Intego VirusBarrier X6 Probs 2008 MBP

All
I have a 2008 MBP with Lion 10.7.1. Ever since I upgraded to Lion with X6, every time my computer came out of sleep or standby, the MAC would shoot up to 100 CPU and become completely unresponsive for a good 3-5 minutes. Sometimes it would crash (full on Kernal panic) and when it came up it would show the last thread was Intego. Sometimes I'd have to hard boot it to get it work again.
This weekend I erased and completely reinstalled OS X Lion and rebuilt it completely. I left Intego off. For 2 days now problems. Ran great, came out sleep/standby w/o problems of any kind. I downloaded Intego today, put it on, updated it thru Net Update and my problem came back. Go figure. If I shut down Intego completely, the problem goes away.
I wrote Intego and there response every time is to uninstall and reinstall. Worthless!
Is anyone else have these problems on a 2008 MBP?
I have to say Intego's customer service is horrible and so far, their product is too.

@Jeff26 - I have X6 set up for LOW priority for CPU and disk operations and it only scans once a week on Monday's at 9AM. It's set up to not count files before a scan and overall it's very, very basic in the settings. I did that on purpose since malware and viruses are not as prevelent on a MAC. But like I stated if you shut it completely off, problem goes away. And I have very little actually running on this MAC. I use it mainly for web surfing and picture editing with Aperture and I only open Aperture when I need to. 90% of the time it's web surfing which isn't a tax on the CPU.
It's possible a setting I have is causing it, but getting anyone from that company to work with you beside "uninstall/Reinstall" is like pulling teeth. And the manual ***** and so do their forums. I'm stumped.
I have read a few other web posts of people with the same MBP as me having the same problems and since I didn't have it on SL and I do on Lion, I'm betting the problem is with this Intel Core2Duo vs. the new i7's and how Lion runs thru the kernals.
@Allen - I agree, but we still have to be careful with viruses and malware on MAC's. It's only a matter of time before they start coming out of the woodwork.

Similar Messages

Which OS, Version, Best Setup on like-new 2008 MBP for non-HD archival DV?

MacBook Pro 15"
(Early 2008)
2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo
4GB RAM
720GB 7200rpm Hard Drive (original 360GB 5400rpm drive also available)
OS 10.6.8
(6GB RAM possible but additional $100+ for 4GB module needed now for software upgrades)
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iCloud integration: I'd like it since I'm an iPhone/Pad user. I could upgrade to Mountain Lion but Mavericks, under the best of conditions, is doable on my device and may give me improved CPU and battery performance. I realize this is best left for the OSX forums. HOWEVER...
Final Cut Pro: I want to also return to editing in FCP an unfinished documentary using primarily archival film and video converted to non-HD DV. This may greatly impact how I set up my drives and the decision as to which OS is best. So, this should probably be my initial decision.
Hard Drive: First and foremost, I should probably swap the drives and place the 7200rpm drive into an enclosure (Firewire or is that stone-age?) for FCP media, correct?
OS: With Mavericks, I must use FCPX which is beyond my current non-HD needs and will most likely strain my system resources. However, the new simplified interface is appealing and I've read some users are running it on "early 2008" MBPs. If an earlier OS is better suited, then which one? And also...
FCP Version: Which is most stable given my model? And which is best for non-HD needs? What about FCExpress? I want to explore more possibilities than what's available in iMovie and would appreciate the simpler interface found in FCE and FCPX, especially since I haven't used any Final Cut since FCP 3 but will gladly embrace what's best. I want to relearn the program and hope to continue using it for other projects.
Partitioned drive: Finally, what about partitioning my drive, one for daily life running Mavericks or other OS, the other solely dedicated to an optimized OS/FCP for non-HD editing? Even at 360 GB it should be doable if I keep it lean and the bulk of storage externally (I ran FCP 3 adequately on a partitioned 40GB drive back in the day). How much space should I dedicate to an FCP partition?
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Thank you all and have a great day!
Evalyn
PS: I realize my FCP3 files are probably useless and plan to reimport everything into a new project. And sorry for the lack of paragraph spacing. Can't get it formatted right on the iPad!

