I think I have a virus - hard disk full and administrator rights gone

I think I have a virus - my hard disk is full allthough I only have about 20G of 60 used. I cant install a virus checker as I have lost my administrator rights (when I check in accounts, I am just a "standard" user. This means I cannot install any software as it will not let me run the installer program - says incorrect username / password

You may have a corrupted disk but you do not have a virus. Boot using your original system installation DVD and run Disk Utility. Repair the disk.
If you have no Administrator accounts at all, follow this procedure to create a new, temporary Administrator account from which you can fix your normal one.
Power on or restart your Mac.
At the chime or grey screen, hold ⌘ and S on your keyboard to enter single-user mode.
At the prompt, type
fsck -fy
and press Return.
This is a simple check for file system integrity and is optional. It will take a moment or two to complete. Wait for it to finish before proceeding.
Type the following exactly as written, one line at a time, each line followed by the return key. There is a single space preceding the first "slash" ( / ) character in each line:
mount -uw /
rm /var/db/.AppleSetupDone
shutdown -h now
When you restart the machine, it will take you through the entire setup and registration process all over again. When you do so, create a brand new account with Admin privileges. Give it a simple and disposable name since you will delete it later. Do not choose the option to transfer or migrate information to the Mac.
When it completes, log in under that new account, change your previous account back to Admin, and log out.
Log in using your old account, which will now have its Admin privileges restored. Delete the throwaway account you just created.

Similar Messages

What can I do if I think I have a virus?

QuestionWhat can I do if I think I have a virus?
AnswerSkip this and contact a professional
If you'd like to skip this guide and contact a professional, CLICK HERE.
There are a few steps you can take if you think you have a virus.
Use anti-virus software
One of the first things you should do is scan your computer with anti-virus software. Many Toshiba computers come with software for this purpose. You may choose to use an alternative, but you should only have one anti-virus program installed at a time.
Run your anti-virus program and ensure it's fully updated. Once it's updated, preform a full scan of your computer.
Disconnect accessories
If that doesn't help, you should disconnect any accessories connected to your computer. It's possible that the symptoms that you think are due to a virus could be due to an accessory.
Uninstall new software
An error with a new program might be causing problems that you think are being caused by a virus. To check this, uninstall any new programs that you installed near the time your computer's symptoms first appeared.
Perform system restore
If none of the previous suggestions helped, you might consider performing a system restore. This will return your computer's system files to a previous state. System settings will revert, and programs installed since the restore point was created might need to be reinstalled. Your documents shouldn't be changed.
For more information on performing a system restore, see one of the following articles:
How To: Understanding System Restore, Refresh, Reset, and, Recovery options in Windows 8 + Video
How To: Perform a system restore in Windows 7
Contact a professional or perform a system reset
Lastly, you might want to return your computer to factory default conditions. This is sometimes called a system reset or a system recovery. Note that this will remove all of your software and data that you added including applications, documents, photos, etc.
If you don't want to reset your computer and you'd like to contact a professional, CLICK HERE.
If you do want to proceed with a system reset, the system reset will remove the virus. For more information, see the following article:
How To: Understanding System Restore, Refresh, Reset, and, Recovery options in Windows 8 + Video

Some processes are critical, but many can be interrupted without any problem.
You can monitor your ongoing processes by going to Applications/Utiltities/Activity Monitor; pay particular attention to Disk Activity and Network. To interrupt a process, highlight the process, and tap "Quit Processes." This will interrupt or stop the runaway process.

I am using Windows 8.1 i have an External Hard Disk and one drive is now inaccessible due to sudden power failure few days ago. Now it shows "Data error (Cyclic redundancy check)". I want all my important files and Pics. How ?

Hi,
I am using Windows 8.1
I have an External Hard Disk i have partitioned it to 4 parts.
One drive is now inaccessible due to sudden power failure while listening Music from that drive few days ago.
Now it shows "Data error (Cyclic redundancy check)".
I tried all the procedures provided here like
chkdsk /f, diskpart, rescan etc
but no result :( (i mean all processes failed. They could not detect the drive).
Please help me to get those data, pictures and project files.
thank you

Then why aren't you posting this in the Windows 8 forums found @
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windows/en-US/home?category=w8itpro
This is a Windows 7 forum for discussion about Windows 7.
Please remember to click “Mark as Answer” on the post that helps you, and to click “Unmark as Answer” if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread. ”

I think I have a virus or a bot. Numerous people on my e-mail list received strange e-mails from me overnight. How do I get rid of this virus or bot? Any suggestions.

