I have a decompression bomb in hidden folder /.MobileBackups. I cannot open the folder even though I am the administrator. How to I delete the bad file? Bob
MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.8)
If you hold down the Option key and open the Go menu from Finder, do you see it then?
Allan
I don't know what it is you're trying to delete so you do this on your own head. If you're absolutely sure the file should go, and if you know the exact path to the file, open Terminal and type
sudo rm -rf
type a space after the 'f', and then continue the same line with the file's path. Double check your writing for typos, then press 'return' when you're satisfied it's correct.
You will be asked for your admin password, which won't echo when you type it on the screen, so type carefully.
Terminal
defaults write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles YES
Holding the Option and key and using the Go memu did not help.
Let me clarify a bit. My anti-virus software posts warnings as it scans for viruses. It tells me there is a decompression bomb in /.MobileBackups/Computer/2012-05-27
143316/Volume/Users/robertpage/.Trash/MKDrivers.bundle/Contents/Resources/bootro ot.loader|>bootroot.loader.dmg
There is also a number of files with errors and several that are corrupt.
On my last scan, I found two of these bombs; one with a normal address string that I knew and understood and this second one. I deleted the first and thought it a good idea to get rid of the second. Maybe that is a bad idea. I need advice. Bob
Empty the Trash normally from the Dock, then go into Terminal and paste this
sudo rm -rf ~/.Trash
press 'return' on the keyboard and enter the password as I said before.
Message was edited by: softwater
Don't touch anything in that folder. You can delete it by disabling local Time Machine snapshots, then re-enabling them.
Launch the Terminal application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ If you’re running Mac OS X 10.7 or later, open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the page that opens.
Drag or copy — do not type — the following line into the Terminal window, then press return:
sudo tmutil disablelocal
You'll be prompted for your login password, which won't be displayed when you type it. You may get a one-time warning not to screw up. If you don’t have a login password, you’ll need to set one before you can run the command.
To re-enable:
sudo tmutil enablelocal
The file is a .dmg in the Trash...why is it necessary to disable local snapshots?
The file is not in the Trash.
Linc,
That was slick! Just did a new virus scan and all warnings on /.MobileBackups are gone. Two comments:
Thank you very much for the help.
Bob
I don't know what a "decompression bomb" is, but I do know that commercial "anti-virus" software is useless, or worse, on a Mac. It will almost certainly cost you far more in lost productivity than actual malware will. I suggest you get rid of it.
Linc,
Well, certainly after today, I've got to respect your expertise. I will only say that I have had one virus on my Mac and I try to be conservative enough to not repeat that. I certainly enjoy my Mac and one reason is the lack of viruses. However, there are a few around.
By the way, a decompression bomb is stacked or cascaded zip files that look like an innocent file that is handled normally by your computer. Unfortunately, when you unzip it, all the files unzip to several terabites of data that choke your memory and hard drive.
Again, thank you very much for helping me out today.
Bob
For what it's worth, I just found and downloaded what was supposed to be an example of a "decompression bomb," and it didn't expand at all.
I also found that the only point of such a file is to disable anti-virus software.
Linc,
Again, thank you very much for your help.
I take it from your comments that I should not worry too much about the other corrupted files and errors reported in my hidden files.
However, again, if you can give me a reference to understand what we did today using Terminal mode, I'd appreciate it.
Bob
Ahh yes. Got it. Thanks.
Access to Hidden files.
