iMac repeatedly shutting down after upgrade to Monterey OS

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iMac repeatedly shutting down after upgrade to Monterey OS

My iMac is repeatedly shutting down. I ran an EtreCheck report (attached) and it identified a problem with the following file: Library/SystemExtensions/D658BBB2-70B5-4F25-9456-8F4E72798846/com.symantec.mes.systemextension.systemextension

I no longer use Symantec so I tried to delete this file. It asks for a password and I give the password I use to log in to the Mac but then it says I don't have permission to delete. This is odd as I am the ONLY user and the admin on this computer. I tried deleting the file on Terminal using sudo rm-rf command. It also asked for a password and accepted my login password, but the file was not deleted.

Appreciate any help the community can provide.

EtreCheck Report

iMac 21.5″, macOS 12.1

Posted on Dec 31, 2021 3:19 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

lllaass

Level 10

210,513 points

Jan 1, 2022 1:37 AM in response to AhimsaMama

If you go to that file and select it and right click on Get Info what does that say about the file? who has permission? Is it locked?

How did you remove/uninstall Symantec? Did you use the app developer's instructions?

Also did you uninstall Intego using the developer's instructions?

What specific Symantec file are you trying to remove?

Try booting to Safe Mode. That boot up takes minutes and clears caches and other things that may allow you to delete the Symantec file

How to use safe mode on your Mac - Apple Support

The report lists many apps with a name like " 2021-12-02 vdefsx92021120201 (10.7)". being installed . Do you know what thee are? Could they be "virus" signatures for the antivirus apps you've installed?

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Answer 2

Owl-53

Level 10

102,385 points

Jan 1, 2022 2:10 AM in response to AhimsaMama

Follow the advise from previous poster first.

Should one still have issues - suggest using the safe application called Find Any File (FAF) and use the search words associated with the application one if attempting to remove.

Further, for better results - suggest booting in Safe Mode and then run the File Any File application. It will direct you to the file location and allow one ( hopefully ) remove it

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Answer 3

lllaass

Level 10

210,513 points

Jan 1, 2022 12:50 PM in response to AhimsaMama

Follow P. Phillips instructions for booting to Safe Mode and trying to delete the file:

"Further, for better results - suggest booting in Safe Mode and then run the File Any File application. It will direct you to the file location and allow one ( hopefully ) remove it

"

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Answer 4

AhimsaMama Author

Level 1

15 points

Jan 1, 2022 12:46 PM in response to lllaass

Thanks for your help. The file is in the Library/SystemExtensions folder in another oddly named folder. It is com.Symantec.mes.systemextension.systemextension. Full name is in my original post.

Get Info shows that “system” has permission to read/write. There is another user “wheel” that is not a user on my Mac. I am the admin but when I try to change Sharing & Permission on this file, I get the message “Operation can’t be completed because you don’t have the necessary permission.”

I uninstalled the Symantec app years ago—not certain how I did it now, but I usually use the uninstall option that comes with the app. I installed Intego and that is currently active so I did not uninstall it.

I will check on the vdefsx files. The dates at the beginning seem to correspond to dates that I updated malware definitions on Intego.

I finally succeeded in getting my Mac to boot in safe mode. Had to turn it off and wait ten seconds. Restart with shift key did not work. However still cannot delete this file. Used Find Any File in safe mode but still cannot move this file to the trash.

Appreciate any other thoughts.

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Answer 5

AhimsaMama Author

Level 1

15 points

Jan 1, 2022 9:23 PM in response to lllaass

Did that. Didn’t work. I am now going to do a clean install of Monterey. Just making sure my backups are up to date before going there.

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iMac repeatedly shutting down after upgrade to Monterey OS

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