Kibbles & Bytes Blog

In South Burlington, we troubleshoot many software and hardware problems. Software in particular is usually a sure thing to resolve, even given that it’s likely that someone has had the exact issue in the past — all it would take is some online research to determine the best course of action, right?

However, because software is all programming by human hands, it is never perfect. Couple this with the fact that software acts on each other in peculiar ways, and sometimes it can be quite a mess to resolve.

This past week, I had a worst case scenario for software conflicts. The machine was suffering occasional memory error tones (which virtually never occurs during actual operation, but only on startup). We had tested this machine’s hardware thoroughly beforehand, finding no issues. As it turns out, computers running 10.6.8 (FYI: Now unsupported by Apple) have a conflict with Google’s cloud syncing service Google Drive, and this is a common problem.

There were two solutions for the customer: Stop using Google Drive, or update to 10.9. The customer opted for the latter of the two, and I updated the computer to 10.9.

Immediately after updating, the computer was powering off and rebooting immediately after startup. I figured the update didn’t resolve the issue, and it had grown worse, or could have been a memory issue still. I replaced the RAM with brand new modules, and this did not resolve the problem.

When I checked the Console.app for shutdown causes, it appeared related to McAfee Internet Security. As I did more research, I found that this is a common problem — something that occurs after upgrading to OS 10.8 or 10.9. It did, however, take more effort to determine __how__ to remove it without any information on what exact version it was, as it had been previously uninstalled.

After removing the problematic folder from the System Library, the random shutdown issue was resolved. Now I was able to run it long enough to confirm the error tone problem was also gone.

Having multiple software conflicts at a time can be difficult or confusing to work with. The best thing one can do is remain objective and think carefully, determining what changes have been made since the problem started occurring, and research solutions online using as specific words as one can.

Customers ask us regularly to recommend anti-virus software for their Mac. Many of these are converts from the PC world and are accustomed to needing it. There are several reasons why it’s largely unnecessary.

Since OS X 10.6.8 Apple has included anti-malware that is built into the OS. There was a lighter version in 10.4 and 10.5 called File Quarantine that confirmed with the user that files and applications downloaded from the Internet were intentional and approved. In 10.6.8 File Quarantine was enhanced to include actually checking downloaded files against a list of known malware and malware types/signatures. Again, this is built in.

Apple has also established that many anti-virus programs interfere with Apple updates which is part of their argument for advising against them.

The last two large reasons are the main difference between PCs and Macs and are probably the most important. The Mac OS uses compartmentalization, or ‘sand-boxing’. This means that applications are limited and isolated to the resources they need to access. This is very different from Windows operating systems where this isolation doesn’t exist and malware can attack system and other resources, although as of Windows 7 this is improving.

Lastly, the argument most commonly given is that Macs have a smaller footprint in the market and are less appealing to hackers who must invest great resources in the development robust malware and viruses. This is diminishing somewhat as Macs become more popular, but it’s still true.

Apple still tows the line that anti-virus software for modern Macs is unnecessary. I was a PC tech for fifteen years and dealt with at least one virus for a customer a week. In the year I’ve been working on Macs I haven’t seen a single one.

So rest assured that your Mac is safe and installing anti-virus software has the risk of doing more harm than good.

Greetings!

Among rumors that the iPhone 5c isn’t doing so well, there seems to be something new to the lineup coming. Cupertino is looking to boost its middle child by launching an 8GB version that will retail for less than the current 16GB model.

What does this spell for the “bottom tier” iPhone 4S, which is currently offered to customers for free on two-year deals? Do we finally see this phone cycling out of the picture?

We have some great articles for you today. Everyone enjoy their week!

Barry
“*barry@smalldog.com*”:mailto:barry@smalldog.com