2008 imac - beachball lock ups and no-boot 'question mark in file' issue

Firstly apologies am new to this forum.. am happy imac user (2008) but recently my imac is freezing in use and/or failing to boot on startup; the grey screen showing for a bit and then a file with a question mark in it. This now happens frequently and I find my self having to wait hours before my mac will boot. I have looked through forum responses and tried disk repair utility, but that showed no problems other than repairing a few permissions - also downloaded and run EtreCheck - but again nothing obvious, although I'll readily concede I don't really know what I looking for. Before I sadly head off on a long journey to a Genius Bar appointment maybe for a new hard drive?? Can anyone suggest anything please - all advice welcome. Thank you

Hi triffiid,
I'm sorry to hear about the issues you've been having with your Mac. If you are currently booting to a grey screen with a flashing question mark, you may find the troubleshooting steps outlined in the following article helpful (apologies if you have already seen it):
Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts2570
Regards,
- Brenden

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1. Product name and number: HP Pavilion Elite e91804
2. Operating system: Windows 7 64 bit
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4. My most recent change was sending my computer in for the Limited Warranty Service Enhancement Program, and receiving a new motherboard.
Before I sent my computer in for the LWSEP I was experiencing lock-ups and crashes only when I was multi-tasking (playing video games, listening to music, and having tabs open in firefox).
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1. Product name and number: HP Pavilion Elite e91804
2. Operating system: Windows 7 64 bit
3. No error message (other than blue screen)
4. My most recent change was sending my computer in for the Limited Warranty Service Enhancement Program, and receiving a new motherboard.
Before I sent my computer in for the LWSEP I was experiencing lock-ups and crashes only when I was multi-tasking (playing video games, listening to music, and having tabs open in firefox).
So I sent my computer in for the LWSEP to receive a new motherboard to fix these crashes, however after receiving my computer from them, the lock-ups and crashing have not been fixed and, in fact, have gotten worse. My computer will now lock-up and crash whenever I attempt to stream anything, be that music, video, etc. I can still occasionally play video games, assuming that I am doing nothing else, and that my computer cooperates with me (not locking up), but this only happens about 1/3 of the time.
My main confusion is that sending my computer in was supposed to fix my problem, not make it worse. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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Apple's suggestions for dealing with the flashing question mark folder:
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Linc Davis wrote:
I can boot into Target Disk mode and since my Macbook reads the OSX installer no problem, would I be able to install the OSX through Firewire?
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Are you able to start up in Safe Mode?
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1455?viewlocale=en_US
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My 2008 iMac will get to the white boot up screen and has the loading circle and then it will freeze. And will freeze when attempting to boot recovery or bootable disc of Mavericks

Hi there, I have a 2008 iMac 24' 3.06 Intel Duo with 4gb ram. And yesterday it was working totally fine and jolly with no issues. Then I noticed there was an OS X update for Mavericks, so I finally decided to do it, and once it was rebooted it went to like the grey screen and I could move my mouse, just nothing else was there. So I tried to restart it, and then it booted up, but was really laggy, and so I decided to restart it and try again, this time the iMac froze at the login. So I decided to take it apart, pull the 500gb hard drive, connect it to my MacBook Pro, and then formatted it in Disc Utility. From there, I opened the Mavericks installer on my MacBook and then installed it to the iMac's hard drive via usb hard drive enclosement. And once the install of Mavericks was completed, I put the hard drive back into the iMac and tried to boot it. It now boots up to the white screen with the Apple and the loading circle underneath the Apple and then it freezes and doesn't go any further. So then once that happened, I turned it off and tried to boot it into recovery mode. Then it freezes on the screen with the Apple and loading circle below it. Then out of desperation, tried to use a bootable disc of Mavericks to see if i can at least get the iMac to boot up again, with no success. It froze at the same point again. So now I reach out to the Apple Community to see if anyone else has an idea on what I can do or if anyone had this issue and what they did to resolve it. Any help would be great. Thanks.

