# What's Been Messing With My Network?



## Hughvane (Sep 29, 2008)

Every time I access my Network Settings, I am repeatedly advised/warned that  the settings have been changed by another Application (see att.). No matter how many times I click OK, the warning returns. I have to get in mighty quick and Quit between warnings.

I have repaired permissions and run maintenance scripts using Onyx.

I have little or no idea what that might be causing this - it is a very recent occurrence, and may have happened with the latest Apple update. I cannot remember if other downloads have required my password, possibly Wiretap (which I've now removed).


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## nixgeek (Sep 29, 2008)

Have you checked your logs to see if there might be some sort of application causing this?


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## ElDiabloConCaca (Sep 29, 2008)

http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=20080929133440824

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1715241&tstart=30

It's well-discussed:
http://www.google.com/search?client...nged+by+another+application&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Seems there's more than one "fix" for it out there.


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## Hughvane (Sep 29, 2008)

Thank you both, another answer seems to have solved the issue. Something - definitely not me - had changed my network location from Auto to Home. I changed it back, locked the setting, and now things are settled, at least meantime. I think I'll try that 'delete NetworkInterfaces.plist' as well.

Update: I did as recommended by the various contributors - and promptly lost ALL my network connection functions. No email, no browser. Fortunately I'd done as suggested and put the removed prefs on the desktop. I had to reinstate them. So now I've got my repetitive warnings back, but I think I'll wait until Apple issues a fix for it - because I'll bet they've been told about it! What I think of them for putting out a bug in an update is both actionable and unprintable.


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## SGilbert (Sep 30, 2008)

Try this, but read the comments below.

http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=20080929133440824


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## Hughvane (Sep 30, 2008)

Thanks SGilbert, that's precisely the one I used and I note that at least one other lost Network settings altogether. I may yet do screenshots of all my settings and reinstate them bit-by-bit. Interestingly (perhaps) removing the .plists as suggested and then rebooting didn't restore them, ie. the OS didn't recreate them because they were user-generated, not strictly OS-native.


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## ElDiabloConCaca (Sep 30, 2008)

Some of the plists listed in the MacFixIt article are related to your network settings in the System Preferences -- specifically, the actual network settings themselves.  So deleting the "NetworkInterfaces.plist" file may, in fact, remove all your user-defined network settings.

Those files wouldn't be recreated until, say, you revisited the System Preferences and re-setup your network interfaces and preferences, or when the system encounters a situation where it needs to read the plist file, can't find it, and therefore recreates a default one.  Those plist files wouldn't be recreated immediately upon restarting the computer, as the computer (or the user) hasn't encountered a situation yet (like setting up a Network interface) that would cause the system to need to read that specific plist file.


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## Satcomer (Sep 30, 2008)

Plus check if you actually got the DNS Trojan by downloading DNSChanger Removal Tool and see if you somehow got that Trojan and it changed something. It's better to safe than sorry.


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## Hughvane (Sep 30, 2008)

Thank you for the tip Satcomer. No DNS Trojan found.


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## Hughvane (Sep 30, 2008)

Satcomer said:


> DNSChanger Removal Tool



That little gem caused its own (un)fair ration of trouble  It killed my ethernet connection for a start, so I deleted it. I had to switch off the router, reboot the computer, still no connection. Went through various convolutions until finally I got reconnected. I would say that's a very bug-ridden piece of software. However, I appear not to have the DNS thingie in the system. The da**ed warning in Network Prefs keeps dropping down though.


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## Satcomer (Oct 1, 2008)

Well if you really want to get your Mac nerd on then you can check for the Trojan manually.  The first manual thing would be to check the DNS server in you Network System Preference pane. Also go to the QuickTime Plug-in folder (/Library/Quicktime/) and make sure you don't have the file "Quicktime.xpt".

I know you want to be a Mac nerd.


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## VirtualTracy (Oct 1, 2008)

Sheesh! You've had some Mac troubles lately, HughVane!  

@ Satcomer, I sometimes have the_'wanna be a Mac nerd'_ bug ... it's going around ...


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## nixgeek (Oct 1, 2008)

Hughvane, have you been hanging around CuteCari lately? 

http://macosx.com/forums/1445821-post118.html

(Just kidding guys.  CuteCari, if you're reading this I'm just pullin' yer chain...all in good fun amongst friends.   Also, I noticed that you've recently redone your hard drive after checking the site you PMed me...has that problem finally stopped?)


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## Hughvane (Oct 1, 2008)

Satcomer said:


> Well if you really want to get your Mac nerd on then you can check for the Trojan manually. ... Also go to the QuickTime Plug-in folder (/Library/Quicktime/) and make sure you don't have the file "Quicktime.xpt".
> I know you want to be a Mac nerd.



There are several things I'd like to be ahead of a nerd  When I played cricket seriously, I used to 'nerdle' the ball behind square quite a bit (only cricketers will know what I'm talking about) 

However I thank you for the advice about digging around in the System. I'm satisfied that the Network Settings problem is Apple-generated and can only hope there'll be a fix very soon. Surely Apple's been notified. Surely? Pretty Please? Quicktime is squeaky clean.


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## Hughvane (Oct 1, 2008)

nixgeek said:


> Hughvane, have you been hanging around CuteCari lately?



Goodness me no  Why, we haven't been introduced!



> Also, I noticed that you've recently redone your hard drive after checking the site you PMed me...has that problem finally stopped?)



Yes, it has, thanks for your inquiry. I take it you mean the KOOO (itchy-kooo?) issue. A session with Dr Disk Warrior fixed it. Apart from the NWk Prefs problem, the eMac is running sweetly.


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## Hughvane (Oct 1, 2008)

VirtualTracy said:


> Sheesh! You've had some Mac troubles lately, HughVane!



In a sense, yes, but what makes it notable is how few problems I - and I'm sure many others - in fact have with our Macs. In the three years I've owned this 2-hand eMac, this present problem is but the second. I've had even fewer problems with my b/w G3. Compare that with the recurring problems Win PC owners have, more with Windows than with hardware I'd have to say. Go Mac!


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## nixgeek (Oct 2, 2008)

Hughvane said:


> Yes, it has, thanks for your inquiry. I take it you mean the KOOO (itchy-kooo?) issue. A session with Dr Disk Warrior fixed it. Apart from the NWk Prefs problem, the eMac is running sweetly.



Heh!  Well, while I'm glad that was resolved for you, that was actually directed at CuteCari (in the event she saw that post).  However, I knew my question would probably be too vague in its direction which would lead to this confusion.


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## Hughvane (Oct 2, 2008)

Aah, that explains why I couldn't find a record of the PM. Cheers ..... hugh


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## Hughvane (Oct 16, 2008)

I thought I had good news for a while when the most recent Tiger update appeared to have fixed the Network settings issue. I was hoping.

In misguided confidence I disabled the SysPref > Security > "Require Password for All ...." setting, and still no recurring warning, so it looked good at that stage.

Later: No - it was back again. Things were okay for an hour or two, no recurrent warning, then I thought I'd check. Aaaaaaagh! How does one get through to the corporate Apple ostrich with its head stuck firmly up ... oops, I mean in the sand (to be euphemistic)?


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