I think I have a virus or bot on my MacBook. Random e-mails have been sent from my e-mail overnight. I use comcast.net. Any suggestions for removing the bot.

Let me guess, one or more of your friends has asked you why you're sending them solicitations for phony pharmaceuticals or shady software?
These emails did not originate from your MacBook. What happens is that one or more of your friends has a Windows computer with your email address stored in its Address Book (or whatever Windows calls it). Their computer gets infected with a program that examines email addresses stored on it and used yours as the "return address" on the spam it's spewing forth, to disguise the actual source.
At present, there are no such known programs that run on Macs. Therefore, there is nothing to remove on your MacBook. All you're guily of is sending an email to someone with a Windows computer, who is lacking the anti-malware utilities that are a practical requirement for Windows.
Summary: There's nothing you can do.
Lesson: Friends don't let friends run Windows.

I think I have a virus/spyware/adware???

Hello!
Last week while I was on www.google.com searching images, my Safari download manager popped up and began downloading "soft_58s7.exe". I immediately deleted it and assumed that I had clicked on an image that took me to a link that gave me a virus. I continued on using google, and when searching something completely different the download occurred again, and again. Each time I deleted the file from my computer by locating it in Finder and dragging it to the trash.
However, not I get random pop-ups everyone once in awhile while using sites that I know do not have pop-ups (Google search, aol.com, facebook). So I think I have a virus.
I also tried to download ProtectMac Antivirus, but it tells me that it cannot be downloaded because there is another antivirus software on my computer that it is not compatible with. I checked my applications and there was an app called "VirusProtect", which I drug to the trash as well. However I still received this message that ProtectMac could not be installed because of another antivirus application. I believe that I either did not uninstall VirusProtect correctly, which I need help doing because the icon is no longer there, or this is also an effect of the virus.
Please help!!
Im on a MacBook, running OS X 10 .5.8
Thank you!
I think this is also an effect of the virus because I have no virus protection on my com

.exe files are Windows executables that do not run on Macs, and simply downloading one will not give you a virus. Random pop-ups in your browser may occur but as long as you dismiss them there should nothing of concern.
You cannot delete virus protection software by dragging it to the Trash. You must use the appropriate uninstaller that is included with the software.
Also see:
Do You Need Anti-Virus Protection for Your Mac?
According to Rich Mogull's article, Should Mac Users Run Antivirus Software?,
"The reality is that today the Mac platform is relatively safe. There are hundreds of thousands of viruses and other malicious software programs floating around for Windows, but less than 200 are known to target the Mac, and many of those are aimed at versions of the Mac OS prior to Mac OS X (and thus have no effect on a modern Mac).
It's not that Mac OS X is inherently more secure against viruses than current versions of Windows (although it was clearly more secure than Windows prior to XP SP2); the numerous vulnerabilities reported and patched in recent years are just as exploitable as their Windows equivalents. But most security experts agree that malicious software these days is driven by financial incentives, and it's far more profitable to target the most dominant platform."
Mr. Mogull is a computer security expert. I recommend reading the entire article as it is quite informative.
For additional information on viruses, trojans, and spyware visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQs on viruses and spyware.

I am having trouble with my mac book air. I think I have a virus because everytime i click on a link it openes up popup windows and other things. How do I reset teh computer?

I am having trouble with my mac book air. I think I have a virus because everytime i click on a link it openes up popup windows and other things. How do I reset teh computer?

Please post a screenshot that shows what you mean. Be careful not to include any private information.
Start a reply to this message. Click the camera icon in the toolbar of the editing window and select the image file to upload it. You can also include text in the reply.

I can't open or receive hotmail emails on my macbrook pro, but it works on other devices. i changed my password, emptied the cache, tried using a different browser, etc. i think i have a virus. help!

I can't open or receive hotmail emails on my macbrook pro, but i can on other devices. i changed my password, emptied the cache, tried using a different browser, etc. i think i have a virus. help!

