How to Fix the 'Are You Surprised' Virus on a Mac

How to Fix the 'Are You Surprised' Virus on a Mac
For years, Mac users did not have to worry about computer viruses, with the majority of viruses being targeted toward Windows or Unix operating systems. The Are You Surprised virus is a Microsoft Word macro virus that infects Macs running Word. Symptoms of the Are You Surprised virus include getting an error message stating the computer's disk is full when you try to save a Word document, and the filename in the save dialog box for the file being changed to “Are You Surprised” before Word is closed automatically. You can remove the macro virus without purchasing additional software for your Mac.


Instructions

1 Open Microsoft Word and choose “Word menu” and “Preferences.”

2 Select the “General' menu tab and select the “Enable Macro Virus Protection” checkbox.

3 Exit Word by pressing the “Apple" and "Q” keys simultaneously.

4 Double-click the “Macintosh HD” menu option and select “Users,” “Your Account Name,” “Library” and “Preferences."

5 Click the file labeled “com.microsdt.Word.plist” and press the “Apple" and "Delete” keys simultaneously to remove the first infected file.

6 Double-click the “Macintosh HD” menu and select the “Applications,” “Microsoft Office X” and “Template” folders.

7 Select the Word file labeled “Normal” and press the “Apple" and "Delete” keys simultaneously to delete the Normal template file that is infected with the macro virus.

8 Click on the “Trash” icon on the computer's dock menu bar and choose the “Empty Trash” menu button to complete removing the infected files.

9 Restart Word and change any of the default document settings that are not configured from deleting the infected Normal template. Open the Normal Word template by clicking "File" and "Open" and selecting the "Normal.dat" file found in the "Templates" directory. Change the default font, font size, margins and page layout and save the document. Exit Word.

10 Lock the Word Normal template file to prevent future infection by choosing “Macintosh HD,” “Applications,” “Microsoft Office” and “Templates.” Select the “Normal” template and press the “Ctrl” key followed by clicking the file again. Choose the “Get Info” menu option and click the “Locked” checkbox.