Remove File Using Terminal...

Question

I have one remnant of a program that I uninstalled still lingering on my computer.  I want to remove it, but the uninstaller provided by the software company does not work.  The file in question is com.Cycling74.driver.Soundflower.  I have tried repeatedly using their instructions, but this file remains (Soundflower is also still showing up in my Sound preferences). If anyone can help me to remove this file (and get it out of my Sound preferences), your input will be greatly appreciated.  Thanks in advance.

John Galt · Answer

I have one remnant of a program that I uninstalled still lingering on my computer.  I want to remove it, but the uninstaller provided by the software company does not work.I believe the obstacle you confront is the fact its uninstaller will attempt to alter the contents of /System, which SIP will prevent.Soundflower&#x27;s support forum is moribund and it appears to have been abandonded, but the following is excerpted from a reply I posted some years ago. Besides the obvious fact SIP presents a complication, the age of that Discussion implies some links may be inaccurate or dead.There should be a folder within /Applications containing an uninstaller script. If you no longer have that folder, then there are manual uninstallation instructions contained on the following page:http://cycling74.com/forums/topic/soundflower-support/If that does not prove successful, here is a screenshot of the video referenced above, with the AppleScript enlarged so that you can read it and duplicate what it does:Notice it is not exactly the same as the Terminal instructions - the manual uninstallation instructions unload the kernel extension while the AppleScript does not, and the AppleScript removes the application receipt and the application itself, whereas the Terminal instructions do not. Either one should effectively remove it, but whichever instructions you follow, verify all its components are actually removed.

John Galt · Answer

The only way you are going to remove a file from /System/Library/Extensions is to temporarily disable SIP. Be sure to subsequently re-enable it.Create a backup prior to making any changes to your Mac&#x27;s file system. To learn how to use Time Machine please read Use Time Machine to back up or restore your Mac - Apple Support.

etresoft · Answer

Hello Wakko,I wrote a little diagnostic program to help show what might be causing these problems. Download EtreCheck from http://www.etrecheck.com, run it, and paste the results here. EtreCheck is perfectly safe to run, does not ask for your password to install, and is signed with my Apple Developer ID.Hopefully EtreCheck will show where SoundFlower is still installed in your system. There are many hidden directories that you won&#x27;t know to check unless you know where they are.Disclaimer: Although EtreCheck is free, there are other links on my site that could give me some form of compensation, financial or otherwise.

