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kingoat · Jan 18, 2007, 09:11 PM

I got windows on my macbook using parallel. And i'm very paranoid about the virus and stuff, so I want to buy norton for my mac os X, but i noticed that all the mac ones out there are not compatible with the c2d ones. Does anyone know where i can find one that does or have any idea if norton will have more coming out in the future??

kingoat · Jan 19, 2007, 12:39 AM

any1??

seanc · Jan 19, 2007, 03:17 AM

Don't install Norton on Mac OS X. Don't install ANY virus software on OS X, it's not needed. Don't install Norton on Windows either because it's a truly horrible piece of software. Download AVG Free and install it on Windows.

goMac · Jan 19, 2007, 04:15 AM

Just a note: Installing virus software under Mac OS X will not protect your Windows install. And viruses you catch under Windows can not infect Mac OS X. This means you probably just want to use Windows virus software under your Windows install.

kingoat · Jan 19, 2007, 01:59 PM

but i'm using parallel, and i dont think it makes a partition for windows, it uses a image file. Does that will mean i don't need anti virus for mac?

ghporter · Jan 19, 2007, 02:38 PM

If you are running Windows, no matter how, you DO NEED a Windows antivirus program. And I thoroughly disagree with seanc about the quality of Norton AV on the Mac, as I've been using it for years and have never had any problem with it. Further, I use Symantec Client Security (the corporate version of their PC antivirus package) on all my PCs with similar excellent results. My university provides both free of charge to protect its network, and it works very well for everyone I've ever spoken with about it. However, this is not a blanket endorsement of all Symantec and Norton-branded products; the Norton "tools" for Mac are very bad and should be avoided.

You do not "NEED" an antivirus program for OS X because there are no viruses out in the wild, at this time or for quite a while in the past. The virus writers have ample ground to seed their crapware in the Windows community, and Windows users continue to be both gullible and greedy enough to fall for the simple-minded and stupid come-ons that they use. Free naked pictures of (insert whatever celebrity name you want here), "Be a secret shopper and keep what you buy!" and other idiotic hooks catch tons of stupid users all the time-they don't need to bother learning the rather different programming skills needed to do anything with OS X beyond writing useful programs. However, I suggest you do use an antivirus program to keep from becoming the method through which one of your Windows-using friends becomes infected through your passing on an email you didn't know was a problem.

Sub · 06:39 PM

I got Avast! Its free and works great.

C.A.T.S. CEO · Jan 19, 2007, 04:19 PM

DO NOT GET NORTON!!!! Macs don't get viruses!

Sherman Homan · Jan 19, 2007, 04:38 PM

ghporter nails it, you need anti-virus on any Windows OS, whether it is Parallels, Boot Camp or even Virtual PC. You don't really need it on a Mac, unless you want to be a really good neighbor.

However, there are many corporate IT policies that flat out require anti-virus software. They don't want to hear that there are no viruses on the Mac. In that case, use Clam. It won't hurt, and in the event that some punk proves his street cred by successfully writing a Mac virus, you will be ahead of the game.

The biggest security threat is the actual user. People intentionally download or click on some mal-ware and bypass the security systems.

dimmer · Jan 19, 2007, 05:49 PM

but i'm using parallel, and i dont think it makes a partition for windows, it uses a image file. Does that will mean i don't need anti virus for mac?
And you are correct: Parralells creates a big "image file" that is (for Parallels) it's PC disk. To the Mac it's just a big chunky file (the Mac can't read or write anything on that virtual disk).

Can you "Mount" the Parallels partition on the mask and have it's contents appear as if it were a Mac disk? If so NAV for Windows can both scan it for viruses -and- scan your OS X system, it'll find viruses for either program. Bit of a cludge though.

Big Mac · Jan 19, 2007, 06:16 PM

Originally Posted by kingoat

I got windows on my macbook using parallel. And i'm very paranoid about the virus and stuff, so I want to buy norton for my mac os X, but i noticed that all the mac ones out there are not compatible with the c2d ones. Does anyone know where i can find one that does or have any idea if norton will have more coming out in the future??

Short answer: you need protection for Windows, not for the Mac. If you would like a virus scanner for OS X anyway, go to: ClamXav - The FREE Virus Scanner for Mac OS X

kingoat · Jan 23, 2007, 11:28 PM

thanx alot people for answering my quesitons

frdmfghtr · Jan 24, 2007, 12:11 AM

I use Norton on my MacBook C2D, and it is compatible...there was an update (10.1) that fixed the compatibility issue. My Win2K installation under Parallels is also running Norton (I also get them both through my university's IT dept. at no cost to me).

As a side note, I make the distinction between actually GETTING a virus/trojen/worm and being ABLE to get a virus/trojan/worm. Just because there aren't any OS X virii out there today doesn't mean there won't be any tomorrow.

analogika · Jan 24, 2007, 11:20 AM

Originally Posted by frdmfghtr

As a side note, I make the distinction between actually GETTING a virus/trojen/worm and being ABLE to get a virus/trojan/worm. Just because there aren't any OS X virii out there today doesn't mean there won't be any tomorrow.

True, but there are a NUMBER of factors in the way OS X is structured that make actually DISTRIBUTING a virus/worm - should a viable one ever be written - extremely difficult and a situation like the one on Windows today outright impossible.

Any serious spread of a virus under OS X will require active participation from every user on multiple levels, making distribution *very* unlikely (though not impossible).

Originally Posted by ghporter

However, I suggest you do use an antivirus program to keep from becoming the method through which one of your Windows-using friends becomes infected through your passing on an email you didn't know was a problem.

Other people's misjudgement and bad decisions are not my responsibility (and running Windows without rigorously maintaining anti-virus/anti-spyware software up-to-date is a bad decision). The only exceptions I see are professionals working with clients who run Windows.

Sherman Homan · Jan 24, 2007, 11:50 AM

Clam's website has a clear, but a little too cute, philosophy about running antivirus software on a Mac. It is worth the read.
ClamXav - The FREE Virus Scanner for Mac OS X