Queen Messy's Blog

Was trying to install an app from prosoft engineering to see if my sisters HD was salvageable, it's kinda screwed right now, it just shows a blue screen on her computer but putting it into my computer giver an apple symbol, no parking symbol, but mostly the folder with question mark. So, to avoid paying apple money to fix it, I decided to try myself first, so I get the test version from prosoft, and then set out to find a torrent with the proper version. I find one on Rapidshare:Easy File Hosting (this is not an advertisement, it's really really supposed to scare you because I think that is where the boogeyman came from). I decide to click the free version of the website nto the pro, after all I don't want to pay any money (if you noticed that was the 3rd time I tried to cheat somebody in like a chain reaction, funny) I get a few MB sized .rar file, and open it using stuffit expander. Nothing happens. Open it again. And again. Maybe 5 times alltogether... Windows pops up: Warning. My startup disk is almost full. FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKOUTPAAAAAAAANIC! That had 11 GB left YESTERDAY and I have not downloaded more than about 7 MB worth of files since then. So must be that rar file somehow. I call Magnar and panic. He tells me to use disk inventory X to find out what is taking all the space. it won't open up. In fact, nothing will open up. Wonder if I restart, will even finder open up?

That was how I discovered the problem.
My first solution: Delete things. Deleted almost a GB of random crap that I didn't need
Watch the numbers dwindle: A few minutes later I had 0 KB left (nice when finder tells you that fast really)
Think: this must be a virus. Heard about trojan horses attacking the porn audience all over the globe, even on macs. I guess Illegal things that you get through avoiding to pay 3 different companies to fix a harddrive you really should not be trying to fix is just as large a crime and could also bring some horses.
My very nice logical solution: Erase and Install. I did backup like half a week ago so nothing gone really.
But noooooo.... we don't want any of the nice clean simple way of doing things. Mac OS X can not be installed. The software can not be installed on this computer. Tried that 3 times, after deleting more and more and more of my files first. Still did not work. Delight, delight.

Go through all my apps, docs, music, pictures, delete it all except system preferences, onyx, and disk inventory x. Ok. warning: If you ever have to do this too, do NOT DELETE SAFARI. You need a web browser. Lucky me to have an iPhone, but that screen and the tabs got annoying when trying to memorize bash commands, US english keyboard layout, and hidden file locations all at one time. That was a hint now....

So, I had deleted practically my entire home folder. 40.8 GB available. And it was not dropping. Thank you, god.
Now I try opening some apps again. Oh hey, it works! Disk invenoty x finds the culprit:
private/var/log/windowserver_last.log
shitty/shitty/evil/log/file.!
it has a size of 11.4 GB.

Can't find it with finder, didn't expect to either really...
disk inventory x can see it.. maybe that can delete it? No luck...
OnyX seems to know a lot about these kids of things... hokk off the "delete log files" thing. Excecute. It's still there. OnyX can also read all the other log files but not this one.So how to remove it.... As I've been doing a lot of HD repair trying lately, my mind jump to single user mode. I find the file and all, but need authorization to delete it. I don't know the bash command for "yes". I try y. file is still there. I start over and try my password. File is still there. I reboot and try again. No luck.

Anyway. seems as if its not multiplying anymore. I want my data back. Connect my LaCie LittleDisk, drag and drop, drag and drop , drag and drop. Everything except a few apps I really don't need plus my beloved iPhoto library. Too tired... too much time... iPhoto some other time, right. Wake up this morning, all the other things are done copying. 27 GB avaiable.. oooh, luxury. Oh, my iPhoto. forgot about that one. it's 25.5 GB. Not so luxury. That 11 GB file is still there and I don't know how to delete it. Now that i have my safari back, I looked it up:

http://forums.macosxhints.com/showthread.php?t=23867

tried all that:

Last login: Wed Dec 10 23:33:56 on console
Welcome to Darwin!
Messy-Mac:~ johanne$ sudo rm var/log/windowserver_last.log

WARNING: Improper use of the sudo command could lead to data loss
or the deletion of important system files. Please double-check your
typing when using sudo. Type "man sudo" for more information.

To proceed, enter your password, or type Ctrl-C to abort.

Password:
rm: var/log/windowserver_last.log: No such file or directory
Messy-Mac:~ johanne$ sudo rm private/var/log/windowserver_last.log
rm: private/var/log/windowserver_last.log: No such file or directory
Messy-Mac:~ johanne$ cdprivate
-bash: cdprivate: command not found
Messy-Mac:~ johanne$ cd private
-bash: cd: private: No such file or directory
Messy-Mac:~ johanne$ private
-bash: private: command not found
Messy-Mac:~ johanne$ sudo cd private
/usr/bin/cd: line 4: cd: private: No such file or directory
Messy-Mac:~ johanne$ ???????????
-bash: ???????????: command not found
Messy-Mac:~ johanne$ ls private
ls: private: No such file or directory
Messy-Mac:~ johanne$ ls Messy Place/private/var/log
ls: Place/private/var/log: No such file or directory
ls: Messy: No such file or directory
Messy-Mac:~ johanne$ 

then I gave up... Annoying hell. I have to find a way to delete that file.... Until then I can't get my iPhoto library back

I am now running disk inventory x, just to see if it has disappeared yet. Mayyyybe I can try symlinking it to bitbucket in single user mode, because I am sure at least single user mode can actually find the file, apart from normal terminal.



UPDATE! UPDATE!

Used disk inventory x to "revelal file in finder"
dragged it to trash! Emptied trash! Can't believe I didn't see that reveal command before!

Aww. was kinda looking forward to messing with sudo in single user mode
Wellwell
I can have my iPhoto library back now

Before:

After: