I too had serious problems with Timemachine hanging. Indeed, my brand new Macbook seemed to hang often, when using various application. Timemachine never really worked when I tried to look inside it at the back ups.

Eventually the nice people on the Applecare line told me to reinstall the OS, without adding Intego software... Since then Timemachine, and indeed the whole Mac, has been working splendidly.

I'm worried about not using Anti Virus software, but various people assure me it is not needed on a Mac. Is this case? How best to proceed?






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You don't have to worry about your OWN computer - no viruses exist for the Mac in the wild. The only reason you'd want a virus scanner on a Mac is to catch any viruses that may travel through your computer - like an email attachment you receive from a Windows friend, and send out to other Windows friends.

If you use a Mac machine as a file server for Windows computers, it might also be a good idea.

One of the great performance benefits of having a Mac is you don't need a virus scanner.

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I run Intego's Internet Security Barrier on my Macs. Many people will laugh at the idea of running AV on a Mac. I believe no OS is perfect (although some are more secure than others). There will always be something that is exploitable. With the popularity of Mac on the rise, it will be only a matter of time before someone decides to start writing malware for the Mac. All it takes is gains in market share or a vendetta against Steve Jobs and Apple (much like Bill Gates and Microsoft) to motivate someone.

For now, I'm happy that there is nothing in the wild. I do share files with PC users (including MS Office files). I can find out when someone sends me an infected file (even if it doesn't affect me). I also know that what I send to others is not infected. Also I take my laptop places. While I might feel secure in my own house, one doesn't know who is lurking at work, the library, coffee shop, etc. I take no chances. Maybe the Intego software only offers me a little peace of mind. As someone who has rebuilt a lot of friends' PCs because of malware attacks, I'll take peace of mind.

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