mddcfilms and Pat75, I'm having precisely this same issue -- no booting but spinning and freezing gear under the Apple logo. Have either of you come to a resolution? Here are my details:
iMac, Early 2008, 24”, 3.06 GHz, 4GB
September 2013: Nvidia GeForce 8800 GS GPU repaired, HDD replaced with Western Digital 2TB
21 April 2014: Erased HDD with Disk Utility on Mavericks USB; clean installation of Mavericks from the USB. Process completed without issue, including registration process. After a minute or two of poking around, machine shut down immediately (not through the shut-down process).
Since then it will not boot up. Grey screen and Apple logo appear, with gear spinning; the gear freezes, then the machine tries to boot up again. Occasionally I’ll hear “To use English for the main language, press the return key.”
I’ve tried booting into Safe Mode; same gear freeze and restart.
I’ve tried booting to the 10.9 Recovery disk; same gear freeze and restart.
Tried booting from Mavericks USB; same freeze and restart.
Tried booting from 10.6.3 DVD; same freeze and restart.
Ran Apple Service Toolkit (at Stormfront in the UK), which turned up nothing in error.
Started in single-user mode to test HDD and RAM, which are fine.
Started in verbose mode to check logs; some error messages but nothing seems crucial. After the log screen, the grey screen and Apple logo appear, gear spins, and then freeze.
Cannot get to Apple Hardware Test (vintage machine too old?)
Cannot get to Target Disk Mode with my MacBook Pro
Ideas: Potential booting flaw in Mavericks installation. Firmware incompatibility with Mavericks. Hardware issue in Nvidia GPU (known for problems). At the moment I'm hoping that it's a Mavericks installation or firmware issue, though I suspect the Nvidia GPU has blown up on me. These graphics cards are known for being pieces of junk, so I may try installing the lower spec ATI Radeon 2600 GPU if I can find one at a reasonable price.
Anybody else have precisely these problems or have any advice?

