When I bought my mac the other day I asked the sales guy about antivirus and he said I could install one but it was better if I didn't. If you have a Mac, do you run antivirus software on it? If so, what kind? Thanks
Up until now, you haven't really needed one because nobody wrote viruses for the Mac OS. Unfortunately, the times they are achangin'. There have been reports of a few Mac viruses out there. I still think viruses for Mac are still extremely rare, but I installed Norton on mine last year . . . with a heavy heart.
We've been on Macs for years and have never used an antivirus. I hadn't even heard about there being Mac viruses now. That's crazy! i guess I'll look into it now but honestly I'm probably not going to install it anyway lol at least not yet. I think (hope?) the odds are probably still pretty slim
i've had macs since 2001 - and have never installed any antivirus software ... i've never had any problems ... **knock on wood**!!
the sales guy told me that if I install one it is actually opening the door more to a virus. He said Mac takes care of all that with their updates. I have been running antivirus on my old pc for 4 years though and feel so vulnerable without it LOL. I just don't want anything to happen to my new baby
Well, Microsoft handles viruses through updates too. But, they can't know about every virus before it hits, or no one would ever have to worry. And, I don't see how antivirus software for a Mac would open you up to more viruses anymore than antivirus software for a PC does. That just sounds like a Mac guy trying to tell you that viruses will never be a problem. And, let me say . . . I've been a Mac girl since FOREVER. I've never personally owned a PC, though I did work on PCs back in my pre-mommy days. I'm a HUGE Apple fan. I don't think that you need to install antivirus software right now. Mac viruses are extremely, extremely rare. But, I do think it's something to have in the back of your mind. Because the day will come sooner or later when Macs are targeted a lot more often. My antivirus software has never found anything that I need to be concerned about. I just figure it's better to have it in place, ready for the day when I do need it. I'd rather have it there than get hit with something and wish I'd had it.
What are the signs of a virus? I don't think I have ever encountered it before but today my Mac is being goofy. My web pages are getting stuck and not wanting to load and then all of a sudden adds out of nowhere will pop up and I can't for the life of me figure it out. I hope I have not already encountered one. Please tell me my Mac enthusiasm is not short lived.
Lol. I honestly wouldn't know the signs, cause I've never had one on my Mac. I really doubt that's what you're dealing with. Do you have the pop-up blocker turned on?
I have no idea. How do I turn that on? Probably not since I am getting the pop ups. I still have a long ways to go in learning this baby I guess.
Sorry - didn't mean it to sound like I was laughing at you. I just thought it was ironic that in the middle of this discussion, your puter started acting strange. Are you using Safari? If so, go to the Safari menu and choose Preferences. Then, go to the Security tab and make sure the Block pop-up windows box is checked. If you're using a different browser, I'm not completely sure how to do it, but I would think it's something similar . . . in the Preferences for the browser.
I didn't think you were laughing at me, although you would definitely have just cause too. i did check under the preferences and it shows that it is active so not sure why I am still getting the pop ups every now and then. Thanks so much for the help. I think I am just so freaked out about getting a virus and not knowing it and now that I have changed to Mac and it's all so new to me that fear is doubled. I am still loving my computer so much though.
We've had only macs for the past 10 years or so. Currently have 4 macbooks and an imac in the house. None of our machines have ever had antivirus software (or viruses). I'm also good friends with the owner of our local mac store and he doesn't recommend it either. That may change in the future, they are honest about that, but not needed now. Just my 2 cents to help ease your mind if you decide to follow their recommendations. Oh, an exception to this rule is if you plan to run Windows on your Mac (like with parallel or fusion)... then you do need a windows antivirus program for it. The mac stores do sell these.
This is exactly what the guy told me. no more windows for me. I love how my screen is completely clutter free. I also love seeing all those little icons on the bottom in the dock. I always felt like my folders were all over the place on my pc. Mac is definitely more OCD friendly
I've been using a Mac for about two years now and I've never had a virus on it. I was on a PC before I used my Macs, and I remember being completely freaked out at the thought of not having anti-virus on my MacBook...LOL! The guys at the Apple Store had to talk me down and assure me or would be OK...and it has been. I think Lydia is right in that it's something that should be on your radar, but I don't think for now you are vulnerable. It's nice to know as well that if I got a virus and felt really worried, I could set an appt. at the Apple Store and ask the Geniuses to rescue my computer...:thumbs up:
Never had problems and I have been on Mac 5 years, no antivirus. Thing is, this is not a "there are no viruses for Macs" there always wewre, only not on the massive scale of Windows/PC etc. I wouldn't intall nothing yet, but, of course, you need to be careful what you click. A friend of mine clicked on a Facebook notifcation that looked perfectly like a FB notification...and it wasn't. People out there are also creating side bar ads on Facebook that are leads to infecting sites, so I m careful with that too.... I hear the "heavy heart" thing... and yes, it saddens me that people are so evil without a purpose...like the spammers attacking scrapbooking sites, or ...well I can be here all day listing. The world has come a long way with technology and I of course love it, but in general there is as much caos as progress....
I've had my Mac for almost 3 years now, no anti virus, no problems. I'd try using Chrome. It's my favorite. And try restarting it. Mine always purrs a little when I restart her.
LOL re: the purring. I found I had to restart mine quite a bit over the iNSD weekend, because I was quite simply bogging it down... I think 3 windows with 20 tabs each is just too much, LOL.
