I am having problems getting into ICloud and Mail etc from System Preferences. Do I have a virus or malware problem?

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Level 1

11 points

I am having problems getting into ICloud and Mail etc from System Preferences. Do I have a virus or malware problem?

A few months ago, I had a problem with my Mail app going offline constantly. Since then, for no apparent reason, that problem has gone away and another has taken its place. Now I cannot get into ICloud or Mail, etc. from my System Preferences on my MacBook Pro. Do I have a virus or malware? Should I immediately take my notebook in for repair or can I wait a couple of weeks until I return home?

Mac Notebook

Posted on Aug 27, 2013 3:55 AM

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Answer 1

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arthur

Level 5

5,242 points

Aug 27, 2013 4:58 AM in response to Bocamama

Probably not a virus or malware, as both are relatively rare on Macs.

Probably not a hardware problem that requires "repair".

This is probably a software problem that can be fixed with a little thought and routine maintenance maneuvers and troubleshooting.

Here are some basic troubleshooting and maintenance maneuvers:

1. restarting your computer

2. repairing your hard drive When to Run First Aid in Mountain Lion's Disk Utility - For Dummies

3. repairing permissions About Disk Utility's Repair Disk Permissions feature

4. starting up in safe mode OS X Mountain Lion: Start up in safe mode

5. a test user account Isolating an issue by using another user account

If you are not comfortable with this then you could take it in to your local "geniuses" at the Apple store. You could certainly wait a few weeks. Make sure you have a backup of any important documents that you don't want to lose, first.

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Answer 2

Bocamama Author

Level 1

11 points

Aug 27, 2013 5:43 AM in response to arthur

In dire fear, I performed the first three suggested troubleshooting measures.

1. No change in computer.

2. No problems with Disk

3. Tons of problems with Permissions. Repaired and re-booted.

Result: ICloud and Mail under System Permissions still shuts down System Permissions. I went through all the other icons, and all of the others work perfectly. It's just these two.

Since you believe it is not a virus or malware, I think I will wait a few weeks and take it into the geniuses and let them have a look at it. Thank you for your suggestions.

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