Orphaned App Menu Icon?

Hey guys, this Mac noob just created a problem on his daughter's new Macbook. I installed a demo version of Hands Off (firewall) but didn't like it much so I dragged the app from Finder to the Trash (I thought that was an okay way to uninstall it?). However, the Hands Off icon still appears in the App Menu Bar (top of screen) even after rebooting the Mac! Can someone please tell me how to get rid of it?

Try these suggestions How to Remove Icons from the Menu Bar in Mac OS X

With any app that requires you to input the admin password in order to install it, rather than dragging it to the application folder - you'll need to use the uninstaller provided by the app itself. Have a read through this thread for some of the ins and outs of installing/uninstalling on a Mac - not always as easy as it should be unless everything comes from the Mac App Store. If that's the case with the above app - you may need to reinstall it first and then use it's uninstaller.

You have a built-in firewall already - link - no need for another.
And please don't go installing any Mac cleaning software nor anti-virus on there.
Cleaning app - grab Maintenance (easy) or Onyx (more stuff can be done), free and only one that will be needed - and probably won't need to run it but once every 2-3 months or longer - link.
If her school requires an av app, grab ClamXav and let her run it manually every once in awhile.

bobtomay said:

With any app that requires you to input the admin password in order to install it, rather than dragging it to the application folder - you'll need to use the uninstaller provided by the app itself. Have a read through this thread for some of the ins and outs of installing/uninstalling on a Mac - not always as easy as it should be unless everything comes from the Mac App Store. If that's the case with the above app - you may need to reinstall it first and then use it's uninstaller.

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Thanks Bob. I really appreciate those tips! As a PC (Windows) guy, I always thought that Macs 'made life easier' than PCs, but it seems it ain't necessarily so!

bobtomay said:

You have a built-in firewall already - link - no need for another.
And please don't go installing any Mac cleaning software nor anti-virus on there.
Cleaning app - grab Maintenance (easy) or Onyx (more stuff can be done), free and only one that will be needed - and probably won't need to run it but once every 2-3 months or longer - link..

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Is it really true that Macs are immune to malware? I always thought that was Apple propaganda.

Hi Aaron . . . unfortunately Macs are vulnerable to malware...but there are no known viruses. You will find in time that Macs are much more logical in design and take care a lot of internal maintenance by themselves. Macs do not have a registery to become corrupt and you will probably never have to defrag the hdd. Sensible and mindful internet surfing will help you avoid many problems that plague a Windows machine. Although this will be your daughter's Mac, you will come to really appreciate the Mac's operation in time. You will have to let go of a Windows mentality. Enjoy and welcome.

Not immune - but pretty next to impossible to get one with only a modicum of knowledge.
Only have 3 Macs here - 15 yrs use time between them - no infections here.

Perhaps the most informative read pertaining to OS X malware is here.

Aaron Here said:

Thanks Bob. I really appreciate those tips! As a PC (Windows) guy, I always thought that Macs 'made life easier' than PCs, but it seems it ain't necessarily so!

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...a rather sweeping conclusion based on one application not developed by Apple!

"it ain't necessarily so" doesn't really seem to me to be a "sweeping conclusion", but merely an oberservation - the same one I made after a week with my first Mac - that not "everything" is better on a Mac. Those are still my observations. It is enough better and by a fair margin for most of my uses, that OS X has become my primary OS at home.

I agree with bobtomay about "it ain't necessarily so." OSX is, for the most part, better than Windows in most functions. However there were some sticking points when I first transitioned to the Mac that had me hung up for a while. Now it's all good, and when I have to go back to Windows, it seems sort of clunky.

I really appreciate your patience with this Mac noob. After using a PC (Windows) for a very long time, switching to a Mac is definitely 'a serious adjustment'.

Unfortunately, none of the various suggestions offered above worked to remove the orphaned icon in the App Menu. Then I thought, why not reinstall Hand Off and then remove it the proper way (via its Preferences) - that did the trick!

My thanks to all (I'm now getting 'brave enough' to where I'm thinking of buying an iPad 4)!

Aaron

That's why you need to uninstall with an uninstaller if present. Some apps can install launchd scripts which will still run (or try to run) even if you trash the app.
Especially things like firewalls, because there are things running in the background even if the actual app isn't.

To clarify just a bit on the whole virus/malware thing:

1. There aren't any viruses for the Mac.
2. Malware exists for the Mac but is quite rare. Malware and viruses are two different things.
3. Apple includes an automatic and silently-updated anti-malware feature in OS X.
4. The anti-malware feature (known as XProtect) doesn't protect you from user stupidity/naivety. If you install a rogue app with your admin password, that's a problem.

Broadly speaking, almost all Mac malware is easily avoided by:
a. Not downloading pirated Mac software
b. Not inputting your admin password unless you are sure you know why you are being asked for it, and
c. Having a healthy skepticism for any ad/page/offer that seems too good to be true.