File sync spinning wheel Mac 10.8.5

when I tell cc to file sync I just get the spinning wheel. I checked permissions on the local folder, then moved the local folder. neither worked. Additionally I uninstalled the cc app and then downloaded the latest version and reinstalled. still spinning wheel with no indication of why. pretty much the same with font sync
any help will be apprechated
GT

Thanks for the input. Did ensure both were set the same. They weren't. Synced settings, restarted iCal and iPhone. Still only syncing in one direction. Any other suggestions? Thanks again.

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CC Installer will not install - spinning wheel (MAC)

I've had an installed CC on a desktop for many months now.
I have installed the Adobe CC on a laptop. However, the screen contains a endless spinning wheel.
The computer is indeed connected to the Internet. And I have used my correct credentials to sign in.
Any idea why the problem?

Photo_mikey please see Creative Cloud app doesn't open and hangs on spinning progress wheel - http://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/kb/creative-cloud-app-doesnt-open.html for information on how to resolve the current error which you are experiencing.

Spinning wheel: Mac Mail

I inadvertently shut my iMac down while Mail was still running. When I restarted, Mail told me it had to re-import my mail before continuing. I did that, it reimported my messages (150,000), and now everything appears to be working, except for the fact that it won't show me the mail messages. On the left side, I can see that I have 26 unread messages - and I can read them through my iPhone, but my inbox appears empty, and the spinning whell goes round and round... tried rebooting... help...

Steve, any solutions so far? This very same problem just occured a couple of days ago and it's slightly (...) annoying. I tried rebuilding the mailbox, also re-indexing all mails by deleting those files in the library, which usually helped. But not this time...
I have plenty of RAM and 10GB free space on my drive.
Does that advice of repairing the HD permissions in the linked thread help and does it also apply for SSD?
Thanks.
Patrick

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Mac Book Pro constantly displays spinning wheel of death HELP!!!

