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Giuanniello

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Oct 21, 2012
720
204
Capri - Italy
I have been away for a week and left my iMac (10.12.6) on, once back I noticed 5 files on the desktop all named LWScreenShot taken one minute away from each other; my family has access to the computer but none of them any reason to try and log in, does anybody know what these screenshots are and how do they get created if nobody is actually in front of the computer?

I know this might sound paranoid but I fear somebody might have try to access the computer

Grazie and happy Easter
 

Ritsuka

Cancelled
Sep 3, 2006
1,464
968
"LWScreenShot" are the screenshot made in the login window. So someone turned on your computer and made some screenshots before logging in.
 
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Giuanniello

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Oct 21, 2012
720
204
Capri - Italy
Seems weird to me cause the only one having access to my place whilst I was away are my mum (needless to say she and a computer are like clams and parmesan) and my sis who might have attempted to log in but she doesn't know at all how to take a screenshot, she doesn't even know how to create a new folder on a mac, go figure...
 

willmtaylor

macrumors G4
Oct 31, 2009
10,314
8,198
Here(-ish)
Seems weird to me cause the only one having access to my place whilst I was away are my mum (needless to say she and a computer are like clams and parmesan) and my sis who might have attempted to log in but she doesn't know at all how to take a screenshot, she doesn't even know how to create a new folder on a mac, go figure...
Do incorrect login attempts automatically create a screenshot?
 

prrrr

macrumors newbie
Mar 14, 2019
1
0
Seems weird to me cause the only one having access to my place whilst I was away are my mum (needless to say she and a computer are like clams and parmesan) and my sis who might have attempted to log in but she doesn't know at all how to take a screenshot, she doesn't even know how to create a new folder on a mac, go figure...
Wondering if you have any pets at home? I just found same screenshot appeared on the desktop which was taken at 4am, and it turns out to be my cat slept on my laptop all night lol prob accidentally triggered the keyboard
 

b730605

macrumors newbie
Jun 14, 2019
1
0
My guess is that a relative of mine (...) has been trying to log in and triggered the screenshot mechanism

LW stands for Login Window. Happened also to me. I'm the only one who use the macbook and i live alone, without animals. Anyway this happened when i was cleaning my mac. I entered the mac in sleep mode and i started to clean it. Of course during the cleaning i touched multiple times the enter tab or the shortcut. So there are only 2 options. Or the system take screenshots when someone try to attempt too many passwords or when someone take accidentally a screenshot in login page... However i tried to replicate the ""problem"" doing the same things i did... but and i failed... never appeared again the LW prefix but just "screenshot" name.
That's weird... However is more logical that your mother was cleaning your keyboard and attempted accidentally too many wrong passcode. Probably you left the mac in sleep mode and you didn't shut it off.
 
Last edited:

wkrsz

macrumors newbie
Nov 16, 2021
1
0
This just happened to me. I packed my wireless keyboard but forgot to turn it off. It repeatedly woke my laptop from sleep, drained most of battery. When I opened lid I couldn't enter password because the keyboard kept pressing enter. I had thought some virus or other malware is playing tricks on me.
 
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