Thanks for your help. that's not working either! ugh!!
I can open hotmail, but it's not formatting right, i can't open emails, nor send them.
Thank you so much for trying to help. I really appreciate it.
I understand that you can't get a virus by opening an email, but it seems way too circumstancial! This is my third mac -- because unlike PC -- I never had a problem. I understand this problem is not with my macbook, because every other website works fine -- it's hotmail!

I think i have a virus on my Macbook Pro, OS X Yosemite, how do i wipe my computer clean without erasing photos and music etc?

i think i have a virus on my Macbook Pro, OS X Yosemite, how do i wipe my computer clean without erasing photos and music etc?

The update alerts are fake, and are intended to dupe you into installing malware or disclosing private information so that your identity can be stolen.
You might get the alerts when visiting a website that has been hacked. Don't visit the site again. If applicable, notify the site administrator of the problem, but don't send email to an unknown party.
If you get the alerts when visiting more than one well-known website, such as Google, YouTube, or Facebook, then they may be the result of an attack on your router that has caused you to get false results from looking up the addresses of Internet servers. Requests sent to those sites are redirected to a server controlled by the attacker. It's possible, but less likely, that the DNS server used by your ISP has been attacked.
Back up all data.
Unlock the Network preference pane, if necessary, by clicking the lock icon in the lower left corner and entering your password. Cllck Advanced, open the DNS tab, and change the server addresses to the following:
          8.8.8.8
          8.8.4.4
That's Google DNS. Click OK, then Apply.
In Safari, select
          Safari ▹ Preferences... ▹ Privacy ▹ Remove All Website Data
and confirm. If you’re using another browser, empty the cache. Test. If the fake update alerts stop, see below. Otherwise, ask for instructions.
The router's documentation should tell you how to reset it to the factory default state. Usually there's a pinhole switch somewhere in the back. It may be labeled "RESET." Insert the end of a straightened paper clip or a similar tool and press the button inside for perhaps 15 seconds, or as long as the instructions specify.
After resetting the router, quit the web browser and relaunch it while holding down the shift key. From the Safari menu bar, select
          Safari ▹ Preferences... ▹ Privacy ▹ Remove All Website Data
and confirm. Do the equivalent if you use another browser. Open the Downloads folder and delete anything you don't recognize.
Then go through the router's initial setup procedure. I can't be specific, because it's different for every model. The key points are these:
1. Don't allow the router to be administered from the WAN (Internet) port, if it has that option. Most do.
2. Set a strong password to protect the router's settings: at least ten random upper- and lower-case letters and digits. Don't use the default password or any other that could be guessed. Save the password in your keychain. Any password that you can remember is weak.
3. If the router is wireless, or if you have a wireless access point on the network, use "WPA 2 Personal" security and set a different strong password to protect the network. If the router or access point doesn't support WPA 2, it's obsolete and must be replaced.
During the time the router was compromised, you were redirected to bogus websites. If you ever connected to a secure site and got a warning from your browser that the identity of the server could not be verified, and you dismissed that warning in order to log in, assume that your credentials for the site have been stolen and that the attacker has control of the account. This warning also applies to all websites on which you saw the fake update alerts.
Check the router manufacturer's website for a firmware update.
If you downloaded and installed what you thought was a software update, ask for instructions.

My iMac is from early 2009. Should I have a new hard disk installed to prevent disk failure?

My iMac is from early 2009. Should I have a new hard disk installed to prevent disk failure?

Having a good backup strategy is the best way to prevent data loss.
see > http://www.macworld.com/article/1156643/how_i_back_up_frakes.html
That way if and when your internal hard disk ever does fail or you just what to upgrade your Mac to a larger hard drive, you have a good backup on a external hard drive to recover from.
Personally I use Carbon Copy Cloner and keep current bootable backups on several external hard drives. That way I can either boot up and run or restore from them in case something ever happens to my internal hard drive.

HT4061 I think I have a virus, yesterday I opened this message from verizon about me owning 1,000 to them. and today I have 8 messages from someone on my ipad. how can I tell or fix my ipad of this virus?

I think I have a virus, yesterday I got an email from Verizon that I own $1000 and I tried to open it and now I have 8 emails from the same sender. DO I have a virus and what should I do to clean my ipad?

Chances are your iPad is fine. when you clicked on that e-mail, you confirmed to them 'hey, real person' so now Mr Spammer is working towards his 'make money from home' quota of spam by sending you multiple e-mails. You can block him - I'm not sure what e-mail client you're using so no idea for exact instructions, but you'll probably need to do this on a computer not via the iPad) and you could report him....wouldn't hold my breath that the report will actually accomplish anything beyond the person being blocked.
The iPad's operating system is different from the OS of a PC or Mac. Viruses written for one can't run on the others. (and iPads dont' get viruses in the strictest definition of the term, malicious programs that propogate themselves across the operating system)
The down side, even if you block this person, they know your address is a 'live' one so you'll need to be alert and aware because I'm sure more spam and phising mails are on their way.
If you did enter ANY info, make calls and start changing passwords ASAP.

Have an external hard disk. cannot open on my mac

hi. i have an external hard disk that i used to use with my dell. now that i switched to mac, when i plug it i can see the info, but when i want to add or delete something from the external disk it says cannot be transformed any info, just for reading, so my question is how can disable that and be able to change the info in my external hard disk? thanx in advance for any information in this issue

The drive is obviously formatted as NTFS, which the Mac cannot write to. You'll need to reformat it using Disk Utility, which will erase the contents

Replace the hard disk has, and also have lost the OS disk.

Replace the hard disk has, and also have lost the OS disk.
Reset on my computer to install the program instantly,
Is there any way?
Thank you.

If I follow you correctly, you either have or will be replacing the hard drive in your iMac. You don't have the original OS X disks nor an operating system disk. Do you have a bootable backup? Here are some steps/options:
1) If you have a bootable backup, install the hard drive, boot from the external hard drive, then use SuperDuper or CCC to copy the external hard drive to your new internal hard drive.
2) You have your old hard drive, and it's not dead. Put it into an external case and see above.
3) You don't have either a bootable backup or a working old hard drive. You can try calling Apple Support to see if they still have the original OS X disks for your system. If they do, they'll charge a nominal price for them.
4) You checked and Apple no longer has disks for your system. You can go to the used market to buy Leopard 10.5 disks. If you do, be sure and get retail black-faced disks, but don't get the black-faced disk which is an upgrade disk .... if you don't have 10.4 on your system, it won't work. Careful of gray-faced OS X disks as they are locked to the original system type they ship with. So a gray faced OS X 10.5 disk for a MacBook won't work on your iMac.
5) Another related option is to buy 10.6 Snow Leopard, if your system meets requirements. This is still sold by Apple, and in the US is available online for $29.99 from the Apple store. Snow Leopard requirements are:
Mac computer with an Intel processor
1GB of memory
5GB of available disk space
DVD drive for installation
6) Or you could consider Lion, via the USB stick that is sold in Apple stores. Lion requirements are:
Mac computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, or Xeon processor
2GB of memory (4GB recommended)
OS X v10.6.6 or later (v10.6.8 recommended)
7GB of available space
Hopefully I haven't totally misunderstood your question, and answered something you weren't asking!

Pls help my time capsule (4th gen) lost it files..I think it have a virus pls help me to fix it tnx..

Pls help my time capsule (4th gen) lost it files..I think it have a virus pls help me to fix it tnx..

1. Ethernet .. are you using ethernet?
2. Change the name of the TC to short, no spaces and pure alphanumeric.
3. In the file sharing page change the workgroup to WORKGROUP.
4. In the same area, change the guest access to on read and write.
5. If you setup homegroup on the PC get rid of it.. TC is not compatible with homegroup.
6. Turn off ipv6 in the network settings for ethernet. (since you are going to be using ethernet).
From Mac version utility it looks like this.
Go to the admin tools and ensure that bonjour for windows is on.
Manually type the IP directly into windows explorer.. do not open via MyComputer.
\\10.0.1.1
Because the error message is important.

