Tagine1

Q: It's something to do with pressing an indexing button in error. Now my Dad's Mac book keeps opening random email pages and can't stop.

My Dad is 92 and doesn't see very well. He was writing on his Mac book and a button came up on his desktop that asked him to open files - and he said yes, not really understanding.  When I went to check,  I thought at first that the Mac was attempting to index dad's computer, but in reality, all that was happening was emails were all being opened randomly and stacking on the desktop. You could not stop it except to force quit. I restarted the computer and the whole process occurred again. What's going on?

iMac, Mac OS X (10.6), bought June 2012

Posted on Oct 24, 2014 8:48 PM

Close

Q: It's something to do with pressing an indexing button in error. Now my Dad's Mac book keeps opening random email pages and can't s ... more

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by gail from maine,

    gail from maine gail from maine Oct 24, 2014 8:54 PM in response to Tagine1
    Level 7 (27,041 points)
    iCloud
    Oct 24, 2014 8:54 PM in response to Tagine1

    I have put out a call to our experts! Hopefully they will get back to you soon

     

    Cheers,

     

    GB

  • by Kappy,

    Kappy Kappy Oct 24, 2014 8:58 PM in response to Tagine1
    Level 10 (271,811 points)
    Desktops
    Oct 24, 2014 8:58 PM in response to Tagine1

    See if there's any help in this:

     

    Helpful Links Regarding Malware Problems

     

    If you are having an immediate problem with ads popping up see The Safe Mac » Adware Removal Guide and AdwareMedic.

     

    Open Safari, select Preferences from the Safari menu. Click on Extensions icon in the toolbar. Disable all Extensions. If this stops your problem, then re-enable them one by one until the problem returns. Now remove that extension as it is causing the problem.

     

    The following comes from user stevejobsfan0123. I have made minor changes to adapt to this presentation.

     

    Fix Some Browser Pop-ups That Take Over Safari.

     

    Common pop-ups include a message saying the government has seized your computer and you must pay to have it released (often called "Moneypak"), or a phony message saying that your computer has been infected, and you need to call a tech support number (sometimes claiming to be Apple) to get it resolved. First, understand that these pop-ups are not caused by a virus and your computer has not been affected. This "hijack" is limited to your web browser. Also understand that these messages are scams, so do not pay any money, call the listed number, or provide any personal information. This article will outline the solution to dismiss the pop-up.

     

    Quit Safari

     

    Usually, these pop-ups will not go away by either clicking "OK" or "Cancel." Furthermore, several menus in the menu bar may become disabled and show in gray, including the option to quit Safari. You will likely have to force quit Safari. To do this, press Command + option + esc, select Safari, and press Force Quit.

     

    Relaunch Safari

     

    If you relaunch Safari, the page will reopen. To prevent this from happening, hold down the 'Shift' key while opening Safari. This will prevent windows from the last time Safari was running from reopening.

     

    This will not work in all cases. The shift key must be held at the right time, and in some cases, even if done correctly, the window reappears. In these circumstances, after force quitting Safari, turn off Wi-Fi or disconnect Ethernet, depending on how you connect to the Internet. Then relaunch Safari normally. It will try to reload the malicious webpage, but without a connection, it won't be able to. Navigate away from that page by entering a different URL, i.e. www.apple.com, and trying to load it. Now you can reconnect to the Internet, and the page you entered will appear rather than the malicious one.

    An excellent link to read is Tom Reed's Mac Malware Guide.

    Also, visit The XLab FAQs and read Detecting and avoiding malware and spyware.

    See these Apple articles:

     

      Mac OS X Snow Leopard and malware detection

      OS X Lion- Protect your Mac from malware

      OS X Mountain Lion- Protect your Mac from malware

      OS X Mavericks- Protect your Mac from malware

      About file quarantine in OS X

     

    If you require anti-virus protection Thomas Reed recommends using ClamXAV. (Thank you to Thomas Reed for this recommendation.)

     

    From user Joe Bailey comes this equally useful advice:

     

    The facts are:

     

    1. There is no anti-malware software that can detect 100% of the malware out there.

    2. There is no anti-malware that can detect everything targeting the Mac.

    3. The very best way to prevent the most attacks is for you as the user to be aware that

         the most successful malware attacks rely on very sophisticated social engineering

         techniques preying on human avarice, ****, and fear.

    4. Internet popups saying the FBI, NSA, Microsoft, your ISP has detected malware on

        your computer is intended to entice you to install their malware thinking it is a

        protection against malware.

    5. Some of the anti-malware products on the market are worse than the malware

        from which they purport to protect you.

    6. Be cautious where you go on the internet.

    7. Only download anything from sites you know are safe.

    8. Avoid links you receive in email, always be suspicious even if you get something

        you think is from a friend, but you were not expecting.

    9. If there is any question in your mind, then assume it is malware.

  • by gail from maine,

    gail from maine gail from maine Oct 24, 2014 9:02 PM in response to Kappy
    Level 7 (27,041 points)
    iCloud
    Oct 24, 2014 9:02 PM in response to Kappy

    Thank you buddy! You are the best

     

    GB

  • by MadMacs0,

    MadMacs0 MadMacs0 Oct 24, 2014 10:28 PM in response to Tagine1
    Level 5 (4,801 points)
    Oct 24, 2014 10:28 PM in response to Tagine1

    What model MacBook and running what OS X?

     

    Does he use Apple Mail as his e-mail reader, Safari or something else?

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Oct 24, 2014 11:11 PM in response to Tagine1
    Level 10 (208,037 points)
    Applications
    Oct 24, 2014 11:11 PM in response to Tagine1

    Quit the application. Force quit if necessary.

    Relaunch it by holding down the shift key and clicking its icon in the Dock.