Brian

If there are any "Jailbroken" devices, it could have gotten in via a rogue app. Also, Apple's servers are routinely hacked, just ask all the actors and their naked photos posted online from their iCloud accounts. My advice... Make sure your password for iCloud is strong and ONLY use that password for iCould.

Any updates? Hopefully I was wrong about the Doom-and-Gloom.

I've also seen this as a Thunderbolt issue with no real solution.

UN-INSTALL IT!! Worthless program. Waste of money. It's probably how this Ransomware got in. Well, if your HD does need to be nuked, then just don't re-install MacKeeper, period. Just Google "MacKeeper Scam" and lots of websites pop-up. Honestly, I don't use any "security" software other than CleanMyMac 3 weekly, and Malwarebytes for the Mac once a month. I also am very skeptical of e-mail with links and make sure my Adobe Flash and Java are up to date. I use Microsoft Outlook for my e-mail program and turn off the automatic preview function. Even though you don't click on anything in the email, if you have preview turned on so it opens the email in a window automatically, "boom!!" you just opened the e-mail. I also make sure my browsers are up-to-date and avoid using Safari; I prefer Firefox and to a degree, Chrome. I never use Safari on my Mac. It takes Apple a really long time to push out security updates. In reality, Ransomware is the new kid on the block and is pretty viscous. Just ask all those banks in Europe who were infected. LOL!! If you are looking for an Antivirus software, I'm liking Webroot these days. There is a Windows Version and a Mac Version.

It's really hard to say. We won't know how bad it is until they take a look at things. Honestly, the Genius Bar isn't setup to retrieve your data, only to get your Mac working again. You might have lost everything if you don't have a backup or a time machine backup. What comcerns me is which one infected your Mac. Hopefully it's not as bad as I'm thinking.

What "security" are you using? I hope it's not MacKeeper. That program is worthless and EVIL. This stuff gets in via an infected e-mail, a compromised iCloud account, a infected browser plug-in, even from an advertisement from an infected server that is in a radio/music player. I've even seen this type of thing get into a iPhone when the user watches porn from an infected server, jump to iCloud then attack a iMac when iCloud syncs things. It doesn't have to be a porn site either. If anyone in your household downloads illegal music, software and movies via a torrent, it can most certainly get into your computer that way.

That's a tricky subject as with many of the entry-level cameras, they are meant to be outgrown. I feel that your best bet will be some sort of DSLR instead of a Point & Shoot camera. With a DSLR, you are not only buying a camera, but are buying into a Lens System. The two top manufactures are still Canon and Nikon. Sony has made great progress, and so has Fuji...but Canon & Nikon are still the top two brands with the most choices when it comes to lenses. I'm glad you let me know your budget, because that's the first question that I usually ask. I found this pretty good deal with a Nikon D3400. It comes with a 18-55 kit lens and a 70-300 DX lens, plus it comes with a memory card for $596.95. I would also seriously purchase a Nikon 35mm f/1.8G DX lens at some point, as the two kit lenses are the variable aperture type, meaning as you zoom out, your aperture automatically stops down to a smaller value. The 35mm f/1.8G DX lens will allow you to explore and learn apertures from f/1.8 to f/22. For the Canon brand, here is an equivalent kit that I linked to above: Canon EOS Rebel T6 that also comes with a 18-55 lens and 75-300mm lens. As for which one? That's a personal choice. It boils down to how it feels in your hands, how easy the menu system is to work with. Some people like myself are Nikon shooters, others shoot Canon. Personally, I can not stand Canon's menu system of symbols and the way they label things; I prefer the way Nikon translates Japanese to English. The next step I would take is to see if a local camera shop has both models and give each of them a test drive. See which one fits better in your hands.

@Roleen - Hold Up!!! It's Ransomware!! I took a look at your screenshot on my Mac instead of my phone and noticed the "Apple.pass@mail.com." That's not an Apple address and do not email them. They will want $50 in Bitcoin. As Apple's products become more popular, the chances of this type of crap increase. Do you use Time Machine? If so, when was your last backup? From what I've read on the internet, this sucker gets into the firmware on the motherboard, so even resetting the Mac doesn't do much. I would still call Apple, but in reality, setup an appointment with the Genius Bar.

You must have somehow turned on two-factor authentication or your password is messed up. There is nothing that I can help you with. You are going to need to call Apple on this one. I'm curious, did you do any major OS updates recently?

Because they are Apple. Also, there is a program called MacKeeper, which is pure EVIL. Never-Ever-Ever install or purchase MacKeeper! I run CleanMyMac 3 weekly and have been for years.