My Mac Book Pro (after installing Mavericks) displays the spinning wheel of death multiple times per day. I thought it was my Google Chrome, but now it has been happening no matter what application I am using. I used Etrecheck to see what is going on with my computer, but I don't actually know what the output means. I've copied the information below.
More information: I no longer have a Blackberry, but I don't know how to remove any software that may still be on my computer (since I see Blackberry listed under Kernel Extensions). I also backed up my harddrive on the 28th, just to be safe.
I would greatly appreciate any and all help with this. I'm in the process of trying to study for mulitple teacher certification exams, so this is the worst possible time for tmy computer to suddenly go haywire. Thank you so much to anyone who takes the time to help!
Hardware Information:
          MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2010)
          MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro7,1
          1 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU: 2 cores
          4 GB RAM
Video Information:
          NVIDIA GeForce 320M - VRAM: 256 MB
System Software:
          OS X 10.9.2 (13C1021) - Uptime: 0 days 0:21:46
Disk Information:
          Hitachi HTS545032B9SA02 disk0 : (320.07 GB)
                    EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB
                    Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / [Startup]: 319.21 GB (224.83 GB free)
                    Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>: 650 MB
          MATSHITADVD-R   UJ-898
USB Information:
          Apple Inc. Built-in iSight
          Apple Internal Memory Card Reader
          Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub
                    Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
          Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
          Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
Thunderbolt Information:
Gatekeeper:
          Mac App Store and identified developers
Kernel Extensions:
          [kext loaded] com.rim.driver.BlackBerryUSBDriverInt (0.0.64) Support
          [not loaded] com.rim.driver.BlackBerryUSBDriverVSP (0.0.64) Support
          [not loaded] com.seagate.driver.PowSecDriverCore (5.2.3 - SDK 10.4) Support
          [not loaded] com.seagate.driver.PowSecLeafDriver_10_4 (5.2.3 - SDK 10.4) Support
          [not loaded] com.seagate.driver.PowSecLeafDriver_10_5 (5.2.3 - SDK 10.5) Support
          [not loaded] com.seagate.driver.SeagateDriveIcons (5.2.3 - SDK 10.4) Support
Startup Items:
          HP IO: Path: /Library/StartupItems/HP IO
Launch Daemons:
          [loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist Support
          [loaded] com.cloudpath.maccmd.plist Support
          [loaded] com.google.keystone.daemon.plist Support
          [loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist Support
          [running] com.rim.BBDaemon.plist Support
          [running] com.sophos.autoupdate.plist Support
          [running] com.sophos.intercheck.plist Support
          [running] com.sophos.notification.plist Support
          [failed] Safe.Connect.plist Support
Launch Agents:
          [loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist Support
          [running] com.hp.devicemonitor.plist Support
          [loaded] com.hp.messagecenter.launcher.plist Support
          [running] com.hp.productresearch.plist Support
          [running] com.rim.BBLaunchAgent.plist Support
          [running] com.sophos.uiserver.plist Support
          [running] net.culater.SIMBL.Agent.plist Support
User Launch Agents:
          [loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist Support
          [failed] com.apple.CSConfigDotMacCert-[...]@me.com-SharedServices.Agent.plist
          [loaded] com.citrixonline.GoToMeeting.G2MUpdate.plist Support
          [loaded] com.leadertech.PowerRegister.SEA1.83d33ce173c08a4063a3d2747cfbb0a9.plist Support
          [running] com.spotify.webhelper.plist Support
User Login Items:
          AdobeResourceSynchronizer
          Dropbox
          HP Scheduler
          SophosUIServer
Internet Plug-ins:
          o1dbrowserplugin: Version: 5.3.0.18358 Support
          Default Browser: Version: 537 - SDK 10.9
          Flip4Mac WMV Plugin: Version: 2.3.8.1 Support
          NP2020Player: Version: 5.0.4.0 Support
          OfficeLiveBrowserPlugin: Version: 12.3.6 Support
          AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: Version: 10.1.9 Support
          FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 13.0.0.206 - SDK 10.6 Support
          Silverlight: Version: 5.1.20125.0 - SDK 10.6 Support
          Flash Player: Version: 13.0.0.206 - SDK 10.6 Support
          iPhotoPhotocast: Version: 7.0 - SDK 10.7
          googletalkbrowserplugin: Version: 5.3.0.18358 Support
          NP_2020Player_IKEA: Version: 5.0.7.0 Support
          AdobePDFViewer: Version: 10.1.9 Support
          CouponPrinter-FireFox_v2: Version: Version 1.1.6 Support
          QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3
          SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.0.2 Support
Audio Plug-ins:
          BluetoothAudioPlugIn: Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.9
          AirPlay: Version: 2.0 - SDK 10.9
          AppleAVBAudio: Version: 203.2 - SDK 10.9
          iSightAudio: Version: 7.7.3 - SDK 10.9
iTunes Plug-ins:
          Quartz Composer Visualizer: Version: 1.4 - SDK 10.9
User Internet Plug-ins:
          CitrixOnlineWebDeploymentPlugin: Version: 1.0.105 Support
          Picasa: Version: 1.0 Support
3rd Party Preference Panes:
          Flash Player Support
          Flip4Mac WMV Support
Time Machine:
          Skip System Files: NO
          Auto backup: YES
          Volumes being backed up:
                    Macintosh HD: Disk size: 297.29 GB Disk used: 87.91 GB
          Destinations:
                    Time Machine Backups [Local] (Last used)
                    Total size: 465.44 GB
                    Total number of backups: 3
                    Oldest backup: 2013-01-14 01:49:07 +0000
                    Last backup: 2014-04-28 23:07:32 +0000
                    Size of backup disk: Adequate
                              Backup size 465.44 GB > (Disk used 87.91 GB X 3)
          Time Machine details may not be accurate.
          All volumes being backed up may not be listed.
Top Processes by CPU:
               9%          mds
               4%          WindowServer
               1%          InterCheck
               0%          BBLaunchAgent
               0%          fontd
Top Processes by Memory:
          143 MB          Google Chrome
          139 MB          InterCheck
          106 MB          com.apple.IconServicesAgent
          74 MB          Dropbox
          66 MB          mds_stores
Virtual Memory Information:
          765 MB          Free RAM
          1.48 GB          Active RAM
          1.04 GB          Inactive RAM
          492 MB          Wired RAM
          1.05 GB          Page-ins
          0 B          Page-outs

kmiddlet88,
yes, it could be due to nearly anything listed in your kernel extensions, startup items, launch daemons, launch agents, or user items above. Please check all of your installed third-party software to make sure that the versions which are installed on your MacBook Pro are compatible with Mavericks; uninstall every software package which isn’t Mavericks-compatible. After you’ve done that, boot into Safe mode, and see if you still get the beach ball of doom there. If it doesn’t appear there, restart normally and see if it appears then.

