Want to highlight a helpful answer? Upvote!

Did someone help you, or did an answer or User Tip resolve your issue? Upvote by selecting the upvote arrow. Your feedback helps others! Learn more about when to upvote >

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Jona Author

Level 1

65 points

'Your network settings have been changed by another app' - THE SOLUTION

This currently reported problem, which manifests after applying Security Update 2008-06, can be fixed permanently by removing the following preferences files:

Go to Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration and delete the following (suggest make copies to the desktop first if in doubt):

com.apple.airport.preferences.plist
NetworkInterfaces.plist
preferences.plist
com.apple.nat.plist

All these files will regenerate as necessary when the associated system features are accessed. If you're using Airport or Internet Sharing you'll have to reestablish the appropriate settings, because these will have been lost when the preferences files are removed. Small price to pay, however for a permanent, and very simple solution to this irritating problem.

MacBook Pro 2.16 GHz, 2GB RAM, 100 GB Seagate 7200rpm drive., Mac OS X (10.4.11)

Posted on Sep 28, 2008 8:30 AM

169 replies

BDAqua

Level 10

239,483 points

Aug 8, 2009 12:53 PM in response to Nixblick

Hi Nixblick, und ein herzliches Willkommen zu den Foren! 🙂

It's quite acceptable to start a new topic of your own, feel free to start a new topic to attract more helpers to your particular situation, as not many helpers look at Solved/Answered Topics for people needing help, here's a link if as is often the case, it's hard to find out where to do it...

http://discussions.apple.com/post!default.jspa?forumID=752

Or Getting Online & Networking...

http://discussions.apple.com/forum.jspa?forumID=755

Nixblick

Level 1

0 points

Aug 8, 2009 1:33 PM in response to BDAqua

Thank you very much , i will try it .

jvdk

Level 1

0 points

Aug 28, 2009 3:35 PM in response to BDAqua

thanks a lot for a short and effective, perhaps rather "workaround" than "solution"?
what the **** is the Apple idea? also note that i discovered your suggestion through Google, not via the "Apple Support" search function. took me quite some time to sign up in the Apple discussion Register; but worthwile just to be able to thank you. perhaps unrelated, my company's VPN (Cisco AnyConnect) does not work anymore on my home location as well. also a "Security" issue?

BDAqua

Level 10

239,483 points

Aug 28, 2009 3:44 PM in response to psbmac

Hi , and a warm welcome to the forums! 🙂

Sorry, missed this, I and many others would be excited to be able to help you, but you'll likely need to start a New Topic at the link below to get attention to your problem, since not many helpers are gong to be looking in a Solved Topic for an unsolved problem, here's a link if as is often the case, it's hard to find out where to do it...

http://discussions.apple.com/post!default.jspa?forumID=752

BDAqua

Level 10

239,483 points

Aug 28, 2009 3:51 PM in response to jvdk

Hi , and a warm welcome to the forums! 🙂

also note that i discovered your suggestion through Google, not via the "Apple Support" search function.

I use Google to search Apple 99% of the time!

In fact one of these days I'm going to write a little APP that Searches Google, then searches Apple Support, then subtracts Apple Support's results from the Google results, since I know those aren't what I'm looking for! LOL 😉

took me quite some time to sign up in the Apple discussion Register; but worthwhile just to be able to thank you.

Thank you, appreciate it. 🙂

my company's VPN (Cisco AnyConnect) does not work anymore on my home location as well. also a "Security" issue?

There's many great helpers here, It's quite acceptable to start a new topic of your own, feel free to start a new topic to attract more helpers to your particular situation, as not many helpers look at Solved/Answered Topics for people needing help, here's a link if as is often the case, it's hard to find out where to do it...

http://discussions.apple.com/post!default.jspa?forumID=752

Sep 29, 2009 2:20 AM in response to Jona

Thank you Jona, just found your solution, this issue has been bugging me for months, happened shortly after one of my locations received a new server.

kamatra

Level 1

0 points

Oct 13, 2009 11:58 AM in response to Jona

Bless you! This problem has troubled me for a year. With your answer i resolved it in 5 minutes. Thanks

Oct 25, 2009 4:07 PM in response to Jona

Thank you for the tip. I just reconnected a server that had been offline for some months and ran into the problem.

I'm wondering if this was one of those problems that only appeared on workstations that had undergone a few OS upgrades rather than those with fresh installs. I believe that the machine that I had the problem with had started before the first official OS X release. (It is too old to upgrade to Leopard.) There was another bug that appeared only on upgraded machines and that would tend to indicate a systemic problem with the Apple test process.

However, I've still had far less problems with my worst Apple upgrade than with my average Windows upgrade.

lamboom

Level 1

4 points

Dec 4, 2009 9:13 AM in response to Bradley Ross

After a thread this long .. one tends to forget just what the "solution" was. Do I really want to delete some files, then reload lost internet connect info? Or .. as the article in Applelink mag: http://www.appleinkmagazine.com/?cat=6 suggested, secure system preferences, and lock? Actually, the latter is what an Apple Expert suggests. That worked for me, as my only problem was the infinite loop window ... no other known issues. So ... if the secure & lock gag works, why dump the files? .. 🙂

Feb 5, 2010 2:19 PM in response to Jona

Here is a solution you can use while in the Network Preference pane, but you have to be fast.

Click the OK button or press the return key to dismiss the warning dialog and quickly, before the warning reappears, click on the Location pop-up menu. Once the pop-up appears on the screen, slide down to "Edit Locations…" and delete all the Locations except the one you would like to use.

Feb 24, 2010 12:13 PM in response to LargeAl

"When you get that annoying message press "return" and immediately click on "Configure" then again on "Configure IPv6" button. Then click "Cancel" and voila! This worked for me on my iMac 2.0 PPC ALS.
You will need to do this each time you open the Network Pane but it works until Apple fixes it."

This works permanently if you change the setting instead of clicking "Cancel" (i.e. if it's set to "Off," change it to "Automatically," or vice-versa). This causes the network preference panel to write to the .plist file, thus making it the last application to modify the file, so it quits ******** about another app having changed the file.

Apr 12, 2010 8:26 AM in response to Jona

Thanks Jona, that fixed the problem right away. Thanks again for posting your solution.

kahjot

Level 4

2,462 points

Apr 12, 2010 6:29 PM in response to Jona

I encountered this extremely irritating problem just recently. For some reason, it has only cropped up on one machine, and I have no clue why this should be the case. It happened with a fresh installation of Tiger with the various updates applied. Thanks to this VERY long discussion, I have a way to deal with it: but man, what a glitch. Can't believe it hasn't been addressed in any of the software updates.

BTW trashing the four files listed in the first part of the discussion didn't do squat.

Higs

Level 1

0 points

Apr 26, 2010 2:53 AM in response to Jona

Hi - I trashed the suggested files and saved them to desktop.
BUT now can't connect to internet at all.
Have replaced file but to no avail.
Would be v grateful for advice! Thanks

wplewis

Level 1

4 points

Jun 7, 2010 10:00 AM in response to Jona

I trashed the plists files, did not make copies and I no longer get the message about the network settings have been changed, BUT I can't get connected to the Internet.

How do I get the plists back

'Your network settings have been changed by another app' - THE SOLUTION