What is the best malware removal program out there for Snow Leopard?

Installing anti-malware after the fact is sort of pointless and a waste of effort.

Run through this list of fixes, disable all login items and don't run any third party programs (until they have been reinstalled from original clean sources after the malware scan later)

..Step by Step to fix your Mac

Create a new user account and transfer files (only) manually to the other accounts dropbox so they change permissions.

Of course backup files manually to a external drive (not only TimeMachine as it's infected also) before starting.

Once you have a purged OS X and a new user account, then install a free scanner like Virus Barrier Express and run a scan.

I doubt very much you have anything, but if there is anything left of the malware after doing all the above it's going to be in the Applications folder or the infected user account folder.

But you can't scan anything with a infected OS X, so that needs to be purged first.

Once the scan comes up clean, try reinstalling all your third party apps to fix them.

So it's likely your not infected, but rather there is a problem with your machines software or hardware.

Good Luck 🙂

There are many forms of ‘Malware’ that can affect a computer system, of which ‘a virus’ is but one type, ‘trojans’ another. Using the strict definition of a computer virus, no viruses that can attack OS X have so far been detected 'in the wild', i.e. in anything other than laboratory conditions. The same is not true of other forms of malware, such as Trojans. Whilst it is a fairly safe bet that your Mac will NOT be infected by a virus, it may have other security-related problem, but more likely a technical problem unrelated to any malware threat.

You may find this User Tip on Viruses, Trojan Detection and Removal, as well as general Internet Security and Privacy, useful: The User Tip seeks to offer guidance on the main security threats and how to avoid them.

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-2435

MacScan is absolutely worthless. See:

MacScan disappoints

What specific symptoms are you experiencing? Most likely, they are not the result of any kind of malware, and the IT folks who told you it was probably know a lot more about Windows than about the Mac.

Regarding the "going black," was the machine totally going dead, as if it had been turned off? Was this while on battery power or while plugged in? And this was from the login screen, with no users already logged in, correct?

soondoboo wrote:

my computer went black three consecutive times.

If it's a Mid 2010 15" it might be eligible for a few logicboard replacement.

MacBook Pro 15" Mid 2010 owners

You didn't answer any of the questions. We can't help you if you won't allow us to.

As I said, whatever you're experiencing is not likely to be the result of malware. For more information on the topic of malware, see my Mac Malware Guide:

http://www.thesafemac.com/mmg

And no, merely updating your system won't remove all malware, if you actually have any. There have been a few specific malware programs that have been removed by specific updates, but this is certainly not a universal thing.

What you describe sounds to me like hardware issues. There are a number of possibilities, but if this is an older MacBook Pro with internal battery, the battery could be swelling and putitng pressure on the keyboard and trackpad, resulting in spurious input that would cause files to open by themselves or passwords to fail to be entered correctly. I would contact Apple ASAP to get the machine checked out.

As for the ".files" - do you mean you were seeing a lot of files with periods ('.') at the beginning of their names, such as ".DS_Store"? If so, those are normal, but are supposed to be hidden. Sounds like your machine is, for some reason, showing invisible files.