2nd Macbook question!

Posted by: Neutrino

2nd Macbook question! - 21/03/2007 06:19

If I am using Parallels as a way of using XP applications do I need to do all of the security updates and run virus and malware applications to protect my Mac? I asked this question to my daughter, a junior in college, and her answer was "42".

I am really lovin' this laptop! Parallels works like a champ. It's fast too. I'm finding that this laptop has a lot of simularities to Linux. The terminal commands seem to be the same. I'm really ignorant of anything but Windows.
Being able to run multiple OS simultaneously is pretty cool!
Posted by: pedrohoon

Re: 2nd Macbook question! - 21/03/2007 06:55

Yes you should, although since Windows is running in a VM, any issues won't affect the Mac.
If you have it set up so that all data is stored externally over a network, and you back up the Parallels image while it is in a good state, then if you have problems you simply need to roll back to the stored image instead of re-installing (AFAIK).
Hope that makes sense!
Posted by: petteri

Re: 2nd Macbook question! - 21/03/2007 10:06

The MAC side of things will stay clean, but you risk the XP side of things in the same way as if your ran a 'real' XP computer in terms of viruses and such.

Parallels is a godsend! I can run my Real Estate web based apps running a Mac now!
Posted by: peter

Re: 2nd Macbook question! - 21/03/2007 10:18

Quote:
Parallels is a godsend! I can run my Real Estate web based apps running a Mac now!

Back in the dot-com boom, Roger and I talked about setting up a company called intertrout.com, which would work just like Interflora, except that you'd go to your local fishmonger, pick a type of fish, make your order, and a local fishmonger near your recipient would pick up the necessary fish, go and find the recipient, and smack him or her smartly about the face with it, then leave a polite little card explaining why.

If that plan had ever come to fruition, I'd probably now be offering a free troutslap, on the house, to whoever developed a soi-disant "web based app" that only runs on browsers for one operating system.

Peter
Posted by: Ezekiel

Re: 2nd Macbook question! - 21/03/2007 10:32

Like this?

-Zeke
Posted by: petteri

Re: 2nd Macbook question! - 21/03/2007 11:05

Quote:
Back in the dot-com boom, Roger and I talked about setting up a company called intertrout.com, which would work just like Interflora, except that you'd go to your local fishmonger, pick a type of fish, make your order, and a local fishmonger near your recipient would pick up the necessary fish, go and find the recipient, and smack him or her smartly about the face with it, then leave a polite little card explaining why.

If that plan had ever come to fruition, I'd probably now be offering a free troutslap, on the house, to whoever developed a soi-disant "web based app" that only runs on browsers for one operating system.

Peter


I have a list ready and waiting for you should you ever enter the troutslap business! These "apps" are real garbage. They only have to deal with one OS, yet they are still telling people not to upgrade to IE7 not to mention Vista.
Posted by: drakino

Re: 2nd Macbook question! - 21/03/2007 18:36

Quote:
Yes you should, although since Windows is running in a VM, any issues won't affect the Mac.


If a particularly nasty virus gets into the windows side, and you use the Parallels folder sharing to share your Mac side data to the Windows box, the virus could potentially run through that share and corrupt data on the Mac side.

I personally just use drag and drop between Parallels and OS X when I need to move a file between the two sides, instead of turning on the sharing.
Posted by: Neutrino

Re: 2nd Macbook question! - 21/03/2007 21:02

Thanks for the info. To be on the safe side I have installed all of the updates and virus, malware programs.
Posted by: Phoenix42

Re: 2nd Macbook question! - 21/03/2007 22:19

As a general rules treat a VM like you would a physical machine, they have the same weaknesses.