A
Remove "NetBarrier" and/or "VirusBarrier" by following the instructions on this page. If you have a different version, the procedure may be different.
Back up all data before making any changes.
B
Some of your user files (not system files) have incorrect permissions or are locked. This procedure will unlock those files and reset their ownership, permissions, and access controls to the default. If you've intentionally set special values for those attributes, they will be reverted. In that case, either stop here, or be prepared to recreate the settings if necessary. Do so only after verifying that those settings didn't cause the problem. If none of this is meaningful to you, you don't need to worry about it, but you do need to follow the instructions below.
Back up all data before proceeding.
Step 1
If you have more than one user, and the one in question is not an administrator, then go to Step 2.
Enter the following command in the Terminal window in the same way as before (triple-click, copy, and paste):
sudo find ~ $TMPDIR.. -exec chflags -h nouchg,nouappnd,noschg,nosappnd {} + -exec chown -h $UID {} + -exec chmod +rw {} + -exec chmod -h -N {} + -type d -exec chmod -h +x {} + 2>&-
You'll be prompted for your login password, which won't be displayed when you type it. Type carefully and then press return. You may get a one-time warning to be careful. If you don’t have a login password, you’ll need to set one before you can run the command. If you see a message that your username "is not in the sudoers file," then you're not logged in as an administrator.
The command may take several minutes to run, depending on how many files you have. Wait for a new line ending in a dollar sign ($) to appear, then quit Terminal.
Step 2 (optional)
Take this step only if you have trouble with Step 1, if you prefer not to take it, or if it doesn't solve the problem.
Start up in Recovery mode. When the OS X Utilities screen appears, select
Utilities ▹ Terminal
from the menu bar. A Terminal window will open. In that window, type this:
resetp
Press the tab key. The partial command you typed will automatically be completed to this:
resetpassword
Press return. A Reset Password window will open. You’re not going to reset a password.
Select your startup volume ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name) if not already selected.
Select your username from the menu labeled Select the user account if not already selected.
Under Reset Home Directory Permissions and ACLs, click the Reset button.
Select
▹ Restart
from the menu bar.
C
Back up all data.
Run the following command in the same way as before. It moves to the Trash "semaphore" files that have not been cleaned up by the system and may be interfering with normal operation. The files are empty; they contain no data. There will be no output this time.
find L*/{Con*/*/Data/L*/,}Pref* -type f -size 0c -name *.plist.??????? -exec mv {} .Trash/ \; 2>&-
Log out or restart the computer and empty the Trash.
D
Back up all data before proceeding.
Launch the Font Book application and validate all fonts. You must select the fonts in order to validate them. See the built-in help and this support article for instructions. If Font Book finds any issues, resolve them.
Start up in safe mode to rebuild the font caches. Restart as usual and test.
Note: If FileVault is enabled in OS X 10.9 or earlier, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a software RAID, you can’t start in safe mode. In that case, ask for instructions.
If you still have problems, then from the Font Book menu bar, select
File ▹ Restore Standard Fonts...
You'll be prompted to confirm, and then to enter your administrator login password.
Also note that if you deactivate or remove any built-in fonts, for instance by using a third-party font manager, the system may become unstable.
E
Back up all data. Quit System Preferences if it's running.
Triple-click anywhere in the line below on this page to select it, then copy the text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C:
~/Library/Preferences/ByHost
In the Finder, select
Go ▹ Go to Folder...
from the menu bar. Paste into the box that opens (command-V), then press return. A folder named "ByHost" should open. Look inside it for a files with a long name that begins "com.apple." Move them all to the Trash.
Log out or restart the computer. Empty the Trash.
F
Storing many files on the Desktop may slow down the Finder, especially if the files have custom icons. Move most or all of the files to another subfolder of your home folder.
G
The folder named "Developer" at the top level of the startup volume is part of an obsolete installation of Xcode and is wasting a lot of storage space. Either follow the instructions to remove Xcode completely, or at least drag that folder to the Trash and empty.
