Joliman1 wrote:
Any ideas how else this could have happened?
I agree that a cat or child is the most likely explanation.
Maybe (un-) related: I also now get constant notifications about Login items - which is something I changed after installing AVG Antivirus (turned this on, others off).
Unfortunately, that new user interface in Ventura should have never been done. It was a very bad idea. I know why Apple did it, but I'm sure I can't mention it. The bottom line is that no one should ever make any changes in that user interface for any reason. I can't begin to guess what damage you've done.
One thing you can do is go to System Settings > Notifications and make sure that "Show previews" reads "always". Then, those notifications will have slightly more information. They might still not have enough information to recover your system.
It definitely isn't malware. But I don't know if you will ever be able to restore your system to the way it was. You have disabled some parts of some 3rd party software. That software will not work properly anymore.
Probably the only thing you can do is is go through the list in System Settings > Login Items and make a note of any items that you've disabled. Then, uninstall those apps completely. Make sure to track down the official uninstaller or uninstallation instructions provided directly from the developers. Never use any kind of "app zapper" or "clean up" apps for this. You can do a web search but you must MAKE SURE to use only information provided DIRECTLY from the developers of the app. You are THIS CLOSE to getting infected with actual malware by downloading the wrong "clean up" tool. Even if you do everything correctly, many officially uninstallers don't even work properly. If that happens, and you haven't been very lucky, you may have to erase your hard drive and reinstall the operating system. If you do have to go that far, you're still in a pickle. If you could restore back to the point before you made any changes, that would be ideal. If you can't do that, you will have to make sure to restore only your user accounts and user files. Do not restore any apps, system settings, or "other files".
One way or another, you want to completely uninstall any affected 3rd party app that you may have damaged using Apple's new user interface. Then, for any apps that you really want to use, you can reinstall them. Then, NEVER EVER use that new Login Items user interface in Ventura. If you don't want to use software, then uninstall it following instructions listed above.
