Can't use Terminal for some Reason

[Turon0]

When I open the terminal it reads "[Process completed]" and nothing more. I cannot input text or clear it. The only "strange" thing I've done recently is install the Trend Micro antivirus software, but even when I shutdown the antivirus the terminal still reads "[Process completed]" and is still useless. I wonder what that process might be.

 

[MacInWin]

Get rid of the antivirus software. There are no viruses for the Mac at this time so the software is doing nothing, and cannot, because the vector of attack of any future virus is not known. Then try Terminal again and see if that fixes the problem. If not, come back and give us more information about what Mac, what version of the OS and all the other third-party "helper" software you may have installed.

 

[Raz0rEdge]

How are you launching the Terminal? You seem to be starting a script that is ending and not the Terminal.

 

[Turon0]

How are you launching the Terminal?

By clicking the terminal icon.

Get rid of the antivirus software. There are no viruses for the Mac at this time so the software is doing nothing, and cannot, because the vector of attack of any future virus is not known. Then try Terminal again and see if that fixes the problem. If not, come back and give us more information about what Mac, what version of the OS and all the other third-party "helper" software you may have installed.

I installed an antivirus because Chilltab somehow got installed in Firefox and Safari. the version of Trend I've got is 8.0.3082.

 

[MacInWin]

I installed an antivirus because Chilltab somehow got installed in Firefox and Safari. the version of Trend I've got is 8.0.3082.

Chilltab is a browser hijacker and no antivirus software will prevent it. But it's your machine, so you are free to slow it down with whatever useless software you want to run on it.

For Terminal, try opening Activity Monitor and on the CPU tab, search for Terminal and highlight it. Then click on the "X" button just above the process name column and quit/force quit Terminal. If Quit doesn't work, use Force Quit. You can also get to Force quit by clicking on the  symbol in the upper right corner of the screen, then on Force Quit. All your running apps should appear. Select Terminal and force quit it.

 

[ferrarr]

How are you closing Terminal?

 

[Raz0rEdge]

Launch Terminal and then hit CMD+n to get a new window. Does that drop you to the shell? Typing 'exit' at the shell will kill Bash (the default shell) and leave the window open with the Process Completed message. If you totally quit Terminal with CMD+q and then open it again you should be back in business.

 

[Turon0]

Chilltab is a browser hijacker and no antivirus software will prevent it. But it's your machine, so you are free to slow it down with whatever useless software you want to run on it.

For Terminal, try opening Activity Monitor and on the CPU tab, search for Terminal and highlight it. Then click on the "X" button just above the process name column and quit/force quit Terminal. If Quit doesn't work, use Force Quit. You can also get to Force quit by clicking on the  symbol in the upper right corner of the screen, then on Force Quit. All your running apps should appear. Select Terminal and force quit it.

I've tried killing it from the Activity Monitor, and I actually even uninstalled the anti-virus now just in case. But the result is still the same..

Launch Terminal and then hit CMD+n to get a new window. Does that drop you to the shell? Typing 'exit' at the shell will kill Bash (the default shell) and leave the window open with the Process Completed message. If you totally quit Terminal with CMD+q and then open it again you should be back in business.

When I hold CMD+n it opens another window like the one in my screenshot and I still can't type anything. Is this supposed to work? It doesn't do anything. And holding CMD+q closes the terminal but doesn't change anything.

 

[pm-r]

Chilltab is a browser hijacker and no antivirus software will prevent it. But it's your machine, so you are free to slow it down with whatever useless software you want to run on it.

Gee Jake, are you sure you weren't in the diplomatic service at some point, and do I have your permission to use your rather polite phrase above??? ;D





- Patrick
======

 

[Raz0rEdge]

OK, as I suspected, you don't have a default shell defined and such Terminal doesn't know what to do.

In the "New Command" window that you have right now, enter 'chsh -s /bin/bash' and UNCHECK the "Run command inside a shell" option and hit Run. This will run the "[CH]ange [SH]ell" command and ask you for your password. Once you enter that you should have the proper shell and Terminal will have something to run.

You might also want to take a look at iTerm 2 which is a MUCH better terminal than the default Terminal app.

 

[MacInWin]

Gee Jake, are you sure you weren't in the diplomatic service at some point, and do I have your permission to use your rather polite phrase above??? ;D





- Patrick
======

Patrick, my man, that WAS my diplomatic side showing. Normally, my idea of mercy is a one-shot-kill. And by all means, feel free to recycle just about anything that I post. Most of it is drivel anyway.

 

[Turon0]

OK, as I suspected, you don't have a default shell defined and such Terminal doesn't know what to do.

In the "New Command" window that you have right now, enter 'chsh -s /bin/bash' and UNCHECK the "Run command inside a shell" option and hit Run. This will run the "[CH]ange [SH]ell" command and ask you for your password. Once you enter that you should have the proper shell and Terminal will have something to run.

You might also want to take a look at iTerm 2 which is a MUCH better terminal than the default Terminal app.

I am not asked for my password. Instead it opens another window like the first that I'm unable to type in, only with some text on the top bar.

 

[Raz0rEdge]

Can you try checking the "Run inside the shell" option and see if that works better?

 

[Turon0]

The results of running it inside the shell are identical.

 

[ferrarr]

Find the combo update for your version of Mac OS X/OS X/macOS here, https://support.apple.com/downloads/macos. Download and install, then test Terminal again.

 

[Turon0]

Thanks. I'll try that.

 

[gsahli]

Did you make any changes to the hidden file .bash_profile or allow some app make changes, including adding a .bashrc file (also hidden)?

 

[Turon0]

Find the combo update for your version of Mac OS X/OS X/macOS here, https://support.apple.com/downloads/macos. Download and install, then test Terminal again.

It doesn't seem to've had any noticeable effect.

Did you make any changes to the hidden file .bash_profile or allow some app make changes, including adding a .bashrc file (also hidden)?

What's that?

 

[gsahli]

Those files are configuration files for the Terminal, hidden in your home folder. They can contain bash scripts. Some applications, most notably from MacBrew and MacPorts, make changes to these files. (the changes are often just "executable PATHs.")

 

[Turon0]

I don't think I'd have changed anything there knowingly. But perhaps that Anti-Virus I was initially using did something stupid. How do I access those files and what should I look for while I'm there?