Am I the only one around here who's got the the spinning wheel in Finder window when trying to upload or selecting file?

Let's say when i try to upload something onto a website using safari, when then Finder window opened up, I have like 70% chance encounter the "spinning wheel" in the left coner, the search progress takes about 10 seconds to complete. This is very annoying. I have late 2013 15 inch, and i have done twice "Clean install" of Mavericks, still the same problem. How can i solve this... Really gonna cry...

Please read this whole message before doing anything.
This procedure is a test, not a solution. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.
Step 1
The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is localized to your user account.
Enable guest logins* and log in as Guest. Don't use the Safari-only “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac.”
While logged in as Guest, you won’t have access to any of your personal files or settings. Applications will behave as if you were running them for the first time. Don’t be alarmed by this; it’s normal. If you need any passwords or other personal data in order to complete the test, memorize, print, or write them down before you begin.
Test while logged in as Guest. Same problem?
After testing, log out of the guest account and, in your own account, disable it if you wish. Any files you created in the guest account will be deleted automatically when you log out of it.
*Note: If you’ve activated “Find My Mac” or FileVault, then you can’t enable the Guest account. The “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac” is not the same. Create a new account in which to test, and delete it, including its home folder, after testing.
Step 2
The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party system modifications that load automatically at startup or login, by a peripheral device, by a font conflict, or by corruption of the file system or of certain system caches.
Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards, if applicable. Start up in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem. You must hold down the shift key twice: once when you boot, and again when you log in.
Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a Fusion Drive or a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, with limited graphics performance, and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and Wi-Fi on certain models. The next normal boot may also be somewhat slow.
The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
Test while in safe mode. Same problem?
After testing, reboot as usual (not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of Steps 1 and 2.

Corrupt User Data Spinning Wheel Of Death Mac Palm Desktop Rev D

Hello,
My Treo 700p stopped working and Palm Desktop on My Mac will not open, import, or merge my user data files (current and backups). I've tried the apple-option Merge and import tricks to no avail. If it is set as the default user data, palm desktop will freeze on its splash screen and give me the spinning wheel of death. If i open, i get the message "Opening User Data One moment please..." with an eternal spinning wheel of death (SWOD). If i restore (apple-option merge) i immediately get the SWOD, If i merge, i am notified that the merge is successful, but then i get the spinning wheel of death before any data is displayed. I can open the userdata in textwrangler and see all of the phone numbers, notes, etc, but It seems impossible to parse into any format for reimporting or moving to my Pre. Are there any other tricks to opening the user data or recovering its contents. Any debug tools or software interrupts or anything I can do? Is there a way to open this stuff in a properly parsed format? Can User Data files be opened or imported by any other app? Also the Treo 700p gets power and the red light stays on but it never boots, perhaps there is a forensic tool that can recover the data?
Thank You for all your help and I would greatly appreciate any resolution.
David
Post relates to: Treo 700p (Sprint)
Message Edited by infdaze on 06-17-2009 08:29 PM

What BDAqua said. Get those crummy fonts you added off the drive. At least one of them must be so bad that's it's corrupting RAM every time the system tries to load it.
A Safe Mode boot removes the user cache files of the account you log into in Safe Mode, and clears Font Book's database. Normally, that would allow you to restart normally since Font Book's database is not rebuilt until you launch Font Book. That you can't even get that far means you have some really BAD fonts.
Boot into Safe Mode again. Make a new folder on the desktop and move all of the fonts you added out of the /Library/Fonts/ folded, or the Fonts folder of your user account. Whichever one you put them in.
Now you should be able to startup normally.

My Mac is dying?!? Help - Spinning wheel of death.

