Bootcamp virus question?

[sigoblin]

I'm looking to use bootcamp and XP for a particular program that will not need to connect to the internet. As I'm not online for the windows bit, do i need virus protection for anything that may corrupt the windows files that may be downloaded whilst using safari on Leopard?

 

[Hawkeye411]

I'm looking to use bootcamp and XP for a particular program that will not need to connect to the internet. As I'm not online for the windows bit, do i need virus protection for anything that may corrupt the windows files that may be downloaded whilst using safari on Leopard?

If you are not going to be online when you use XP and you are CERTAIN that the files on the disk that you are using to install software on XP do not have a virus, then you are probably OK. I would just install a free antivirus anyway because I'm paranoid. I have been nailed by a virus on my Bootcamp version of XP before and it was a pain in the butt.

Here is a link to one free antivirus software. I'm sure there are others as well.

http://free.grisoft.com/doc/5390/us/frt/0

Cheers.

 

[Cromulent]

I'm looking to use bootcamp and XP for a particular program that will not need to connect to the internet. As I'm not online for the windows bit, do i need virus protection for anything that may corrupt the windows files that may be downloaded whilst using safari on Leopard?

Viruses won't be able to spread if the files are kept in the Mac OS X partition and not touched when using Windows. If you ever use any external files (i.e any files not created by you) in Windows then you need virus protection.

 

[sigoblin]

Thanks for that, will use as a precaution. Still a little unsure whether i can corrupt any of the Windows stuff when online through Leopard though, does the partition totally separate the hard drive?

 

[sigoblin]

You beat me to it, thanks for your reply, happy now.

 

[flopticalcube]

It is a separate space and unless you use a third party tool, OSX cannot write to an NTFS (Windows) partition.

 

[Plaidwarrior]

So If I needed Windows to play some computer games strictly offline I wouldn't have issues with viruses and the such. I've been screwed over before with Window-based viruses (Part of the reason I switched to mac) so this is a major pro or con for me
thanks