Mackeeper

Many payware Mac AV programs cause more harm than good. Two freeware packages that work quite well without tying an anchor to your computer are ClamXav and Sophos (links):

ClamXav

Free Antivirus for Mac - Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac Home Edition

Any pop-up that tells you that there are umpteen viruses on your Mac are scareware/scamware and must be avoided. See this Apple article:

How to avoid or remove Mac Defender malware

Remember that there are no known viruses in the wild that affect Macs, but the scamware can. I know ClamXav has been updated to fight this and I believe Sophos has also added it to their "not welcome" definitions.

rm44 wrote:

Is this any good?

What do you need it to do? There are options.

MacKeeper = MacDefender malware.. Mackeeper is malware in disguise. Destroy it before it destroys your mac.

romko23 wrote:

MacKeeper = MacDefender malware.. Mackeeper is malware in disguise. Destroy it before it destroys your mac.

That's not true, there is a legitimate commercial software package available from http://mackeeper.zeobit.com/ as well as from Apple http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/networking_security/mackeeper.html. There could well be a version of MacDefender masquerading as MacKeeper out there, but I track this very closely and nobody has yet submitted such a package to the AV community for evaluation (I just checked again), so I doubt that is true, either.

I have observed a web page several weeks ago which used the MacKeeper 911 artwork in an attempt to convince people to download the MacDefender Trojan, but that's it so far.

OTOH, the legit MacKeeper has been known to do permanent damage to the Mac OS in the process of "helping to clean it up," so your last sentence could have some merit. All users should be cautioned to be careful whenever using software that offers to clean your Mac.

Before you start using software to speed up your Mac, you should first check to see that you have done everything you need to do on the hardware side. If you haven't maxed out the amount of RAM you have installed, do that first as it will have the greatest impact. If your hard drive is more than 80% full, upgrade to a larger (and possibly faster) hard drive.

Others may have other favorites, but I tend to use OnyX http://www.titanium.free.fr/download.php and AppleJack http://applejack.sourceforge.net/ to cure mysterious issues. The former is a standard self-contained utility whereas the latter only runs in Single User mode, so read the instructions if you want to use that one. Both are freeware. MacKeeper will cost you $39.

Problem with Scheduled Anti-Virus: I've had this product for about two months and worked with CHAT support a number of times to try and get the scheduler to work. Nothing seems to help. I've logged a request for a support call and expect them tomorrow if they answer as promised. There was no option for requesting time of day and I am not going to wait around all day like waiting for a plumber or electrician, so I hope they call while I am home.

Problem with Time Machine and Anti-Virus Scan: One really nasty problem has been that when I run Anti-Virus and request only my iMAC hard drive it goes ahead and scans Time Machine as well. I guess once is ok, but when I choose what to select, my Time Machine Volume shows up at the same level as my iMac HD and I do not select it.

SCAN Doesn't clean everything first pass. This came as a surprise but I ran SCAN (file clean-up feature) a second time and it immediately found additional files. Once it took three scans to rid everything (on the fourth time it showed clean. So that causes me to wonder if it really is doing a very good job at all, flashy displays not withstanding

Overall Impression of this software: I worked in a corporate IT department developing (PCs and client server - no MFs) configuring, installing and training for many years before retiring. I never owned a computer at home as I didn't want to work on one after hours. Then I was introduced to an iMac and I love them. I thought I had left buggy software behind. Now with MacKeeper I found a software that is not ready for release with inadequate and undertrained support staff. If they do not get the problems solved tomorrow (assuming they call while I am home) then this software is in the trash! Many have posted on their forum H@ uninstall as they do not provide a button, instructions on the web and moving to the trash doesn't do it by itself. As with most buggy software it looks like a patchwork quilt with a lot of loose ends. If anyone is wondering -- avoid this software!

A few other things about MacKeeper.

1. I was told that in order for anti-virus scheduler to work then Real Time Protection had to be enabled. This is their product that checks for virus in mail, safari etc.
2. Also, Auto Update has to be set to on.
3. Finally, in order for MacKeeper to run you must be connected to the internet and logged into your MacKepper account.

Any maintenance software that cannot stand alone is suspect form the start. Having to enable certain features just to be able to run others speaks volumes about the design of this product or more accurately, the lack of it. MacKeeper appears to be one big kludge. Avoid it.

If you (or someone using your computer) so much as clicks on an offer for MacKeeper, you are entering the gates of computer ****. "Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate" or "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here."

After the offer was clicked on, (MacKeeper was never purchased or activated) my laptop (only 6 months old) began running slower and slower, and hotter and hotter. Safari started crashing and then Firefox was not responding. And then funny things began happening to my OS. Went to an Authorized Mac Service provider and *they* were not able to trash the program, because it infiltrates and imbeds itself in so many places. They called MacKeeper malware.

I've spent two days trying to find out how to remove it and get things back to a pre-MacKeeper state. Reinstalled my OS and all of the software updates and finally, after a search and destroy mission for anything with derivatives of com.zeobit.MacKeeper, I am back to a faster and cooler running computer.

Burn in Dante's Inferno forever MacKeeper!

Final: I had requested a full refund from Zeo-bit about a month ago. Never heard a reply. I started a thread on their web site about all the problems I have had and the inane things they have done with this software. This caught the attention of someone with enough stroke to give me my money back. My advice to others is to ask for a refund. Sooner or later they will get the message. By the way --- they did include a removal facility, but it is hidden. Once you dump it to trash, a message comes up and asks if you would like to un-install MacKeeper. It does!

I had checked their boards and came up with a number of posts that had identified all the pieces that had to be deleted. I checked and everyone of them was gone. Scanned for anything with "zeo" and "macKeep" in the name and found nothing. The nagging piece that regenerated itself and seen in the Activity monitor was also gone.

Finally, peace!

To Completely Uninstall and Remove Zeobit's MacKeeper

Download and Install AppCleaner

Download and Install Find Any File

Run AppCleaner

1. Click on Applications
2. Select MacKeeper
3. Click on Search
4. Select all results
5. Click on Delete

Run Find Any File

1. Search for zeobit
2. Select and Delete all results (except for those already in the Trash)
3. Search for mackeeper
4. Select and Delete all results (except for those already in the Trash)

Open Up Keychain Access

1. Search for zeobit
   
2. Select and Delete all results
3. Search for mackeeper
4. Select and Delete all results

Secure Empty Trash

Reboot

Unless you perform all of these steps, you'll have remnants of Zeobit's MacKeeper app. I had installed MacKeeper several weeks ago, when I had accidentally deleted some files on my Mac -- hoping to use their "undelete" feature. This was when my nightmare began. Even after using AppCleaner to remove it, there were still some background processes that were running every 10 seconds. While probably harmless, this adds unnnecessary strain on the Mac.

The key was also using Find Any File and delete any entries in the Keychain Access.

Download Links

• AppCleaner - http://appcleaner.en.softonic.com/mac
• Find Any File - http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/30079/find-any-file

I hope this helps! 🙂

Frank

Nice one Frank...

After instaIling 911 Bundle (Mac keeper light version) I have never used it much, but then I realised some application such as word were running much slower.

I have followed your instructions and it seems like I got rid of the software and all file related to it.

Thanks so much for your advise.

Chris