viruses and all that nasty stuff sneaking in thru boot camp?

[juanster]

so, if this has alreayd been answer my bad? i checked but couldn t find anything on the matter, if i were to run windows thru boot camp will this allow all the viruses, spyware etc, in my machine? sorry if it sound sliek a stupid question but i am really wondering here...

 

[Teh Don Ditty]

Once you install windows your windows only partition will be susceptible to viruses (virii) and all that fun stuff. Your Mac partition will be unharmed.

 

[juanster]

Once you install windows your windows only partition will be susceptible to viruses (virii) and all that fun stuff. Your Mac partition will be unharmed.

wooo,, nice...so if i have windows, but never ever use windows while ocnnected to the net i just wont get them,,,, that's kind of impossible tho but i will try,,, nice nice i like

 

[Teh Don Ditty]

wooo,, nice...so if i have windows, but never ever use windows while ocnnected to the net i just wont get them,,,, that's kind of impossible tho but i will try,,, nice nice i like

Correct, so if you don't use the net on the windows side you'll be fine. If you do, load up on anti everything.

 

[juanster]

Correct, so if you don't use the net on the windows side you'll be fine. If you do, load up on anti everything.

greta thx for the help ...

 

[Teh Don Ditty]

No problem.

 

[deputy_doofy]

Out of curiosity, what happens if someone has MacDrive installed? A firend of mine did that on his MBP and now, even in Bootcamp, he can see and get to all his Mac files. Does having MacDrive increase the risk of malware now attacking a partition that MacDrive lets it see?
That just makes me nervous.

 

[clevin]

wooo,, nice...so if i have windows, but never ever use windows while ocnnected to the net i just wont get them,,,, that's kind of impossible tho but i will try,,, nice nice i like

still, have some sort of free anti-virus app installed for your windows, internet is not the only way to get virus. Remember last time Apple's iTunes CD included windows virus?

 

[bankshot]

Your Mac partition will be unharmed.

Unless you get a virus/trojan that deletes or corrupts any non-Windows partitions too. Windows viruses can't read your Mac partition or write new files to it, but they can certainly write garbage to it and destroy all your data.

Really, the safest option is to use a virtual machine like Parallels. Unless you need 3-d acceleration in Windows, this is a no-brainer. Unlike in Bootcamp, the version of Windows running in a virtual machine is completely isolated from the rest of your Mac and can't touch it at the hardware level. You only open yourself up to damage if you share your Mac files as a network drive to the Parallels-hosted Windows. I don't even do that anymore, because drag-and-drop works great without having sharing turned on. A Windows virus running in Parallels this way simply can't touch my Mac stuff.

 

[deputy_doofy]

Unless you get a virus/trojan that deletes or corrupts any non-Windows partitions too. Windows viruses can't read your Mac partition or write new files to it, but they can certainly write garbage to it and destroy all your data.

Really, the safest option is to use a virtual machine like Parallels. Unless you need 3-d acceleration in Windows, this is a no-brainer. Unlike in Bootcamp, the version of Windows running in a virtual machine is completely isolated from the rest of your Mac and can't touch it at the hardware level. You only open yourself up to damage if you share your Mac files as a network drive to the Parallels-hosted Windows. I don't even do that anymore, because drag-and-drop works great without having sharing turned on. A Windows virus running in Parallels this way simply can't touch my Mac stuff.

I find that info extremely useful, but still wonder if running MacDrive in Parallels would open a new door.

 

[ChrisA]

I find that info extremely useful, but still wonder if running MacDrive in Parallels would open a new door.

I think the easiest way to understand this is is to remember that a virus (or any other "bad software") is just a "windows App" that does something you don't want it to. No different then a game or MS Word except that it does a function you don't want.

Now -- lets say you put that Windows based game in the Applications folder on the Mac OS X system. How well would that Game work? You could even start it up. Mac OS X sees it as just a file full of gibberish. The Virus will run about as well.

So don't worry even if you move the virus from the windows side into the Mac, it would be useless there

 

[ebouwman]

still, have some sort of free anti-virus app installed for your windows, internet is not the only way to get virus. Remember last time Apple's iTunes CD included windows virus?

ru serious?
also i thought that you had to get iTunes from the internet?

 

[jeremy.king]

Remember last time Apple's iTunes CD included windows virus?

It was the iPod, not the CD.

http://www.apple.com/support/windowsvirus/