Multiple Panics, Lock Ups and Freezes

My MacBook Pro running 10.8.3 has been having some random shut downs and lock ups lately, the latest of which took the internal boot drive totally offline. I was able to recover it after booting to my external recovery drive and running DiskWarrior 4 as Disk Utility simply said I needed to repair the drive before mounting it, but then said it was unrepairable after attempting to do so.
After the DiskWarrior repair, the Mac booted from it's internal drive like there was nothing wrong, but an hour or so later, I had another lock up where everything froze up and was unresponsive and then after a restart I got another hour or so before it shut itself down and then restarted itself, so I'm obviously less than thrilled with the situation.
This is the factory drive which came with the MacBook Pro when purchased new in January of this year, so I have a hard time believing the drive is physically bad, though I guess anything is possible. Another thing that has me thinking it's not the hardware is that the machine runs fine when booted to the external recovery drive and has no errors or any of the symptoms I've been experiencing.
Anyway, I've been looking at the panic reports, but I'm honestly not well versed in what any of this means, so I'm hoping one of the experts can chime in and maybe point me in the right direction as I'm running out of ideas :/
Interval Since Last Panic Report: 2467 sec
Panics Since Last Report:          1
Anonymous UUID:                    BBC20339-6AE8-82EA-4368-DCBBCC912FF4
Anonymous UUID:                    BBC20339-6AE8-82EA-4368-DCBBCC912FF4
Thu May 2 13:44:42 2013
panic(cpu 6 caller 0xffffff8025cb7e95): Kernel trap at 0xffffff7fa741c064, type 14=page fault, registers:
CR0: 0x0000000080010033, CR2: 0x0000000000000010, CR3: 0x00000000443ae021, CR4: 0x00000000001606e0
RAX: 0x0000000000000001, RBX: 0xffffff81c60a6000, RCX: 0xffffff8048c44000, RDX: 0xffffff81f7773a38
RSP: 0xffffff81f7773b60, RBP: 0xffffff81f7773b60, RSI: 0x0000000000000000, RDI: 0x0000000000000000
R8: 0x0000000000000000, R9: 0x00000000000003ff, R10: 0xffffffffffffffff, R11: 0x00000000ffffffff
R12: 0xffffff81c60a6000, R13: 0x0000000000000000, R14: 0x0000000000000002, R15: 0x0000000000000000
RFL: 0x0000000000010246, RIP: 0xffffff7fa741c064, CS: 0x0000000000000008, SS: 0x0000000000000010
Fault CR2: 0x0000000000000010, Error code: 0x0000000000000000, Fault CPU: 0x6
Backtrace (CPU 6), Frame : Return Address
0xffffff81f7773800 : 0xffffff8025c1d626
0xffffff81f7773870 : 0xffffff8025cb7e95
0xffffff81f7773a40 : 0xffffff8025ccd4dd
0xffffff81f7773a60 : 0xffffff7fa741c064
0xffffff81f7773b60 : 0xffffff7fa7405d64
0xffffff81f7773bb0 : 0xffffff7fa7405cba
0xffffff81f7773bd0 : 0xffffff7fa73e17ae
0xffffff81f7773c00 : 0xffffff7fa62b03a0
0xffffff81f7773c40 : 0xffffff7fa62b030f
0xffffff81f7773c60 : 0xffffff7fa62b575c
0xffffff81f7773cf0 : 0xffffff7fa62ade50
0xffffff81f7773d20 : 0xffffff7fa62feb8b
0xffffff81f7773d70 : 0xffffff8026032e7b
0xffffff81f7773dc0 : 0xffffff80260634f7
0xffffff81f7773e30 : 0xffffff8025c97fef
0xffffff81f7773e80 : 0xffffff8025c20aed
0xffffff81f7773eb0 : 0xffffff8025c10448
0xffffff81f7773f00 : 0xffffff8025c1961b
0xffffff81f7773f70 : 0xffffff8025ca5dd6
0xffffff81f7773fb0 : 0xffffff8025ccdd43
      Kernel Extensions in backtrace:
         com.apple.iokit.IOGraphicsFamily(2.3.7)[74E3E50F-E50A-3073-8C96-06F854292A91]@0 xffffff7fa62a4000->0xffffff7fa62dbfff
            dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily(2.7.3)[1D668879-BEF8-3C58-ABFE-FAC6B3E9A292]@0xffff ff7fa6266000
         com.apple.NVDAResman(8.1)[A26D2A3D-C06F-3A0F-BCFF-901A98C93C3D]@0xffffff7fa62fb 000->0xffffff7fa6608fff
            dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily(2.7.3)[1D668879-BEF8-3C58-ABFE-FAC6B3E9A292]@0xffff ff7fa6266000
            dependency: com.apple.iokit.IONDRVSupport(2.3.7)[38C214C0-83C8-3594-8A4C-DC6AC3FEC163]@0xff ffff7fa62e7000
            dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOGraphicsFamily(2.3.7)[74E3E50F-E50A-3073-8C96-06F854292A91]@0 xffffff7fa62a4000
         com.apple.GeForce(8.1)[A15BB65E-3501-340F-87CB-2FD2BAD33E35]@0xffffff7fa73de000 ->0xffffff7fa74aafff
            dependency: com.apple.NVDAResman(8.1.0)[A26D2A3D-C06F-3A0F-BCFF-901A98C93C3D]@0xffffff7fa62 fb000
            dependency: com.apple.iokit.IONDRVSupport(2.3.7)[38C214C0-83C8-3594-8A4C-DC6AC3FEC163]@0xff ffff7fa62e7000
            dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily(2.7.3)[1D668879-BEF8-3C58-ABFE-FAC6B3E9A292]@0xffff ff7fa6266000
            dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOGraphicsFamily(2.3.7)[74E3E50F-E50A-3073-8C96-06F854292A91]@0 xffffff7fa62a4000
BSD process name corresponding to current thread: WindowServer
Mac OS version:
12D78
Kernel version:
Darwin Kernel Version 12.3.0: Sun Jan 6 22:37:10 PST 2013; root:xnu-2050.22.13~1/RELEASE_X86_64
Kernel UUID: 3EB7D8A7-C2D3-32EC-80F4-AB37D61492C6
Kernel slide:     0x0000000025a00000
Kernel text base: 0xffffff8025c00000
System model name: MacBookPro9,1 (Mac-4B7AC7E43945597E)
System uptime in nanoseconds: 187720354206
last loaded kext at 185678984299: com.apple.driver.AudioAUUC          1.60 (addr 0xffffff7fa768f000, size 32768)
loaded kexts:
com.kaspersky.nke          1.0.1d41
com.kaspersky.kext.klif          3.0.0d23
com.apple.driver.AudioAUUC          1.60
com.apple.iokit.IOBluetoothSerialManager          4.1.3f3
com.apple.filesystems.autofs          3.0
com.apple.driver.AGPM          100.12.87
com.apple.driver.ApplePlatformEnabler          2.0.6d1
com.apple.driver.X86PlatformShim          1.0.0
com.apple.driver.AppleMikeyHIDDriver          122
com.apple.driver.AppleHDAHardwareConfigDriver          2.3.7fc4
com.apple.driver.AppleHDA          2.3.7fc4
com.apple.GeForce          8.1.0
com.apple.iokit.IOBluetoothUSBDFU          4.1.3f3
com.apple.driver.AppleUpstreamUserClient          3.5.10
com.apple.driver.ACPI_SMC_PlatformPlugin          1.0.0
com.apple.iokit.BroadcomBluetoothHCIControllerUSBTransport          4.1.3f3
com.apple.driver.AppleMikeyDriver          2.3.7fc4
com.apple.nvidia.NVDAStartup          8.1.0
com.apple.driver.SMCMotionSensor          3.0.3d1
com.apple.driver.AppleSMCLMU          2.0.3d0
com.apple.driver.AppleIntelHD4000Graphics          8.1.0
com.apple.driver.AppleIntelFramebufferCapri          8.1.0
com.apple.iokit.IOUserEthernet          1.0.0d1
com.apple.Dont_Steal_Mac_OS_X          7.0.0
com.apple.driver.ApplePolicyControl          3.3.0
com.apple.driver.AppleSMCPDRC          1.0.0
com.apple.driver.AppleLPC          1.6.0
com.apple.driver.AppleMuxControl          3.3.0
com.apple.driver.AppleBacklight          170.2.5
com.apple.driver.AppleMCCSControl          1.1.11
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBTCButtons          237.1
com.apple.driver.AppleIRController          320.15
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBTCKeyEventDriver          237.1
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBTCKeyboard          237.1
com.apple.driver.AppleFileSystemDriver          3.0.1
com.apple.AppleFSCompression.AppleFSCompressionTypeDataless          1.0.0d1
com.apple.AppleFSCompression.AppleFSCompressionTypeZlib          1.0.0d1
com.apple.BootCache          34
com.apple.iokit.SCSITaskUserClient          3.5.5
com.apple.driver.XsanFilter          404
