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MacBook Pro has virus and has no recovery HD

Okay so I have a 2011 MacBook Pro and I have a virus(called apple support, the virus wouldn't let me download 123helpme), my dock and menu bar are missing. I looked up a few videos on how to factory reset the laptop and they all said I need a "Recovery HD", I tried the power button and option key method, only to get "Macintosh HD", I also tried the command-R method, still no "Recovery HD" I don't know what to do. Can anyone help me?

Posted on May 27, 2015 7:09 PM

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3 replies

May 27, 2015 7:15 PM in response to Tracythatkid

What Mac OS X are you running?


If 10.6 or older, it does not have a Recovery_HD. Instead, the Utilities you need and the system re-installer are on the Installer/Utilities DVD.


Boot from the DVD, but do not proceed with the Install. answer only the "what Language" question and no more. Wait a quarter minute for the MenuBar to be drawn, then choose what you need (probably Disk Utility) from the Utilities Menu.


If you cannot find your old DVD, you can buy a 10.6.3 DVD from the Apple online store for US$20.

May 27, 2015 7:51 PM in response to Tracythatkid

It's not a virus. Most likely, it's a Web scam that only affects your browser, and only temporarily. There are several ways to recover.

1. Some of those scam pages can be dismissed very easily. Press the key combination command-W to close the tab or window. A huge box will pop up. Press the return key and both the box and the page will close. If that doesn't happen, continue.

2. Press and hold command-W. You may hear repeating alert sounds. While holding the keys, click the OK button in the popup. A different popup may appear, which you can cancel out of as usual.

3. From the Safari menu bar, select

Safari ▹ Preferences... ▹ Security

and uncheck the box marked Enable JavaScript. Leave the preferences dialog open.

Close the malicious window or tab.

Re-enable JavaScript and close the preferences dialog.

4. If the Preferences menu item is grayed out, quit Safari. Force quit if necessary. Relaunch it by holding down the shift key and clicking its icon in the Dock. None of the windows and tabs will reopen.

After closing the malicious page, from the menu bar, select

Safari Preferences... Privacy Remove All Website Data

to get rid of any cookies or other data left by the server. Open your Downloads folder and delete anything you don't recognize.

May 28, 2015 7:45 AM in response to Tracythatkid

Tracythatkid wrote:


Okay so I have a 2011 MacBook Pro and I have a virus(called apple support, the virus wouldn't let me download 123helpme)


You don't actually have a virus. From the sounds of it, you're seeing a tech support scam trying to scare you into calling a phone number. See:


Tech support scam pop-ups


Did you actually call the phone number, and if so, did you follow the directions the scammers on the phone gave you? If so, you may have compromised your system. See the notes in the above link relating to that.


I looked up a few videos on how to factory reset the laptop and they all said I need a "Recovery HD", I tried the power button and option key method, only to get "Macintosh HD", I also tried the command-R method, still no "Recovery HD" I don't know what to do. Can anyone help me?


You may or may not be able to use recovery mode, depending on your hardware and the version of Mac OS X you're using. If you actually need to reinstall the system, after reading the information above, you may want to call Apple directly for support, and/or make an appointment at the Genius Bar at your nearest Apple Store for assistance.

MacBook Pro has virus and has no recovery HD

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