How do you check for viruses?

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Level 1

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How do you check for viruses?

I've had my MacBook Pro for about four years. It's been great but lately I've been getting the spinning beach ball CONSTANTLY. My computer is always running very slow. Sometimes restarting helps, for a while, then it slows down again. I've run diagnostics, which it always passes. I've checked the storage and memory. Both are fine. I know Macs don't experience virus attacks like PCs do, but I also know we're not immune. How dow you check for viruses? Is there a reliable utility software I can get?

Help!

MacBook Pro, OS X Yosemite (10.10.3)

Posted on Jul 7, 2015 12:25 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

dominic23

Level 10

83,916 points

Jul 7, 2015 12:26 PM in response to drobin8132

Can you run EtreCheck and post the report here please?

EtreCheck: https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6173

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Answer 2

OGELTHORPE

Level 9

57,305 points

Jul 7, 2015 12:28 PM in response to drobin8132

drobin8132 wrote:

Is there a reliable utility software I can get?

No, there really isn't.

Download and post an Etrecheck report:

http://www.etresoft.com/etrecheck

It will be a good place to start from in order to determine what the problems may be.

Ciao.

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Answer 3

drobin8132 Author

Level 1

0 points

Jul 7, 2015 2:25 PM in response to dominic23

Here's the report:

Problem description:

My computer is running very slowly. I CONSTANTLY get the spinning beach ball while the computer is thinking, choking, whatever. Ran diagnostics, and it passed. Memory and storage seem fine. iPad and iPhone run fine on my home wi-fi network, so that can’t be the problem (or can it?)

Help?

EtreCheck version: 2.2 (132)

Report generated 7/7/15, 5:05 PM

Download EtreCheck from http://etresoft.com/etrecheck

Click the [Click for support] links for help with non-Apple products.

Click the [Click for details] links for more information about that line.

Hardware Information: ℹ️

MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2010) (Technical Specifications)

MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro6,2

1 2.4 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU: 2-core

4 GB RAM Upgradeable

BANK 0/DIMM0

2 GB DDR3 1067 MHz ok

BANK 1/DIMM0

2 GB DDR3 1067 MHz ok

Bluetooth: Old - Handoff/Airdrop2 not supported

Wireless: en1: 802.11 a/b/g/n

Battery: Health = Normal - Cycle count = 514 - SN = W0017PLQVBX0A

Video Information: ℹ️

Intel HD Graphics

Color LCD 1440 x 900

NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M - VRAM: 256 MB

System Software: ℹ️

OS X 10.10.3 (14D136) - Time since boot: 3:31:5

Disk Information: ℹ️

Hitachi HTS545050B9SA02 disk0 : (500.11 GB)

EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB

Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted> [Recovery]: 650 MB

Macintosh HD (disk1) / : 498.88 GB (366.90 GB free)

Encrypted AES-XTS Unlocked

Core Storage: disk0s2 499.25 GB Online

MATSHITADVD-R UJ-898

USB Information: ℹ️

Apple Inc. iPhone

Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad

Apple Internal Memory Card Reader

Apple Inc. BRCM2070 Hub

Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

Fitbit Inc. Fitbit Base Station

Apple Inc. Built-in iSight

Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver

Gatekeeper: ℹ️

Mac App Store and identified developers

Kernel Extensions: ℹ️

/Incompatible Software/Parallels Service.app

[not loaded] com.parallels.kext.prl_hid_hook (6.0 12106.692267) [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.parallels.kext.prl_hypervisor (6.0 12106.692267) [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.parallels.kext.prl_netbridge (6.0 12106.692267) [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.parallels.kext.prl_usb_connect (6.0 12106.692267) [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.parallels.kext.prl_vnic (6.0 12106.692267) [Click for support]

Problem System Launch Agents: ℹ️

[killed] com.apple.AirPlayUIAgent.plist

[killed] com.apple.CallHistoryPluginHelper.plist

[killed] com.apple.CallHistorySyncHelper.plist

[killed] com.apple.cloudphotosd.plist

[killed] com.apple.cmfsyncagent.plist

[killed] com.apple.coreservices.appleid.authentication.plist

[killed] com.apple.icloud.fmfd.plist

[killed] com.apple.Maps.pushdaemon.plist

[killed] com.apple.photolibraryd.plist

[killed] com.apple.recentsd.plist

[killed] com.apple.SafariCloudHistoryPushAgent.plist

[killed] com.apple.SafariNotificationAgent.plist

[killed] com.apple.sbd.plist

[killed] com.apple.scopedbookmarkagent.xpc.plist

14 processes killed due to memory pressure

Problem System Launch Daemons: ℹ️

[killed] com.apple.awdd.plist

[killed] com.apple.coresymbolicationd.plist

[killed] com.apple.ctkd.plist

[killed] com.apple.diagnosticd.plist

[killed] com.apple.icloud.findmydeviced.plist

[killed] com.apple.ifdreader.plist

[killed] com.apple.nehelper.plist

[killed] com.apple.sandboxd.plist

[killed] com.apple.softwareupdated.plist

[killed] com.apple.tccd.system.plist

[killed] com.apple.wdhelper.plist

[killed] org.cups.cupsd.plist

12 processes killed due to memory pressure

Launch Daemons: ℹ️

[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist [Click for support]

[running] com.fitbit.galileod.plist [Click for support]

User Launch Agents: ℹ️

[loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist [Click for support]