CyberFinch wrote:
FCP Version: Which is most stable given my model? And which is best for non-HD needs? What about FCExpress? I want to explore more possibilities than what's available in iMovie and would appreciate the simpler interface found in FCE and FCPX, especially since I haven't used any Final Cut since FCP 3 but will gladly embrace what's best. I want to relearn the program and hope to continue using it for other projects.
Just to note that there is much more commonality between FCP3 and FCP7 and/or FCE than with the early version and FCP X. IMO, learning FCP X is worth the effort, but it will require some effort since it is so different than traditional NLE's. You could "get by" with FCE for many types of projects and you should be able to find a copy on eBay or Amazon for a few hundred dollars. However, you will not be able to open a FCP project of any version with it. Also, I don;t think I would agree that its UI is simple; it's essentially the same as FCP.
As for partitioning, some people advise against editing from drives that have been partitioned. I use a partition on one machine and I've not had any problems, so I think it is an option.
As you can see from the replies you've received so far, you have reasonable choices. Good luck.
Russ

Late 2008 mbp - installed new ssd - trying to boot from snow leopard iso on flash drive - says 'cannot install mac os on this computer'

Hello -
I just installed a new M500 Crucial ssd in my late 2008 mbp - everything was working fine on old hard drive (running snow leopard) but was getting slow and wanted to upgrade - i lost my snow leopard disk when moving from hawaii so i found an iso online - using a flash drive i partitioned the disk and made the bootable image on flash drive - formatted as extended/journaled - switched out the hard drives - plugged in the flash drive - started the comp - held option - install begins to boot - choose language - all is fine - choose english - next step window pops up saying 'cannot install os on this computer' - click on utility but all options are greyed out - disk util is greyed out - only options it gives is to start from backup or restart - real confused here - all help appreciated - thanks in advance and happy new year!

Snow Leopard comes in discs only. The USB drive may be a counterfeit and/or corrupt. There are two options for you:
Get replacement original OSX installation disks from Apple customer service. Have your MBP serial number ready and there is a charge.
Or two, purchase a Snow Leopard disk from the Apple online store:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573Z/A/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard
Ciao.

Mavericks install failed on my late 2008 MBP. Says I should contact the software provider. Want to do a system restore, using Time Machine, but latest date to use is from last year - even tho did a backup before the download?

I downloaded the free Mavericks upgrade to my late 2008 MBP on Friday. I made sure to plug in my external hard drive so that Time Machine could back up beforehand. (I should say I'm not clear about the different kinds of backups that Time Machine does - I just plug it in and let it go.).
So have tried several times over the weekend to install, it takes 46 minutes each time - only to tell me it can't do it. There was an error message of needing to contact the software provider (or something similar). After searching the internet (on my husband's computer - since my MBP is rendered useless right now) I decided maybe I should wait on Mavericks and just do a system restore. However, when I plugged in the Hard Drive and proceed to System Restore, the latest date available is one from September of 2012 (14 months ago)... I've wondered if the date might be wrong? But I'm afraid to choose it because I'm not sure what I would lose. It might take me back to Snow Leopard rather than Lion... (however, the version on Restore was 10.8.1 which is Mtn Lion, right? Even tho it was last year...)
Some sources online say that I should go into applications and delete the install -- but I can't get to anything on my computer.
I tried to do a reboot in safe mode - but not sure if it worked...
I did look on the installer log error and the latest error is:
Local Host Report crash [378]
Can anyone help me? (Using simpleton, non-techie language?
Thanks

I downloaded the free Mavericks upgrade to my late 2008 MBP on Friday. I made sure to plug in my external hard drive so that Time Machine could back up beforehand. (I should say I'm not clear about the different kinds of backups that Time Machine does - I just plug it in and let it go.).
So have tried several times over the weekend to install, it takes 46 minutes each time - only to tell me it can't do it. There was an error message of needing to contact the software provider (or something similar). After searching the internet (on my husband's computer - since my MBP is rendered useless right now) I decided maybe I should wait on Mavericks and just do a system restore. However, when I plugged in the Hard Drive and proceed to System Restore, the latest date available is one from September of 2012 (14 months ago)... I've wondered if the date might be wrong? But I'm afraid to choose it because I'm not sure what I would lose. It might take me back to Snow Leopard rather than Lion... (however, the version on Restore was 10.8.1 which is Mtn Lion, right? Even tho it was last year...)
Some sources online say that I should go into applications and delete the install -- but I can't get to anything on my computer.
I tried to do a reboot in safe mode - but not sure if it worked...
I did look on the installer log error and the latest error is:
Local Host Report crash [378]
Can anyone help me? (Using simpleton, non-techie language?
Thanks

SSD Upgrade to Late 2008 MBP, Plus Windows 8 Install

Hi guys,
I have a 15", late 2008 MBP that was a beast in it's time, but has started to show it's age, especially due to my aging hard drive. I've read great things about performance improvement through installing an SSD, and so I want to perform this upgrade. Also, while I do have my computer backed up through Time Machine, I'd rather just be proactive on replacing my hard drive before it fails on me (which will definitely happen at some point). Here's some more detailed specs for my computer:
CPU: 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
RAM: 4 GB of 1067 MHz DDR 3
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT 512 MB
Note about the GPU: This comp has the dual graphics chips, but I've been always using the "high-performance" one, which is what is listed above (the other one is a GeForce 9400M).
OS: Most current version of Mavericks (OSX 10.9.2)
In looking up SSD's, I've found that people that have had laptops with similar specs to mine have had success with the Crucial M500 SSDs.
After I get my drive all figured out, I want to use Boot Camp to install Windows 8 on the SSD. Currently, I do not have any Windows installations on my computer. My computer is not supported for Windows 8 installation through Boot Camp, despite the fact that hardware-wise, it is compatable with Windows 8. However, I have found discussions that are pretty standard on how to get Windows 8 installed on my computer.
-So, my first question is: Was my research good for this given SSD for my computer? It seems like Samsung makes the best SSDs, but I haven't found any evidence that it would be really compatable with my computer.
-My second question: Given that I will have just installed an SSD, will Windows 8 installation be doable? This is probably the most important question for me, because if it's not possible, then I'd rather just buy Windows 7 right off the bat and install that in boot camp instead.
-My third question: If I can get Windows up and running, how does my computer's double graphics chip configuration work in Windows? I'd want to make sure that Windows is using the more powerful of the chips and not the less powerful one.
-My fourth question: My computer has gone from Leopard to Snow Leopard to Mavericks, and I never performed a "clean install" for any of these OS upgrades. If I clone my HD to the SSD, would it be beneficial for me to run a Mavericks clean install, and then pull all my necessary data off my backup drive?
Sorry for the long-winded post, and I know much of it is demonstrated elsewhere. I have found many discussions involving SSD upgrades, and getting Windows 8 on a late 2008 MBP, but I haven't found anything that has shown both being done. Both seem easy to do, but I just don't know if doing both in tandem is going to cause a bunch of problems. Has anyone out there done this, and can anyone offer me any advice on how to make this process any smoother? I really like doing this upgrade now, because if I run into Windows issues, or other issues on the SSD, I could still just boot from my old hard drive and use my computer. Thanks everyone!

beestmode,
I have a Mid 2010 MacBook Pro, and I put a Samsung 840 PRO SSD into mine. Where did you find evidence that this model SSD would not work in your MacBook Pro? (The SSD which you’ve installed has a good reputation, so you should have no reason to regret your choice.)
Windows 8 via Boot Camp will not be possible with your model MacBook Pro. In Boot Camp, you could install up to Windows 7, either 32-bit or 64-bit. A virtualizer such as Parallels Desktop or VirtualBox could allow you to install Windows 8, but virtualizers have their own sets of positives and negatives.
Since I have a 13-inch model with only one GPU, I don’t know how your dual GPUs would be handled on the Windows side.
When I’d installed my SSD, I did a clean installation of Mavericks onto it, keeping Snow Leopard on my old internal disk, and putting it into an external enclosure.

How to go from 10.8.5 to 10.8.4 on late 2008 mbp?

