Parallels + XP = Virus?

M

Madelin

Registered
Was thinking of installing parallels but was wondering if installing XP on my iMac would be bad.

Since OS X has no viruses, will windows be able to get viruses and therefore ruin my machine?

Cheers
 
If you're running Windows on your Mac, you can get Windows viruses. I'm not sure how much they can mess up your Mac OS, but you should be careful.
 
Running Windows through Parallels is the same as running it on a native PC. Yes it can get infected with viruses and spyware so you still need to run an anti-virus etc. The way parallels works is it creates a special file that contains the OS so it's fully self contained. While Windows itself can get infected it can't damage OS X. So it's a yes and no answer: You still need to protect Windows, but if it gets infected it won't harm OS X.
 
Yes, you will need an anti-virus and even spyware protection. I'm running Parallels on my Mac Mini and have already run into spyware trying to infiltrate my computer. It even attempted to hijack my homepage. But the OS X side is fine.
 
Cheers for all the replies. May not bother then with XP. Ill wait abit and install Vista. Better than XP and fingers crossed, better security.
 
Madelin said:
Cheers for all the replies. May not bother then with XP. Ill wait abit and install Vista. Better than XP and fingers crossed, better security.
Click to expand...


Ehhhhhhh I wouldn't be so eager to jump to Vista just yet. A lot of the features in Vista are quite new so most of it is untested and might have security holes that have yet to be discovered...possibly moreso than XP. And even though support will eventually be there, it might be slow in coming. Many companies right now have opted to stick with XP because Vista IS so new that it might break certain things that worked fine in XP. And let's not talk about Vista's pricing compared to XP's....or even how much more restrictive Windows Genuine Advantage will be on Vista compared to XP! :confused:

XP has had 2 service pack releases along with various security updates and is very well supported right now. All of these updates help make XP more secure than it was before (we hope, anyway). It's still too soon to say the same about Vista when the customer retail version isn't even selling yet.

If you're going to use Windows right now, I say stick with XP...just make sure that you install an antivirus app and an antispyware app installed and make sure that BOTH are updated regularly.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top