg
cdr74-proxy.dmg
cdr80-proxy.dmg
advancedpref.icns
ClippingPicture.icns
ClippingSound.icns
ClippingText.icns
ClippingUnknown.icns
find.icns
Finder.icns
Finder.rsrc
generalpref.icns
info.icns
InfoDisplayOptions.plist
InfoExtractorKinds.plist
InfoExtractorMap.plist
InternetLocation

As for the application that is calling for that file; that Untitled volume always pops up on the desktop when I open a Finale file that I have been working on daily lately. Finale is a music writing software program that I spend a lot of time in. To my knowledge, Finale 2007 (the version I currently work in) has no CD burning capability nor anything directly to do with CD's. It is a program for composing and notating music. Finale files can be saved as audio files that can be imported into Itunes for purposes of audio CD burning.

After placing that CDR80-proxy.dmg file in the trash, I opened the same Finale file that I have been opening and working in daily. That Untitled volume did appear on the desktop again. Therefore, I went to Disc Utility and here is the Disc Image Path of that file:

/Users/davdhrvy/.Trash/cdr80-proxy.dmg

FYI, davdhrvy is my administrator title on this G4. I was required to enter that information in order to drag the file to the trash. I am quite surprised that the .dmg is possibly able to generate that Untitled volume while located in the trash. Is that odd to you?

I checked those Utility Console Logs and was also surprised to see no reference to that Disc Image File during timed log entries for which I know that the .dmg file was generating that Untitled volume. However, I do not have enough Mac experience to know what is normal regarding all of these details.

Throughout this time, beginning aprox. 10 days ago, my finder continues to freeze up frequently. Restarting does no good. I am forced to manually turn off the power by holding down the power (start up) button to shut down.

After booting up again a few minutes ago due to this recurring problem, I again opened that Finale file, as well as several other older finale files to see what would happen with that Untitled volume. So, after placing the .dmg file in the trash, the Untitled volume did appear as usual while launching a Finale file, but since shutting the computer and booting up again it has not done so.

At this moment, Disc Utility still shows that .dmg file, with the Disc Image Path still leading to the trash.

I Googled the term "CDR80-proxy.dmg" and found discussions referring to that as a Mac file related to CD burning capacity, with the larger numeral in the title referring to a larger time capacity of a CD, i.e. CDR80 meaning 80 minutes worth of CD time.

At this point, where do these developments lead me? I am still quite new to dealing with these issues and do not what to think. However, clearly the problem with the Finder freezing frequently persists, so I am still quite curious and motivated, just a little perplexed.

I continue to be grateful for your assistance, mrtotes.

Best, dhhomm

Throughout this brief history of crashes, launching Finale has not caused a crash. Rather, opening that Finale file has coincided with the pop up of the Untitled volume. Crashes seem to occur at any time, such as while online, while navigating throughout the computer, or while using Finale or Microsoft Windows. I don't recall an instance of a crash coinciding with the launch of software. Since trashing that Disc Image File, there have been several more crashes in the course of a couple hours. Best, dhhomm