[World Leader Pretend]

Ok, when I first heard of Bootcamp my heart jumped because it meant that I could potentially play my favorite PC game of all time, American Conquest, on my Mac! It then struck me that as much as I wanted to play it, I didn't want to risk getting dangerous viruses on my new Mac.

Would it be possible to take the Windows side of the Mac and not let it access the net or receive emails? If you could isolate XP, it seems like you couldn't get any viruses on it.

Is there a way to do this, or any similar ideas?

[turbulentfurball]

Disable all of the network adaptors in the device manager, both wired and wireless. That should do the trick

[macleod]

You don't necessarily need to disable all access to the internet just so you don't get viruses. You could always just have it prompt you before connecting to the internet, wired or wireless. Or you could allow it to connect and just be smart while online. Use some sort of virus protection, don't download random files and programs and only visit the neccessary web pages you need to view while using XP. I am on a Windows PC right now and I am virus and spyware free. It is possible, you just have to take more precautions than you have to with a Mac.

[Brad]

Originally Posted by MACleod ...don't download random files and programs and only visit the neccessary web pages you need to view while using XP.

Just a reminder as has been cited by myself and several other users here, sometimes this part alone is not enough. It's quite possible for a Windows installation to be compromised in the span of time between initial installation and getting the latest updates downloaded from Microsoft's website. So, you should still proceed with caution.

[turtle]

My plan would be to still use OS X for my internet things, but never install a mail client on the XP boot mode. If I were to put internet access on it, it would be through Firefox only, with script blocking.

Have a copy of Firefox handy on CD or such and install it before you take the XP online. If it makes you activate the copy like a normal XP install then don't allow it online until some of the other safety measures are taken. Things like Firefox, A/V (AVGfree is supposed to be good for free).

Edit: another thought, I know with XP Pro you can limit the users access to the internet during setup. Not sure on Home though. Then again, maybe it's an after-market program I'm running. Either way, my point was to say you should create two account on the XP side. You "Admin" account and then your general user account if allowing access to the wed either way.

[Banana]

Originally Posted by turtle2472 Edit: another thought, I know with XP Pro you can limit the users access to the internet during setup. Not sure on Home though. Then again, maybe it's an after-market program I'm running. Either way, my point was to say you should create two account on the XP side. You "Admin" account and then your general user account if allowing access to the wed either way.

My experience has been that there are problems even within a limited account (they can actually create a new connection for example). While I do agree that it's a good idea to have an admin account and a limited account used for daily activities, you have to take some extra steps to ensure that the limited account is actually limited in fullest sense of the word.

[Yontsey]

this is kinda off topic, but i was thinking about buying an iMac this summer for work and i would defiantly do the dual-booting. my question is, how do you go the dual-booting exactly? when you turn on the computer are you prompted with something that asks with OS you would boot? would you have to restart everytime you wanna switch OS's or would you just log out?

[Brad]

Originally Posted by Yontsey this is kinda off topic, but i was thinking about buying an iMac this summer for work and i would defiantly do the dual-booting. my question is, how do you go the dual-booting exactly?

http://www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp/

It says right there on the product page. It even has a picture.

Originally Posted by Yontsey when you turn on the computer are you prompted with something that asks with OS you would boot?

If you hold the option key down, yes.

Originally Posted by Yontsey would you have to restart everytime you wanna switch OS's or would you just log out?

Yes, you have to fully restart the machine in order to reboot into a different operating system, just as if you wanted to switch to a different copy of Mac OS X.

[torifile]

You all are so paranoid. Just get an anti-virus program, keep it up to date. Get a firewall program and keep it on and don't use IE. It's really that easy.

[SpecMode]

Like torifile said. If you're really that concerned, download the antivirus, antispyware, and firewall installers before you install Windows, burn them to a CD, and make sure you install them before you ever take XP online. Then, once you DO go online, go to Windows Update immediately (Start Menu -> Programs -> Windows Update), and get your system completely up-to-date with the latest patches.