On a late 2008 mbp went from a perfectly working 10.6.8 to the downloaded 10.8.5 from App store.
My airport is constantly unusable, I keep deleting and remaking the wifi account in Networks, it crashes at least 2 or 3 times in the beginning of the day until it finally stays working, usually while using Safari or Firefox(latest 26). Updated the system thru all available posted updates and still misbehaves. Others seem to suggest a software glitch as the culprit and have suggested going to 10.8.4.
I never had 10.8.4, so how can one get it and install it. Will it require a clean install? I have fixed permissions, checked the drive with DriveGenius but nothing seems to do the trick.
I may have to return to 10.6.x but to run Lightroom 5 I need 10.8.x. Has anyone solved this quandry out there?
Thanks, I'm at the end of this rope.
L

Will it require a clean install?
The only installer available from the Mac App Store is the 10.8.5. You can't go from 10.8.5 to 10.8.4 and you can't do a clean install with anything other than 10.8.5. You should try a new clean install of 10.8.5 to see if you had a bad upgrade originally.

2008 MBP -- DVI out -- DVI/HDMI converter -- HDTV ?

Hi guys,
I'm gonna go ahead and apologize in advance if this has been asked before, I'm having a bit of an emergency.
The backlight on my 2008 MBP (model A1260) has gone out -- I can still somewhat see the screen but it's extremely dim. I'm wondering if I can buy a DVI/HDMI converter and run the video out to my HDTV. Are there any extra supplies I'll need?
Also, any instructions for enabling the HDTV as my external display would be greatly appreciated as I'm barely able to read anything on the screen in its current state.
Thanks so much!

From Apple's website:
These Apple computers supply multichannel audio (up to 8 channels) and video signals over Mini DisplayPort:
iMac (Late 2009) and later
Mac mini (Mid 2010) and later1
Mac Pro (Mid 2010)
MacBook (Mid 2010) and later
MacBook Pro (Mid 2010) and later
MacBook Pro (Retina, Mid 2012)1
MacBook Air (Late 2010) and later
1No additional adapter is necessary if you are connecting directly to the HDMI port on your Mac mini (Mid 2010) and later or your MacBook Pro (Retina, Mid 2012).
These Apple computers supply only video signals over Mini DisplayPort:
iMac (Early 2009) and (Mid 2009)
Mac Mini (Early 2009) and (Late 2009)
Mac Pro (Early 2009)
MacBook (Late 2009)
MacBook (13-inch Aluminum Late 2008)
MacBook Pro (late 2008), (Mid 2009), and (Early 2009)
To connect your television or other HDMI devices to your Mac, use select third-party Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapters that conform to the VESA DisplayPort Dual-Mode Standard. The following adapters are are known to adhere to this standard:

Transfer disks from 2008 MBP to 2011 MBP?

My early 2008 MBP died (Apple Genius said logic board), so I took the opportunity to purchase a refurbished early 2011 MBP from the Apple Store. On the original MBP, I had replaced the HDD with an SSD and replaced the optical drive with a 7200 HDD. The MBP was current with Lion 10.7.2. I would like to install the SSD and 7200 HDD into the new MBP - any reason I won't be able to boot right up into the disks assuming a successful install? Thanks -

I see in another post that the drives from my old MBP won't have all the hardware drivers needed for the new MBP, so I'll need to do a fresh install on the drives https://discussions.apple.com/message/15362548#15362548.
If so, the migration process is more complicated. I'll need to backup everything from the SSD and HDD [somwehere] and then reformat the disks and install Lion and then transfer apps/settings/data from [somewhere] to the freshly installed disks.
Is Migration Assistant the utility I will use to pull over apps/settings/data? Can it pull from SuperDuper image? Can it pull from just a data folders? I probably won't have a Time Machine backup handy, but I do have SuperDuper and straight backups.

What is the best way to migrate settings/apps/files from late 2008 MBP to new 2012 MBA?

I have the 2008 MBP backed up via TM to an external HD that is FW800, but is USB 2.0 capable. I was hoping the TB/FW adapter would come out from Apple soon, and maybe it will. Bottom line, my new MBA arrives next week, and I'm not sure when the TB/FW adapter will hit the stores. Can I use USB 2.0 to link the HD to my new MBA or will it be too slow to conduct the migration? I have about 110GB on the MBP HD and the new MBA is the i7/8G/256GB model. so no worries there.

