Ok so i've got this malicious microsoft-ic virus that somehow got into my external harddrive. It's called 32Willy or Willy32 if I'm not wrong. If I put this hardware into my mac, will the virus cause trouble since macs are supposedly not able to get ruined because of PC viruses? Thank you all.
Can a virus from my external harddrive spread into my new mac and cause trouble?
- Thread starter LouisO
- Start date
"macs are supposedly not able to get ruined because of PC viruses"Not true, it's just that Mac's aren't as popular as PC's so the idiots that come up with malware don't target them.Believe me, they can and do get virii. Scan the drive before using it on the Mac.Download, install, update and run full scans, in SAFE MODE*, with these programs...http://www.malwarebytes.orghttp://www.superantispyware.com*** Important, when downloaded/updated disconnect from the internet ***Then re-start.
Ron Burgundy
New member
I see that you too have fallen for the old tail that Mac's can't get viruses. This is absolutely "wrong". Mac's are just "personal computers" (PC's), they are just not IBM clones, (which is the correct designation for Windows base systems). If you have some sort of active malware on your external hard drive, it can migrate to you Mac.
magicallydeliciousq
New member
No windows virus/spyware/malware can ever do anything to a mac. Ever. There are a handfull of viruses for mac, most of which you need to execute by double clicking and typing your password yourself. The only malware for mac that can sneak in are trojans, but those are harder to get because an infected mac application would have to make contact with the same application on another mac. I have had my g4 unprotected for 5+ years and nothing has happened. The "mac is unpopular there for not many viruses are written for it" argument is complete BS. With Mac OS 9 back when the mac market share was around 5% there were 500+ viruses for the OS. Today with Mac OS X and a mac market share of 10% you think there would be double the amount of viruses. There are in fact maybe 10 application specific (not OS) trojans for the modern mac and only a handfull of viruses much less then 500.