[failed] com.apple.CSConfigDotMacCert-[...]@me.com-SharedServices.Agent.plist [Click for details]

[loaded] com.citrixonline.GoToMeeting.G2MUpdate.plist [Click for support]

[loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist [Click for support]

[loaded] net.optimum.iptv.optimumapp.agent.v3.plist [Click for support]

User Login Items: ℹ️

iTunesHelper UNKNOWN Hidden (missing value)

AdobeResourceSynchronizer Application Hidden (/Applications/Adobe Reader.app/Contents/Support/AdobeResourceSynchronizer.app)

Dropbox Application (/Applications/Dropbox.app)

Fitbit Connect Menubar Helper Application (/Applications/Fitbit Connect.app/Contents/MacOS/Fitbit Connect Menubar Helper.app)

EvernoteHelper Application (/Applications/Evernote.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/EvernoteHelper.app)

Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️

Google Earth Web Plug-in: Version: 6.0 [Click for support]

Default Browser: Version: 600 - SDK 10.10

OfficeLiveBrowserPlugin: Version: 12.3.6 [Click for support]

NP_2020Player_WEB: Version: 5.0.9.0 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: Version: 10.1.14 [Click for support]

WidevineMediaOptimizer: Version: 6.0.0.12757 - SDK 10.7 [Click for support]

FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 18.0.0.194 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

Silverlight: Version: 5.1.30514.0 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

Flash Player: Version: 18.0.0.194 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3

iPhotoPhotocast: Version: 7.0

AdobePDFViewer: Version: 10.1.14 [Click for support]

User internet Plug-ins: ℹ️

CitrixOnlineWebDeploymentPlugin: Version: 1.0.105 [Click for support]

Safari Extensions: ℹ️

Evernote Web Clipper

ShopAtHome.com extension

3rd Party Preference Panes: ℹ️

Flash Player [Click for support]

Time Machine: ℹ️

Skip System Files: NO

Mobile backups: OFF

Auto backup: YES

Volumes being backed up:

Macintosh HD: Disk size: 498.88 GB Disk used: 131.98 GB

Destinations:

Time Machine Backups [Local]

Total size: 3.00 TB

Total number of backups: 4

Oldest backup: 2015-05-19 16:16:21 +0000

Last backup: 2015-06-29 15:37:23 +0000

Size of backup disk: Excellent

Backup size 3.00 TB > (Disk size 498.88 GB X 3)

Top Processes by CPU: ℹ️

6% WindowServer

1% com.apple.WebKit.WebContent(15)

1% mds

1% taskgated

0% mdworker(5)

Top Processes by Memory: ℹ️

1.34 GB com.apple.WebKit.WebContent(15)

431 MB kernel_task

70 MB Safari

49 MB mdworker(5)

25 MB com.apple.WebKit.Networking

Virtual Memory Information: ℹ️

24 MB Free RAM

3.85 GB Used RAM

2.76 GB Swap Used

Diagnostics Information: ℹ️

Jul 7, 2015, 01:30:07 PM Self test - passed

Jul 7, 2015, 10:02:59 AM /Users/[redacted]/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/cloudd_2015-07-07-100259_[reda cted].crash

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Answer 4

drobin8132 Author

Level 1

0 points

Jul 7, 2015 2:27 PM in response to OGELTHORPE

Downloaded and posted. Thank you for any help you can provide.

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Answer 5

dominic23

Level 10

83,916 points

Jul 7, 2015 3:15 PM in response to drobin8132

Reset PRAM. http://support.apple.com/kb/PH18761

Reset SMC. Choose the method for “On Mac notebooks with non-removable battery”.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201295

Start up in Safe Mode. http://support.apple.com/kb/PH18760

Repair Disk. http://support.apple.com/kb/PH5836

RAM

Upgrading RAM to 8GB will help.

OS X Yosemite runs well with at least 8GB RAM installed.

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/apple/memory/

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Answer 6

OGELTHORPE

Level 9

57,305 points

Jul 7, 2015 3:33 PM in response to drobin8132

I will only add that Crucial is also a good source for Mac compatible RAM.

Ciao.

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Answer 7

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,547 points

Jul 7, 2015 3:48 PM in response to drobin8132

When you see a beachball cursor or the slowness is especially bad, note the exact time: hour, minute, second.

These instructions must be carried out as an administrator. If you have only one user account, you are the administrator.

Launch the Console application in any of the following ways:

☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)

☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.

☞ Open LaunchPad and start typing the name.

The title of the Console window should be All Messages. If it isn't, select

SYSTEM LOG QUERIES ▹ All Messages

from the log list on the left. If you don't see that list, select

View ▹ Show Log List

from the menu bar at the top of the screen.

Each message in the log begins with the date and time when it was entered. Scroll back to the time you noted above.

Select the messages entered from then until the end of the episode, or until they start to repeat, whichever comes first.

Copy the messages to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. Paste into a reply to this message by pressing command-V.

The log contains a vast amount of information, almost all of it useless for solving any particular problem. When posting a log extract, be selective. A few dozen lines are almost always more than enough.

Please don't indiscriminately dump thousands of lines from the log into this discussion.

Please don't post screenshots of log messages—post the text.

Some private information, such as your name, may appear in the log. Anonymize before posting.

When you post the log extract, you might see an error message on the web page: "You have included content in your post that is not permitted," or "The message contains invalid characters." That's a bug in the forum software. Please post the text on Pastebin, then post a link here to the page you created.

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