windows viruses via bootcamp?

guapagirl · #1 November 16th, 2006, 08:32 AM

I know that there are issues with viruses via VPC, but if I get a virus on my windows partition can it mess up my mac partition? Also, if I turn off the wireless BB connection on windows, does that mean it is totally off or can bad stuff still get through via the wireless connection on the mac side?

I only need to connect to the internet once in a blue moon on the windows side because I'm only running it for spss, so it is no hardship to keep it off the internet.

wotcha think?

**fryke** · #2 November 16th, 2006, 08:41 AM

well... it all depends on whether the OS can read the other's start volume. Normally, the Windows side can't mount the Mac's partition. So it can't write anything to it or delete anything from it. Also: Windows viruses don't run on Mac OS X. So that's quite clean.

When asking whether "something can still get through via wireless on the mac side" when your "BB connection on Windows" has been turned off, that should be covered by above paragraph as well.

Besides: Just make sure that on Windows, you're using an updated antiviral software and have the firewall activated at all times. The usual stuff applies here.

guapagirl · #3 November 16th, 2006, 11:10 AM

Cheers fryke, though I don't know what you mean by windows can't mount the mac's partition. I can restart the computer in osx from the windows side, is that what you mean? Though I guess it doesn't matter really. I have got an anti-virus thing and they guy who installed it keeps reminding me to update it and run it. So flippin' time consuming! Makes you wonder why anyone uses windows really!

Viro · #4 November 16th, 2006, 12:04 PM

What he means is that on Windows, you can't read the Mac partition. If you can't read it, there's no way you can write to it

. So that means that a Windows virus shouldn't be able to infect your Mac partition.

**fryke** · #5 November 16th, 2006, 12:38 PM

Yep. On the Mac side, you probably see both partitions on the desktop. "Macintosh HD" and whatever your Windows partition is called like. When booted into Windows, you don't see the "Macintosh HD".

macbri · #6 November 16th, 2006, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Viro

What he means is that on Windows, you can't read the Mac partition. If you can't read it, there's no way you can write to it

. So that means that a Windows virus shouldn't be able to infect your Mac partition.

... unless the virus tries to muck around with the partition table or attempts a drive reformat...

(just playing devil's advocate here

)

guapagirl · #7 November 17th, 2006, 06:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by macbri

... unless the virus tries to mucks around with the partition table or attempts a drive reformat...

(just playing devil's advocate here

)

Take a smack bad boy! I was starting to feel smug at (a) understanding something and (b) feeling safe having stinky windows on my lovely MB!

Fryke and Viro can have a beer for being helpful though

macbri · #8 November 17th, 2006, 06:54 AM

awwww, and I love beer. Fryke, Viro... share?