com.apple.iokit.IOAHCIBlockStorage          2.3.1
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBHub          5.5.5
com.apple.driver.AppleSDXC          1.4.0
com.apple.iokit.AppleBCM5701Ethernet          3.6.0b1
com.apple.driver.AirPort.Brcm4331          614.20.16
com.apple.driver.AppleFWOHCI          4.9.6
com.apple.driver.AppleAHCIPort          2.5.1
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBEHCI          5.5.0
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBXHCI          5.5.5
com.apple.driver.AppleEFINVRAM          1.7
com.apple.driver.AppleSmartBatteryManager          161.0.0
com.apple.driver.AppleACPIButtons          1.7
com.apple.driver.AppleRTC          1.5
com.apple.driver.AppleHPET          1.8
com.apple.driver.AppleSMBIOS          1.9
com.apple.driver.AppleACPIEC          1.7
com.apple.driver.AppleAPIC          1.6
com.apple.driver.AppleIntelCPUPowerManagementClient          196.0.0
com.apple.nke.applicationfirewall          4.0.39
com.apple.security.quarantine          2
com.apple.driver.AppleIntelCPUPowerManagement          196.0.0
com.apple.iokit.IOSerialFamily          10.0.6
com.apple.kext.triggers          1.0
com.apple.driver.DspFuncLib          2.3.7fc4
com.apple.iokit.IOAudioFamily          1.8.9fc11
com.apple.kext.OSvKernDSPLib          1.6
com.apple.nvidia.gk100hal          8.1.0
com.apple.NVDAResman          8.1.0
com.apple.iokit.IOFireWireIP          2.2.5
com.apple.driver.IOPlatformPluginLegacy          1.0.0
com.apple.iokit.AppleBluetoothHCIControllerUSBTransport          4.1.3f3
com.apple.driver.AppleThunderboltEDMSink          1.1.8
com.apple.driver.AppleThunderboltEDMSource          1.1.8
com.apple.driver.AppleThunderboltDPOutAdapter          1.8.9
com.apple.driver.X86PlatformPlugin          1.0.0
com.apple.driver.AppleHDAController          2.3.7fc4
com.apple.iokit.IOHDAFamily          2.3.7fc4
com.apple.iokit.IOAcceleratorFamily          30.14
com.apple.iokit.IOSurface          86.0.4
com.apple.iokit.IOBluetoothFamily          4.1.3f3
com.apple.driver.AppleSMC          3.1.4d2
com.apple.driver.IOPlatformPluginFamily          5.3.0d51
com.apple.driver.AppleSMBusPCI          1.0.11d0
com.apple.driver.AppleGraphicsControl          3.3.0
com.apple.driver.AppleBacklightExpert          1.0.4
com.apple.iokit.IONDRVSupport          2.3.7
com.apple.driver.AppleSMBusController          1.0.11d0
com.apple.iokit.IOGraphicsFamily          2.3.7
com.apple.driver.AppleThunderboltDPInAdapter          1.8.9
com.apple.driver.AppleThunderboltDPAdapterFamily          1.8.9
com.apple.driver.AppleThunderboltPCIDownAdapter          1.2.6
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBMultitouch          237.3
com.apple.iokit.IOUSBHIDDriver          5.2.5
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBMergeNub          5.5.5
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBComposite          5.2.5
com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIMultimediaCommandsDevice          3.5.5
com.apple.iokit.IOBDStorageFamily          1.7
com.apple.iokit.IODVDStorageFamily          1.7.1
com.apple.iokit.IOCDStorageFamily          1.7.1
com.apple.iokit.IOAHCISerialATAPI          2.5.1
com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIArchitectureModelFamily          3.5.5
com.apple.driver.AppleThunderboltNHI          1.6.3
com.apple.iokit.IOThunderboltFamily          2.2.6
com.apple.iokit.IOUSBUserClient          5.5.5
com.apple.iokit.IOEthernetAVBController          1.0.2b1
com.apple.iokit.IO80211Family          522.4
com.apple.iokit.IONetworkingFamily          3.0
com.apple.iokit.IOFireWireFamily          4.5.5
com.apple.iokit.IOAHCIFamily          2.3.1
