Some advice on using an AV prog, please.

Hi all,
I find that I need to use Windows on my Mac Mini and to do this I plan to use VMware Fusion 3 coupled to Windows XP(SP3).
If I was using a Windows PC, I would simply install my choice of AV software and keep it updated. But this gets complicated for a newbie Maccer.
I have ClamX av installed on my Mac, mainly because I am on a mixed home network and my wife would castrate me if I managed to infect her beloved laptop. But here's the thing, does the ClamX av on my Mac also do its AV protection job on the Windows XP section of the VMware install or do I need to install a totally separate AV programme such as Defender or Avast WITHIN the XP OS?
Many thanks for any help and advice.
Steve

You need to install a separate AV program on the virtual install of windows. If Windows connects to the internet it is as vulnerable as a regular PC.

ClamX will detect ant viruses that are copied over to your mac folders, but will not scan a VWWare fusion disk image

Many member ask the question about viruses and malware on the Mac and in addition to using the search function at the top of the forum, you'll find almost all your answers here:

Official Antivirus, Malware, and Firewall FAQ

schweb ... I read that thread before posing my question and found no information on my question about needing a separate AV install on a VMware windows partition. If you can find such info on that threat I will bow to your greatness.
As for the Search facility, what am I supposed to search for?
I tried "Antivirus with VMware" and got loads or totally irrelevant threads. I tried all the words that I could think of to give answers to my specific question and found no answers.
Again, if you can come up with a search word or phrase that gives the answer to my question, i will bow to your image and light a candle for your soul.

louishen ... Thank you for taking the time to give a simple answer to the question.
I hope your next week is better than the second best week of your life so far.

You mean like this part?

Running Windows on your Mac?
We always recommend running antivirus software on Windows, even on your Mac. Microsoft Security Essentials is free and does a great job. It’s important to realize though that getting malware on your Windows partition cannot infect your Mac.

Click to expand...

I'd also suggest backing down on your attitude a bit.

schweb said:

You mean like this part?



I'd also suggest backing down on your attitude a bit.

Click to expand...

No, not like that part. I read that and took it on board.
I knew from reading up a little that it was a good idea to have AV if you were running Windows on your Mac. The difference between that and my original question was that I wanted to know if I needed a SECOND AV on the Windows partition or section even though I already had an AV running on the Mac.
Is it just me being stupid and dense here or can anybody else see the distinction?

Attitude??
You think I have an attitude?
OK, I apologise for that. Maybe it's because I would rather have a simple Yes or No answer to my question either instead of, or even on top of a lecture on how to use a Help forum.

5tevie said:

No, not like that part. I read that and took it on board.
I knew from reading up a little that it was a good idea to have AV if you were running Windows on your Mac. The difference between that and my original question was that I wanted to know if I needed a SECOND AV on the Windows partition or section even though I already had an AV running on the Mac.
Is it just me being stupid and dense here or can anybody else see the distinction?

Attitude??
You think I have an attitude?
OK, I apologise for that. Maybe it's because I would rather have a simple Yes or No answer to my question either instead of, or even on top of a lecture on how to use a Help forum.

Click to expand...

I'm not sure exactly what was confusing about that section of the FAQ? It says to install an AV program on your Windows partition. It exactly answers your question.

Second, taking 5 seconds to look at already available information isn't going to kill you. I linked you to a FAQ that had the relevant information for your problem.

If you feel that you are so entitled that reading what's already out there is too much manual labor and you'd rather be hand-held through the process, that's fine, but that's not how we always do things here.

P.S. What I posted was hardly a "lecture".

Here's the answer: install AV on your windows virtual machine. Microsoft Security Essentials is free and will do the job well; it's the one most currently recommended by members of this forum. Clam won't work in the VM. This advice is the same whether you are running Windows in a virtual machine or a boot camp partition.

In a virtual machine, you should take frequent "snapshots" of your VM so that restoring is simple if you ever get malware.

That's the story.

Cheers

schweb ..... Let's just say that it is difficult to understand word use on a written page..
I used "read" (to rhyme with RED) to mean that I had already "read" those pages that you linked to prior to writing my question on this thread. I asked the question here because the specific question wasn't answered on either of those links. You say that it is because it is written that an AV is needed on the Windows partition. I understand that and totally agree with it. But here's the bit that I can't get my head round and which is NOT covered in those links you provided.
With an AV prog on the Windows XP section, do I still need ClamXav running on the Mac side?

Sammy ... Thanks for that. I have installed MSE now

5tevie said:

But here's the bit that I can't get my head round and which is NOT covered in those links you provided.
With an AV prog on the Windows XP section, do I still need ClamXav running on the Mac side?

Click to expand...

The rest of the FAQ addresses that, and the answer is that it depends, you have to make the call after reading the FAQ.