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User profile for user: furrywolf
furrywolf Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Fonts on Startup and login screen - question marks

After boot/re-boot all fonts on the login screens are replaced with the question mark-in-square character.

My user folder is hosted on a second SSD, not the startup SSD.


This issue is not present on the lock screen.

The issue clears up in safe mode.


User uploaded file

Login Screen


User uploaded file

Lock Screen


I have done the steps here: MacBook - characters in login screen replaced by question marks - Ask Different

  • Validated all of the fonts

    I have a lot of duplicate fonts and one font that has a bad 'kern' table structure and contents.

  • Cleared the font caches while logged in to my user account:

atsutil databases -removeUser

sudoatsutil databases -remove

atsutil server -shutdown

atsutil server -ping


I haven't removed duplicate fonts yet, but many of them have been disabled.


I'm not sure it matters, I have encrypted drives.


Hardware Overview:


Model Name: MacBook Pro

Model Identifier: MacBookPro8,1

Processor Name: Intel Core i7

Processor Speed: 2.7 GHz

Number of Processors: 1

Total Number of Cores: 2

L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB

L3 Cache: 4 MB

Memory: 16 GB

Boot ROM Version: MBP81.0050.B00

SMC Version (system): 1.68f96


System Version: macOS 10.13.6 (17G65)

Kernel Version: Darwin 17.7.0

Boot Volume: Macintosh

Boot Mode: Normal

Computer Name: **************

User Name: ****************

Secure Virtual Memory: Enabled

System Integrity Protection: Disabled

Time since boot: 4:10

MacBook Pro, macOS High Sierra (10.13.6), 16GB RAM, 2x2TB SSD

Posted on Jul 26, 2018 11:00 AM

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17 replies
User profile for user: furrywolf
furrywolf Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Jul 27, 2018 4:36 PM in response to Kurt Lang

--- It's likely one of those duplicate fonts is conflicting with a system font. ---


Open Font Book. From the menu bar, run the option, Restore Standard Fonts. This will move all third party fonts out of the three Fonts folders (System, Library, User) into a new folder next to each of the Fonts folders.

  • Done.


Restart in Safe Mode.

  • done - took about 10 minutes to get to the login screen.
  • logged in


  • Then restart normally.
    • done - all looked fine on the first HD mount password screen and login.
    • restarted to check and see if the fix was permanent.
    • problem returned as before.
  • looks like there might be something during startup or login that is breaking things.
  • any ideas?
Reply
User profile for user: Kurt Lang
Kurt Lang
User level: Level 9
61,652 points

Jul 27, 2018 6:49 PM in response to furrywolf

It's likely one of those duplicate fonts is conflicting with a system font.


Open Font Book. From the menu bar, run the option, Restore Standard Fonts. This will move all third party fonts out of the three Fonts folders (System, Library, User) into a new folder next to each of the Fonts folders.


Restart in Safe Mode. Then restart normally.

Reply
User profile for user: Kurt Lang
Kurt Lang
User level: Level 9
61,652 points

Jul 28, 2018 8:20 AM in response to furrywolf

When you boot into Safe Mode, one of the things it does is clear all cache data from the user account you login to. However, it doesn't clear system caches. In particular here, the system's font cache.


Close all running applications. From an administrator account, open the Terminal app and enter the following command. You can also copy/paste it from here into the Terminal window:


sudo atsutil databases -remove


Terminal will then ask for your admin password. As you type, it will not show anything, so be sure to enter it correctly.


This command removes all font cache files. Both for the system and the current logged in user account. After running the command, close Terminal and immediately restart your Mac.


This will fix the issue most of the time. But I have seen a couple of posts here related specifically to the login screen showing the boxed question mark from the font LastResort instead of the normal text. Can't recall if that again was simply due to munged system font cache data, or something else. I'll have to try and find those previous topics.

Reply
User profile for user: furrywolf
furrywolf Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Jul 29, 2018 1:02 PM in response to Kurt Lang

Cleaning the catches didn’t work. New User didn’t work.

now when I log in, .png preview icons on the desktop take about 20-30 seconds to change from the standard “png” icon to their respective preview thumbnails.

definitely sounds like a catch issue, there, but I have no idea if they are related.


I have also tried to “reinstall OS“ from the rescue partition. This only fixed it initially. Restarts after that still showed the same problem.


might be time to call Apple?

Reply
User profile for user: Kurt Lang
Kurt Lang
User level: Level 9
61,652 points

Jul 29, 2018 1:16 PM in response to furrywolf

Can't hurt to call Apple, but this I think says it all:

preview icons on the desktop take about 20-30 seconds to change from the standard “png” icon to their respective preview thumbnails.

That says to me your drive is very close to taking a dirt nap. Make a full backup immediately! Replace the drive and restore the backup.


Please run an EtreCheck report and post the results here. When the software has finished examining your hardware type and running its processes, you can click on the upper left corner to copy the results to the clipboard. Then paste that result in a new response here.


This utility is written and maintained by long-time forum user, etresoft. It automatically redacts all personal information from the compiled report.


I'm suspecting the report will confirm the drive is failing.


Edit: In this case, I would strongly suggest backing the drive up before running EtreCheck. To gather much of the info it does, it has to access the drive quite a bit. If the drive is very close to failing, just running the app could possibly push it over the edge.

Reply
User profile for user: Kurt Lang
Kurt Lang
User level: Level 9
61,652 points

Jul 30, 2018 6:30 PM in response to furrywolf

That being the case, then I also doubt the drives are bad. It is, at least, highly unlikely. But those 20-30 second icon display times are very long, and should be even faster than a standard rotational hard drive.


