OS X :: Apps That Start On Startup / Login Without My Permission
Aug 7, 2009
How do I stop intrusive apps from running at startup/login? I checked both libraries > StartupItems and System > StartupItems.
Long version + rambling:
So there is this intrusive app that I installed, and it keeps adding a folder in my Documents folder. Everytime I delete it, it comes back on startup.
I thought it would be much easier to find the file responsible for starting this app on startup, but I was disappointed. But I'm betting it's not as difficult as searching the Windows registry.
Anyway, it's not among the 'login' items, and I searched the main Library, and my User Library, and even the System's 'startup' folders, and found nothing. So what's the deal?
Before you make any accusations, the app I'm using is Parallels, and yeah, there's probably some preference I could change to stop it from doing that, but I would like to do this manually, and learn more about how OS X works. I want to stop the app from running without my permission when I log in. (I'm stubborn, and want to show this app who's boss around here!)
I'm thankful that in OS X, apps are much less intrusive than Windows ones, and they're only intrusive when I give them my password, from my experience at least. Am I right? But goodness I hate how intrusiveness followed me here from Windows. It would have been a deal breaker, had I known how many files (hidden or otherwise) it was going to scatter across my tidy Mac.
I am looking for a way to delay the startup of the items in my "Login Items" and Startup items/LaunchDaemons. I have Lingon which helps to easily manage startup but there isn't any option to delay the startup of the app.
Is there any settings in OSX or a 3rd party app that can achieve this?
Recently I've been frustrated by having Mac OS X automatically downloading all software updates without asking. Sometimes I am on an internet connection where my downloading is limited and I don't want to be wasting the bandwidth on multiple updates that I don't need that urgently. I feel like earlier versions of OS X never started downloading the update without your permission to start the updating process. Is there anyway to ensure that the OS doesn't perform such tasks without having to resort turning off my wireless? I'm running 10.5.6 on a MacBook.
Intel Mac wont start after I changed my hard drive permission to let me read and write, then I clicked apply to all enclosed files. I turned it off no problem. Then it never started up again in os x. The grey screen with apple logo appears,then after a minute it restarts, and will keep doing that if i let it. I can start up in windows xp, but I don't know how to do anything in windows xp that will affect os x. I can use the hard drive in target mode. I use a macbook to view target disk. I do not have the os install disks.
My computer is a MacBook Pro running Mac OS X Version 10.7.3, 2.2 GHz Intel Core i7 with 4GB memory. Start-up has become somewhat erratic. Consistently, if I close the lid on the computer it won't restart when I reopen it. I'll have to hold the power button down for about 15 seconds, let up and then press it again. Sometimes restarting after a shutdown the computer will go through the long start-up I associate with a crash shutdown. Sometimes login start-up items don't start up. Sometimes I have to click somewhere on the screen to make the menu bar at the top of the screen visible. Overall, unexpected things keep happening. Although I don't think it probably relates, Chrome is my primary browser.
- I can't login to update software/apps. the user /Apple ID part is grayed out as a person. I can't log in properly. It only offers up the password section. I can log into my apple id without problem, but it won't let me change the user name for updates.Â
- I use Chrome and it used to default to Google for search. Now it defaults to yahoo! even though in my preferences I have google set as default.Â
- I've gone through and deleted start-up software that started showing up (DropBox on launch, ipseacurity something)Â
- my background swapped out to a default today without me adjusting it.Â
- I used to be able to type directly into the chrome bar. now a chrome extension shows up instead and I have to select all and delete to enter textÂ
- everything is running really slowly.Â
Further background - I'm currently serving in the Peace Corps and have been using a VPN network and modem through Orange to secure my wifi connection. I've tried to be careful but perhaps not careful enough. I have gone through all my extensions and settings and dumped everything I didn't recognize but am not sure what other precautions to take/how to fix things.
Something really simple I'm sure. I've just reformatted and setup an iMac for my parents. With the existing Admin account I created another one with Admin priveleges. So my mum had one and my dad. However when I turn on the iMac it doesn't display a logi screen so that my mum or dad can select which account they want to use and enter their password. It automatically loads into the first main admin user account.
The only way to switch to the other one is to click the apple at the top left and select log off.
Question: How can I get the login screen upon startup so my parents can select their own account?
I have bought a reconditioned Mac Book Pro from Apple. It is running 10.7. At the login window I am asked for a password. I think this was set by the previous owner but I don't know what it is. is there a way around this?