The firewire adapter is due for release in "July" according to the specs. You can make due with your TM backup on USB 2.0. It's slower than firewire but should complete within 2 hours.

Symantec endpoint protection vs intego virusbarrier

Hi Everyone,
My school requires me to get some sort of virus protection on my mac. They provide symantec endpoint protection (11.063) for free. I know that over the past few years, symantec has been a resource hog and generally poorly reviewed. I'd be willing to get the license for intego virusbarrier as I've read better reviews about that.
Does anyone have any experience with intego or symantec endpoint protection here? Any preferences, comments, suggestions? Thanks for your help!

I had some problems with Norton version 10, but none whatsoever with version 11. I've also used VirusBarrier X6.
VirusBarrier is very configurable but on can give some false warnings if you set it to watch network traffic, monitor for virus-like activities, etc (like it thought Data Rescue was acting suspiciously). VB has warned me about a compromised web page I visited, so that feature works. I've never had a false alert from Norton but neither has ever found an actual Mac virus so I have no experience with that (NAV has found Windows viruses in attachments, and a Word macro virus).
If you don't want to configure anything and don't want false alerts use NAV. If you want more configuration options such as monitoring Internet port connections, web threats, etc. and don't mind dismissing an occasional false alarm the VB is a good choice.
NAV has never slowed anything down. VB usually is transparent but on rare occasion one of the subprograms has run wild (virusbarrierd or virusbarrierb) forcing me to either kill it or restart my computer.

Conflict between Time Machine and Intego VirusBarrier X5?

Ok, so I was fiddling around tonight after I had some trouble. I got stuck in Time Machine and could only get out by holding down the power button. In Time Machine, I could do nothing--could not look at backups, could not cancel out. The starfield moved, but no activity from the application. Moreover, using the power button I could not quit or shut down normally, only holding the button down worked.
Ran maintenance scripts and repaired permissions. Same problem. Finally, I turned off real-time scanning for the new version of Intego VirusBarrier. That seems to be the trick. Looks like a problem there.

I understand the majority opinion, but having lost a mac hard drive to a virus in 1987 and having recently spent a week cleaning my secretary's pc of a host of malware and viruses, I'm going to be a cautious user and run Intego.

Moving from Late 2008 MB to Late 2008 MBP... best way to restore via TM?

Hello,
My Late 2008 Macbook was involved in an accident (RIP). I had hopes the HDD would still work okay, but it just beeps at me and is unable to load anything.
So, I've already ordered my replacement Mac. I ended up ordering the 2.53 Late 2008 MBP refurbed from Apple.
I need to eventually restore my data on here. Fortunately I had Time Machine setup with my backup applications and files. What is the best way to restore my applications/settings on the New Macbook? Migration Assistant? Archive and Install?
The previous Macbook had a problem when opening Safari, sometimes it would take a few seconds longer than normal to load with the beachball. I'm trying to avoid migrating the issues I had previously onto the new system, so ideally I'd have a fresh OS X install, but with all of my applications and settings intact. Is there an ideal way to do this?
Thanks,
Jonathan

I understand completely about wanting to have a fresh OS to start out from to minimize any performance issues and whatnot.
As far as I can imagine, the only way to do this with all your settings and files intact is to do the Time Machine restore, then Archive and Install after (aka Option 2). However, I would evaluate the performance of the system before doing the Archive and Install. I have a feeling that you'll think its more than satisfactory and not feel the need to do the A&I at all.
As to the Safari issue, it was probably a .plist file corruption or something like that which is very simple to fix. If the new machine presents the same issue with Safari as the old one, I'm pretty confident that we can fix that up quite easily.
--Travis

