Transferring possibly infected files from Windows to Mac

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Transferring possibly infected files from Windows to Mac

Hi,

I have recently bought a MacBook Pro, having moved onto it from Windows. However, I have many files that I need to transfer over, primarily photos and documents (i.e. Word and Excel). The problem is that the laptop likely had numerous viruses on it, so I am wary of transferring the files directly. I am told that many Windows viruses do not affect Mac, but have similarly been warned that I should not take this for granted. How can I safely transfer my files to my Mac? Are there any virus scanners that would be worth installing?

Thanks,

Marcus

MacBook Pro

Posted on Oct 29, 2013 6:26 AM

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Answer 1

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silvergc

Level 4

1,002 points

Oct 29, 2013 8:14 AM in response to agitated-air

It's correct that Windows viruses do not infect Macs. That does not mean that you should transfer suspect files to the Mac without concern. You might end up sending some to a Windows user without realizing what you have done. The best approach isto scan the suspect disk on a Windows machine that has good AV SW installed and clean it up before transferring the files.

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