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djpva Author

Level 1

18 points

A new "Language Chooser" opened at start-up--NOT System Preferences/"Language and Region"

My MacBook Pro started up--for the first time ever--with a small window called "Language Chooser" on the screen. This looks entirely different from the one that I can open under System Preferences/"Language and Region." The drop-down menu in this small window included English, Chinese, Russian , and other characters.

I tried not to click inside the software. I did not make a language selection although English was highlighted. I wish I had used the keyboard commands to quit (CMD-Option-ESC) or else safe mode to start up again--but instead I used the two-item Apple menu that eventually appeared at the top left of the screen and chose "Start Up." there--apparently inside the software since it did not look like the usual Apple menu, either.

Could this other version of "Language Chooser" have been something introduced by hackers--or is it just a fluke coming from Apple or my laptop? I at first wondered if hackers had taken control of my Mac.

I am running OS X El Capitan 10.11.6--as high as I can go on an old 2009 MacBook Pro, which is like a good old workhorse. --which has had no other "Trojan" workhorses along for the ride, as far as I know.

Posted on Jul 2, 2019 4:34 AM

Top-ranking reply

Eric Root

Level 10

684,567 points

Posted on Jul 2, 2019 7:49 AM

That sounds like the language chooser window that shows up during Setup Assistant after doing a clean install. You got this window during a normal restart, not after doing a clean install? If it showed up after a normal restart, it may have been a fluke. You can use Malwarebyyes to check the computer for adware/malware if you want.

It may be necessary to run more than one scan. After running the scans, restart the computer.

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for Mac 10.10 and later

Malwarebytes uninstall

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A new "Language Chooser" opened at start-up--NOT System Preferences/"Language and Region"

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