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Virtual Badness

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worker201:
I've started running Windows XP SP3 as a virtual machine on my Mac, using Parallels Desktop.  It's kinda exciting to see XP's shitty color scheme rendered right next to Snow Leopard.  And it only really tries to overheat during software installations.

Here's the thing - being that this is a virtual machine, how worried should I be about viruses and updates?  Should I allow Windows to install updates?  Do I need to install an antivirus program? 

Refalm:
I never used Parallels, but as a VirtualBox user, I make sure there is no network sharing. That way, no contaminated files can go to the host computer.

You should install a virus scanner like Avira AntiVir (free and good), not because your Mac may be contaminated, but because a virus in the Windows install means reinstalling the VM.

Updates is another thing. If you have a Windows XP copy that you picked up from a certain Swedish website about pirates, you should only manually install updates. And be careful of "Genuine Advantage". If that program is installed, you get all kinds of stupid pop-ups on what kind of a disgusting human being you are for not buying a real copy.

Lead Head:
What kind of websites do you plan on going to in the VM? If they are all trusted sites, they don't really worry about anti-virus.

Hows the performance of the VM?

worker201:
I don't go to any websites using my totally legal and legitimate copy of Windows.  This VM is to run one program (ArcGIS), and it is turned off when I'm not using it.  And it does okay.  I have 2GB RAM, and when the VM is on, it uses 1GB, leaving 1GB for OSX.  Fortunately, the way I've got it set up, there isn't any desktop overhead, so when I'm running ArcGIS, it gets most all of the memory - which is good, because it's a real hog.  Everything is a little bit slower, obviously, but not unbearably so.  The real trouble is overheating, which happens a lot with this machine, even before installing the VM.  If I need to install software, or render something, I kick the up the rpms on the fans.

I installed AVG-free today.  Mostly to keep myself from becoming a transmitter.  I'm pretty cautious with Windows, and totally carefree with the Mac.  I'll probably see if I can go without Windows updates for awhile.  But eventually, I'm going to have to get some of them, because there's an extension I use which requires a dotNet upgrade, which requires a bunch of other updates.

davidnix71:
Support for XP ends soon, I hear. You can make backups of a VM. I did some computer work for a friend who uses XP VM in a sea of Macs for logging into headquarters, and he got the fake Russian antivirus and it hosed the vm XP so bad I had to delete it and have him use an old backup.

He hadn't been making monthly backups, so it was a bit of a hassle. He was lucky he even had a backup. With Virtual PC, it was easy to just dupe the document and save it on an external. I use VirtualBox and haven't tried that to see if it works. There appears to be a backup copy already there in users/user name/Library/VirtualBox/Hard discs.

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