If you haven’t yet, try Old Toad’s suggestion to apply the 10.13.6 Combo Update. It’s reinstalls much of the OS by replacing all of the system files that have changed since 10.13.0.

Reply
User profile for user: furrywolf
furrywolf Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Aug 1, 2018 2:26 PM in response to Kurt Lang

Tried to run the update - I let it run over night and nothing seems to be happening (looked at activity monitor install.app and installd- no/or verly little drive or network activity.


Ran AHD JIC - all good there with extended diagnostics.

Ran "reinstall OS" on the recovery drive. (same result as before: OK on the first reboot, messed up after that - not a surprise there)

Reply
User profile for user: furrywolf
furrywolf Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Aug 1, 2018 2:21 PM in response to Kurt Lang

EntreCheck log looks like something might be going on since it reports that the test ran long:


EtreCheck version:4.3.6 (4D041)

Report generated:2018-08-01 17:05:31

Download EtreCheck from https://etrecheck.com

Runtime:6:07

Performance:Below Average

Problem:Other problem

Description:

Fonts on the login screen showsas all question marks.

Major Issues:

Anything that appears on this list needs immediate attention.

Unsigned files- Thereare unsigned software installed that could beadware and should be reviewed.

System Integrity Protection disabled- System Integrity Protection is disabled. This computer is at risk of malware infection.

Stuck iCloud- This machine has a large number of pending iCloud transfers.

Minor Issues:

These issues do not need immediate attention but they may indicate future problems.

Kernel extensions blocked- There are blocked kernel extensions awaiting user approval.

Heavy network usage- This machine has recently restarted and has high network usage.

Apps crashing- There have been numerous app crashes.

Clean up- There are orphan files that could be removed.

System modifications- There are a large number of system modifications running in the background.

Low performance- EtreCheck report took over 5 minutes to run. This is unusual.

32-bit Apps- This machine has 32-bits apps that may have problems in the future.

Hardware Information:

MacBook Pro (13-inch, Early 2011)

MacBook Pro Model: MacBookPro8,1

1 2.7 GHz Intel Core i7 (i7-2620M) CPU: 2-core

16 GB RAM -At maximum

BANK 0/DIMM0 - 8 GB DDR3 1600 ok

BANK 1/DIMM0 - 8 GB DDR3 1600 ok

Battery: Health = Normal - Cycle count = 16

Video Information:

Intel HD Graphics 3000 - VRAM: 512 MB

Color LCD 1280 x 800

Drives:

disk0 - Micron_1100_MTFDDAK2T0TBN 2.05 TB (Solid State - TRIM: No)

Internal SATA 6 Gigabit Serial ATA

disk0s1 - EFI (MS-DOS FAT32) [EFI] 210 MB

disk0s2 - B***********s (Journaled HFS+) 2.05 TB

disk1 - Micron_1100_MTFDDAK2T0TBN 2.05 TB (Solid State - TRIM: No)

Internal SATA 6 Gigabit Serial ATA

disk1s1 - EFI (MS-DOS FAT32) [EFI] 210 MB

disk1s2 2.05 TB

disk2s1 - M*******h (APFS) 2.05 TB (524.49 GB used)

disk2s2 - Preboot (APFS) [APFS Preboot] 2.05 TB (25 MB used)

disk2s3 - Recovery (APFS) [Recovery] 2.05 TB (516 MB used)

disk2s4 - VM (APFS) [APFS VM] 2.05 TB (9.66 GB used)

disk3 - Disk Image 4.00 TB (Disk Image)

External Disk Image

disk3s1 - EFI (MS-DOS FAT32) [EFI] 210 MB

disk3s2 - T******************s (Case-Sensitive Journaled HFS+) 4.00 TB

disk4 - Disk Image 5.39 GB (Disk Image)

External Disk Image

disk4s1 - EFI (MS-DOS FAT32) [EFI] 210 MB

disk4s2 - m******************************e (HFS+) 5.04 GB

Mounted Volumes:

disk0s2 - B***********s 2.05 TB (375.16 GB free)

Journaled HFS+

Mount point: /Volumes/B***********s

disk2s1 - M*******h 2.05 TB (1.51 TB free)

APFS

Mount point: /

Encrypted

disk2s4 - VM [APFS VM] 2.05 TB (1.51 TB free)

APFS

Mount point: /private/var/vm

disk3s2 - T******************s 4.00 TB (934.36 GB free)

Case-Sensitive Journaled HFS+

Mount point: /Volumes/T******************s

disk4s2 - m******************************e 5.04 GB (2.54 GB free)

HFS+

Mount point: /Volumes/m******************************e

Network:

Interface usbmodemFA131: Metro M0 Express

Interface usbmodem1461521: USB Serial

Interface usbmodemFD121: Bluefruit Micro

Interface usbmodem3111: Feather 33

Interface usbmodem3141: Feather 32u4

Interface usbserial: USB-Serial Controller D

Interface en1: Wi-Fi

802.11 a/b/g/n

Interface en0: Ethernet

One IPv4 address

Interface en7: Thunderbolt Ethernet Slot 3

Interface fw0: FireWire

Interface fw1: Thunderbolt FireWire

Interface en5: iPhone

Interface en6: iPad

Interface bridge0: Thunderbolt Bridge

Interface en4: Thunderbolt Ethernet Slot 2

iCloud Quota: 1.56 TB available

iCloud Status: 307 pending files

System Software:

macOS High Sierra 10.13.6 (17G65)

Time since boot: About an hour

System Load: 2.50 (1 min ago) 2.70 (5 min ago) 3.31 (15 min ago)

Configuration Files:

File /etc/sysctl.conf exists but not expected

/etc/hosts - Count: 1

Security:

SystemStatus
GatekeeperMac App Store and identified developers
System Integrity Protectiondisabled

Unsigned Files:

Launchd: /Library/LaunchAgents/com.ecamm.iglasses3agent.plist

Executable: /Library/Application Support/iGlasses3/iGlasses.app/Contents/MacOS/iGlasses

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: ~/Library/LaunchAgents/org.virtualbox.vboxwebsrv.plist

Executable: /Applications/VirtualBox.app/Contents/MacOS/vboxwebsrv

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/PACESupport.plist

Executable: /System/Library/Extensions/PACESupportFamily.kext/Contents/Resources/paceload

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist

Executable: /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: /Library/LaunchAgents/com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist

Executable: /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin/Contents/Resources/JavaUpdater.app/Contents/Ma cOS/JavaUpdater -bgcheck

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd:/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.rogueamoeba.aceagent.plist

Executable: aceagent

Launchd: /Library/LaunchAgents/com.frontierdesign.tranzport.daemon.plist

Executable: /Library/Application Support/TranzPort Assistants/TranzPortDaemon

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: /Library/LaunchAgents/com.samsung.AWPAgent.plist

Executable: /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/AWPAgent.app/Contents/MacOS/AWPAgent

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.SafariBookmarksSyncer.plist

Executable: /Applications/Safari.app/Contents/SafariSyncClient.app/Contents/MacOS/SafariSyn cClient --sync com.apple.Safari --entitynames com.apple.bookmarks.Bookmark,com.apple.bookmarks.Folder

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/name.ridgewell.unlock.plist

Executable: /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/name.ridgewell.unlock

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.nvidia.cuda.launcher.plist

Executable: /Library/PreferencePanes/CUDA Preferences.prefPane/Contents/Resources/CUDAd.sh start

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.rogueamoeba.loopbackd.plist

Executable: loopbackd

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.bombich.ccc.plist

Executable: /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.bombich.ccc

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.valvesoftware.steamclean.plist

Executable: /Volumes/B***********s/U***s/k**********n/L*****y/A*****************t/S***m/S** *****s/s********n Public

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist

Executable: /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin/Contents/Resources/Helper-Tool

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.cisco.anyconnect.vpnagentd.plist

Executable: /opt/cisco/anyconnect/bin/vpnagentd -execv_instance

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/org.virtualbox.startup.plist

Executable: /Library/Application Support/VirtualBox/LaunchDaemons/VirtualBoxStartup.sh restart

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.seagate.TBDecorator.plist

Executable: /Library/Application Support/Seagate/TBLoopDriveParams

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: /Library/LaunchAgents/com.cisco.anyconnect.gui.plist

Executable: '/Applications/Cisco/Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client.app' --wait-apps '/Applications/Cisco/Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client.app'

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: /Library/LaunchAgents/com.cisco.anyconnect.notification.plist

Executable: '/opt/cisco/anyconnect/bin/Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client Notification.app' --wait-apps '/opt/cisco/anyconnect/bin/Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client Notification.app'

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.avid.sibelius7.plist

Executable: /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.avid.sibelius7

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

32-bit Applications:

31 32-bit apps

Kernel Extensions:

/Library/Application Support/Roxio

[Not Loaded] TDIXController.kext (2.0)

/Library/Application Support/Transmit/Transmit Disk.app

[Not Loaded] osxfuse.kext (Panic, Inc., 4.4.10 - SDK 10.9)

/Library/Application Support/VirtualBox

[Loaded] VBoxDrv.kext (Oracle America, Inc., 5.2.12)

[Loaded] VBoxNetAdp.kext (Oracle America, Inc., 5.2.12)

[Loaded] VBoxNetFlt.kext (Oracle America, Inc., 5.2.12)

[Loaded] VBoxUSB.kext (Oracle America, Inc., 5.2.12)

/Library/Extensions

[Not Loaded] BelkinExpressDockChargingSupport.kext (Belkin, 1.0 - SDK 10.9)

[Not Loaded] FTDIUSBSerialDriver.kext (Future Technology Devices International Limited, 2.3 - SDK 10.9)

[Not Loaded] acsock.kext (Cisco, 4.5.0 - SDK 10.9)

[Not Loaded] ContourShuttle.kext (Contour Design, Inc., 3.0 - SDK 10.8)

[Loaded] VoilaDevice.kext (Global Delight Technologies Pvt. Ltd, 2.1 - SDK 10.10)

[Loaded] EnergyDriver.kext (Intel Corporation Apps, 2.0 - SDK 10.13)

[Loaded] DuetDisplay.kext (Rahul Dewan, 2.0.0 - SDK 10.12)

[Blocked] Motu MIDI Driver.kext (MOTU, 1.6 73220 - SDK 10.6)

[Loaded] CUDA.kext (NVIDIA Corporation, 1.1.0)

[Not Loaded] NVDAStartupWeb.kext (NVIDIA Corporation, 10.33.0 - OS X 10.7)

[Not Loaded] GeForceTeslaWeb.kext (NVIDIA Corporation, 10.33.0)

[Not Loaded] GeForceWeb.kext (NVIDIA Corporation, 10.33.0)

[Not Loaded] NVDAGF100HalWeb.kext (NVIDIA Corporation, 10.33.0)

[Not Loaded] NVDAGK100HalWeb.kext (NVIDIA Corporation, 10.33.0)

[Not Loaded] NVDAGM100HalWeb.kext (NVIDIA Corporation, 10.33.0)