Sluggish performance, 2008 MBP

My wife's 2008 MBP has been acting sluggish for a long time (the last year or so, I'd say), and it's gotten worse recently. Yes, it's an older computer but I think the performance is disproportionately slow, particularly given how simple her computing needs tend to be. Here are the specs:
13" MBP model 5,1
2.4Ghz Core 2 Duo
2 GB RAM
250 GB HDD (about 60% full)
OSX 10.8.4
And the programs she runs most of the time:
Firefox
MS Office 2011
Calendar
iPhoto
Preview
She has some more intenstive programs (such as Adobe CS6) but doesn't use them on a daily basis. Typically she'll have only a few applications open at a time, sometimes several browser tabs, though. The computer often hangs up with simple tasks such as opening a new tab in Firefox (regardless of how many tabs are already open) or even just opening a new Finder window. Opening most files and programs takes a while, really. She'll get the spinning wheel of death and have to wait several seconds for the task complete, or in some cases force quit one or more applications in order to get unfrozen. The situation is a little better after a fresh reboot, but not much. I've tried some standard maintenance--repaired permissions and verified the disk, defragged the HD once, all with negligible effect.
Can anyone recommend additional troubleshooting steps? Thanks.

Each successive major release of OS X has weighed your machine down with more resource demands. On top of that, you likely have a very fragmented file directory. Heed the really good advice about increasing your RAM.
The more fragmented that file directory becomes, the longer it takes the operating system to locate files on your hard drive. I would recommend using Disk Utility to verify/repair your permissions, and also verify your hard drive is healthy. This alone will not fix your file directory.
Follow these instructions for booting your machine into Safe Boot Mode, and why this is beneficial. I do this about once a month as routine maintenance. Beforehand, I move the contents of my local Library/Caches to the Trash. Once I have booted up in Safe Boot Mode, I empty the Trash, and then reboot normally. You will likely notice an improvement, but not one that overrides the RAM upgrade recommendations.

Why would a late 2008 MBP not boot with 10.8?

I have a late 2008 MBP I update from 10.7.4 to 10.7.5 and it refused to boot, although it would safe boot. So I tried a clean 10.7.5 install still would not boot. Again happy to boot into safe mode.
Next tried a clean 10.8 install again it will only boot into safe mode.
Booting into verbose mode it fails at the bluetooth, so i tried disabling the bluetooth extensions, still no joy.
Any ideas?

Hey Sig,
I ran all the usally disk repairs and permissions repairs. It still will not boot in normal mode in any OSX above 10.7.4. I assume they have change a driver or extention that is causing a conflict. Its very fustrating as others seem to be running ML on the seem hardware with no problem.
cheers
Mike

Intego VirusBarrier and "known Macintosh viruses"?

In a recent post, BDAqua,
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=9399023#9399023
recommended Intego VirusBarrier to someone concerned about a possible, however unlikely, virus infection. The recommendation was meant, surely, only as reassurance to the OP, but this got me curious to know more about this program. I went to Intego's site where I was astonished to find:
http://www.intego.com/virusbarrier/
It knows the unique signatures of all known Macintosh viruses....
Since I'm constantly hearing there are no known Mac viruses "in the wild," what does this mean?
Possible explanations:
1. They are talking only about laboratory exploits?
2. They are talking about old OS 9 viruses?
3. They mean that any conceivable Mac virus, +even if not yet developed+, would necessarily have a certain "unique (Unix?) signature"?
4. This is only B.S. or hype to get people to buy?
5. They know something real?