HELP My mac has become crazy slow, lots of spinning wheels while trying to access anything and everything. It's gotten progressively worse. I'm a home use but have set up 3 users on this machine. It's been like that since I set it up 3-4 years ago. Now when I do fast user switching it just hangs and never finishes. I have to shut it off. Then in order to get it to boot back up it's usually a process of 2-3 restarts. It'll will just sit on the apple screen and forever. I don't have the original CD so I can't use that to troubleshoot. I'd love to download it if possible. I downloaded AppleJack 1.5 yesterday in hopes to troubleshoot/repair but the first thing it says...
"AppleJack is designed to be run only in single user mode. Running this script while logged in as a user can crash your operating system (especially if you use it to delete the system's virtual memory or cache files), which would be more than a little bit counterproductive, since we're out to solve problems, not cause them."
I don't see a place to turn off the multi-user/accounts. So I'm stuck. And I'm sad. I'm addicted to my mac for fun and extra income. Please help!!
iMac PowerPC G5 Mac OS X (10.4.9) 1 GB RAM

Unfortunately DU can't fix all that much, your best bet is DiskWarrior, you need the CD though.
http://www.alsoft.com/DiskWarrior/
Or, if you can afford to lose all the data on it, 1. Insert the Mac OS X Install disc that came with your computer, then restart the computer while holding the C key.
2. When your computer finishes starting up from the disc, choose Disk Utility from the Installer menu. (In Mac OS X 10.4 or later, you must select your language first.)
Important: Do not click Continue in the first screen of the Installer. If you do, you must restart from the disc again to access Disk Utility.
3. Click the Erase tab.
4. Click the disclosure triangle to the left of the hard drive icon to display the names of your hard disk volumes and partitions.
5. Select your Mac OS X volume, then chose MacOS Extended Journalled.
6. Click Erase & look for Options. choose Zero 1 pass.

Spinning wheel of death when try to sync itunes with ipod

I've had no bother from syncing my ipod until today and then for no reason I now keep getting the spinning wheel of death.
When my ipod is connected and on auto sync mode it gets recognised, says it's syncing and then totally freezes. The only way to get out of this is to manually remove the ipod and force quit itunes.
I've tried starting itunes without auto sync on, which works ok until you decide to move any music content across. For some strange reason it was ok about transferring podcasts but just refuses to transfer music content.
I've uninstalled itunes 9 and reinstalled with no effect. I've restored the ipod to factory settings which all it's done is now cleaned the ipod of all content and won't transfer anything. I'm using a mac with OSX Snow Leopard.
Can anyone help?

I think your problem is different to the OP's - in your case, did you check the format of the drive before you began using it? It's possible that it's formatted as NTFS or FAT32 out of the box, and you need to reformat to Macintosh Extended.
But this wouldn't apply to the OP's as he already had been using his drive for a while with no problems, although maybe permissions and/or ownership got scrambled.

Upgrading 4 different macs - 10.8.2 - ALL 4 hangs with apple logo but before spinning wheel

Crazy! Never happened to me EVER, not even close and I've been using and administrating macs since 89. Upgraded all my macs, incl the MBP of my nephew; MBP Retina, MacBook Unibody (hybriddisk), MBP 17" + Mac Mini (thunderbolt) ALL ultimately needed reformating drive and fresh install to get up & running again, hours of extra work! All identical freeze displaying apple logo but no spinning wheel. Could start all in recover mode but could not from there remedy whatever fault there was. 3 of the macs more or less (Retina & MacBook) identical equipped software-wise but MBP 17" very sparse software (belonging to computer-"illiterate" so no fancy software. The latter had Lion so in that case as opposed th eother macs this wasn't an incremental 10.8.1->10.8.2 upgrade.
I have upgraded all macs fresh via internet so no upgrade via downloaded install file on for ex usb-unit.
Any ideas?? I'm really frustrated and disappointed, this cannot be a freak occurence!

I have no helpful reply to give you except moral support: I'm having the exact same problem (going from 10.6.8 to 10.8.2 on a 2010 MacBook Pro.) I have tried reboots, reloads, disk repair, permission repair (between each attempt I reloaded from a clone). Also tried loading it, then repairing from Recovery mode, then restarting. Endless spinning wheel at the Apple logo as 10.8.2 attempts its first startup every time.