[Not Loaded] NVDAGP100HalWeb.kext (NVIDIA Corporation, 10.33.0)

[Not Loaded] NVDANV50HalTeslaWeb.kext (NVIDIA Corporation, 10.33.0)

[Not Loaded] NVDAResmanTeslaWeb.kext (NVIDIA Corporation, 10.33.0)

[Not Loaded] NVDAResmanWeb.kext (NVIDIA Corporation, 10.33.0)

[Not Loaded] ProlificUsbSerial.kext (Prolific Technology Inc., 1.6.0 - SDK 10.9)

[Loaded] SophosFileProtection.kext (Sophos, 9.7.4 - SDK 10.12)

[Loaded] SophosFileMonitor.kext (Sophos, 9.7.4 - SDK 10.12)

[Loaded] SophosWebProtection.kext (Sophos, 9.7.4 - SDK 10.12)

[Not Loaded] NVDAEGPUSupport.kext (1.2 - SDK 10.13)

[Loaded] Saffire.kext (TC Applied Technologies, 4.3.0 - SDK 10.8)

/System/Library/Extensions

[Loaded] Soundflower.kext (Splashtop Inc., 1.6.7 - SDK 10.9)

[Not Loaded] Spectrum.kext (2.4.0)

[Not Loaded] EyeTVAfaTechHidBlock.kext (1.1)

[Not Loaded] EyeTVCinergy450AudioBlock.kext (1.1)

[Not Loaded] EyeTVCinergyXSAudioBlock.kext (1.1)

[Not Loaded] EyeTVEmpiaAudioBlock.kext (1.1)

[Not Loaded] EyeTVVoyagerAudioBlock.kext (1.1)

[Not Loaded] FrontierDesignTranzPort.kext (1.4.3)

[Not Loaded] CDSDAudioCaptureSupport.kext (1.5)

[Not Loaded] RBIOKitHelper.kext (1.5.5)

[Not Loaded] FutimeController.kext (1.0.0d5)

[Not Loaded] PACESupportFamily.kext (5.9.1 - SDK 10.6)

[Loaded] Seagate Storage Driver.kext (Seagate Technologies LLC, 5.2.6 (26977) - SDK 10.4)

[Loaded] SRXDisplayCard.kext (1.6 - SDK 10.7)

[Loaded] SRXFrameBufferConnector.kext (1.6 - SDK 10.7)

[Not Loaded] Pen Tablet.kext (Pen Tablet 5.2.6-5)

/System/Library/Extensions/2.2.0

[Not Loaded] Belcarra.USBLAN_netpart.kext (2.2.0)

[Not Loaded] Belcarra.USBLAN_usbpart.kext (2.2.0)

[Not Loaded] RemoteControl.USBLAN_usbpart.kext (2.2.0)

/System/Library/Extensions/2.2.0/Belcarra.USBLAN_netpart.kext/Contents/Plug-Ins

[Not Loaded] Belcarra.USBLAN_netpart.kext (1.6.3)

/System/Library/Extensions/2.2.0/Belcarra.USBLAN_usbpart.kext/Contents/Plug-Ins

[Not Loaded] Belcarra.USBLAN_usbpart.kext (1.6.3)

/System/Library/Extensions/2.2.0/RemoteControl.USBLAN_usbpart.kext/Contents/Plug -Ins

[Not Loaded] RemoteControl.USBLAN_usbpart.kext (1.6.2)

/System/Library/Extensions/PACESupportFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns

[Not Loaded] PACESupportLeopard.kext (5.9.1 - SDK 10.4)

[Not Loaded] PACESupportPanther.kext (5.9.1 - SDK 10.-1)

[Loaded] PACESupportSnowLeopard.kext (5.9.1 - SDK 10.6)

[Not Loaded] PACESupportTiger.kext (5.9.1 - SDK 10.4)

/System/Library/Extensions/Seagate Storage Driver.kext/Contents/PlugIns

[Not Loaded] SeagateLeafPowSecDriver_10_4.kext (Seagate Technologies LLC, 5.2.6 (26977) - SDK 10.4)

[Not Loaded] SeagateLeafPowSecDriver_10_5.kext (Seagate Technologies LLC, 5.2.6 (26977) - SDK 10.5)

[Not Loaded] SeagateDriveIcons.kext (Seagate Technologies LLC, 5.2.6 (26977) - SDK 10.4)

System Launch Agents:

[Not Loaded]10 Apple tasks
[Loaded]168 Apple tasks
[Running]77 Apple tasks
[Killed]37 Apple tasks
[Other]One Apple task

System Launch Daemons:

[Not Loaded]31 Apple tasks
[Loaded]181 Apple tasks
[Running]92 Apple tasks
[Killed]31 Apple tasks

Launch Agents:

