Dashboard Cuckoo

[kgarnjost]

Version: 2008 Operating System: Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) Processor: Intel Having upgraded to Snow Leopard and found that Office 2004 was unstable with it, I recently purchased Microsoft Office 2008 for the Mac. Since installing this program, some place in the program is spawning a Dashboard client that plays a cuckoo clock sound every hour on the hour. It appears to happen after the toolbox is opened in Word. When I had not opened the toolbox while using Word the problem was not present. I went for a couple of days without this issue. Today I edited a Word document using the toolbox, the cuckoo sounded, and a check of the activity monitor showed that the several Dashboard clients, which I had already associated with this problem, were back. They had not been present for the last few days since rebooting (I also rebooted this morning). The Open Files and Ports list from what I believe is the actual offending Dashboard client is below.

Any insight anyone can give into this problem and how to permanently turn the cuckoo off will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Kurt

/
/System/Library/CoreServices/Dock.app/Contents/Resources/DashboardClient.app/Contents/MacOS/DashboardClient
/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/DashboardClient.framework/Versions/A/DashboardClient
/Library/InputManagers/Smart Crash Reports/Smart Crash Reports.bundle/Contents/MacOS/Smart Crash Reports
/System/Library/Caches/com.apple.IntlDataCache.le.kbdx
/private/var/db/mds/messages/se_SecurityMessages
/Users/kgarnjost/Library/Widgets/\xe4\xb8\xad\xe5\x9b\xbd\xe6\x97\xa5\xe5\x8e\x86.wdgt/UC-LCD.ttf
/System/Library/Keyboard Layouts/AppleKeyboardLayouts.bundle/Contents/Resources/AppleKeyboardLayouts-L.dat
/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/QuickTime Plugin.plugin/Contents/Resources/English.lproj/Localized.rsrc
/System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/A/Resources/JavaPluginCocoa.bundle/Contents/MacOS/JavaPluginCocoa
/System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/A/JavaVM
/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/QuickTime Plugin.plugin/Contents/Resources/QuickTime Plugin.rsrc
/System/Library/ColorSync/Profiles/sRGB Profile.icc
/Users/kgarnjost/Library/Widgets/\xe4\xb8\xad\xe5\x9b\xbd\xe6\x97\xa5\xe5\x8e\x86.wdgt/HelveticaNeue.dfont
/System/Library/Frameworks/Carbon.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/HIToolbox.framework/Versions/A/Resources/HIToolbox.rsrc
/usr/share/icu/icudt40l.dat
/private/var/folders/YL/YLerR5YaHtmq9VYjke80zU+++TI/-Caches-/com.apple.LaunchServices-025501.csstore
/System/Library/Frameworks/Carbon.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/HIToolbox.framework/Versions/A/Resources/English.lproj/Localized.rsrc
/System/Library/Fonts/Times.dfont
/System/Library/Fonts/STHeiti Light.ttc
/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/QuickTime Plugin.plugin/Contents/MacOS/QuickTime Plugin
/System/Library/Frameworks/QuickTime.framework/Versions/A/Resources/QuickTime.rsrc
/System/Library/Frameworks/QuickTime.framework/Versions/A/Resources/English.lproj/Localized.rsrc
/System/Library/Extensions/AudioIPCDriver.kext/Contents/Resources/AudioIPCPlugIn.bundle/Contents/MacOS/AudioIPCPlugIn
/Library/QuickTime/DivX Decoder.component/Contents/MacOS/DivX Decoder
/Library/QuickTime/Flip4Mac WMV Import.component/Contents/MacOS/Flip4Mac WMV Import
/Library/Frameworks/TSLicense.framework/Versions/A/TSLicense
/usr/lib/libcrypto.0.9.7.dylib
/System/Library/QuickTime/QuickTimeStreaming.component/Contents/MacOS/QuickTimeStreaming
/System/Library/Extensions/AppleHDA.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AppleHDAHALPlugIn.bundle/Contents/MacOS/AppleHDAHALPlugIn
/System/Library/Frameworks/OpenGL.framework/Versions/A/Resources/GLEngine.bundle/GLEngine
/System/Library/Extensions/GeForce8xxxGLDriver.bundle/Contents/MacOS/libclh.dylib
/System/Library/Frameworks/OpenGL.framework/Versions/A/Resources/GLRendererFloat.bundle/GLRendererFloat
/System/Library/Components/SoundManagerComponents.component/Contents/MacOS/SoundManagerComponents
/Library/Fonts/STHeiti Medium.ttc
/System/Library/Components/CoreAudio.component/Contents/MacOS/CoreAudio
/System/Library/Extensions/

 

[CyberTaz]

Sorry Kurt, but there's absolutely nothing about Office that does anything
of this nature. There's also nothing in the list you posted that relates to
anything from Microsoft. Whatever it is must be originating from some other
source. In all probability it's related to something else you may have
installed around the same time or something that got foisted on you from an
internet site. It's conceivable that launching the Toolbox may 'trigger'
whatever it is to an active state, but I'm certain that it isn't anything
that can be controlled from within Word.

Try logging in while holding Shift. If that prevents you from getting the
bird it means that you have something launching on login. Go through the
system preferences for your user account to find out what it may be. You may
have to use the old 'trial & error' method to make the determination.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[kgarnjost]

Turned out to be Chinese calendar widget with an alarm feature hidden in a little button (all the text in Chinese, so not obvious). The Toolbox was activating the widgets in the dashboard and so turning on the alarm. I have no idea how the alarm got turned on, but the Toolbox was turning on the widgets and setting off the cuckoo. Really just a coincidence, creating a bizarre mystery. Bob - thanks for the prompt reply.

Kurt