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 popup 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 nusiance 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
Afterwards, 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!