Wakko Warner · Answer

I actually already had that program installed.EtreCheck version: 3.1.5 (343)Report generated 2017-01-22 09:05:05Download EtreCheck from https://etrecheck.comRuntime 7:11Performance: Below AverageClick the [Support] links for help with non-Apple products.Click the [Details] links for more information about that line.Problem: No problem - just checkingHardware Information: ⓘ    Mac Pro (Early 2009)    [Technical Specifications] - [User Guide] - [Warranty &amp; Service]    Mac Pro - model: MacPro5,1    2 2.26 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon (Xeon(R)) CPU: 8-core    24 GB RAM Upgradeable - [Instructions]        DIMM 1            4 GB DDR3 ECC 1066 MHz ok        DIMM 2            4 GB DDR3 ECC 1066 MHz ok        DIMM 3            2 GB DDR3 ECC 1066 MHz ok        DIMM 4            2 GB DDR3 ECC 1066 MHz ok        DIMM 5            4 GB DDR3 ECC 1066 MHz ok        DIMM 6            4 GB DDR3 ECC 1066 MHz ok        DIMM 7            2 GB DDR3 ECC 1066 MHz ok        DIMM 8            2 GB DDR3 ECC 1066 MHz ok    Bluetooth: Old - Handoff/Airdrop2 not supported    Wireless:  en2: 802.11 a/b/g/nVideo Information: ⓘ    ATI Radeon HD 4870 - VRAM: 512 MB        AL2216W 1680 x 1050 @ 60 HzSystem Software: ⓘ    macOS Sierra  10.12.2 (16C67) - Time since boot: about one dayDisk Information: ⓘ    HL-DT-ST BD-RE  WH12LS39   ()    HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GH24NS90   ()    Hitachi HDS721010CLA330 disk0 : (1 TB) (Rotational)    [Show SMART report]        EFI (disk0s1) &lt;not mounted&gt; : 210 MB        OS 10.12.2 (disk0s2) /  [Startup]: 999.35 GB (212.37 GB free)        Recovery HD (disk0s3) &lt;not mounted&gt;  [Recovery]: 650 MB    SAMSUNG HD103SJ disk1 : (1 TB) (Rotational)    [Show SMART report]        EFI (disk1s1) &lt;not mounted&gt; : 210 MB        Extra Storage (disk1s2) /Volumes/Extra Storage : 999.86 GB (417.04 GB free)    SAMSUNG HD103SJ disk2 : (1 TB) (Rotational)    [Show SMART report]        EFI (disk2s1) &lt;not mounted&gt; : 210 MB        Extra Storage 2 - Scratch (disk2s2) /Volumes/Extra Storage 2 - Scratch : 999.86 GB (158.14 GB free)    WDC WD5001AALS-00LWTA0 disk3 : (500.11 GB) (Rotational)    [Show SMART report]        EFI (disk3s1) &lt;not mounted&gt; : 210 MB        BOOTCAMP (disk3s2) /Volumes/BOOTCAMP : 499.90 GB (263.36 GB free)USB Information: ⓘ    Shuttle Technology Inc. E-USB Bridge    Apple, Inc. Keyboard Hub        PCally Peripherals  PCally USB &amp; PS/2 Optical Internet Mouse        Apple Inc. Apple Keyboard    Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub        Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host ControllerFirewire Information: ⓘ    Apple Computer, Inc. iSight 200mbit - 400mbit maxConfiguration files: ⓘ    System Integrity Protection status: disabledGatekeeper: ⓘ    Mac App Store and identified developersKernel Extensions: ⓘ        /Library/Application Support/Roxio    [not loaded]    com.roxio.TDIXController (2.0 - 2016-10-03) [Support]        /System/Library/Extensions    [loaded]    com.Cycling74.driver.Soundflower (1.6.7 - SDK 10.7 - 2017-01-19) [Support]    [loaded]    com.SiliconImage.driver.Si3132 (1.2.5 - 2017-01-19) [Support]    [not loaded]    com.microsoft.driver.MicrosoftMouse (8.2 - 2017-01-19) [Support]    [not loaded]    com.roxio.BluRaySupport (1.1.6 - 2017-01-19) [Support]        /System/Library/Extensions/MicrosoftMouse.kext/Contents/PlugIns    [not loaded]    com.microsoft.driver.MicrosoftMouseBluetooth (8.2 - 2014-10-06) [Support]    [not loaded]    com.microsoft.driver.MicrosoftMouseUSB (8.2 - 2014-10-06) [Support]Startup Items: ⓘ    SiCoreService: Path: /Library/StartupItems/SiCoreService    Startup items no longer function in OS X Yosemite or laterSystem Launch Agents: ⓘ    [not loaded]    9 Apple tasks    [loaded]    183 Apple tasks    [running]    88 Apple tasksSystem Launch Daemons: ⓘ    [not loaded]    39 Apple tasks    [loaded]    174 Apple tasks    [running]    98 Apple tasksLaunch Agents: ⓘ    [failed]    com.adobe.ARMDCHelper.cc24aef4a1b90ed56a725c38014c95072f92651fb65e1bf9c8e43c37a 23d420d.plist (2017-01-12) [Support]    [loaded]    com.adobe.SC.FPFeedbackService-1.0.plist (2017-01-15) [Support]    [loaded]    com.coupons.coupond.plist (2014-02-19) [Support]    [loaded]    com.google.keystone.agent.plist (2016-08-24) [Support]    [loaded]    com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist (2017-01-20) [Support]    [loaded]    com.parallels.mobile.prl_deskctl_agent.launchagent.plist (2013-09-12) [Support] - /Applications/Parallels Access.app/Contents/MacOS/Parallels Desktop Control Agent.app/Contents/MacOS/prl_deskctl_agent: Executable not found!    [failed]    com.parallels.mobile.startgui.launchagent.plist (2013-09-12) [Support] - /Applications/Parallels Access.app/Contents/MacOS/prl_deskctl_wizard: Executable not found!    [not loaded]    com.teamviewer.teamviewer.plist (2017-01-05) [Support]    [not loaded]    com.teamviewer.teamviewer_desktop.plist (2016-12-21) [Support]    [loaded]    org.chromium.chromoting.plist (2016-10-16) [Support]Launch Daemons: ⓘ    [loaded]    com.adobe.ARMDC.Communicator.plist (2017-01-12) [Support]    [loaded]    com.adobe.ARMDC.SMJobBlessHelper.plist (2017-01-12) [Support]    [loaded]    com.adobe.fpsaud.plist (2017-01-15) [Support]    [loaded]    com.bombich.ccc.plist (2013-09-19) [Support]    [loaded]    com.charlessoft.pacifist.helper.plist (2016-10-31) [Support]    [loaded]    com.google.keystone.daemon.plist (2016-09-01) [Support]    [loaded]    com.hp.lightscribe.plist (2007-11-07) [Support]    [loaded]    com.malwarebytes.MBAMHelperTool.plist (2016-01-16) [Support]    [loaded]    com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist (2011-03-10) [Support]    [loaded]    com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist (2016-12-12) [Support]    [failed]    com.parallels.mobile.dispatcher.launchdaemon.plist (2013-09-12) [Support] - /Applications/Parallels Access.app/Contents/MacOS/Parallels Access.app/Contents/MacOS/prl_pm_service: Executable not found!    [failed]    com.parallels.mobile.kextloader.launchdaemon.plist (2016-12-10)    [loaded]    com.teamviewer.Helper.plist (2016-12-21) [Support]    [not loaded]    com.teamviewer.teamviewer_service.plist (2017-01-05) [Support]User Launch Agents: ⓘ    [loaded]    com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist (2017-01-12) [Support]    [loaded]    com.facebook.videochat.[redacted].plist (2016-10-04)    [running]    com.nchsoftware.expressinvoice.agent.plist (2013-01-09) [Support]    [loaded]    uk.co.markallan.clamxav.clamscan.plist (2016-09-19) [Support]    [loaded]    uk.co.markallan.clamxav.freshclam.plist (2016-09-19) [Support]User Login Items: ⓘ    iTunesHelper    Application   (2016-12-24)        (/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunesHelper.app)    BetterSnapTool    Application         (/Applications/BetterSnapTool.app)    smcFanControl    Application         (/Applications/smcfancontrol_2_2_2/smcFanControl.app)    MenuMetersApp    Application         (/Library/PreferencePanes/MenuMeters.prefPane/Contents/Resources/MenuMetersApp. app)    Android File Transfer Agent    Application         (~/Library/Application Support/Google/Android File Transfer/Android File Transfer Agent.app)    SMARTReporter    Application         (/Applications/SMARTReporter.app)Internet Plug-ins: ⓘ    JavaAppletPlugin: Java 8 Update 121 build 13 (2017-01-20) Check version    FlashPlayer-10.6: 24.0.0.207 - SDK 10.9 (2017-01-18) [Support]    QuickTime Plugin: 7.7.3 (2016-12-24)    AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: 15.023.20056 - SDK 10.11 (2017-01-19) [Support]    CouponPrinter-FireFox_v2: 5.0.3 - SDK 10.6 (2014-09-25) [Support]    AdobePDFViewer: 15.023.20056 - SDK 10.11 (2017-01-19) [Support]    Flash Player: 24.0.0.207 - SDK 10.9 (2017-01-18) [Support]    SharePointBrowserPlugin: 14.6.4 - SDK 10.6 (2016-05-22) [Support]    PepperFlashPlayer: 24.0.0.207 - SDK 10.9 (2017-01-18) [Support]    Silverlight: 5.1.30514.0 - SDK 10.6 (2015-05-09) [Support]    iPhotoPhotocast: 7.0 - SDK 10.8 (2013-04-21)Safari Extensions: ⓘ    AdBlock - Michael Gundlach - https://getadblock.com (2015-09-03)    F.B. Purity - Cleans Up Facebook - Stephen Fernandez - http://www.fbpurity.com (2012-09-18)    Open in Internet Explorer - Parallels - http://www.parallels.com (2014-03-27)3rd Party Preference Panes: ⓘ    remoting_host_prefpane (2016-10-24) [Support]    Déjà Vu (2006-02-10) [Support]    Flash Player (2017-01-15) [Support]    FUSE for OS X (OSXFUSE) (2016-01-18) [Support]    Java (2017-01-20) [Support]    MacFUSE (2016-07-28) [Support]    MenuMeters (2015-10-07) [Support]    Microsoft Mouse (2014-10-06) [Support]    MouseLocator (2006-03-30) [Support]    NTFS-3G (2016-07-28) [Support]    YAMAHA-USBMIDIPatch (2012-07-09) [Support]Time Machine: ⓘ    Time Machine not configured!Top Processes by CPU: ⓘ       100%       firefox        23%       launchd        17%       (kextstat)         4%       WindowServer         2%       DropboxTop Processes by Memory: ⓘ    1.29 GB       kernel_task    1.13 GB       firefox    369 MB        mds_stores    344 MB        mdworker(7)    221 MB        DropboxVirtual Memory Information: ⓘ    18.38 GB      Available RAM    13.55 GB      Free RAM    5.62 GB       Used RAM    4.84 GB       Cached files    4 MB          Swap UsedDiagnostics Information: ⓘ    Jan 22, 2017, 12:06:20 AM    /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Dropbox_2017-01-22-000620_[redacted].cpu_resour ce.diag [Details]        /Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/MacOS/Dropbox    Jan 20, 2017, 10:51:51 PM    /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/firefox_2017-01-20-225151_[redacted].cpu_resour ce.diag [Details]        /Applications/Firefox 49.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox    Jan 20, 2017, 09:53:21 PM    Self test - passed

Wakko Warner · Answer

I have already tried all of those instructions repeatedly.  The file that remains is just refusing to go away.  I truly wish that program would disappear from the internet forever - it has caused WAY too many problems.

John Galt · Answer

In that case, are you not able to remove the kernel extension?All I can do is refer you to Soundflower&#x27;s AppleScript screenshot, and their manual removal instructions. Both of them are linked in my earlier reply. They worked when I tried them, but that was several years ago.

Wakko Warner · Answer

I finally figured out what was going on.  All of the uninstall directions that I have seen point to a single kext file in the Library/Extensions folder (unless I completely missed any mention of the second one).  It turns out that there is a second kext file located in the /System/Library/Extensions folder.  Once I deleted that one, the Soundflower option was gone from my Sound Preferences. Thank you to all who were willing to help figure this out.  Hopefully this discussion will help others who may be having the same problem.

Wakko Warner · Answer

i have had SIP disabled for quite some time now.  I also keep 3 clones of my boot drive at all times.