I just installed Skype and noticed that it starts up when I log into my Mac. Fair enough: for the time being I don't want this, so I entered the Accounts control panel, then Login items where I ticked the "Hide" box next to where Skype was listed. But Skype still starts up when I log into/power up my Mac. What gives? I thought "hide" meant the same thing as "disable" during login, but apparently not. I know I can remove Skype from the Login items list, but since I sometimes want it to automatically start when I power up my Mac that would be a bit cumbersome. I'm using MacOS 10.4.11
I am relatively new to MAC OS X (Snow Leopard) and Unix. I need to run my remote control software upon system start-up before user login. I know how to set a program to run AFTER a user logs in but this doesn't do me any good. For example: Right now I am using LogMeIn Remote Control Software. When I boot OS X the LogMeIn software is already running in the background at the user login screen before any user has even logged in.
I want to stop using LogMeIn and switch to TeamViewer but the TeamViewer software only runs after I have logged in. I need it to run at the user login screen before I have actually logged in so that when I reboot my computer or switch back and forth from Windows XP I can login remotely, just like with LogMeIn. With LogMeIn after a re-boot I the user login & password screen is sitting there waiting for me (or any user) to login. Is what I want to do even possible?
I just change the name of my computer and now when I restart I don't have the login window. The computer just keep going in the Mac OS window with the blue line forever.
I'm sure many of you know how using bootcamp can cause slow startups when switching OS's because it has no cache to use. For example I'll be in Windows and then need to swap back over to Leopard to get something done, but it takes forever. The worst part is the list of login items... I've tried using scripts to separate them by 10 seconds or so, but nothing really made it faster. I was wondering if it was possible to login but cancel or disable the startup items for that login that one time... Sometimes I just need to login to grab something off the internet or something quick, but it takes me awhile because I have to wait for everything to load.
Do I make any sense? :P
And no, safe startup mode does not count. I don't want to disable the entire system... just the login items.
I have previously set my mac so a login name and password are required on start up. I have just done this on my new mac, but for some reason it is not appearing at start up.
I was logged into my account when i went to sleep and i accidentally pushed the switch user button and now it brings me to a screen i hadnt ever seen before asking me for an admin user and password i dont know, is there any way to switch back to my original user that i have the password to?
Lost track of what I did yesterday when I was mucking about in Accounts but now when I start up or even log out and login I have to provide my password. How do I get rid of that login step ?
this is actually on a friends laptop that I was updating with OS 10.5
Laptop is a MacBook 2ghz duo core, previously had 10.4 installed
There was problem with his drive, it was not partitioned properly. The HD was not showing up in the finder (on desktop or in devices list). I made a partition with a new name and archived his drive.
Upon installing 10.5 I can't login at all.. it only shows 'other' in the users list. Can't login as admin. Can't do anything.
Disk utility (when booted from system disk) shows the drive is fine.
using system version 10.4.11 on a power mac G5, all of a sudden when i try to open MS word or quark xpress, my computer hangs up and the app won't open. i have to force quit to stop the rolling beach ball.
I have a macbook with OS X tiger. Since a week some apps don't open anymore.
When I click on them their icon appears in the dock, it bounces a couple of times and it closes. Some still work. Apps like firefox, iMovie, iDvd, Football manger 08 and some others work. But iTunes, Safari, Mail and some others don't work.
Could it be a problem with the code the app is written with?
My computer hangs on startup. It's a PowerBook 12� G4 with 10.3.9.
First, the screen flashes black, then blue, then I get the normal startup progress bar. At the end, though, it hangs. If the ethernet cord is in, it hangs at "Waiting for network services" or something like that. If the ethernet cord is out, it hangs at "Login window starting".
The bigger problem is that my system install CDs are in the U.S., and I'm in China for the next six weeks.
My dock won't reappear. I've gone to Terminal and typed killall Dock, and it says there is no process called that. So after literally two days of troubleshooting, I found the Dock.app file, and when I click it, the dock opens, my wallpaper (which was permanently blue) comes back, everything is fine. Until I quit. Then the Dock is missing again. So the Dock obviously isn't launching upon startup or login.
I had to reinstall my software on the mini now I put the re install software that it came with and I filled all the forms out including my password which never changes in all my mac's then I went and upgraded by the disc to OSX 10.5 Leopard. All ok I used the time machine from the Power PC G5 which I am writing this on now by the way too put all my programs and itunes on.
All seamed ok but it said on the start up screen Power Pc G5. And when I went to put in my password it went and done the side too side wobble no I know my password and it never changes and I tried caps lock on and off but no go I never use caps lock anyway but I thought perhaps that was the problem. So I cannot get in to the computer now. Is there a way to reset the password.
lately when booting up my MacBook pro is now asking me to choose my login or guest login even though guest login is disabled. It use to only ask for my password on login
I'm trying to make Mail start at Login but be hidden. But even when I go into System Preferences > Accounts > Login Items, and check the box for "Hide" by Mail, it still opens with the window when I log in. Is there any way to actually make it be hidden upon login?
