Sage advice for the new Mac switcher

cwa107 said:

Yes, you will - within the Windows install on Parallels. I recommend Microsoft's own Security Essentials, which is free.

Understand that in installing Windows and running Parallels, I could use MSE.

What about lightroom, Aperture or ACDSee?

I will be using the LR Mac version. The downside of using LR for a first review is that you have to load - a very slow process - all of your images into a LR catalog before doing a first delete. Will explore ACDSee trial version. I would not use it for actual photo editing of my images; only as a review program if it will open the files quickly.

Windows is Windows whether you run it in a VM or on a physical PC. Running it as a guest OS on a Mac doesn't somehow make it impervious to viruses. Nor is a Mac impervious to malware (the broader category term which encompasses viruses, spyware, adware, trojans and the like).

I think I understand the difference and I will be using Virus Barrier and ClamXav; Chas' recommendations.

I think you have a few misconceptions that might be best explored in their own thread.

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Thanks

jtucker said:

The short answer is "Yes," you would have to run a **Windows** anti-malware program in your **Windows** virtual machine, but that would impact your Mac OS X experience very, very little, if at all.

Would you then have to run a **Mac** anti-virus program in OS X? I highly doubt it.

Windows 8 has more-than-adequate anti-malware built-in now, and it doesn't bog down your system. Microsoft Security Essentials is free, works with the other still-useful versions of Windows and, again, is not a resource hog.

Bottom line: so long as you install decent anti-malware in your Parallels virtual machine (which is relatively pain-free) you should be fine.

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Thanks J

For the time being rather than install 1) Parallels, 2) Windows, and 3) either run the built-in security programs or install a separate protection program, just to run a few Window's programs I am going to try to only use Mac based programs at least in the beginning. Time will tell if that works for me. Cheers,

Luvntravln said:

Thanks

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Do note that Mac OS X has a built-in anti-malware product that is quietly updated by Apple on a very regular basis. It has no user interface, just silently does its job. Of the few OS X maladies that have been created in recent years, the Apple anti-malware has been updated to address each one.

Therefore, I would recommend using only a reactive scanner like ClamXAV (though I'm not convinced the definitions address all Mac malware) or Bitdefender, which is available through the Mac App Store (also free).

I don't like the Intego product as I believe it's way overpriced and I have never seen a report of it stopping Mac malware in a proactive fashion, yet I have read of it causing numerous and sometimes difficult to troubleshoot system problems. At the end of the day, it comes down to whether it's more trouble than it's worth - and I do believe it is, given the scant number of maladies that exist for the Mac, and the relative ease of which they are typically avoided.

Luvntravln said:

Thanks J

For the time being rather than install 1) Parallels, 2) Windows, and 3) either run the built-in security programs or install a separate protection program, just to run a few Window's programs I am going to try to only use Mac based programs at least in the beginning. Time will tell if that works for me. Cheers,

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That's fine, but based on your second-to-last post, I think you might still have a significant misunderstanding of the situation. You mentioned that you might use ClamXav, which seems rather unnecessary for your situation.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

cwa107 said:

Do note that Mac OS X has a built-in anti-malware product that is quietly updated by Apple on a very regular basis. It has no user interface, just silently does its job. Of the few OS X maladies that have been created in recent years, the Apple anti-malware has been updated to address each one.

Therefore, I would recommend using only a reactive scanner like ClamXAV (though I'm not convinced the definitions address all Mac malware) or Bitdefender, which is available through the Mac App Store (also free).

I don't like the Intego product as I believe it's way overpriced and I have never seen a report of it stopping Mac malware in a proactive fashion, yet I have read of it causing numerous and sometimes difficult to troubleshoot system problems. At the end of the day, it comes down to whether it's more trouble than it's worth - and I do believe it is, given the scant number of maladies that exist for the Mac, and the relative ease of which they are typically avoided.

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Hi, you now present me with the classic conundrum! Where is Capt. Kirk when I need him? Price is not the issue when you spend almost $3500 on a new machine. If $50 provides protection; so be it - protection is the issue.

I hope that Chas chimes in on the issue of the good and bad of Integro's product.

Luvntravln said:

Hi, you now present me with the classic conundrum! Where is Capt. Kirk when I need him? Price is not the issue when you spend almost $3500 on a new machine. If $50 provides protection; so be it - protection is the issue.

I hope that Chas chimes in on the issue of the good and bad of Integro's product.

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If you think it's worth the price for some kind of peace of mind, and you have the money (note that it's subscription based, so this is a recurring cost), then go for it.

What you're being told is that it's a) redundant, b) overpriced and c) adds needless complexity that is known to cause reliability issues.

But hey, it's your money. Spend it the way you feel is prudent.

cwa107 said:

If you think it's worth the price for some kind of peace of mind, and you have the money (note that it's subscription based, so this is a recurring cost), then go for it.

What you're being told is that it's a) redundant, b) overpriced and c) adds needless complexity that is known to cause reliability issues.

But hey, it's your money. Spend it the way you feel is prudent.

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Hi, don't misunderstand me; I totally appreciate your advice.

As a new Mac user I am seeking everyone's advice; I have to decide what to do.

In this instance I have now received what I believe is conflicting advice; I am not yet qualified to choose between two experts.

From a cost standpoint I have run and paid for Norton's for years and years; just a cost of running a computer.

If it truly isn't necessary great!

Luvntravln said:

Hi, don't misunderstand me; I totally appreciate your advice.

As a new Mac user I am seeking everyone's advice; I have to decide what to do.

