Windows Virus's?

[meddyliol]

If I install Windows XP on my Macbook using either Boot Camp or Parallels Desktop, am I going to leave myself open (or the Macbook) to viruses? If there is the slightest chance of a virus upsetting my Mac I will not bother.

Thanks

Brian

 

[MacNoobie]

Windows has the same problems PC and Mac side so for the most part if you do get a virus and depending on the kind (messes with windows or it attacks the boot sectors of your hard drive) I'd say yes. The difference is if you get a piece of malware/virus that affects just windows it will remain on the Windows side. If you are unlucky enough to get the kind that actually goes for the boot sector of the hard drive then it will hose both.

Not too sure about parallels and how it deals with viruses since everything is emulated thus it might be isolated but again its risky business.

If I install Windows XP on my Macbook using either Boot Camp or Parallels Desktop, am I going to leave myself open (or the Macbook) to viruses? If there is the slightest chance of a virus upsetting my Mac I will not bother.

Thanks

Brian

 

[ziggyonice]

To put it simply, if you got a virus on Windows, it won’t affect your Mac one bit. It will only affect Windows. So let’s say you got a virus on Windows: if you wanted, you could erase Windows off the computer (taking the virus with it) and the Mac side of your computer would be fine, no problems at all.

That’s why when you hear “Macs don’t get viruses”, it’s true. Because all those viruses that affect PCs don’t affect Macs one bit. So if you want to install Windows, go ahead — even if you got a virus, the Mac side and all its files will be working perfectly, waiting for you to use them.

 

[MacNoobie]

Absolutely right if its a Windows only virus it will stay on the Windows side though if you do get one of those old style boot sector viruses then OSX and Windows will be messed up and the likely hood of contracting a boot sector one is pretty rare (you'd have to be visiting/downloading some really shady stuff to get one).

I run Windows 7 on mine and haven't come across a virus yet though I don't do much on the Windows side.

To put it simply, if you got a virus on Windows, it won’t affect your Mac one bit. It will only affect Windows. So let’s say you got a virus on Windows: if you wanted, you could erase Windows off the computer (taking the virus with it) and the Mac side of your computer would be fine, no problems at all.

That’s why when you hear “Macs don’t get viruses”, it’s true. Because all those viruses that affect PCs don’t affect Macs one bit. So if you want to install Windows, go ahead — even if you got a virus, the Mac side and all its files will be working perfectly, waiting for you to use them.

 

[fraserstaple]

Hey Meddyliol.
I am Fraserstaple and I read your entire pasting. This seems like direct advantage to you. Mac operating system has inbuilt firewall which help pc from virus attack. Anyways Thanks and Stay Connected.

 

[Stridder44]

If I install Windows XP on my Macbook using either Boot Camp or Parallels Desktop, am I going to leave myself open (or the Macbook) to viruses? If there is the slightest chance of a virus upsetting my Mac I will not bother.

Thanks

Brian

No. You have a better chance of finding a unicorn playing chess with a dolphin. A Windows virus is built to work on that architecture, and if it were put in OS X it would do nothing, same for an OS X virus being put in a Windows environment. You have absolutely nothing to worry about. Do yourself a big favor and install Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE). It's Microsoft's new AV app, and it's gotten lots of praise for have an extremely small footprint and a very high detection rate, and yes, it's free. It runs in the background and you'll never even notice it's running (except when a virus/malware is found).

Hey Meddyliol.
I am Fraserstaple and I read your entire pasting. This seems like direct advantage to you. Mac operating system has inbuilt firewall which help pc from virus attack. Anyways Thanks and Stay Connected.

What?

 

[meddyliol]

What an excellent set of answers. My mind has been put at rest (almost). Will have a look at the Microsoft Security Essentials.

Thanks again everyone

Brian