A Conversation for "The Orchard" - the h2g2 Mac Users' Group!
firewalls and viruses
Clive the flying ostrich: Amateur Polymath | Chief Heretic. Started conversation Aug 18, 2008
okay, parents windows PC just died. 
And they are considering buying a mac. 
They want to run XP in Parallels so they can continue to use some old programmes.
However will this leave them vulnerable to any Microsoft specific viruses that are floating around (and there are lots of those) so do they need a firewall?
If so, which one?
firewalls and viruses
pheloxi | is it time to wear a hat? | Posted Aug 18, 2008
Parallels you need buy
BootCamp is included with osx, but needs xp with sp2 included.
VirtualBox is highly rated and free*.
http://www.virtualbox.org/
xp firewall is good enough.
avg virus is good enough.
http://free.avg.com/ww.download?prd=afe
* I can run winxp (guest) or ubuntu linux (guest) on osx (host).
firewalls and viruses
T.B. Falsename ACE: [stercus venio] I have learned from my mistakes, and feel I could repeat them exactly. Posted Aug 18, 2008
Also Virtual Box is from Sun Microsystems so it has the backing of a major software manufacturer.
Oh and don't forget M$'s one, Virtual PC. I'd heard that M$ were going to release that for free without M$ Windows.
firewalls and viruses
turvy (Fetch me my trousers Geoffrey...) Posted Aug 18, 2008
For a firewall and if they have broadband get a modem/router for the internet and use the hardware firewall built in.
Antivirus for windoze is a must although saying that there are a couple of malicious programmes out in 'the wild' as they
say, for the Mac OS ( http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/06/25/mac_exposure/ ). Not a big problem though.
t.
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firewalls and viruses
- 1: Clive the flying ostrich: Amateur Polymath | Chief Heretic. (Aug 18, 2008)
- 2: pheloxi | is it time to wear a hat? | (Aug 18, 2008)
- 3: T.B. Falsename ACE: [stercus venio] I have learned from my mistakes, and feel I could repeat them exactly. (Aug 18, 2008)
- 4: turvy (Fetch me my trousers Geoffrey...) (Aug 18, 2008)
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