[Loaded]com.avid.ApplicationManager.plist (Avid Technology Inc - installed 2018-07-24)
[Running]com.frontierdesign.tranzport.daemon.plist (? 4719bf0f - installed 2010-10-05)
[Loaded]com.nvidia.nvagent.plist (NVIDIA Corporation - installed 2018-07-12)
[Loaded]com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist (? 2c1d5a95 - installed 2018-06-27)
[Loaded]com.adobe.AdobeCreativeCloud.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-07-09)
[Running]com.avid.ApplicationManagerHelper.plist (Avid Technology Inc - installed 2018-07-24)
[Running]com.bjango.istatserveragent.plist (Bjango Pty Ltd - installed 2018-02-12)
[Running]com.ecamm.iglasses3agent.plist (? 8a6f592c - installed 2018-05-06)
[Loaded]com.microsoft.update.agent.plist (Microsoft Corporation - installed 2018-07-09)
[Loaded]com.pharospopupclient.plist (? d83652b1 - installed 2016-11-16)
[Other]com.nvidia.CUDASoftwareUpdate.plist (NVIDIA Corporation - installed 2018-06-13)
[Running]com.samsung.AWPAgent.plist (? e3a9ba75 - installed 2011-05-03)
[Running]com.pharos.notify.plist (? 30c968c - installed 2015-10-20)
[Not Loaded]com.realvnc.vncserver.prelogin.plist (RealVNC Limited - installed 2018-07-02)
[Running]com.realvnc.vncserver.peruser.plist (RealVNC Limited - installed 2018-07-02)
[Other]com.adobe.ARMDCHelper.cc24aef4a1b90ed56a725c38014c95072f92651fb65e1bf9c8e43c37a2 3d420d.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-02-16)
[Loaded]com.splashtop.streamer-for-user.plist (Splashtop Inc. - installed 2018-05-23)
[Loaded]com.cisco.anyconnect.notification.plist (? 8b01cb06 - installed 2017-11-27)
[Not Loaded]com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist (? ffb65062 - installed 2018-02-25)
[Other]com.alertus.AlertusDesktopClient.plist (? 8a57c9c7 - installed 2018-02-25)
[Loaded]org.macosforge.xquartz.startx.plist (Apple Inc. - XQuartz - installed 2016-10-26)
[Running]com.sophos.home.ui.plist (Sophos - installed 2018-06-06)
[Loaded]com.cisco.anyconnect.gui.plist (? 40bd3462 - installed 2017-11-27)
[Running]com.sophos.agent.plist (Sophos - installed 2018-05-10)
[Loaded]com.pharos.popup.plist (? f3719414 - installed 2015-10-20)
[Loaded]com.adobe.GC.Invoker-1.0.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-05-29)
[Not Loaded]com.splashtop.streamer-for-root.plist (Splashtop Inc. - installed 2018-05-23)

Launch Daemons:

[Loaded]com.adobe.fpsaud.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-06-25)
[Loaded]com.alertus.HELPER.tool.plist (Alertus Technologies, LLC - installed 2018-05-15)
[Loaded]com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist (? 6d8cb30e - installed 2010-08-25)
[Loaded]org.macosforge.xquartz.privileged_startx.plist (Apple Inc. - XQuartz - installed 2016-10-26)
[Running]com.bjango.istatserverdaemon.plist (Bjango Pty Ltd - installed 2018-02-12)
[Running]com.sophos.common.servicemanager.plist (Sophos - installed 2018-05-10)
[Running]com.realvnc.vncserver.plist (RealVNC Limited - installed 2018-07-02)
[Loaded]tc.tctechnologies.Saffire.plist (TC Applied Technologies - installed 2015-12-21)
[Loaded]com.nvidia.cudad.plist (NVIDIA Corporation - installed 2018-06-13)
[Loaded]com.adobe.ARMDC.Communicator.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-02-16)
[Running]com.adobe.acc.installer.v2.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-07-09)
[Running]com.bombich.ccchelper.plist (Bombich Software, Inc. - installed 2018-06-10)
[Running]com.cisco.anyconnect.vpnagentd.plist (? f363637f - installed 2017-11-27)
[Not Loaded]org.virtualbox.startup.plist (? 700b9385 - installed 2018-06-11)
[Running]com.pharos.psnotifyd.plist (? 567167b6 - installed 2015-10-20)
[Running]com.bombich.ccc.plist (? 41245744 - installed 2013-12-18)
[Loaded]com.adobe.agsservice.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-05-29)
[Loaded]com.avid.sibelius7.plist (? d8df6ca0 - installed 2012-12-28)
[Running]com.seagate.TBDecorator.plist (? 595582c - installed 2015-11-02)
[Loaded]com.axoniclabs.DeepSleepCmd.plist (Axonic Labs LLC - installed 2018-02-03)
[Not Loaded]name.ridgewell.unlock.plist (? 2dcc875a - installed 2017-06-20)
[Running]com.aladdin.hasplmd.plist (SFNT Germany GmbH - installed 2016-09-11)
[Running]com.aladdin.aksusbd.plist (SFNT Germany GmbH - installed 2016-09-11)
[Loaded]org.hwsensors.HWMonitorHelper.plist (Natan Zalkin - installed 2018-05-15)
[Loaded]com.microsoft.autoupdate.helper.plist (Microsoft Corporation - installed 2018-07-09)
[Loaded]com.nvidia.nvroothelper.plist (NVIDIA Corporation - installed 2018-07-12)
[Not Loaded]com.teamviewer.teamviewer_service.plist (? e6c7921e - installed 2016-07-06)
[Loaded]com.splashtop.streamer-srioframebuffer.plist (Splashtop Inc. - installed 2018-05-23)
[Loaded]com.teamviewer.Helper.plist (? 7f4bf3e7 - installed 2016-07-06)
[Loaded]com.bjango.istatserver.installerhelper.plist (Bjango Pty Ltd - installed 2018-02-12)
[Loaded]com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist (? fa56dec8 - installed 2018-06-27)
[Loaded]PACESupport.plist (? ab6b5614 - installed 2013-02-01)
[Loaded]com.apple.installer.osmessagetracing.plist (Apple - installed 2018-07-04)
[Loaded]com.nvidia.cuda.launcher.plist (? 20f73770 - installed 2018-06-13)
[Loaded]com.prosofteng.DriveGenius.locum.plist (PROSOFT Engineering, Inc. - installed 2018-03-12)
[Loaded]com.microsoft.office.licensingV2.helper.plist (Microsoft Corporation - installed 2016-01-09)
[Loaded]com.rogueamoeba.aceagent.plist (? 88630f9d - installed 2018-03-05)
[Loaded]com.decisivetactics.printopia-server.plist (Decisive Tactics, Inc. - installed 2017-12-26)
[Running]com.fitbit.galileod.plist (Fitbit, Inc. - installed 2017-10-12)
[Loaded]com.adobe.ARMDC.SMJobBlessHelper.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-02-16)
[Running]com.splashtop.streamer-daemon.plist (Splashtop Inc. - installed 2018-05-23)
[Running]com.paceap.eden.licensed.plist (PACE Anti-Piracy, Inc. - installed 2017-11-04)
[Running]com.adobe.agmservice.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-05-29)

User Launch Agents:

[Loaded]com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist (? 0 - installed 2018-02-25)
[Loaded]com.dropbox.DropboxMacUpdate.agent.plist (Dropbox, Inc. - installed 2018-04-13)
[Loaded]com.valvesoftware.steamclean.plist (? 0 - installed 2017-05-20)
[Other]com.auristor.AuriStorBackgrounder.plist (? 0 - installed 2017-04-03)
[Running]com.hp.devicemonitor.plist (HP Inc. - installed 2018-08-01)
[Killed]com.apple.SafariBookmarksSyncer.plist (? 0 - installed 2011-08-05)
[Not Loaded]org.virtualbox.vboxwebsrv.plist (? 0 - installed 2018-06-11)
[Loaded]com.adobe.GC.Invoker-1.0.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-05-29)
[Other]com.microsoft.LaunchAgent.SyncServicesAgent.plist (? 0 - installed 2015-09-06)
[Loaded]com.google.keystone.agent.plist (Google, Inc. - installed 2018-07-17)
[Other]com.spotify.webhelper.plist (? 0 - installed 2016-07-24)
[Loaded]com.rogueamoeba.loopbackd.plist (? 0 - installed 2018-06-11)
[Running]com.hp.productresearch.plist (HP Inc. - installed 2018-08-01)
[Other]com.adobe.ARM.***.plist (? 0 - installed 2011-10-30)
[Loaded]mega.mac.megaupdater.plist (Mega Limited - installed 2018-06-11)

Internet Plug-ins:

WacomNetscape: (installed 2013-10-30)

Unity Web Player: (installed 2012-02-08)

Flip4Mac WMV Plugin: (installed 2011-10-08)

iLokClientHelper: (installed 2012-12-30)

WacomTabletPlugin: (installed 2013-10-30)

AdobeAAMDetect: (installed 2018-07-09)

AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: (installed 2018-07-12)

FlashPlayer-10.6: (installed 2018-07-10)

Silverlight: (installed 2016-05-13)

QuickTime Plugin: (installed 2018-07-04)

Flash Player: (installed 2018-07-10)

jdk: (installed 2018-07-27)

SharePointBrowserPlugin: (installed 2015-08-21)

AdobePDFViewer: (installed 2018-07-12)

iPhotoPhotocast: (installed 2013-12-20)

Scorch: (installed 2016-11-23)

RL Secure Plug-In Layer: (installed 2015-07-25)

JavaAppletPlugin: (installed 2018-07-27)

User Internet Plug-ins:

UploadManager:

ZoomUsPlugIn: (installed 2018-05-06)

WebEx64: (installed 2016-02-28)

RocketEngine:

EMusic: (installed 2014-03-12)

Google Earth Web Plug-in: (installed 2012-11-01)

CitrixOnlineWebDeploymentPlugin: (installed 2013-04-25)

ContentManager:

RealPlayer Plugin: (installed 2012-12-26)

Safari Extensions:

alugha.safariextz - alugha GmbH -https://alugha.com(installed 2017-01-02)
ClickToFlash.safariextz - Marc Hoyois -http://hoyois.github.com/safariextensions/clicktoplugin/(installed 2017-02-04)
Clip to DEVONthink.safariextz - DEVONtechnologies -http://www.devontechnologies.com/redirect.php?id=download-extras(installed 2015-07-16)
Grammarly for Safari.safariextz - Grammarly -https://www.grammarly.com(installed 2018-06-03)

3rd Party Preference Panes:

CUDA Preferences (installed 2018-06-13)

Flash Player (installed 2018-06-25)

FUSE (installed 2017-09-21)

Java (installed 2018-07-27)

NVIDIA Driver Manager (installed 2018-07-12)

Paragon NTFS for Mac ® OS X (installed 2014-12-30)

Perian (installed 2011-07-23)

Seagate Dashboard for Mac OSX (installed 2017-11-04)

Time Machine:

Skip System Files: No

Mobile backups: No

Auto backup: Yes

Volumes being backed up:

M*******h: Disk size: 2.05 TB - Disk used: 534.99 GB

Destinations:

G***n [Network] (Last used)

Total size: 4.00 TB

Total number of backups: 9

Oldest backup: 2017-06-16 10:20:27

Last backup: 2018-07-26 14:24:24

K****k [Local]

Total size: 10.00 TB

Total number of backups: 16

Oldest backup: 2018-05-01 02:09:49

Last backup: 2018-07-31 09:45:41

Top Processes by CPU:

Process (count)Source% of CPULocation
mdworker (6)Apple18
ReportCrash (2)Apple11
WindowServerApple8
plugin-container (4)Mozilla Corporation4
SophosScanD?3

Top Processes by Memory:

Process (count)SourceRAM usageLocation
kernel_taskApple1.93 GB
plugin-container (4)Mozilla Corporation1.20 GB
firefoxMozilla Corporation536 MB
SophosScanD?304 MB
FinderApple156 MB

