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I got a pop-up telling me to click on MacKeeper 911 to "clean my computer". I don't know anything about MacKeeper...is this legit or is it a scam / virus?

I got a pop-up on my screen telling me to click on MacKeeper 911 to "clean my Mac". I don't know anything about MacKeeper - is this legit or is it a scam / virus?

Posted on May 10, 2011 10:44 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on May 10, 2011 10:58 AM

It's a scam. Find it using /Applications/Utilities/Activity Monitor.app and be rid of it.

79 replies

Sep 8, 2011 11:01 AM in response to heatherfrombixby

Easiest and also most efficient solution: search hard drive for any file with "zeobit" in it. You'll often see that spelled Zoebit in this thread, but make sure you spell it correctly: zeobit. Delete all and empty trash. Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best. Do NOT use the uninstaller that comes with the software, either full or trial version!

Sep 8, 2011 11:41 AM in response to MackGal

Hello again,


Let me be absolutely clear. Based on my experience as a former Mac Support Specialist, my experience with zeobit, and comments about the software from Mac people I trust, this is real software from a company that is legit. Having said that, I think that perhaps, it tries to do too many things at the same time and uses too many system resources. On the other hand, I have installed so much stuff on my computer over the years and each new upgrade to both the computer and the OS have carried over the old stuff. I tried mackeeper before I removed everything to install Lion.

Sep 8, 2011 1:59 PM in response to WZZZ

WZZZ wrote:


>this is real software from a company that is legit.


They do almost everything possible to dispel that idea. Overwhelming response from Mac people who have tried is it's pure garbage, and the company is unethical and unscrupulous in its marketing strategies, to boot.

That is possibily a very accurate assessment WZZZ -

They do almost everything possible to dispel that idea. Overwhelming response from Mac people who have tried is it's pure garbage, and the company is unethical and unscrupulous in its marketing strategies, to boot.

This is quite accurante from my experience.

marcg007 wrote:


>this is real software from a company that is legit.


this is real software from a company that is legit. Having said that, I think that perhaps, it tries to do too many things at the same time and uses too many system resources. On the other hand, I have installed so much stuff on my computer over the years and each new upgrade to both the computer and the OS have carried over the old stuff. I tried mackeeper before I removed everything to install Lion.

Zeobit seems like The Scarlet Pimpernel of computing software in my experience. Any ligit company would have tried to put things right by now, Zeobit hasn't.

Seems you are making a lot of excuses for them, that your computer has too much stuff installed as a reason it is running slow.

As I stated to you in a previous post: "Hi marcg007, would welcome links to the good reviews for MacKeeper, especially if they are unbiased. W.............Answered.....................g. If you have a tech support background how did you clear all elements of MacKeeper from your computer, would welcome any details."


heatherfrombixby wrote:


Considering how many scripts I still found on there that were actively before my eyes RUNNING (console) I think you are correct.

What scripts did you find - would be interested to know.


OTHER

Tonight a program called Growl downloaded and installed itself. Does anyone have an idea what this is?

Sep 8, 2011 2:36 PM in response to Memoire

Memoire wrote:


WZZZ wrote:


>this is real software from a company that is legit.


They do almost everything possible to dispel that idea. Overwhelming response from Mac people who have tried is it's pure garbage, and the company is unethical and unscrupulous in its marketing strategies, to boot.

That is possibily a very accurate assessment WZZZ -

They do almost everything possible to dispel that idea. Overwhelming response from Mac people who have tried is it's pure garbage, and the company is unethical and unscrupulous in its marketing strategies, to boot.

This is quite accurante from my experience.

marcg007 wrote:


>this is real software from a company that is legit.


this is real software from a company that is legit. Having said that, I think that perhaps, it tries to do too many things at the same time and uses too many system resources. On the other hand, I have installed so much stuff on my computer over the years and each new upgrade to both the computer and the OS have carried over the old stuff. I tried mackeeper before I removed everything to install Lion.

Zeobit seems like The Scarlet Pimpernel of computing software in my experience. Any ligit company would have tried to put things right by now, Zeobit hasn't.

Seems you are making a lot of excuses for them, that your computer has too much stuff installed as a reason it is running slow.

As I stated to you in a previous post: "Hi marcg007, would welcome links to the good reviews for MacKeeper, especially if they are unbiased. W.............Answered.....................g. If you have a tech support background how did you clear all elements of MacKeeper from your computer, would welcome any details."


heatherfrombixby wrote:


Considering how many scripts I still found on there that were actively before my eyes RUNNING (console) I think you are correct.

What scripts did you find - would be interested to know.


OTHER

Tonight a program called Growl downloaded and installed itself. Does anyone have an idea what this is?

Growl is a notifier, and it did not install 'by itself'. Open Safari (if you use Safari) go to preferences>general and uncheck 'open safe files after downloading'

User uploaded file


That is very probably not the reason it installed, whatever you installed recently most likely had growl along for the ride and you didnt notice the option to not install while you were installing whatever you were installing.

Sep 8, 2011 3:11 PM in response to Csound1

Hi Csound1

According to the Growl aps page it seems that the standard way when Growl is installed by some application that uses some of Growls code is to give the owner the chance of whether to install or not. The page also mentions that some software installations don't give this option. The only program I installed tonight was a new HP printer driver for a new printer. This could be the only possiblity as once the printer installation finished I found growl installed. I have dragged most of the Growl element onto the desk top, was concerned about running the installer in this current environment. I couldn't find Growl on the Apple Download page or some other Mac sites, so I was concerned after my negative experiences with MacKeeper.

Sep 8, 2011 7:43 PM in response to Csound1

Hi Csound: It was something that came up in the EasyFind app that I ran. Remember the "wine" stuff someone else was referring to? think it was WZZZ. It showed up as consolewine. I double clicked on it to see where it was at on my HD, and it came up as a application that was running all this code. Pain in the butt to get it in the trash bin finally too because it wouldn't just drag over once I finally did find it buried deep in the HD, for some reason it wouldn't just go directly to where it was at on my HD by clicking on it. The other stuff I found went right to it and I could easily click and drag into trash. But not this consolewine thing. I am by no means a techno geek. Obviously. So take this for what it's worth. But nonetheless it freaked me out. Even the icon that came up with it said "WARNING!...." in a black box.

Sep 8, 2011 11:05 PM in response to Memoire

Yes, it was in fact HP that installed Growl for you. I read a week or so ago that under pressure from users they have agreed to pull it out, but my guess is that it will take them some time to substitute there own notification code.


It really is good, well-behaved software which I've used for years and it's too bad they have gotten a bad wrap from developers that are too lazy to write their own code.

I got a pop-up telling me to click on MacKeeper 911 to "clean my computer". I don't know anything about MacKeeper...is this legit or is it a scam / virus?

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