com.apple.iokit.IOUSBFamily          5.5.5
com.apple.driver.AppleEFIRuntime          1.7
com.apple.iokit.IOHIDFamily          1.8.1
com.apple.iokit.IOSMBusFamily          1.1
com.apple.security.sandbox          220.2
com.apple.kext.AppleMatch          1.0.0d1
com.apple.security.TMSafetyNet          7
com.apple.driver.DiskImages          345
com.apple.iokit.IOStorageFamily          1.8
com.apple.driver.AppleKeyStore          28.21
com.apple.driver.AppleACPIPlatform          1.7
com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily          2.7.3
com.apple.iokit.IOACPIFamily          1.4
com.apple.kec.corecrypto          1.0
System Profile:
Model: MacBookPro9,1, BootROM MBP91.00D3.B08, 4 processors, Intel Core i7, 2.6 GHz, 16 GB, SMC 2.1f173
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000, Intel HD Graphics 4000, Built-In, 384 MB
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M, NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M, PCIe, 1024 MB
Memory Module: BANK 0/DIMM0, 8 GB, DDR3, 1600 MHz, 0x0000, 0x4B4238475F44335F534F31363030434C3130
Memory Module: BANK 1/DIMM0, 8 GB, DDR3, 1600 MHz, 0x0000, 0x4B4238475F44335F534F31363030434C3130
AirPort: spairport_wireless_card_type_airport_extreme (0x14E4, 0xF5), Broadcom BCM43xx 1.0 (5.106.98.100.16)
Bluetooth: Version 4.1.3f3 11349, 2 service, 11 devices, 1 incoming serial ports
Network Service: Ethernet, Ethernet, en0
Serial ATA Device: APPLE HDD TOSHIBA MK7559GSXF, 750.16 GB
Serial ATA Device: HL-DT-ST DVDRW GS31N
USB Device: hub_device, 0x8087 (Intel Corporation), 0x0024, 0x1a100000 / 2
USB Device: FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in), apple_vendor_id, 0x8509, 0x1a110000 / 3
USB Device: hub_device, 0x8087 (Intel Corporation), 0x0024, 0x1d100000 / 2
USB Device: hub_device, 0x0424 (SMSC), 0x2513, 0x1d180000 / 3
USB Device: Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad, apple_vendor_id, 0x0252, 0x1d183000 / 6
USB Device: IR Receiver, apple_vendor_id, 0x8242, 0x1d182000 / 5
USB Device: BRCM20702 Hub, 0x0a5c (Broadcom Corp.), 0x4500, 0x1d181000 / 4
USB Device: Bluetooth USB Host Controller, apple_vendor_id, 0x821d, 0x1d181300 / 8
Model: MacBookPro9,1, BootROM MBP91.00D3.B08, 4 processors, Intel Core i7, 2.6 GHz, 16 GB, SMC 2.1f173
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000, Intel HD Graphics 4000, Built-In, 384 MB
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M, NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M, PCIe, 1024 MB
Memory Module: BANK 0/DIMM0, 8 GB, DDR3, 1600 MHz, 0x0000, 0x4B4238475F44335F534F31363030434C3130
Memory Module: BANK 1/DIMM0, 8 GB, DDR3, 1600 MHz, 0x0000, 0x4B4238475F44335F534F31363030434C3130
AirPort: spairport_wireless_card_type_airport_extreme (0x14E4, 0xF5), Broadcom BCM43xx 1.0 (5.106.98.100.16)
Bluetooth: Version 4.1.3f3 11349, 2 service, 11 devices, 1 incoming serial ports
Network Service: Ethernet, Ethernet, en0
Serial ATA Device: APPLE HDD TOSHIBA MK7559GSXF, 750.16 GB
Serial ATA Device: HL-DT-ST DVDRW GS31N
USB Device: hub_device, 0x8087 (Intel Corporation), 0x0024, 0x1a100000 / 2
USB Device: FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in), apple_vendor_id, 0x8509, 0x1a110000 / 3
USB Device: hub_device, 0x8087 (Intel Corporation), 0x0024, 0x1d100000 / 2
USB Device: hub_device, 0x0424 (SMSC), 0x2513, 0x1d180000 / 3
USB Device: Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad, apple_vendor_id, 0x0252, 0x1d183000 / 6
USB Device: IR Receiver, apple_vendor_id, 0x8242, 0x1d182000 / 5
USB Device: BRCM20702 Hub, 0x0a5c (Broadcom Corp.), 0x4500, 0x1d181000 / 4
USB Device: Bluetooth USB Host Controller, apple_vendor_id, 0x821d, 0x1d181300 / 8

