running windows on Mac virus issues??

I may end up getting a mac but may use one of the parallel softwares to run Windows XP for a few programs. Do I have to worry about viruses or firewalls because of this that I would not have to have worried about otherwise?

 

In all reality, you have to worry about viruses anyway. OSX isn't invincible, despite the myth.

Anyway, if you run XP through boot camp I think you won't have to worry about the OSX partition. You definitely do not if XP doesn't see that partition.

 

The Windows OS (run through Parallels or Boot Camp) is still going to be able to get viruses just as with any other PC, so you would want to run antivirus software, etc. and use normal precautions.

Regarding OS X viruses; although it is true that the idea that its "invincible" is a myth (same with Linux), the reality is that OS X and Linux are at least relatively more secure, and on top of that, there still aren't any actual OS X viruses out in the wild; most of what has come out so far have been proof of concept trojans, etc. (often requiring people to execute the program manually and enter their admin password).

Certainly though it is good to practice safe computing on OS X too; don't run apps if you don't know what they are or where they came from, etc.

 

Yup...you might want to look into some of the freeware protection out there for XP. Spyware - Search & Destroy, Zone Alarm, and AdAware are all fairly good and free.

 

Agreed on all fronts. It's still Windows, whether or not it's on a Mac, and therefore it's still susceptible to Windows viruses (just as Linux would be the same way on a Mac). The good thing about using Windows via Parallels (if you decide to do that instead of BootCamp) is that if you do get a virus, you can simply back up all the critical data (good to do anyway), and just delete the VM and start over. It's much easier than reinstalling Windows from scratch.

 

You can still get viruses when running from Boot Camp or Parallels. I think I had some adware infect my XP install, but I don't really care enough to fix it. Use OSX most of the time anyway.

 

Yeah, it's not really a big deal if it's in Parallels, because it's not really touching your hard drive, just a file. And that file is only readable by Parallels. Even a Windows VM inside Windows would be secure, and I've seen quite a few people do just that.