Virus Barrier X6 causing problems with Lion 10.7.1

Thank you for posting this information for whomever may be running that software. Unless you are running Windows, why do you feel you need to have AV software installed on a Mac?

Have you seen this interesting article:

http://www.reedcorner.net/guides/macvirus/

Did they include information on any Mac viruses in the past 5 years?

If you feel better running something, try ClamXAv (it is free). If you want to do a search of these forums, you will find that a lot of AV software actually causes problems in Mac OS; if nothing else, it may cause freezes, kernel panics, hangups, etc.

@infogeek2 - I'm running VirusBarrier X6 on my MacBook Pro, with these specs:

2 GHz Intel Core i7

Lion 10.7.1

VirusBarrier X6 has caused zero problem for me with Lion 10.7.1. I've been using Intego's software for about a month now, and I really like it!

It's also odd that you mention running the latest updates; I'm confused because the Sept. 29, 2011 threat filter updates are not the latest -- there have been several updates since then, including yesterday (Oct. 4, 2011). When was the last time you ran NetUpdate and installed the latest virus definitions?

@babowa - Interestingly, I tried ClamXav prior to using virus barrier and the problems you mention (regarding antivirus software proflems), ironically, are issues I had only with ClamAV. It turned my computer into a slug whenever running scans, which I just couldn't work with. VirusBarrier runs very well for me.

@babowa - Interestingly, I tried ClamXav prior to using virus barrier and the problems you mention (regarding antivirus software proflems), ironically, are issues I had only with ClamAV. It turned my computer into a slug whenever running scans, which I just couldn't work with. VirusBarrier runs very well for me.

Glad to hear it works for you. I don't have any AV software of any flavor installed and running at all times. I will occasionally download ClamXAv and run it once - then it gets deleted. If there is an actual virus for Mac, it'll be headline news and I can then download the latest version of ClamXAv and run it. As for trojans, those require user action (i.e downloading and installing), so I am in control. Since I do not frequent torrent or p*rn sites - which are mostly the "carriers" for such malware - I am not that worried.

VirusBarrier is more than a AV. It has a 2 way Firewall integrated, an attack warning mechanism (which works too well) and warns you when you browse on pages containing malware. Actually not bad at all. It's only weakness is that it makes you system unstable.

I advice a little study into how the OSX takes care of itself (cleaning, malware, etc) before thinking the "Windows" way. You will find that there is no need to have antivirus or antimalware apps.

It is a waste of time and resources.

Actually not bad at all. It's only weakness is that it makes you system unstable.

If you feel that spending money on software to get an unstable system is worthwhile, then that is your prerogative and I can suggest a few others.

I'd rather have a stable system. Since there are no viruses for Mac at the moment, there is no need for AV ware. And the Firewall built in to your router is much better and more effective than a firewall on your Mac.

If anyone feels the urge to run anything, use ClamXav - it's free. Here is an informative article:

http://www.reedcorner.net/guides/macvirus/

@babowa - Interestingly, I tried ClamXav prior to using virus barrier and the problems you mention (regarding antivirus software proflems), ironically, are issues I had only with ClamAV. It turned my computer into a slug whenever running scans, which I just couldn't work with. VirusBarrier runs very well for me.

I have run ClamXav on my Mac for many years, without the problems you indicate. It is mainly to satisfy some network requirements for an antivirus to be installed, such as university campuses and the commercial environment.

I once tried an early version of Sophos anti-virus which slowed everything down. I think antivirus software taken from the PC environment and hastily adapted for the Mac market are generally not good.

Why don't you take the matter to the Intego forum, where it belongs?

Tycoon24 says "Then if your computer has somehow mysteriously imploded before being vaporized under its own pressure due to Intego's Mac anti-malware software - maybe try ClamXav and according to babowa things should magically become stable:"

While I admire your obvious ability at hyperbole, I appreciate your underlying idea, that there may be other issues with the poster's computer that could be affecting it's use with any antivirus software.

I totally disagree with this statement, there are enough malware targeting the Mac today. I can read at least 1 report a week about a new discovered Trojan. I agree that the world of MacOS ist way different from windows where you could not stay connected more than 15 minutes the the net without protection. But the Mac is getting more and more popular and attacts more attention from hackers and people who make their living with malware. If they see an opportunity to make money they will jump on it.

- 6 days ago: New Mac Trojan horse disables Apple's automatic malware updates

- 7 minutes ago, whereas I was writing those lines: New Trojan horse/(Tsunami) uses your Mac to attack websites.

I believe that it is important to communicate on this without giving it more importance than it has, but it is just not true to say that there is no need for anti-malware. Everyone should appreciate its own risk. I am quite advanced in this area an still I wouldn't use a Mac without using a minimum of protection. This said, I kicked out VirrusBarrier a long time ago because it requires too many ressources, it is overkill for the Mac, makes the system unstable and impacts the user experience on the Mac.

jbjoret: these apps, and indeed also Virus Barrier, DO NOT STOP the 2 "trojans" you mentioned.

And the firewall in it is not good for Mac, you better have the firewall set in your router. And set the FW in OS.

As babowa said, in these threads there are numerous posts that are related to these kind of apps. There is a lot of security build in in OSX, but -as the other apps- even OSX is not capable of stopping future scams. Since you are "advanced" in this, you should know it. You use simpler programs to stop phishing or malware ads, without having an superfuous antivirus digging in every corner of your system. Which virus has your Intego app found and eliminated?

superfluous

I experienced this as well. It was scanning an external USB where I have all my backup .dmg files, and they all started firing open, the Finder ran out of resources, and the computer's responsiveness screeched to a halt. I couldn't get it to recover so I had to force-power-down and reboot.

I get the same problem - Virus Barrier X6 does not quit on shutdown. I reported the problem to Intego (virus Barrier) support but they don't find any issue (a clean install has no change !) ... They tell me about a conflic with another process ??? Only Virus Barrier has this problem... The only issue seems to quit Virus Barrier before the shutdown....