1. This comment applies to malicious software ("malware") that's installed unwittingly by the victim of a network attack. It does not apply to software, such as keystroke loggers, that may be installed deliberately by an intruder who has hands-on access to the victim's computer. That threat is in a different category, and there's no easy way to defend against it. If you have reason to suspect that you're the target of such an attack, you need expert help.
OS X now implements three layers of built-in protection specifically against malware, not counting runtime protections such as execute disable, sandboxing, system library randomization, and address space layout randomization that may also guard against other kinds of exploits.
2. All versions of OS X since 10.6.7 have been able to detect known Mac malware in downloaded files, and to block insecure web plugins. This feature is transparent to the user, but internally Apple calls it "XProtect." The malware recognition database is automatically checked for updates once a day; however, you shouldn't rely on it, because the attackers are always at least a day ahead of the defenders.
The following caveats apply to XProtect:
It can be bypassed by some third-party networking software, such as BitTorrent clients and Java applets.
It only applies to software downloaded from the network. Software installed from a CD or other media is not checked.
3. Starting with OS X 10.7.5, there has been a second layer of built-in malware protection, designated "Gatekeeper" by Apple. By default, applications and Installer packages downloaded from the network will only run if they're digitally signed by a developer with a certificate issued by Apple. Software certified in this way hasn't necessarily been tested by Apple, but you can be reasonably sure that it hasn't been modified by anyone other than the developer. His identity is known to Apple, so he could be held legally responsible if he distributed malware. That may not mean much if the developer lives in a country with a weak legal system (see below.)
Gatekeeper doesn't depend on a database of known malware. It has, however, the same limitations as XProtect, and in addition the following:
It can easily be disabled or overridden by the user.
A malware attacker could get control of a code-signing certificate under false pretenses, or could find some other way to bypass Apple's oversight, or the oversight could fail in a particular case due to human error.
For most purposes, applications recognized by Gatekeeper as signed, including App Store products, can be considered safe. Note, however, that at least one trojan for iOS (not for OS X) was briefly distributed by a developer in Russia through the iTunes App Store. That store is under the same oversight by Apple as the Mac App Store, so the protection shouldn't be considered absolute. App Store products may prompt for access to private data, such as your contacts. Think before granting that access. OS X security is based on user input. Never click anything reflexively.
4. Starting with OS X 10.8.3, a third layer of protection has been added: a "Malware Removal Tool" (MRT). MRT runs automatically in the background when you update the OS. It checks for, and removes, malware that may have evaded the other protections via a Java exploit (see below.) MRT also runs when you install or update the Apple-supplied Java runtime (but not the Oracle runtime.) Like XProtect, MRT is presumably effective against known attacks, but maybe not against unknown attacks. It notifies you if it finds malware, but otherwise there's no user interface to MRT.
5. Beyond XProtect, Gatekeeper, and MRT, there’s no evidence of any benefit from other automated protection against malware. The first and best line of defense is always your own intelligence. With the possible exception of Java exploits, all known malware circulating on the Internet that affects a fully-updated installation of OS X 10.6 or later takes the form of so-called "trojan horses," which can only have an effect if the victim is duped into running them. The threat therefore amounts to a battle of wits between you and the malware attacker. If you're smarter than he thinks you are, you'll win.
That means, in practice, that you never use software that comes from an untrustworthy source, or that does something inherently untrustworthy. How do you know what is trustworthy?
Any website that prompts you to install a “codec,” “plug-in,” "player," "extractor," or “certificate” that comes from that same site, or an unknown one, is untrustworthy.
A web operator who tells you that you have a “virus,” or that anything else is wrong with your computer, or that you have won a prize in a contest you never entered, is trying to commit a crime with you as the victim. (Some reputable websites did legitimately warn visitors who were infected with the "DNSChanger" malware. That exception to this rule no longer applies.)
Pirated copies or "cracks" of commercial software, no matter where they come from, are unsafe.
Software of any kind downloaded from a BitTorrent or from a Usenet binary newsgroup is unsafe.
Software that purports to help you do something that's illegal or that infringes copyright, such as saving streamed audio or video for reuse without permission, is unsafe. All YouTube "downloaders" are in this category, though not all are necessarily harmful.
Software with a corporate brand, such as Adobe Flash Player, must be downloaded directly from the developer’s website. If it comes from any other source, it's unsafe.
Even signed applications should not be trusted if they do something unexpected, such as asking for permission to access your contacts or your location for no apparent reason.
6. Java on the Web (not to be confused with JavaScript, to which it's not related, despite the similarity of the names) is a weak point in the security of any system. Java is, among other things, a platform for running complex applications in a web page, on the client. That was always a bad idea, and Java's developers have proven themselves incapable of implementing it without also creating a portal for malware to enter. Past Java exploits are the closest thing there has ever been to a Windows-style virus affecting OS X. Merely loading a page with malicious Java content could be harmful.
Fortunately, client-side Java on the Web is obsolete and mostly extinct. Only a few outmoded sites still use it. Try to hasten the process of extinction by avoiding those sites, if you have a choice. Forget about playing games or other non-essential uses of Java.
Java is not included in OS X 10.7 and later. Discrete Java installers are distributed by Apple and by Oracle (the developer of Java.) Don't use either one unless you need it. Most people don't. If Java is installed, disable it — not JavaScript — in your browsers.
Regardless of version, experience has shown that Java on the Web can't be trusted. If you must use a Java applet for a task on a specific site, enable Java only for that site in Safari. Never enable Java for a public website that carries third-party advertising. Use it only on well-known, login-protected, secure websites without ads. In Safari 6 or later, you'll see a lock icon in the address bar with the abbreviation "https" when visiting a secure site.
Follow the above guidelines, and you’ll be as safe from malware as you can practically be. The rest of this comment concerns what you should not do to protect yourself from malware.
7. Never install any commercial "anti-virus" or "Internet security" products for the Mac, as they all do more harm than good, if they do any good at all. If you need to be able to detect Windows malware in your files, use the free software ClamXav — nothing else.
Why shouldn't you use commercial "anti-virus" products?
Their design is predicated on the nonexistent threat that malware may be injected at any time, anywhere in the file system. Malware is downloaded from the network; it doesn't materialize from nowhere.
In order to meet that nonexistent threat, the software modifies or duplicates low-level functions of the operating system, which is a waste of resources and a common cause of instability, bugs, and poor performance.
By modifying the operating system, the software itself may create weaknesses that could be exploited by malware attackers.
8. ClamXav doesn't have these drawbacks. That doesn't mean it's entirely safe. It may report email messages that have "phishing" links in the body, or Windows malware in attachments, as infected files, and offer to delete or move them. Doing so will corrupt the Mail database. The messages should be deleted from within the Mail application.
ClamXav is not needed, and should not be relied upon, for protection against OS X malware. It's useful only for detecting Windows malware. Windows malware can't harm you directly (unless, of course, you use Windows.) Just don't pass it on to anyone else.
A Windows malware attachment in email is usually easy to recognize. The file name will often be targeted at people who aren't very bright; for example:
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥!!!!!!!H0TBABEZ4U!!!!!!!.AVI♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.exe
ClamXav may be able to tell you which particular virus or trojan it is, but do you care? In practice, there's seldom a reason to use ClamXav unless a network administrator requires you to run an anti-virus application.
9. The greatest harm done by security software, in my opinion, is in its effect on human behavior. It does little or nothing to protect people from emerging threats, but if they get a false sense of security from it, they may feel free to do things that expose them to higher risk. Nothing can lessen the need for safe computing practices.
10. It seems to be a common belief that the built-in Application Firewall acts as a barrier to infection, or prevents malware from functioning. It does neither. It blocks inbound connections to certain network services you're running, such as file sharing. It's disabled by default and you should leave it that way if you're behind a router on a private home or office network. Activate it only when you're on an untrusted network, for instance a public Wi-Fi hotspot, where you don't want to provide services. Disable any services you don't use in the Sharing preference pane. All are disabled by default.

