06-13-2009, 02:47 PM

Hi

I know it's not a wise thing to do, bit I recently visited an adult website and downloaded some picture files and started to download an .WMV file, but I stopped it before completion. Afterwards there was a WMV file on my desktop, which I deleted.

I then found out that I could not clear all my browsing history from Firefox - some remained no matter what i tried (these were mostly recent sites, but there were a few dating back a couple of months).

This started me worrying if I had downloaded something like a trojan, so I did an 'Erase And Install' just to be safe.

However, I now can't reset my PRAM - I've tried the command/option/P/R keys when restarting, but all my volume and display settings remain unchanged. Although strangely it does sound the start-up chimes even if I've turned the sound off...

So now I'm worried if there's something in PRAM or wherever that won't let me delete it. Or am I just feeling paranoid/guilty?

Any ideas? Thanks for any suggestions.

06-13-2009, 03:06 PM

I'm thinking more maybe you're not resetting the pram correctly. Aside from the near no viruses and trojans in the wild for osx, one affecting the pram of a Mac would make big news.

check here: Resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM

and make sure you're following the correct procedure - you don't do a reset via a restart, you need to shut the comp off, press all of the keys, turn it on (easier to press keys before turning on since you need to have the keys pressed before the gray screen appears) and wait until the second startup chime before releasing. If you're doing it another way, you probably aren't resetting your PRAM.

You may also want to look at: Cannot clear or erase browsing history in Firefox broswser - Fix

it sounds like that post may address the problem you ran into with firefox. If you've reinstalled your OS (which is what it sounds like with your comment of erase and install) you probably jumped the gun before confirming what your real issue is...

Just a thought

06-13-2009, 04:07 PM

And if you just did a fresh install, there may not be anything for a PRAM reset to reset that would be noticeable to you when you reached the desktop.

06-13-2009, 05:03 PM

Thanks for this - sorry, i was a bit unclear - my understanding is that resetting PRAM resets the display and sound settings (amongst others), but when I do the command/option/P/R on starting up (not restarting as I originally said) they remain the same as they were before - I had changed the display resolution and muted the sound just to check. Although, like I said, now the chimes sound on starting up, even with the sound muted....which it never used to do. I'm confused!

I hope that makes sense - and I realize I probably did over-react to go straight to a reinstall.
Thanks.

06-15-2009, 04:34 PM

... and now also I'm having trouble connecting to my wireless - I get messages saying 'address not found - check typing or DNS responder settings' on Safari network diagnostics. This happens with my home screen and my Bookmarks.

Any ideas?