Your network settings have been changed by another application
In case you didn’t get that:
“Your network settings have been changed by another application.”
Oh, by the way,
“Your network settings have been changed by another application.”
That’s pretty annoying, right? Even more so when it’s a semi-automatic pop-up alert that won’t quit. If you’re a G4 user running Mac OS X 10.4.11, chances are you fairly good that in the last week or so, you have been bludgeoned with this extremely annoying and seemingly unprovoked nuisance after trying to open your Network settings in System Preferences. Or it is still out there waiting for you!
To escape the barrage of foolishness that traps you in a loop of window clicking is to either agree, then quickly draw for the Command-Q, or, if you’re not fast enough, Option-Command-Esc to Force Quit out of Dodge (i.e., System Preferences). Either way, you’re left confused and annoyed until you can’t help but try it again.
The problem? It seems that Security Update 2008-006 for OS X 10.4.11 makes a few network related system files a little, well, loopy. I guess an update that keeps you from changing network settings could be considered a form of security. Ah, that’s it! If lifelong Mac users want to know what Microsoft Vista is like—what with all its heightened security, and all—then they need only get caught in this senseless “please click ‘okay’ again” loop.
Don’t bother repairing permissions or optimizing whatever, it will just be a waste of time. What you need to do is delete the following misbehaving files:
Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/
com.apple.airport.preferences.plist
com.apple.nat.plist
NetworkInterfaces.plist
preferences.plist
Afterward, restart your computer. NOTE BENE: If you have a long or complex list of Location settings and/or other custom network configurations saved, you better make sure you have a backup copy of this information somewhere. After reboot, how do they say… oh, yes: All Your Saved Network Settings Will Be Halfway to Hell!
UPDATE: Pieter B. posted this Comment:
“A simpler fix I found tonight is to open System Preferences, go to Security and check “Require password to unlock each secure system preference.” Badda boom, badda bing.”
Thought I should add this to the main post, so it won’t get missed. Tried it, it works! Sometimes the solution is difficult to find because it’s so simple and, in hindsight, very obvious. Thanks, Pieter!
October 23rd, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Glad it helped! Thanks for the comment!
-Greg
> Bingo – simple and effective. Thanks so much!
October 26th, 2008 at 1:58 am
A simpler fix I found tonight is to open System Preferences, go to Security and check “Require password to unlock each secure system preference.” Badda boom, badda bing.
October 27th, 2008 at 12:39 am
@ Pieter B,
That DOES indeed fix the SYMPTOM. But then you have to type your password every time you want to change a system setting. I tried it and once you turn it off, the problem comes back again. I’m going to try to trash all the preferences…
November 7th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
This is the first real “bloomer” Apple have made with OSX 10.4, so I guess we shouldn’t be TOO hard on them.
As Greg M says, Windoze users have to put up with this kind of crap 24/7.
What would be nice would be a security update which actually FIXES the problem – Come on Cupertino; get off
your asses and sort this out.
Chris
November 16th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
First off, when you get in the infinite loop, you can place the mouse over the “red” close button in the window and click the “return” key (or enter) to hit “OK” while you click the “close” button simulataneously with the mouse. A little less drastic than force-quit, and you get out safely.
Next, to fix the issue, open System Preferences, go to the “security” icon, then click “Require Password to unlock each secure system preference” and Voil
November 25th, 2008 at 11:24 am
Lifelong Windows XP user (could count the hours spent with OSX on one hand) visiting sweetie’s brother in northern CA for Thanksgiving holiday. Inserting a Netgear wireless router between his DSL modem and an iMac. Attempting to configure network settings for the new hardware, stumble on above Mac bug. Straighaway, stumble on a solution:
- Click OK on offending msg, revealing network dropdowns you need to access.
- In the 0.5 secs between offending msg rolling up and then rolling back down, click the Location drop down (ya gotta be fast for this, it usually requires multiple attempts to get this to work).
- When you finally get the Locations drop down to display, select Edit Locations.
- Change the name of one of the locations (any change will do).
- Save the change.
- Et Voila: the offending msg ceases to intrude.
Clearly a case where constantly butting one’s head against recalcitrant XP behavior, and finding workarounds via trial and error, has its benefits. :-)
Note that this is only a temporary solution: if you close out the Network Prefs pane and then re-open it again, you will need to repeat this workaround procedure. Sigh.
Also please note: I have nothing but the highest regard for OSX in general, it is certainly superior to other OSses in terms of stability and ease of use. This episode simply affirms one of my basic tenets: no operating system is perfect.
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Thanks for that guys. I was trying to set up a proxy last night and my mac went bonkers! I’m just glad I found a legitimate forum that helped me out.Thanks!