Top Processes by Network Use:

ProcessSourceInputOutputLocation
kernel_taskApple1.28 GB334 MB
mDNSResponderApple669 KB100 KB
SophosMcsAgentD?95 KB433 KB
usbmuxdApple187 KB138 KB
CalendarAgentApple142 KB9 KB

Top Processes by Energy Use:

Process (count)SourceEnergy (0-100)Location
backupdApple39
ReportCrash (3)Apple5
WindowServerApple4
lsd (2)Apple2
plugin-container (4)Mozilla Corporation2

Virtual Memory Information:

Available RAM8.34 GB
Free RAM3.37 GB
Used RAM7.66 GB
Cached files4.98 GB
Swap Used212 MB

Software Installs (past 30 days):

NameVersionInstall Date
WeatherBug1.0.22018-07-06
Microsoft AutoUpdate4.1.180705032018-07-09
Adobe Flash Player30.0.0.1342018-07-10
Gatekeeper Configuration Data1472018-07-10
iTunes12.82018-07-10
Microsoft Outlook for Mac16.15.180709022018-07-10
Microsoft PowerPoint for Mac16.15.180709022018-07-10
Microsoft Excel for Mac16.15.180709022018-07-10
Microsoft OneNote for Mac16.15.180709022018-07-10
Microsoft Word for Mac16.15.180709022018-07-10
Adobe Acrobat DC (18.011.20055)18.011.200552018-07-12
NVIDIA Web Driver 387.10.10.10.40.105387.10.10.10.40.1052018-07-12
Adobe Acrobat Reader DC (18.011.20055)18.011.200552018-07-12
Contour Shuttle02018-07-19
VNC® Server6.3.1.366572018-07-22
CUDA Driver 396.14802018-07-25
Java 10.0.210.0.2.0.132018-07-27
Avid Application Manager2018.7.185502018-07-29

Clean up:

~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.adobe.ARM.***.plist

/Applications/Adobe Reader.app/Contents/MacOS/Updater/Adobe Reader Updater Helper.app/Contents/MacOS/Adobe Reader Updater Helper

Executable not found

~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.microsoft.LaunchAgent.SyncServicesAgent.plist

/Applications/Microsoft Office 2011/Office/SyncServicesAgent.app/Contents/MacOS/SyncServicesAgent

Executable not found

~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.SafariBookmarksSyncer.plist

/Applications/Safari.app/Contents/SafariSyncClient.app/Contents/MacOS/SafariSync Client

Executable not found

/Library/LaunchAgents/com.alertus.AlertusDesktopClient.plist

/Applications/Alertus Desktop.app/Contents/MacOS/Alertus Desktop

Executable not found

~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.spotify.webhelper.plist

/Volumes/Macintosh HD/U***s/k**********n/L*****y/A*****************t/S*****y/S**************r

Executable not found

~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.auristor.AuriStorBackgrounder.plist

/Library/PreferencePanes/AuriStor.prefPane/Contents/Resources/AuriStorBackground er.app/Contents/MacOS/AuriStorBackgrounder

Executable not found

Diagnostics Information (past 7 days):

2018-08-01 16:25:29 locationd Crash (20 times)

/usr/libexec/locationd

2018-08-01 16:20:06 Dropbox.app Crash (2 times)

/Applications/Dropbox.app

*** Terminating app due to uncaught exception 'NSRangeException', reason: '*** -[__NSArrayM objectAtIndex:]: index 1 beyond bounds [0 .. 0]'

abort() called

terminating with uncaught exception of type NSException

2018-08-01 15:45:07 Splashtop Streamer.app Crash

/Applications/Splashtop Streamer.app

BUG IN CLIENT OF LIBPLATFORM: Trying to recursively lock an os_unfair_lock

2018-08-01 08:18:21 plugin-container.app Crash

/Applications/Firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/plugin-container.app

2018-07-30 18:47:10 Quicken 2017.app Crash

/Applications/Quicken 2017.app

[Begin CrashInfo Version:2]

Timestamp: 2018-07-30 18:46:53 -0400

OS X Version: 10.13.6

App Version: 4.7.3

Aborted: Unhandled Exception

Is Main Thread?: Yes

Thread Name:

Exception Name: NSInvalidArgumentException

Reason: -[_NSViewAuxiliary setCachedEditorHeight:]: unrecognized selector sent to instance 0x7f996e70c180

[End CrashInfo Version:2]

2018-07-26 15:24:05 Mail.app Crash

/Applications/Mail.app

*** Terminating app due to uncaught exception 'MFSQLiteException', reason: 'Adding copy action message'

SQLite error 19 (extended: 787) - FOREIGN KEY constraint failed

terminating with uncaught exception of type NSException

abort() called

End of report

Reply
User profile for user: furrywolf
furrywolf Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Aug 2, 2018 10:58 AM in response to Old Toad

Thanks!

The combo update just sat there for nine hours and never asked for a reboot - I force-quit it at that point.

As I noted in the reply above after the combo update failed to function, I did a rescue disk reinstall of the OS and the problem cleared up initially, but then returned on the next reboot.

Is it possible that there is a bad KEXT or another similar issue that is causing the problem? That would explain why the issue returns after the first login.

Reply
User profile for user: Kurt Lang
Kurt Lang
User level: Level 9
61,652 points

Aug 2, 2018 11:26 AM in response to furrywolf

I would have to say the problem is the incredible number of third party processes you have running. I don't think I've ever seen that many in any EtreCheck report.


Get rid of as many apps as you can think of you no longer need/use, or rarely use anymore.


