HT201276: Force an app to close on your Mac

Learn about Force an app to close on your Mac
Greenlife

Q: I went to the Obama Care health enrollmentsite and my computer suddenly went to a white screen and kept blinking.  It acted as if it had a virus.  I could not shut it down and finally had to FORCE QUIT.

I did a quick Google search to find the health care enrollment site.  I typed in obamacare enrollment, landed in what looked like a credible site and suddenly my computer acted as if it embarked upon a virus.  the screen went white and started blinking...acted as if it were extracting something.  I tried vigorously to shut down and could not.  Eventually I was able to force quit.  Hopefully all will be well when I turn it back in tomorrow.  Be careful!

MacBook Pro (13-inch Early 2011)

Posted on Dec 8, 2014 11:11 PM

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Q: I went to the Obama Care health enrollmentsite and my computer suddenly went to a white screen and kept blinking.  It acted a ... more

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  • by Kurt Lang,

    Kurt Lang Kurt Lang Dec 10, 2014 6:53 AM in response to Greenlife
    Level 8 (37,681 points)
    Dec 10, 2014 6:53 AM in response to Greenlife

    Despite having Java installed, there is no known malware for the Mac at this time which can exploit a browser which has Java enabled. Still, it's prudent to keep it off unless you actually need it on. Turn it on before you use Class Live Pro, and disable it as soon as you're done.

     

    Also, Java isn't the culprit in a pop up storm. That's caused by JavaScript (despite the similar name, Java and JavaScript have nothing to do with each other). The web site designer deliberately codes JavaScript commands into a page to automatically call and load yet more predetermined pages. When you close a page that popped up, there's also a JavaScript command to "do xxx on exit". Meaning when a page is closed, do xxx. Which they use to open yet another page as soon as you close one. They're all harmless, and just cause an extremely annoying cascade of unwanted web pages to fill the screen.

     

    Usually, you don't even have to do a force quit. Just open Safari's preferences and temporarily turn off JavaScript. Close all of the windows you don't want open, and back out of the page or close the tab that started it all, then turn JavaScript back on.

     

    YouTube and other sites remember when you click the speaker icon on a video to mute the sound. Even the next day, sound will remain muted until you click the icon again on any video. Not saying that's exactly what you did in this case, but is one possibility for YouTube.

  • by Greenlife,

    Greenlife Greenlife Dec 10, 2014 7:49 AM in response to Kurt Lang
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 10, 2014 7:49 AM in response to Kurt Lang

    Okay, thank you.

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