MacBook pro will not boot. I get the gray screen, an apple icon and spinning wheel. Tried to start in safe mode but get the same screen. The only thing different was that I loaded the zedge sync app yesterday. Now getting this problem.

Macbook pro will not boot. I get the gray screen, an apple icon and spinning wheel. I tried to start in safe mode, but get this same screen. The only thing different is that I added the zedge update app to do a sync for adding ringtones to my apple cell phone. How can I get a good boot. I am fairly new to apple computer.

Reset PRAM: http://support.apple.com/kb/PH4405 and then try a normal boot.
Run the Startup Manager to select Startup disk: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1310
If those did not work your disk may be sick or dying. The top priority at this point is to make a backup copy of your data.
Check the health of the disk. Boot in Recovery Mode (Boot, Command-R). Run Disk Utility. Click on the upper left disk icon. Does the S.M.A.R.T. status say “Verified”? If not the disk/SSD is unhealthy and needs to be replaced. Even if it does not show “Verified” you can still attempt a backup.
Click on the icon indented below, usually called “Macintosh HD” and Verify Disk. If it finishes with a green “OK” message then all is well with the disk. If it shows errors in red then you have found a problem to address once the system is backed up. Do not attempt software repairs until you have secured the data.
If the disk will not show up at all in Disk Utility as your ran the tests above then it may be dead or it may have a bad internal SATA cable. A trip to an Apple store for confirmation would be in order.
If you have an external disk drive you can use as a backup drive then do so. If not Google “Hitachi USB 3.0 external hard drive 1TB” to purchase one or go to a brick-and-mortar store (including an Apple store) to pickup one. Any 1 TB external drive will do.
Assuming it is still breathing you can try to recover the data without booting from the sick disk.
Reformat the external disk. (This will erase all data on the external disk.)
Boot in Recovery Mode. Start Disk Utility. Plug in the new disk. Select it’s disk Icon (the second one down, left justified). Select the Partition tab.
Partition Layout > Single Partition
Name: Emergency Recovery 1 (or whatever name you wish to use)
Format: Mac OS Extended (journaled)
Options… > GUID Partition Table > OK
Apply
Select the Restore tab.
Drag the old system volume (Macintosh HD) to Source.
Drag the new disk volume (Emergency Recovery 1) to Destination.
Click on Restore.
It may take a long time for the backup.
If that will not complete post back for other emergency data recovery methods, including those from a brody.
If the backup succeeds, use the First Aid tab in Disk Utility to select the old volume (Macintosh HD) and Repair Disk. If it does not finish with a green OK message try to repair it once or twice more. If it repairs with a green OK message, will it boot normally? If not, boot from the Recovery Partition and reinstall OS X.
If it is still not healthy, post back for further instructions.

My imac 10.6.8 hangs on the spinning wheel after installing Samsung Kies (KiesMac_2-0-0-13023_10_1). I was able to restart ok after installation; I even moved some files from my Galaxy 3 to the imac. But on the next (and all subsequent) restart attempts,

My imac 10.6.8 hangs on the spinning wheel after installing Samsung Kies (KiesMac_2-0-0-13023_10_1).
I was able to restart ok after installation; I even moved some files from my
Galaxy 3 to the imac.
But on the next (and all subsequent) restart attempts, it hangs on the spinning wheel.
How to fix? Thanx in advance.

Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup

Apple logo with spinning wheel in Mac OS X 10.8.5

I have a 15 inch MacBook Pro with 4GB ram and 2.4 GHz Intel i5 and OS X 10.8.5 and everytime i boot up it gives an apple logo with the spinning wheel, after 3 or 4 boot try, it actualy boots normaly to mac os x normaly. I already repaired the permissions, reseted the PRAM, and still no use.
I often use heavy programs like Final Cut Pro 7 (.0.3), Firefox, EyeTV, and Soundtrack Pro.

I already done this way and still no due
here's a list of things i've already done:
- Reset the PRAM
- Uninstalled some programs i didn't use, like the older versions of iLife, iWork and MS Office for Mac
- Repaired permissions
- Uninstalled most third-party content i didnt use, like the black barry files.
I also did a full backup and a full reinstall of the OS and software I used most such as the latest version of Adobe's CS6, and Sun Office suite and the MS Office for Mac, and the Final Cut Pro X suite and Final Cut Pro 7 suite.