You might want to purchase and run this program: CleanMyMac 3 from MacPaw.com Right now there seems to be running a 20% off sale on it for a limited time. As far as the screensaver, if the MacOS did some sort of update, like go from 10.12.5 to 10.12.6, it's plausible the screensaver could have been turned on. That said, in reality, who knows?

Hmm... I'd first head to System Preferences >> Click Displays >> Uncheck / Turn Off "Automatically adjust brightness as ambient light changes." Let us know if that helps or not.

It's so much better over here. The classes are better and you truly get one on one attention!! Damien moved your thread, which alerted me and I logged on and answered your question. Boom! Done-and-done. Notice how your thread isn't clogged with others' comments & questions with people telling me that I'm wrong and don't know what I'm talking about? I get that FB is convenient. Believe me, I miss it sometimes too. Then I post something on FB in a group and immediately realize why this website was needed, not only for Damien's sanity but my own.

Yep. Yep. Windows 7 & Windows 10 are really good at detecting monitors. Even the built-in Windows generic driver for monitors works well these days. All that driver disk does is correctly lists the monitor make & model correctly in the Device Manager. Doesn't do anything when it comes to a display profile. That is created by your calibration software. Speaking of calibration, you'll want to pull out your calibrator and test prints with your new monitor and go through the routine.

DO YOU KNOW HOW RARE A 1920 X 1080 DISPLAY IS THESE DAYS?!?! Everything is freakin' 4000k and 5000k. That model is IPS based and has a anti-glare hard coating. BUY IT!!

If you really want PS to run faster, have more RAM available, like 32GB+ and have a beefy video card that has lots of its own video memory 4GB+. Adobe's current products are tapping into the video card's processor and memory for a performance boost these days. It's not so much based on the processor and hard drive, though they do play a role. I'm also wondering if the M.2 stick and the way it writes/organizes data may cause issues with PS. It's just a thought and no real evidence to base this idea on. I still say try using a traditional hard drive for the PS scratch disk and see if things work better.

Looks good.

You could add your own RAM, just make sure it matches with the existing RAM. As far as video card, if you get too fancy, you might have to upgrade the power supply. The $799 system is fine it's a base model that the other models are tweaked from.

Look at the specs of your 2715h. That's what you want.

Things to look for: IPS Display Panel. You do not want a TN. A matte screen or one that has a matte coating. You do not want Glossy Displays.

The Benq model looks interesting. What concerns me is all of the things you can do with it, all those bells and whistles and auto-brightness, etc. You want consistency; you want your prints to match your screen. In addition, all that fancy stuff gets in the way of calibration devices, and will more than likely require you to purchase the latest and greatest like a SpyderElite unit to work with that fancy display. Walking into a computer store and buying something. That's so 20th Century. LOL! That's not how it's done these days.

SKIP that display you linked to. It's for gaming, not photo editing. You need a IPS display and one that isn't glossy. As for your monitor, it's toast. Find a recycling center that takes computer equipment. You might have to wait a week, or try Amazon.

I don't like using flash-based media for a device that has a finite read/write limit. Cache files go on a traditional HD. I'm an old stubborn dog who is reluctant to change. If you have an old HD laying around, try it for the PS scratch disk only. See how it works.

That's weird. I was able to customize things like upgrade/downgrade the video card, if I wanted MS Office or not. If you are really looking to customize and build your own computer, the Dell XPS Line probably isn't what you are after. The hardware recommendations still stand and don't think building a super-rig that will be awesome for games will make PS faster. It won't. @Jason - Any recommendations?

I still like the Dell XPS series for what it is. I bought my Fiancé one for Christmas 2015 and it's worked really well for what she does. Here seems to be the latest and greatest Dell XPS 8920 line. The Dell for $949 or $1027.99 (That's on a 24-hr flash sale) would be my choices. Recommendations / Specs really haven't changed. Intel i5 or i7 CPU 8GB RAM at a Minimum. 16GB or more preferred A separate and dedicated video card with its own video memory. 2GB or 4GB is fine. 4GB+ Preferred 1TB HD at a Minimum. Hard Drive, you can never have enough capacity. There isn't THAT much of a performance boost between an i5 and i7 when it comes to Adobe Photoshop. In order for the i7 CPU to really shine and perform at its peak, the software programming needs to be optimized to take advantage of the i7's architecture that makes it so fast. Photoshop and Lightroom are not those programs. In my humble opinion, you are only looking at a 7% performance gain with a i7 over a i5 when it comes to PS. It's better to have more RAM, a super-fast beefy video card with at least 4GB Video Memory and a large HD for the Scratch Disk to stretch out on than worrying about should you get an i5 or a i7. I'd just get an i7 these days just because...I like buying things once and be done with it. I also am thinking on getting into video, in which case a i7 would be a requirement.