[SOLVED] My sister's mac is not healthy

[Ultrawarrior]

Recently my sister came to me for help, she asks me to help her clean out her mac book pro.

I ask her what is wrong with the computer and she says to me it is very slow and that alot of adds pop up asking to scan her mac and install software ( anti-virus software ) I already new that was adware and it was fake. i asked her if she installed what they asked and she says yes.

At this point i know that her mac book is completely infected and has many system problem meaning just corrupted files and what not, A start to do my usual troubleshooting and getting everything ready to go through.

The problem is that im not to savvy when it comes too Apple computer and the mac os x. SO im going to need some advice on how to do a full maintenance and disinfection on her laptop thank you in advance.


update: i never really disinfected the system dont get me wrong it is perfectly clean and in good condition now but i had to erase the whole computer. what i did was i just simply formatted the drive and reinstalled the OS. the steps are shown in the solution of this thread goodluck everyone.

 

[kenrivers]

Without knowing what version of OS X you are running, the year, and specific model number of the MacBook Pro it is difficult to give exact instructions on how to do what needs to be done. My suggestion is rather than try to repair what has been done is to completely start over by doing a fresh install of OS X. It may seem like a pain but in should be faster and safer than trying to rid the machine of whatever malware/adware has been installed and trying to repair corrupted files.

 

[Ultrawarrior]

Without knowing what version of OS X you are running, the year, and specific model number of the MacBook Pro it is difficult to give exact instructions on how to do what needs to be done. My suggestion is rather than try to repair what has been done is to completely start over by doing a fresh install of OS X. It may seem like a pain but in should be faster and safer than trying to rid the machine of whatever malware/adware has been installed and trying to repair corrupted files.

Thank you for the fast reply, she either has a 2012 or a 2013 mac book pro 15 inch. I make sure she has all of the apple OS updates so she has the newest operation system which is the el capitain. How would you do the reformat on the apple OS, i would like to erase the entire drive and install the OS fresh thanks

 

[McHenryB]

Honestly, if you don't know how to do this and can't follow instructions that can easily found from Google, I would advise you not to mess with this computer. Take it someone who understands Macs.

 

[kenrivers]

Directions for doing a clean install:

You can use these steps to erase the files on your startup disk and install a new copy of OS X:
1. Before you begin, make sure your Mac is connected to the Internet.
2. Restart your Mac. Immediately hold down the Command (⌘) and R keys after you hear the startup sound to start up in OS X Recovery.
3. When the Recovery window appears, select Disk Utility then click Continue.
4. Select the indented volume name of your startup disk from the left side of the Disk Utility window, then click the Erase tab.
5. If you want to securely erase the drive, click Security Options. Select an erase method, then click OK.
6. From the Format pop-up menu, select Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Type a name for your disk, then click Erase.
7. After the drive is erased, close the Disk Utility window.
8. If you’re not connected to the Internet, choose a network from the Wi-Fi menu.
9. Select the option to Reinstall OS X.
10. Click Continue and follow the onscreen instructions to reinstall OS X.

Additional options
If you want to reinstall the version of OS X that came with your Mac, or if you need to reformat your entire startup disk, hold down Command-Option-R at startup instead. This starts your Mac from Internet Recovery.

Source: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204904

 

[JustSomeJoe]

Often resetting Safari and installing (and running) Onyx will dump all that garbage without having to re-install OS X.
OS X is pretty good at protecting itself, even in the hands of users.

 

[Ultrawarrior]

Honestly, if you don't know how to do this and can't follow instructions that can easily found from Google, I would advise you not to mess with this computer. Take it someone who understands Macs.

Its not that i don't know what im doing its just that i'm not familiar with the system. I did look it up after i posted it and went through a walkthrough in the apple forums it was easier than expected. I guess i worry about messing it up that i just think of the worst. But thank you for understanding and the advice. Happy holidays

 

[Ultrawarrior]

Directions for doing a clean install:

You can use these steps to erase the files on your startup disk and install a new copy of OS X:
1. Before you begin, make sure your Mac is connected to the Internet.
2. Restart your Mac. Immediately hold down the Command (⌘) and R keys after you hear the startup sound to start up in OS X Recovery.
3. When the Recovery window appears, select Disk Utility then click Continue.
4. Select the indented volume name of your startup disk from the left side of the Disk Utility window, then click the Erase tab.
5. If you want to securely erase the drive, click Security Options. Select an erase method, then click OK.
6. From the Format pop-up menu, select Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Type a name for your disk, then click Erase.
7. After the drive is erased, close the Disk Utility window.
8. If you’re not connected to the Internet, choose a network from the Wi-Fi menu.
9. Select the option to Reinstall OS X.
10. Click Continue and follow the onscreen instructions to reinstall OS X.

Additional options
If you want to reinstall the version of OS X that came with your Mac, or if you need to reformat your entire startup disk, hold down Command-Option-R at startup instead. This starts your Mac from Internet Recovery.

Source: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204904

Thank you for your help and happy holidays