Indesign cs6 file won't open (spinning wheel)

Hello,
I have been working on a project using indesign, and this afternoon i tried to open it but I get nothing but the spinning wheel of death (Mac). I tried opening it on another Mac but it doesn't open there either. I read a few discussions, and tried a few but I can't even click on anything because of the spinning wheel. Does this mean my file cannot be recovered? Please help...

Ello Peter,
Thank you for your response. I looked at the script however, I was working on a newsletter/magazine with about 50 pages. After I exported it, I noticed some minor editing needed to be done. When I tried to open it back up, I was unable to. I tried a few times and when I open ID, all i get is the spinning wheel. I quit ID a few times and a message asking to try to recover the file pops up. Ive pressed all options a few times and still no luck.

I believe that i have malware on my mac, osx 10.9.4. accordingly, i've tried to run clamxav (on my mac HD) but just get a spinning wheel, then have to shut down. any advice on how to stop spinning wheel or get rid of malware? please help. :-).

i believe that i have malware (possible highjack of safari browser) on my mac, osx 10.9.4. accordingly, i've tried to run clamxav (on my mac HD) but just get a spinning wheel, then have to shut down. any advice on how to stop spinning wheel or get rid of malware? i have symnatic endpoint and, after scanning, it reveals nothing. please help. :-).