Ones you should definitely remove:


1. Sophos. There is no AV software of any kind that is worth a hill of beans on the Mac. There are no viruses to detect, and they do nothing to stop you from installing Trojans.


2. All Seagate software. Never, ever install the junk that comes with hard drives or SSDs. All they do is get in the way. The OS is more than capable of handling its own file management.


3. All of the extra Nvidia drivers you've installed. Assuming this is the Nvidia graphics hardware the Mac came with, the OS already includes the necessary drivers to run it. Nothing else is needed.


4. If you want to loosen the death grip of software a bit more, get rid of anything to do with Google. That would be Chrome and Google Earth (of the the Google titles I noticed). These aren't "free". The entire time your computer is running, these apps collect anonymized data of your computer and Internet usage and send that to Google, where they use it for marketing purposes. That, in particular, is what com.google.keystone.agent.plist is doing. After removing the Google apps, you still need to remove that keystone .plist file manually.


This will help, but you have so much software installed that launch startup processes, it may not be enough.

Reply
User profile for user: furrywolf
furrywolf Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Aug 5, 2018 8:43 PM in response to Kurt Lang

Thanks - Sophos has intercepted a Trojan lately (Windows) but what I pay for it in overhead when a scan starts up hardly seems worth it. The NVIDIA drivers are installed for an eGPU (Apple recently stopped supporting NVIDIA eGPUs and I use CUDA in a couple of cases)

The big thing I noticed in the report, and in Activity Monitor is that some apps are crashing - almost continuously.

I definitely have a bloated machine and need to get the apps I don’t use - and the ones that are no longer supported on HS and never will be - off.

I’ll take you advice and get as much as I can this week - might do it in phases to see if I can narrow down the culprit(s).

Reply
User profile for user: Kurt Lang
Kurt Lang
User level: Level 9
61,652 points

Aug 21, 2018 1:17 PM in response to furrywolf

Sophos has intercepted a Trojan lately (Windows) but what I pay for it in overhead when a scan starts up hardly seems worth it.

Exactly. The only use AV software has on a Mac is to let you know if you've gotten Windows malware as an email attachment, or download. Such malware can't do anything to a Mac. So you are again protecting yourself against nothing. Its only use is that you would know not to forward that email or software to a Windows user. But email is more than easy enough to control yourself. If it has an attachment you don't recognize, don't forward it.

The NVIDIA drivers are installed for an eGPU (Apple recently stopped supporting NVIDIA eGPUs and I use CUDA in a couple of cases)

I have the Mac Edition EVGA (Nvidia) GTX680 in my 2010 Mac Pro. Mac apps will always first prefer to use Metal, which isn't a big deal since that is also video hardware acceleration. But I see what you mean. Premiere Pro automatically detected and uses Metal. While the card I have installed also supports CUDA, without the drivers for it, InDesign doesn't detect hardware acceleration, and the check box to turn it on is grayed out.

Reply
User profile for user: furrywolf
furrywolf Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Aug 28, 2018 8:34 PM in response to Kurt Lang

The NVIDIA issue is with eGPUs. Internal PCI cards still work fine.


- the mac finally started slogging down and with too many permutations of what to remove and keep, I ended up doing a clean install and I’m using my TM backups to make a reckoning of what apps, etc that I had installed that weren’t hacks or unsigned kexts, etc. it will take a while to get everything back to normal, but there is too much detriuous from previous apps that are long since deleted and other data that I just need to clean it all out.


with that said, I need to sweep out my Library folders of preferences, application Support, etc from apps, drivers, and other stuff that no longer needs to be on here and needs to be safely removed. Does anyone have suggestions - I can also just do a search on the community. I definitely want an app that has been seriously vette. I don’t want to take any chances at all after having wiped and reinstalled everything.


thanks you guys for helping out.

Reply
User profile for user: Kurt Lang
Kurt Lang
User level: Level 9
61,652 points

Aug 29, 2018 6:51 AM in response to furrywolf

There are no trustworthy cleaning apps. All of them - every one - are known to remove system files.


If you have sufficient space, make a new partition and install only a fresh copy of High Sierra to it. If even that behaves slowly, then you have to consider the possibility of a hardware issue. But I'd be kind of surprised if that's the case.


Assuming the clean partition runs as expected, install only the third party software you actually use. Basically, try hard not to duplicate the very long list of stuff in the EtreCheck report posted earlier. Once you have everything installed you will need, keep an eye on the progress. That is, the OS ran fine by itself, but badly once third party software is installed. That will tell you something you added is the cause.


If the fully set up, new partition runs well, bring in your email and other personal documents. Make a full, bootable backup of this rebuilt with SuperDuper!, Carbon Copy Cloner, or Disk Utility. Boot to the clone, wipe out the drive with the old and almost non-functional partition and its new partition back to a single partition drive. Clone the clone back to the internal drive.


My NVIDIA (EVGA) card is internal. After first making a backup, I tested the various Mac drivers I could find from the official sites. There were three. All of which (after looking later) do not actually work in High Sierra. Not even the most "compatible one" that installs kernel drivers with the name "web drivers". Those are the newest ones, and even those don't work. Apps still won't recognize that CUDA drivers are installed. The others made the entire OS behave very badly. Like moving icons around the desktop. They'd move, but leave a visible "copy" of the icon in its original position. I could keep doing this until there were several icons of one item. Only the last of which was the real one, and could be acted on.


Bad kernel drivers are one of the worst things you can install. I know you mention you need CUDA support for some apps, but none of the drivers you can currently get work in High Sierra. If the apps have Metal support, use that instead.

Reply

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