Is there any need to download an anti virus program onto my Macbook pro? Just curious because I have never used OS X before.
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Anti Virus?
- Thread starter Closingracer
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Long-ish answer. Still no, but it's not a bad idea to have an app installed which is just a scanner, not a real time detection thing, and scan your drive every once in a while. You don't need the full McAfee suite like Windows. Just be sensible, and if you come across it, you certainly don't need MacKeeper, no matter how much their adverts tell you that you do.
Thing is I also have a windows laptop and be exchanging files between them. I usually have Norton on my laptop for just peace of mind over anything else.
ABSOLUTELY NOT.
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For Windows its kind of necessary. every install and download on windows is so sneaky and devious. it not like that on a mac. and anti virus programs for mac always end up curating junk files and apps that pop up ALL the time and spam you with pop ups about buying even more protection and such- which take up lots of room and cause unbelievable lag.
My father found that out the hard way on his mac. He was so hardcore " you need kaspersky!!!" and after a month his mac was essentially unusable. I had to back up the files and restore for him. He now understands you MUST NOT use any antivirus on mac.
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For Windows its kind of necessary. every install and download on windows is so sneaky and devious. it not like that on a mac. and anti virus programs for mac always end up curating junk files and apps that pop up ALL the time and spam you with pop ups about buying even more protection and such- which take up lots of room and cause unbelievable lag.
My father found that out the hard way on his mac. He was so hardcore " you need kaspersky!!!" and after a month his mac was essentially unusable. I had to back up the files and restore for him. He now understands you MUST NOT use any antivirus on mac.
Norton will pick anything up on your Windows machine, so the chances of you transferring an infected file to your Mac are slim. Even if you do manage it, no Windows executable/virus will run on the Mac. No need to worry.
Again, common sense prevails. In all my years of Mac ownership (I haven't used a Windows computer as my computer since Windows 98) I've only been caught out once, and that wasn't by a virus, it was by some adware/toolbar crap utorrent installed as I didn't read the installer properly (I didn't really they bundled crap).