Fascinating subject. So are the efforts of anti-virus software manufacturers to spread paranoia in order to sell their products.
The following is an edited version of the response from a highly respected contributor on others forums:
TACIT ON VIRUS PROTECTION (originally posted on the MacFixit forum)
...owning and installing an antivirus program is costly. Not necessarily in terms of money, but in terms of computer use.
The major commercial antivirus programs all have been implicated in system trouble, system crashes, and system instability; the most popular one, Norton Antivirus, has well-documented and extremely severe bugs that can actually corrupt OS X, cause data corruption, or both.
Viruses are bad because they can cause system instability, corrupt or delete your data, and cause problems with your computer.
So what is the point of running an antivirus program that...causes system instability, corrupts your data, and causes problems with your computer?
The lowest-impact program I've seen so far is ClamXAV. If you absolutely feel you must waste processor cycles and memory, and reduce your computer's performance, protecting against a hypothetical threat that does not even exist, then I recommend ClamXAV; spending money on a commercial program like Norton Antivirus is simply foolish, and may cause more damage and harm than the nonexistant viruses it supposedly "protects" against.
As far as Internet protection goes, a third-party firewall is a waste of money. Your Mac, like all OS X systems, comes with ipfw built in--a free Unix server-grade firewall that's the strongest, most robust software firewall you will ever find. Of course, no software firewall is as good as a hardware firewall; if you are concerned about firewall protection, a $20 router will offer you more robust firewall protection than any software firewall.
Right now, there are no viruses that can affect or infect Mac OS X. None. Zip. Zero. Nada. Not a single one.
That means, right now, if you buy an antivirus program, you are paying real money to protect against an imaginary threat that does not even exist.
Now, there are three reasons people give for spending money to protect against non-existant threats. I'll address each of those three reasons in turn.
REASON #1: It's better to be safe than sorry.
This reason assumes that having an antivirus program makes you safer, and there is no down side to having an antivirus program. This is not true. It does not make you safer (I'll explain why when i talk about Reason #2). What's worse, it actually makes your computer experience worse.
How? Well, even good, reliable, trouble-free anti-virus software such as ClamAV still slows down your computer. Bad antivirus software such as Norton Antivirus is a disaster. Norton Antivirus has been implicated in many, many serious problems on Mac OS X systems, some of which can destroy data or make the computer completely unusable, including:
- Random freezes and kernel panics
- A bug which can consume all of the space on your hard drive.
- An extremely serious bug which can destroy your ability to authenticate with a password. This means you cannot install software, you cannot run Apple Software Update, and you cannot modify the system. I have yet to find any solution other than a complete reinstall of OS X for this problem.
REASON #2: Sooner or later, somebody will come out with a virus. When this happens, people who already have AV software will be better off.
FACT: virus software does not work by magic. It works by comparing every file on your hard drive to a list of known viruses. When a new virus comes out, it is not in the AV list of known viruses. The AV software is utterly powerless to stop it.
Now, some AV software uses "heuristics"--it tries to find unknown new viruses by compring the behavior of running computer programs to the behavior of known viruses or to known security exploits. Because there are no known computer viruses and no known "in the wild" security exploits for OS X, OS X antivirus software can not use heuristics to look for unknown viruses.
People rarely understand how rapidly viruses spread. A typical PC worm or virus spreads worldwide, on average, about 7 hours after it is released. Fast viruses can infect every single vulnerable computer everywhere on the Internet, worldwide, in 45 minutes or less. What that means is that when a new virus comes out, if it ever does, the people with antivirus software will have exactly, precisely the same level of protection as those with no antivirus software: none. Not even the tiniest bit. None at all; zip. Viruses spread far, far faster than AV companies can release updates.
REASON #3: Having antivirus software installed on your Mac stops you from spreading PC viruses to other Windows users.
A Mac can spread a PC virus to a Windows user. There are two ways this can happen. The first way is via an email attachment; if a Mac user receives an infected file in an email, and then clicks the Forward button and forwards it on to a friend, then that friend might become infected.
The second way a Mac can spread a Windows virus is in a client/server or LAN environment. If a Mac is acting as a file server on a LAN that has Windows users, a Windows user can copy an infected file onto the Mac file server, and then another Windows user can copy the infected file off.
Note: No virus written for the Windows operating system can infect OS X.
Of course, all of this would not matter if the Mac AV software were zero-opportunity-cost; that is, if the Mac AV software did not cost you anything in terms of time, reliability, system performance, or money. But this is not the case. For questionable (read: no) protection, you are exchanging, at best, a loss of system performance, and, at worst, disruptions in the system, system stability, and data loss.
Not a good deal.
The equation will change if a Mac OS X virus ever does appear. Once such a virus exists, and AV signatures which identify the virus exist, then you will probably be well-advised to use an antivirus program that isn't unstable and destructive. ClamAV and similar programs are a good bet; Norton, not so good.
But until that day comes, the AV software you install on your Mac is a whole lot of steaming nothing. What's worse, it can do more harm than good, not only because of bugs and system instability but also because it may give you a false and undeserved illusion of security. A person with a false sense of security, who erroneously believes himself to be protected, is less likely to pay attention to security than a person without this false sense of security.
The free anti-virus program ClamXav referred to can be obtained here:
http://www.clamxav.com/

Intego VirusBarrier X6 Probs 2008 MBP

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