In this instance I have now received what I believe is conflicting advice; I am not yet qualified to choose between two experts.

From a cost standpoint I have run and paid for Norton's for years and years; just a cost of running a computer.

If it truly isn't necessary great!

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For what it's worth, I don't believe chas_m has ever recommended any anti-virus product, much less VirusBarrier. I have searched this thread for the terms Intego and VirusBarrier and haven't come up with any references to it, other than yours and mine.

I have at times recommended VirusBarrier as the lesser of all evils, but only in cases where it's an absolute must (i.e. mandated by an institution or workplace).

cwa107 said:

For what it's worth, I don't believe chas_m has ever recommended any anti-virus product, much less VirusBarrier. I have searched this thread for the terms Intego and VirusBarrier and haven't come up with any references to it, other than yours and mine.

I have at times recommended VirusBarrier as the lesser of all evils, but only in cases where it's an absolute must (i.e. mandated by an institution or workplace).

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Oops isn't sufficient; I need an icon for "egg on my face"!

You are right; it was Randy in the Official Anti-Virus Thread who said he was running Virus Barrier.

TY for correcting me.

I don't have any problem with Intego, apart from the entire concept of an anti-virus on a machine that doesn't get viruses.

Recent Macs in general and Mountain Lion in particular already have strong anti-malware systems in place and working; you need do nothing extra beyond that except understand what is happening when you are asked for your admin permission (and don't override the security settings unless you know what you are doing).

I'm not the last word on this topic, but I sincerely believe that running Mountain Lion with the standard security settings and having a brain in my head about when something wants admin permissions, when used together, protect me from any real chance of malware.

If you have a work admin or some other boss that says you HAVE to install an anti-something, I'd probably suggest ClamXAV since it is both free and open-source. Otherwise, I don't think any third-party program is needed.

Thank you, Chas M Everything I wanted to know right out of the box! I will heed your advice.

I, in fact [almost] take offense to being categorized a "switcher", which opens up questions about my morals/loyalties, of which I must confess to being too opportunistic to have morals, but not being a devout follower, I still have an extreme desire to be the best loyal dependable user/wingman I can be especially in a situation where it's not my place to lead. Having reached the "wise" old age of 63, I find switching to be mentally stimulating and I have actually, through the mac-learning process have discovered some invaluable keystrokes to use on my "work PC". I can't imagine ever cutting my windows cord, where I can play Hearts. These Mac keyboard shortcuts are not easy to learn. I will be like a concert pianist before I learn to emulate all of the "user friendly" PC keyboard shortcuts and codes that I learned through the evolutions of Windows, but I doubt that I should ever "corrupt" this MacBook Pro by installing something that looks like Windows, besides I'm only working with 4 gig here.

Since you're still working with both Mac and Windows, you could refer to yourself as "platform independent" if you prefer!

For the MOST part, the standard Mac keyboard shortcuts make some kind of sense -- command-p for Print, command-q for Quit, command-s for Save and so forth. Some are a bit less logical but become familiar with practice.

If Hearts is all that's keeping you in Windows, why not check out the MANY possible Hearts programs for the Mac?

Mac App Store - Hearts! Free

3D Hearts (Mac) - Download

Just two quick examples.

chas_m

Your polite and supportive answer is appreciated and your sug's will be look'd into. Thanks'alot I was trying to get a game from bigfishgames, but the first disk came broken and their promise of replacing it was unfulfilled. [probably for the best] ya think?

Thanks for this.

Great read and very helpful.

Sure fired me up to get a Mac, I have been shopping for the last year, getting close, hopefully soon, Thanks a bunch, chas_m, appreciate it

I had been wanting a Mac for the longest, but couldn't justify paying the cost. When they broke into my house and stole my Dell desktop, that was my chance to get the MacBook Pro, and it goes where I go. If they break in again, they won't be getting my Mac. It's well worth the bucks.

Made the switch in August of 2010. It's over two years now though it feels like yesterday.
I agree with everything this guy has said. The Mac (the iMac at least) is a fantastic machine and should be treated with care and respect. At the same time Apples knows what they're doing with it. OSX is ridiculously simple and intuitive and following the Operating System's storage suggestions is fantastic advice. I'd also agree with the security stuff. It's very hard to infect your system unless you make daft mistakes.

I've been with OSX through three different versions now starting with Snow Leopard which was one of the best operating systems I've ever used, upgrading to Lion (which I never had any problems with I might add) and then Mountain Lion. Always a seamless transition, and each OS has been fantastic for me! With the exception of the new style dock in Mountain Lion which I absolutely loathe. I want the old dock back!

Otherwise can't fault it. This computer was the best purchase I ever made.

great response. I learned a lot from it. However, it did not answer my question. I have no problem hooking my phone to my mac. please just tell me the answer. thanks again however for a lot of other good ideas that I will certainly use.

Hello everyone,
I purchased my macpro desktop earlier this month and I love it. I was reading the first few pages of this thread and I immediately see I "broke" 2 cardinal rules. I guess being a windows user for so long.
1) I installed chrome about a day after trying safari out. I felt things took much longer to do with safari, I could not figure out how to create a "favorites list" for my favorite websites. I guess I did not give it much of a chance.
2) I also installed Norton anti-virus. I figured I spent a lot of money on this computer and I felt better knowing that my investment was that much more protected. I also have (2) PC's that were about to expire so I purchased the multi version.
Other than that I have been good.
I bought the Mac mostly for Music, I play keyboard and I was looking into recording some of my own stuff away from the band (weekend warriors) that I also play in.
See you around the campus..............................