I Mac G5 locks up and wont boot up

I have been having a problem with my 2005 IMac G5. It has been an ongoing problem since I bought the computer. The problem starts when the computer locks up and needs to be powered down, after which it will not boot up again. I get a gray screen with a flashing ? mark and the fan goes into hyper drive. I have tried all the tips in troubleshooting; resetting the PR, looking at the led lights, etc. It will not start up in safe mode.
While it was under warranty, the apple store replaced the hard drive and re-imaged the hard drive several times. Since it is out of warranty the only thing the store will do is re-image the hard drive which fixes the problem for maybe a day or two and then the computer locks up again I have the maximum amount of memory in the machine so when it is working it is fast. I heard there was a problem with the airport wireless card in these machines. Could that be the problem or could the hard drive be bad? I hate to throw this computer away because it was hardly used. Thanks for any comments.

Don't throw it away, clone the drive to an external and then put a new drive in the iMac, and then revere clone from your external.

IPhone 5 lock-ups and crashes after iOS7 upgrade

On Wednesday I upgraded to iOS 7. While I like the new look and functionality, I have experienced a couple of OS crashes/lock-ups in a way that I had to force-reboot my iPhone by holding the sleep&home buttons.
There are two situations where this happens for me: First, when the phone is locked (4-digit passcode), I swipe to unlock, then I try to type the passcode, but the device is completely locked up and doesn't accept any input. It doesn't react on the sleep and home buttons either.
The second situation is when answering a call: Phone rings, I swipe the green button to answer, then the screen goes black and the device seems completely bricked until force-rebooted.
Case 1 has happened 4 times so far since wednesday, case 2 happened three times (answering three different phone calls).
The device is an iPhone 5 64GB I bought in October 2012.
None of this ever happened to me before the upgrade to iOS 7.
Doesn anyone have the same issues? Where can I get help on this?

I have this issue as well and I did a hard reset and restore from icloud and did the same from my computer and neither of them fixed the issue. Of course I would be outside of my warranty period. My phone continues to crash at least 4 to 5 times a day. Please help us!!!

I have experienced recent system lock-ups and I am require to shut down with the power switch could this be a OS problem or software related using LION with latest updates

Whats up with the system lockups just frustrated as to why. I could be checking mail, surfing the web or using PS Elements 9. Makes no difference what I am doing it occationaly locks up and requires a cold boot (windows talk).

I don't think so, Lion with the latest updates is running fine for most of us.
Post the log for your next lockup or the previous one if you can isolate the timeframe.
/Applications/Utilities/Console > system.log

I have a 2008 iMac. Can iPhoto and iMovie process 720p HD videos?

I am shopping for a megazoom camera. They are mostly built for still photos, but also shoot HD videos.. in either 720p or 1080p formats. I have a 2008 iMac. I have not upgraded to Snow Leopard or a more recent version of iLIfe.
Can my version of iPhoto and iMovie process either format of HD?
A guy at the local Apple store said the video files have to be in AVCHD format, but I have found no info to back this up, so he is probably wrong.
A Canon online rep said 720p could be used, because my mac uses a 1080i format. ?? Something about up-sourcing.
I am eager to buy a camera, but want to be VERY sure I can use at least a 720p HD format.
As I am a computer neophyte, please explain in layman's terms.
Thanks very much!

iMovie from '08 iMac.. which makes the iMovie # 7.0
Thanks for the advice! I just found this: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=iMovie/7.0/en/15202.html.
As far as I can tell it says 1080i will work with iMovie 7.0, But I could be wrong.
I think your advice on using 720p is excellent. The camera I am most inclined to buy at the moment is the Panasonic Lumix FZ-100. I think it has optional .. what do I call them.. resolutions? Possibility of shooting in either 720p or 1080i... or maybe not.
A rather rude apple tech support guy I spoke with yesterday.. if I remember correctly, said 720p or 1080i or 1080p.. wouldn't matter.. for '08 imoive.. but this might not be correct. Besides being unpleasant, he didn't explain things very well..
He also said it is best to find a camera that shoots in AVCHD, and that if I didn't find one, I would have to convert the video file to AVCHD.. I am wondering how to do that, and I am wondering if he is correct.
You have a Canon.. I got an email from a Canon rep who says none of the Canon cameras shoots in AVCHD.. maybe this is not a problem? Do you have to convert your video files to AVCHD?
And.. If I have been shooting in 1080i..or 1080p for that matter, if I understand you correctly, I can process that video in 720p instead? I don't know if there is an option for this in iMovie '08 (which is version 7.. GRRRR.)
This is all too @#$% complicated! I've been doing research for almost a week.. many hours a day.. trying to figure out what camera to buy, and whether or not it is compatible with my mac. I thought I had it figured out.. but maybe not..
If I need to, I'll get the iLife '09.. but have been reading bad reviews of iLife '11, so probably won't get that one.
Besides the Pan. Lumix, I am checking out the Canon SX20 and SX30.. both shoot in 720p.. I think.. If I can convert these to AVCHD easily (or if I don't have to convert them) maybe the Canons are a better choice.
Lastly.. will these videos process with iPhoto? Mostly I just want to put videos on youtube without any fancy editing. I've been doing this with an older but excellent point and shoot Canon (that does not shoot videos in HD), and have had no problems uploading to youtube.
Thanks VERY much for the help!

2008 imac - beachball lock ups and no-boot 'question mark in file' issue

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