Did a Bitdefender Scan today and was just watching some of the files being scanned. For the first time every I saw a /.nofollow path.
What is this and were does it come from. If I search for it it doesn't show up.
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
iMac (M1, 2021)
fredfromredwater wrote:
It seems that this /.nofollow is nothing to be worried about but I have not idea why it just started. A QuickScan with Bitdefender takes about 2 minutes. If I start a full scan it is completed about about 10 minutes but then starts scanning these /.nofollow files and will still be running after 2.5 hours. It has never done this before. There has to be a solution.
The best solution is to uninstall BitDefender by following the developer's instructions which @dialabrain kindly linked for you. If you have any other anti-virus software, cleaning/optimizer apps, or third party security software, then uninstall them as well by following their developers' instructions. None of these types of apps are needed on a Mac and they usually cause more problems than they solve because they interfere with the normal operation of macOS.
macOS already has great built-in security especially when the user also practices safe computing habits as outlined in this excellent article:
Effective defenses against malware and other threats - Apple Community
I have done nothing different on my computer except swap out Time Machine drives.
macOS receives update patches. Your BitDefender app receives updates. Your other software receives (or should receive) updates. Each update can have an impact on other areas....especially with apps like BitDefender which interfere with the normal operation of macOS at a very low level.
I know I shouldn't worry about it but as a Mac user for almost 30 years I like to know what is going one and why it all of a sudden started. Any suggestions really appreciated.
Anti-virus apps and the others I mentioned tend to cause more problems than they solve. It has now caused you some anxiety about your Mac. There is a lot that goes on within macOS that no one really knows about or completely understands. Apple certainly does not provide detailed documentation...and if they do it can be outdated. Apple hardware and the macOS of today is nothing like it was 30 years ago. The newer hardware & OS have a lot of odd behaviors....it is just best to ignore them unless it is causing a functional problem.
I don't know what the ".nofollow" items are since I don't seem to have any on my Mac (macOS 13.x), but I also don't use a lot of Apple software/services and only a handful of third party apps needed for work.
Just to add, there are many hidden files/folders in macOS. If you want to see them, press command shift period. Press it again when you're done.
FWIW, if you decide to uninstall Bitdefender, you probably don't need to reinstall macOS.
If the user what's to run the chance and use the uninstaller
Be away, even they make mention " Note: If the uninstaller encounters errors "
It is possible a bad situation could get worse
Just saying
It seems that this /.nofollow is nothing to be worried about but I have not idea why it just started. A QuickScan with Bitdefender takes about 2 minutes. If I start a full scan it is completed about about 10 minutes but then starts scanning these /.nofollow files and will still be running after 2.5 hours. It has never done this before. There has to be a solution. I have done nothing different on my computer except swap out Time Machine drives. I know I shouldn't worry about it but as a Mac user for almost 30 years I like to know what is going one and why it all of a sudden started. Any suggestions really appreciated.
It's a hidden folder. I don't know what its purpose is but it's normal.
Thanks....I was a little worried.
You're welcome.
PRP_53 wrote:
Be away, even they make mention " Note: If the uninstaller encounters errors "
I don't know what "Be away" means but, worst case scenario they explain how to manually uninstall.
How can I find more information about hidden files on my iMac?
