So the text string “File:SLASHSLASHSLASH” (with actual slashes) can inexplicably crash just about any app on Mountain Lion. Aside from being a curiosity, it can also be a weapon if you start hurling File:SLASHSLASHSLASH salvos at your friends through iMessage. If you get hit, or you hit someone and feel bad afterwards, here’s how you can fix the damage.
https://gizmodo.com/this-text-string-crashes-almost-any-app-on-a-mac-runnin-5981370
If you get crashed with a message containing that string, you may notice that iMessage just keeps rebooting. That’s because that string is still hiding in your history. We have to get rid of it. First you have to make your User Library visible:
Open a terminal window
Enter “sudo chflags nohidden ~/Library/”
Press Return
Enter your password when prompted.
Once you’ve done that, the most sure-fire fix is to delete your entire iMessages history:
Quit iMessage
Hit Command+Shift+G and enter
Enter “~/Library/Messages/” in the Go To Folder window that appears
Take all the “chat.db” and “chat.db-*” files and put them in the trash
Empty the trash
Restart iMessage
In the meantime, just hope your prankster friends aren’t savvy enough to know they can crash your iMessages with just a couple of characters. Either that, or get them before they get you. [Thanks Steve T-S and Manfred Scheiner!]
Update: We removed any instances of the actual text string from the post and headline because it was crashing folks’ Safaris. SORRY GUYS.