External Hard Disks Windows And Mac Compatible

I have recently bought an external hard disk, which I plan to have one 80gb partition onto which I can do regular backups of my mac hard disk onto, and then the other 220 or so just for data storage. however I want to have the 220gb readable by both macs and PC's, and the 80gb as bootable by OS X (I am doing a complete Hard disk clone onto the external disk)
anyone have any ideas

If you looked at Disk Utility [...]
I didn't mention Disk Utility at all. You do know that Disk Utility is just a simplified GUI front-end for the full functionality provided by diskutil, don't you? This does not make diskutil any less "officially supported".
Furthermore, the Mac OS X hints article is probably
not supported by Apple and therefore I didn't mention
it. I'm not in the habit of going against Apple
policies. Especially while I'm still under their
warranty.
I have no idea what are you talking about here. Is this just FUD or what? Of course it is not "officially supported". Neither are many other useful hints provided at that website or elsewhere. So what? In no way does that mean that it cannot be done, not even that it shouldn't be done. Just do it at your own risk, there is nothing legally or ethically wrong about doing it.
Had you just advised the OP not to do that, I would have had no problem with it, and wouldn't have "corrected" you. But that's not what you said. What you said is wrong and had to be corrected, it's as simple as that.
I did Google what you asked and didn't find any
relevant articles.
I wonder what did you Google for and whether you did actually read anything you found. These are just from the first 20 results I get:
http://developer.apple.com/documentation/Darwin/Reference/ManPages/man8/diskutil .8.html
http://forums.macosxhints.com/printthread.php?t=41187
http://www.groovelicious.org/david/2004/12/
http://www.macosx.com/forums/showthread.php?t=236147
http://www.macusersg.org/forums/?topic=14579.new
If you have a solution why not you just explain it
Because it's not a simple solution and it's much better explained by providing a link to the web page where it's fully discussed by people who have actually tried it and compared it to other approaches. You're not trying to make me believe this is a bad idea, are you?
instead of trying to correct another poster.
Oh, man! You were wrong and had to be corrected. You're not saying that correcting someone who posts wrong information is a bad idea, are you?
Why have you chosen to take this personally I don't know, but I urge you to keep this discussion in strictly technical terms and support your assertions with facts, which as of now you've not done yet -- not that it has stopped you from requiring me to do it, despite I clearly had already done it, though.
It should be your intent to help the OP, not to try and
correct another poster, even if it didn't work.
Abe, I really urge you to calm down and re-read what you're saying. Correcting wrong assertions is part of helping the OP, isn't it?
Now, if you really think you were right when you said "There is not a way to have two partitions on a disk with one being Mac OS X format and one being Windows format", please support your assertion with facts and keep the discussion in technical terms instead of just telling me I shouldn't correct you. And yes, I will accept links to publicly accessible web pages that support your assertion as facts and won't require you to explain them.
Regards.

Rendered Standard previews, Hard disk full

Hello,
I'm using Lightroom 4.0 on Mac OS 10.7.3 and used the "Render Standard-Sized Previews" option to generate previews overnight. I had about 30 gigabytes of free space and woke up to find my hard disk full.
Since restarting, discarding the *1:1* previews and purging the ACR cache, I have about 10 gigabytes free, but it seems like ~20GB or so is being consumed with previews.
My "Lightroom 4 catalog Previews.lrdata" package is only 3.53GB.
Is there somewhere I can look for additional rendered preview files to delete them?
Thanks!

You may have a corrupted disk but you do not have a virus. Boot using your original system installation DVD and run Disk Utility. Repair the disk.
If you have no Administrator accounts at all, follow this procedure to create a new, temporary Administrator account from which you can fix your normal one.
Power on or restart your Mac.
At the chime or grey screen, hold ⌘ and S on your keyboard to enter single-user mode.
At the prompt, type
fsck -fy
and press Return.
This is a simple check for file system integrity and is optional. It will take a moment or two to complete. Wait for it to finish before proceeding.
Type the following exactly as written, one line at a time, each line followed by the return key. There is a single space preceding the first "slash" ( / ) character in each line:
mount -uw /
rm /var/db/.AppleSetupDone
shutdown -h now
When you restart the machine, it will take you through the entire setup and registration process all over again. When you do so, create a brand new account with Admin privileges. Give it a simple and disposable name since you will delete it later. Do not choose the option to transfer or migrate information to the Mac.
When it completes, log in under that new account, change your previous account back to Admin, and log out.
Log in using your old account, which will now have its Admin privileges restored. Delete the throwaway account you just created.

I think I have a virus - hard disk full and administrator rights gone

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