are locked user files or that have incorrect permission a bad thing?
Yes.
why am i removing symantec?
Short answer: Because it's worse than useless and worse than the imaginary "viruses" you're afraid of would be if they really existed. For the long answer, see below.
1. This is a comment on what you should—and should not—do to protect yourself from malicious software ("malware") that circulates on the Internet and gets onto a computer as an unintended consequence of the user's actions. 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 computer, or who has been able to log in to it remotely. That threat is in a different category, and there's no easy way to defend against it.
The comment is long because the issue is complex. The key points are in sections 5, 6, and 10.
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. Internally Apple calls it "XProtect."
The malware recognition database used by XProtect is automatically updated; 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.
As new versions of OS X are released, it's not clear whether Apple will indefinitely continue to maintain the XProtect database of older versions such as 10.6. The security of obsolete system versions may eventually be degraded. Security updates to the code of obsolete systems will stop being released at some point, and that may leave them open to other kinds of attack besides malware.
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 simply ignore the consequences of distributing codesigned malware.
☞ An App Store developer could find a way to bypass Apple's oversight, or the oversight could fail due to human error.
Apple has so far failed to revoke the codesigning certificates of some known abusers, thereby diluting the value of Gatekeeper and the Developer ID program. These failures don't involve App Store products, however.
For the reasons given, App Store products, and—to a lesser extent—other applications recognized by Gatekeeper as signed, are safer than others, but they can't be considered absolutely safe. "Sandboxed" applications may prompt for access to private data, such as your contacts, or for access to the network. Think before granting that access. Sandbox security is based on user input. Never click through any request for authorization without thinking.
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 effective against known threats, but not against unknown ones. It notifies you if it finds malware, but otherwise there's no user interface to MRT.
5. The built-in security features of OS X reduce the risk of malware attack, but they are not, and never will be, complete protection. Malware is a problem of human behavior, and a technological fix is not going to solve it. Trusting software to protect you will only make you more vulnerable.
The best defense is always going to be 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 scam artists. If you're smarter than they think you are, you'll win. That means, in practice, that you always stay within a safe harbor of computing practices. How do you know when you're leaving the safe harbor? Below are some warning signs of danger.
Software from an untrustworthy source
☞ Software of any kind is distributed via BitTorrent, or Usenet, or on a website that also distributes pirated music or movies.
☞ Software with a corporate brand, such as Adobe Flash Player, doesn't come directly from the developer’s website. Do not trust an alert from any website to update Flash, or your browser, or any other software.
☞ Rogue websites such as Softonic and CNET Download distribute free applications that have been packaged in a superfluous "installer."
☞ The software is advertised by means of spam or intrusive web ads. Any ad, on any site, that includes a direct link to a download should be ignored.
Software that is plainly illegal or does something illegal
☞ High-priced commercial software such as Photoshop is "cracked" or "free."
☞ An application helps you to infringe copyright, for instance by circumventing the copy protection on commercial software, or saving streamed media for reuse without permission.
Conditional or unsolicited offers from strangers
☞ A telephone caller or a web page tells you that you have a “virus” and offers to help you remove it. (Some reputable websites did legitimately warn visitors who were infected with the "DNSChanger" malware. That exception to this rule no longer applies.)
☞ A web site offers free content such as video or music, but to use it you must install a “codec,” “plug-in,” "player," "downloader," "extractor," or “certificate” that comes from that same site, or an unknown one.
☞ You win a prize in a contest you never entered.
☞ Someone on a message board such as this one is eager to help you, but only if you download an application of his choosing.
☞ A "FREE WI-FI !!!" network advertises itself in a public place such as an airport, but is not provided by the management.
☞ Anything online that you would expect to pay for is "free."
Unexpected events
☞ A file is downloaded automatically when you visit a web page, with no other action on your part. Delete any such file without opening it.
☞ You open what you think is a document and get an alert that it's "an application downloaded from the Internet." Click Cancel and delete the file. Even if you don't get the alert, you should still delete any file that isn't what you expected it to be.
☞ An application does something you don't expect, such as asking for permission to access your contacts, your location, or the Internet for no obvious reason.
☞ Software is attached to email that you didn't request, even if it comes (or seems to come) from someone you trust.
I don't say that leaving the safe harbor just once will necessarily result in disaster, but making a habit of it will weaken your defenses against malware attack. Any of the above scenarios should, at the very least, make you uncomfortable.
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.
Stay within the safe harbor, 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.
7. Never install any commercial "anti-virus" (AV) or "Internet security" products for the Mac, as they are all worse than useless. If you need to be able to detect Windows malware in your files, use one of the free security apps in the Mac App Store—nothing else.
Why shouldn't you use commercial AV products?
☞ To recognize malware, the software depends on a database of known threats, which is always at least a day out of date. This technique is a proven failure, as a major AV software vendor has admitted. Most attacks are "zero-day"—that is, previously unknown. Recognition-based AV does not defend against such attacks, and the enterprise IT industry is coming to the realization that traditional AV software is worthless.
☞ Its 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, commercial AV 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 may also create weaknesses that could be exploited by malware attackers.
☞ Most importantly, a false sense of security is dangerous.
8. An AV product from the App Store, such as "ClamXav," has the same drawback as the commercial suites of being always out of date, but it does not inject low-level code into the operating system. That doesn't mean it's entirely harmless. 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.
An AV app is not needed, and cannot be relied upon, for protection against OS X malware. It's useful, if at all, only for detecting Windows malware, and even for that use it's not really effective, because new Windows malware is emerging much faster than OS X malware.
Windows malware can't harm you directly (unless, of course, you use Windows.) Just don't pass it on to anyone else. A malicious attachment in email is usually easy to recognize by the name alone. An actual example:
London Terror Moovie.avi [124 spaces] Checked By Norton Antivirus.exe
You don't need software to tell you that's a Windows trojan. Software may be able to tell you which trojan it is, but who cares? In practice, there's no reason to use recognition software unless an organizational policy requires it. Windows malware is so widespread that you should assume it's in everyemail attachment until proven otherwise. Nevertheless, ClamXav or a similar product from the App Store may serve a purpose if it satisfies an ill-informed network administrator who says you must run some kind of AV application. It's free and it won't handicap the system.
The ClamXav developer won't try to "upsell" you to a paid version of the product. Other developers may do that. Don't be upsold. For one thing, you should not pay to protect Windows users from the consequences of their choice of computing platform. For another, a paid upgrade from a free app will probably have all the disadvantages mentioned in section 7.
9. 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.
10. As a Mac user, you don't have to live in fear that your computer may be infected every time you install software, read email, or visit a web page. But neither can you assume that you will always be safe from exploitation, no matter what you do. Navigating the Internet is like walking the streets of a big city. It's as safe or as dangerous as you choose to make it. The greatest harm done by security software is precisely its selling point: it makes people feel safe. They may then feel safe enough to take risks from which the software doesn't protect them. Nothing can lessen the need for safe computing practices.

File sync spinning wheel Mac 10.8.5

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