how to reinstall OS x

[soper777]

I have 3+ year old mac book pro with Yosemite installed. I have some how picked up malware or some other bad stuff.

Here are my symptoms:
1. speed of computer erotic– very Slow one day then faster another.
2. The typing indicator looks like it is typing on top of the letters I am typing.
3. The computer shuts it self off if not used for a few minutes. (this is even when I changed the power settings to never turn off, and screen saver set up for one hour before it comes on)
4. Then it takes a very long time to open up.
5. when opening a new internet window -- other tabs automatically open up from many and all sorts of places.
6. I have Office Mac 2011 installed and now none of the programs will open up.

I took the computer into Genius bar and they said it was not a hardware problem but a software one and they did not solve software problem -- so I am on my own.

I bought a new MacBook air, and use the backup of my MacBook Pro get my programs on it– And all the problems from the MacBook Pro transferred over to the MacBook air.

I called the Office Mac 2011 number for support, and they through "Log me in rescue' software, came on alive on my computer and look at both of my computers and said they were filled full of malware and all sorts of other bad stuff. they said they would"Fix it for me", but of course for a 'Nice price'

I am thinking that all I would have to do, is to make a backup with Time Machine, reformat the hard drive, and put only the programs safe programs on that I want on– That I know are safe–and used Time Machine to get the data for those programs once they are installed.

I don't know if this would work but it seems to me it should.

Once I have wipe the hard drive and reformatted it (I know how to do that), but I'm not sure how to get the Yosemite reinstalled- and would it have all the Mac programs on it that came with the Mac when it was new.

Sorry for the laborious description of what's going on, but could somebody please help me.

Thank you

 

[harryb2448]

First up download AdwareMedic and scan. If all is then good download and install AdBlockPlus and Ghostery to prevent this happening. And of course problems transfer over when you do that.

http://www.adwaremedic.com/index.php


https://adblockplus.org/category/adblock-plus-safari/


https://www.ghostery.com/en/


All these links are if you are using Safari.

 

[MacInWin]

Your system is the victim of some malware that came in through your browser or that you installed yourself somehow. Get AdwareMedic (search for it) and clean out the adware malware that is creating problem number 5. Then get Ghostery or Adblock (search again) to keep it from happening again. Using the backup from your MBP to restore the MBA just transferred all the crap, so both will need to be cleansed and possibly reformatted/reinstalled.

If you make a backup with TM and then restore ONLY your documents, that should clean out the malware, but make sure you install and use AdBlock and Ghostery once you have done that. Somewhere you went, something you downloaded (a "helper" or "codec" or "manager" or "cleaner" or "speed up" software has brought all the junk with it, so don't reuse any of that. All you should EVER need are AdwareMedic, Adblock, Ghostery and Onyx. Those will do all the "helping, speeding up, cleaning and managing" you'll ever need.

Once you have the backup made, hold CMD+R as you reboot and you should be able to boot the recovery partition and from here reinstall Yosemite. You'll need to hold CMD+R through the entire boot process, as I recall. You can then download Yosemite again and reinstall it. Then you can restore just the data (no programs or utilities) from the TM backup and you should be ok. You'll need to repeat the process on both the MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air, so you may want to make a bootable USB stick with the installer to avoid having to re-download. You can search for how to do that, there is a utility that will make it for you automatically, but I'm not sure in your current situation you have enough control over either machine to actually accomplish it successfully, so you may well have to download Yosemite installer twice, once for each machine.

EDIT: Dang, Harry beat me by a minute! I have start typing faster or saying less...

 

[harryb2448]

Ahh well Jake you long winded fellows!

Like they say two heads etc!

 

[soper777]

Malware and Reinstalling OS x

Thank you so much for your post-- I will try your steps.

Concerning the backup, you said backup 'withTM' -- I don't know what that is unless you're referring to Time Machine-which I have done.

Sorry for being so ignorant and thanks for your help.

Tl redo this, do I have to use the disk utility app– to erasing the disk first?
Or do you mean I just have to shut the computer off and then when I start it up again hold the CMD+R, and Yosemite will reload.

THANKS FOR YOU PATIENCE.

SOPER777

 

[pigoo3]

Here are my symptoms:
1. speed of computer erotic...

I think that you mean "erratic". "Erotic" is a COMPLETELY different matter!

- Nick

 

[harryb2448]

No first up follow the AdwareMedic download and scan then see how things go.

 

[MacInWin]

Backup with TM is, in fact, backup with Time Machine. But do as harryb2448 said, Adwaremedic first.

 

[chscag]

I think that you mean "erratic". "Erotic" is a COMPLETELY different matter!

- Nick

LOL, Nick. I'm trying to drink a cup of Starbucks Expresso and likely spilled 50 cents worth when I read that!

 

[chas_m]

Typo of the year, and it's only January!