Is MacBooster safe

Thanks, I spotted that too when I went back and re-run the installer, I guess I should have paid more attention, hopefully I will in future. This tactic just relies on people being so complacent about the constant nag screens that they just hit the 'Continue' button on autopilot, hence no MacBooster graphic to attract your attention.

I have seen this tactic on other installers, just can't remember where right now, but in my opinion it usually points to a desperate measure by the company involved. I think it's time to see how long I can manage without DivX.

You should voice that opinion on the DIVX forums, let them know.

It's more than that I think Paul, it's a betrayal of trust. We trust companies like DivX, and we think of them as reputable; so when I see an announcement of an update I just automatically go through the motions and it never occurs to me that a reputable software developer would do something like this. Hence my initial assumption that it was a fake installer or that the legitimate installer was somehow poisoned by a third party, in the way that MacKeeper and MacDefender hijack innocuous URLs to force download their crapware.

I was disappointed to discover that this was a tactic that had been endorsed by the primary software vendor and I wonder how long it will take other vendors - and I'm primarily thinking of the rapacious Adobe, who's Flash updates seem to hit my browsers on a daily basis - to cotton on, if we don't kick up a huge fuss about it.

Thinking back, I'm pretty sure DivX have been doing this for some time, but, from what I remember the previous installers were much more obvious about the 'Optional Installs', maybe they were even related to DivX products, unlike this time. I'm also pretty sure DivX are not alone in using this tactic, but I wish I could remember when I've seen this before.

In reality, I blame myself much more than DivX for being too complacent at the time of update, I was busy with another project and left the installer in the background, just switching screens and pressing 'Continue' to get the job done instead of looking more closely at what I was accepting responsibility for.

If this wasn't freeware, then I may be more inclined to complain, but I have no record of paying for it, so I realise it's them calling the shots and I should have been more aware, even if DivX is supposed to be a 'Reputable Vendor'.

DivX did indeed update. Time Machine shows my previous version as 10.2.6 (Build 11.3.4.80) and the updated version is 10.3.1 (Build 11.3.10.70). I downloaded the update again from the DivX site and it's the same 10.3.1 build.

Like you, I thought I'd been hijacked by some fake or piggy-backed installer, and I knew it was related to DivX because MacBooster launched immediately after the update finished installing. It's a relief that it wasn't a real security exploit, but it's certainly disturbing and a bit exploitative nonetheless.

I don't think DivX is really needed anymore (at least not for me), though the technology is licensed to be embedded and play in various TVs, mobile and console devices. On the Mac It's kind of like a hangover from the early web days when you installed a bunch of QuickTime plug-ins to view different video codecs in QuickTime. Flip4Mac, DivX and Xvid and Perian (both no longer developed for Mac OS X, though Perian seems to still work for some files through QuicKTime 7 in Yosemite). I just assumed it was still necessary for some reason. However a look into my Library/QuickTime folder shows none of those plug-ins, and any MKV and avi files can usually be handled by VLC, even on iOS and Android. Conversions of video to a standard or Apple friendly format can be handled by HandBrake, Macroplant's Adapter (my favourite), or MPEG Streamclip (best used with Apple's MPEG-2 Playback Component - US$19.99)

The DivX player app doesn't even use a proper Mac OS X interface (try opening a file from the File menu. The file browser is garbage!). I will be uninstalling DivX now, and telling them why.

TO UNINSTALL MACBOOSTER:

Quit MacBooster mini from the menubar applet if it's running (italic "B" in a circle)

You can Launch MacBooster 2 and choose "Uninstall MacBooster 2" from the Help menu, however it only gets rid of two User Library items, and then adds an item to /Library/LaunchDaemons. It doesn't even delete the main app!

To ensure you have removed all traces of MacBooster manually, trash these files and folders, then restart the computer:

At the top level of your hard drive:

/Applications/MacBooster 2.app

/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.iobit.AMCDaemon.plist

/Users/Shared/MacBooster (folder)

Also check in these folders for anything referencing iobit or MacBooster

Library/LaunchAgents

Library/StartupItems

In your /Users/username/Library folder (if this is not visible for you, in the Finder, open the Go menu and hold down the Option key to reveal and choose the Library menu item):

/Application Support/MacBooster (folder)

/Application Support/MacBooster 2 (folder)

/Caches/com.iobit.MacBooster-2 (folder)

/Caches/com.iobit.MacBooster-mini (folder)

/LaunchAgents/com.iobit.MacBoosterMini.plist

/Preferences/com.iobit.Boost2.plist

/Preferences/com.iobit.MacBooster-2.plist

/Preferences/com.iobit.MacBooster-mini.plist

/Saved Application State/com.iobit.MacBooster-2.savedState (folder)

TO UNINSTALL DIVX:

Launch Applications/DivX/Uninstall DivX for Mac.app. This will remove some (but not all) of the components below, and will leave your preferences and registration information intact. I've bolded the ones it doesn't delete, below.

