VirusBarrier and Time Machine combination results in freeze; fix

Users of Intego VirusBarrier software may experience system freezes upon Time Machine activation. The system seems to lock up with no error messages and complete lack of responsiveness, and requires a manual reset to get functional again. This may occur when users perform a backup, or it may occur when users try to access their backups.

As described by Apple Discussions poster clintbradford:

"Finally upgraded to Leopard on my 17" MBP. All went well except for Time Machine freezing when I tried to access it. Initial backup went fine...and so have a few hourly incremental backups. But when I tried to access to see what it had performed - freeze-up. Had to force quit it."

Time Machine has problems with many antivirus software packages, and while disabling or uninstalling the software seems to be a quick fix, a change of settings may enable the virus protection to run in tandem with Time Machine. While the following fix is specific to VirusBarrier software, setting up other virus protection to avoid the Time Machine drive may also help if users are experiencing problems with Time Machine as well.

Fix: Set the Time Machine disk to the "Trusted Zone" in Intego VirusBarrier Open the VirusBarrier software and in the preferences go to the "Scanner" section and add the Time Machine drive to the "Trusted Zone" section. You may have to set the mode to "Interactive" under the "Mode" menu to make these settings available.

Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.

Resources