Console reports out-of-control activity- How do I stop it?

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Level 4

1,638 points

Console reports out-of-control activity- How do I stop it?

Console is reporting the following activity about every 10 seconds:

"May 3 17:26:11 macintosh com.apple.launchd.peruser.501[1143] (cn.com.zte.usbswapper.plist[21903]): posix_spawn("/Applications/Vodafone Mobile Connect/Vodafone Mobile Connect.app/Contents/Resources/Specific/Mac SwapperDemon.app/Contents/MacOS/MacSwapperDemon", ...): No such file or directory"

this is then followed by:

"macintosh com.apple.launchd.peruser.501[1143] (cn.com.zte.usbswapper.plist[21946]): Exited with exit code: 1"

and then:

"macintosh com.apple.launchd.peruser.501[1143] (cn.com.zte.usbswapper.plist): Throttling respawn: Will start in 10 seconds"

I think I know what this is. Last month I was out of the country staying with friends and my friend gave me a Vodafone USB to use for connecting to the internet.

This Vodafone USB thing required me to install some software, which I did.

Later I deleted everything Vodafone but this thing seems to be still lurking.

The only Vodafone thing I can find anywhere on my HD is a modem script called Vodafone VC701SI.ccl.

Is that what's causing this activity?

MacBookPro 13" (Nov. 2009) with a 20" *matte* Apple display (I hate shiny), Mac OS X (10.6.3), + graveyard of old Macs

Posted on May 3, 2010 9:33 AM

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Answer 1

macjack

Level 10

111,242 points

May 3, 2010 9:43 AM in response to Tom in London

http://www.macswap.org/

-mj

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Answer 2

Tom in London Author

Level 4

1,638 points

May 3, 2010 9:54 AM in response to macjack

That's no answer. It simply takes me to the MacSwap website, where I am invited to sell stuff.

Quote:

"your online resource for buying, selling, trading, and just plain giving away Macintosh computers and related items."

thanks for, uh, nothing.

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Answer 3

Tom in London Author

Level 4

1,638 points

May 3, 2010 10:11 AM in response to Tom in London

Meanwhile I have isolated the rogue process to here:

cn.com.zte.usbswapper.plist

within that file (which I opened with TextEdit) there is the following (note all the Vodafone stuff):

START OF PASTE

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple Computer//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
<key>Label</key>
<string>cn.com.zte.usbswapper.plist</string>
<key>OnDemand</key>
<false/>
<key>Program</key>
<string>/Applications/Vodafone Mobile Connect/Vodafone Mobile Connect.app/Contents/Resources/Specific/Mac SwapperDemon.app/Contents/MacOS/MacSwapperDemon</string>
<key>ProgramArguments</key>
<array>
<string>/Applications/Vodafone Mobile Connect/Vodafone Mobile Connect.app/Contents/Resources/Specific/Mac SwapperDemon.app/Contents/MacOS/MacSwapperDemon</string>
</array>
<key>RunAtLoad</key>
<true/>
</dict>
</plist>

END OF PASTE

So, you clever Unix-savvy guys and gals: how do I get rid of the Vodafone stuff?

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Answer 4

Tom in London Author

Level 4

1,638 points

May 3, 2010 10:20 AM in response to Tom in London

OK I think I need to edit that file whose contents I posted above.

I've found a handy little utility called Lingon that allows me to do this.

But what parts do I need to edit?

TIA

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Answer 5

macjack

Level 10

111,242 points

May 3, 2010 10:45 AM in response to Tom in London

Sorry, it seemed to be associated with software you may have downloaded there.

-mj

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Answer 6

Tom in London Author

Level 4

1,638 points

May 3, 2010 12:19 PM in response to macjack

That's right, it's leftover stuff from a Vodafone application I installed and then trashed. But your link pointed me to somewhere that has nothing to do with that.

I've got to the root of the issue by myself and all I need to know how is (I think): how to edit that file and strip out the Vodafone stuff.

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Answer 7

grandpa

Level 4

1,980 points

May 3, 2010 4:30 PM in response to Tom in London

It's a Preference list (.plist), so you can trash it, if you have removed all other Vodaphone items. You would need to download the Vodaphone file again to use it, and this .plist file you found would come with that new download. It is a preference associated ONLY with Vodphone, but seems to be loaded with each startup of the Mac.

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Answer 8

Barney-15E

Level 10

122,252 points

May 3, 2010 5:21 PM in response to grandpa

As grandpa alluded to, that plist is designed to automatically start up and keep that program running. If you've trashed the program that it is calling, you can just trash the plist; there is no reason to edit it.

StartupItems are now controlled by launchd and are called LaunchAgents and LaunchDaemons.
[Here is some info on how it works|http://developer.apple.com/macosx/launchd.html].

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Answer 9

Tom in London Author

Level 4

1,638 points

May 10, 2010 2:46 AM in response to Barney-15E

Thanks to the previous 2 posters.

I trashed the file, and it stopped trying to implement whatever it was trying to do, but I was still getting the following message in Console:

"Initializer-based scripting additions have been deprecated. Please update this addition: "/Users/XXXXXX/Library/ScriptingAdditions/YouHelper.osax"

I assume the misuse of the word "deprecated" is due to low literacy levels of Apple programmers.

I trashed "YouHelper.osax" and everything seems to be fine now.

I just wish the programmers at Apple knew the difference between "to deprecate" and "to depreciate".

🙂

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Answer 10

May 10, 2010 3:07 AM in response to Tom in London

I think they've used it correctly

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deprecation

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Answer 11

Tom in London Author

Level 4

1,638 points

May 10, 2010 3:13 AM in response to radekgers

No they haven't.

Oxford English dictionary: "deprecate: pray against; plead for the avoidance of"

I deprecate their illiteracy. Just because a malapropism is widely misused does not mean it is correct.

🙂 this is wandering off-topic. My fault.

I don't think this thread needs to continue.

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Answer 12

macjack

Level 10

111,242 points

May 11, 2010 9:21 AM in response to Tom in London

*deprecate |ˈdepriˌkāt|*
*verb [ trans. ]*
*1 express disapproval of : [as adj. ] ( deprecating) he sniffed in a deprecating way.*

Probably a difference between the American and Brit.
What is Oxford?

-mj

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