To remove all traces of DivX manually, trash these files and folders, then restart the computer:

At the top level of your hard drive:

/Applications/DivX (folder)

/Applications/DivX Converter.app

/Applications/DivX Player.app

/Library/Application Support/DivX

/Library/Frameworks/DivX Toolkit.framework

/Library/Frameworks/DivXInstallerUtilities.framework

/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/DivX Web Player.plugin

/Library/LaunchAgents/com.divx.dms.agent.plist

/Library/LaunchAgents/com.divx.update.agent.plist

/Library/Preferences/com.divx.unique.hevc.plist

/Library/Preferences/com.divx.unique.plist

** ONLY DELETE THE FOLLOWING MANUALLY IF YOU'RE COMFORTABLE, WITH CAUTION AND DUE DILIGENCE. THE DIVX UNINSTALLER GETS RID OF THESE FOR YOU. **

In a file browser that can show you invisible files or using the Terminal if you're comfortable, from the top level of your hard drive go to /private/var/db/receipts/ and delete:

com.divx.divx6formacinstaller.bom

com.divx.divx6formacinstaller.plist

** END CAUTION **

In your /Users/username (Home) folder:

/Movies/DivX Movies (folder)

In your /Users/username/Library folder (if this is not visible for you, in the Finder, open the Go menu and hold down the Option key to reveal and choose the Library menu item):

/Application Support/DivX (folder)

/Caches/com.divx.DivXUpdate (folder)

/Preferences/com.divx.Converter.plist

/Preferences/com.divx.DivXMediaServer.plist

/Preferences/com.divx.DPC.plist

/Preferences/com.divx.Player.plist

/Preferences/com.divx.TranscodeEngine.plist

/Preferences/com.divx.TransferWizard.plist

/Preferences/com.divx.Update.plist

/Preferences/com.divx.WebPlayer.plist

/Saved Application State/com.divx.DivX_Player.savedState (folder)

/Saved Application State/com.divxinc.uninstalldivxformac.savedState (this is actually added when you use the uninstaller)

I found another file related to DivX

/Users/username/Library/Caches/com.DRYRxc.tAXdzkV/

It may not be exactly that for you. A look at the enclosed Cache.db file using TextWrangler or TextEdit shows many references to DivX and it has the same time stamp as the DivX install.

Double post

That's really useful, thanks.

Like you, I don't feel there is much use for DivX any longer. I've mostly used it in an attempt to produce compressed video files without loss of quality but I keep coming back to H.264 MP4 as being superior in both definition and compression level.

You're welcome!

Yeah, this is off topic, but HandBrake can do H.265 as well, though it takes ages and spikes the CPU to 80-90% or more on my iMac. Until there's more support for it, I'll be sticking to H.264.

I've found Handbrake to be pretty fast but I tend to just load it with a list of files then let it churn through them overnight or while I'm out at work. With no other apps running it's got the CPU al to itself. It's certainly faster than Mpeg streamclip. I tend to use streamclip for opening and editing Mpeg-2 files and Handbrake for the final transcoding work.

It looks like DivX is going the same route that many free programs seem to be going... bundling adware and junkware. The DivX installer looks just like a number of adware installers I've seen, but it doesn't seem to actually be installing any adware in my testing. It does offer a variety of junkware, apparently depending on location. (I've had it offer both MacBooster and ZipCloud, both completely junk apps, depending on what network I was connected to.)

Although I have not yet coaxed any adware out of the installer, its installer has exactly the same interface as installers that do install adware, and that change their behaviors to try to avoid analysis. I would have to say that you can no longer trust DivX, and should use something else from now on.

Oy, I found another file!

Top level of your hard drive: /Library/Application Support/AMC/AMCDaemon. Delete the AMC folder and restart the computer.

I saw someone mentioning that folder on another MacBooster thread, but in /username/Library/Application Support so check there too.

I've been having some problems with iTunes account or iTunes store connectivity persistence, most recently error -9858 or something, I can't remember exactly, but it falls in the range of iTunes errors on this Apple Support page Resolve issues between iTunes and third-party security software - Apple Support

So I figured it may have to do with MacBooster. The only Google search results related AMCDaemon are in the context of iobit (MacBooster) and in the context of people's Macs running slow, so it's probably safe to delete it.

Anyone coming here looking for info on MacBooster, here's my analysis of what it sneaks into your system:

/Applications/MacBooster 3.app

/Users/Shared/MacBooster/FileData3

/Users/Shared/MacBooster/Boost3.plist

/Users/Shared/MacBooster

/Library/Caches/AMCExtractByte

/Library/Caches/AMCInstallTemp.txt

/Library/Application Support/AMC

/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.iobit.AMCDaemon.plist

~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.iobit.MacBoosterMini.plist

~/Library/Application Support/ErrorReporter

~/Library/Application Support/MacBooster

~/Library/Application Support/MacBooster 3.0

~/Library/Preferences/cryptFile3

~/Library/Preferences/com.iobit.Boost3.plist

~/Library/Preferences/com.iobit.MacBooster-3.plist

~/Library/Preferences/com.iobit.MacBooster-mini.plist

Do I consider that safe? No. Not by a long chalk. The uninstaller also is not to be trusted as it leaves executables in place on your system.

Good suggestion, efficient (short) and vague, easy to spell, perfect for this type of junk.

Hooray! I got permission to upload the video to my own personal YouTube page. So if you want to see me ("Joe") getting scammed by an IOBit rep, here it is:

IOBit scam - YouTube