Why is it when i right click and choose options in finder, they are coming up as numbers and letters?
iMac (21.5-inch Late 2009), Mac OS X (10.6.8)
this is strange. does this happen in a different user account or safe boot?
38 replies
Don't have a different user account. How do i safe boot?
hi,
please refer to this article, http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1455
to create a new user account, http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.6/en/8235.html
Thank you, i'll give it a go.
update us if it is happening on a new user account or in safe mode.
safe mode can help us tell if it is caused by third party app running on start up and creating a new user account is to check if it is a system wide issue or not.
Ok tried safe mode and it was still happening.
It's working fine when i switch user!!
Do you have any suggestions what to do, now that we know it's a system wide issue?
Wild (and quite possibly wrong) guess. Have you installed MacKeeper?
Any suggestions are better than nothing 🙂 no i haven't. what is it?
sorry for the late reply. on my way home and replying on a mobile phone.
since it working on a different user account, it is an issue confined only to your user account.
we need to check which preference file is causing this. i'm gonna suggest we do a split half search.
create a new folder on your desktop and name it back up.
click on the finder icon: click on the home icon: then click on library and open the preferences folder.
copy the contents of preferences to the back up folder
empty the preferences folder
restart your computer
I hate to say this (and I don't get to say it often here) but I believe you have the Flashback trojan probably from downloading Adobe flash from a non secure site.
Some other discussions on this:
Drop down menus changed to numbers
finder corrupt? - Strange characters in menu
Oh my god. The same EXACT thing happened to me. I didn't have this problem until I turned off my laptop this morning, came home and now I just turned it on and it's like that. I have no idea how to fix this. HELP!?
Ok i have done all of the above and restarted. It is still showing up with numbers and letters.
Hmm that's weird. I have a bought version of adobe flash.
See my post above.
Read those links to help fix this problem.
Some links on this topic:
INTEGO SECURITY MEMO: Mac Flashback Trojan Horse Masquerades as Flash Player Installer Package
Latest Adobe Flash Trojan for OS X gets revised
Another OS X Trojan imitates Adobe Flash installer
And google "adobe flash trojan".
And here's a link to google this topic just within these apple discussions.
Why is it when i right click and choose options in finder, they are coming up as numbers and letters?