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    Can a Mac get a Window?s virus?

    Discussion in 'Apple and Mac OS X' started by Wail, Nov 28, 2006.

  1. Wail

    Wail Notebook Consultant

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    Since a lot of Mac users seem to be running Windows in Boot Camp, or Parallels; would it be possible for these machines to catch a Window’s virus and then infect the whole machine (Windows and Mac partitions)?
     
    Wail, Nov 28, 2006
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  2. pratap21

    pratap21 Notebook Consultant

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    No. The virus will only affect the windows installation. Only a mac virus (if any) would affect mac os. Same thing as linux+windows
     
    pratap21, Nov 28, 2006
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  3. Budding

    Budding Notebook Virtuoso

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    Viruses which damage the BIOS won't effect Mac OS X because Mac OS X does not use a BIOS. So, if your Windows partition is totally screwed up, simply hold in the ALT key on your Mac at boot up and select Mac OS X.
     
    Budding, Nov 28, 2006
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  4. Wail

    Wail Notebook Consultant

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    Thanks for the feedback, very reassuring that I can't get a virus on a Mac partition .. mind you, once I move to Mac I am planning to do without the Windows all-together.
     
    Wail, Nov 28, 2006
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  5. nl74

    nl74 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Even if you have say folder sharing enabled on parallels?
     
    nl74, Aug 7, 2007
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  6. wave

    wave Notebook Virtuoso

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    The Parallels virtual machine can get effected and if Parallels has write access for the OS X partition or parts of it then these files can get effected too.

    OS X wont have the virus but Windows has the Virus and windows can distroy the OS X files. Even if Windows has no access to OS X then if the Virus has admin rights it could repartition or format the OS X partition and break/delete it. Never hear of it happening but anything an admin could do in windows a virus with admin rights can do too.
     
    wave, Aug 7, 2007
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