SAM 4.5 (Symantec AntiVirus for Macintosh)
By WilliamLH
SAM 4.5* or Symantec AntiVirus for Macintosh version 4.5 from Symantec Software Inc. is an interesting and, in this day and age, needed piece of virus protection software.
Being a software reviewer and professional web designer I surf the Web quite a bit and download / receive all types of files from clients and software companies, so I am well aware of the potential for viruses (Apple estimates there are 200-300 Macintosh viruses with all the variations**).
Installing- A breeze
When I received SAM 4.5 I opened the box and flipped through the fairly easy to read manual and installed the software(after running SAM 4.5 from the disk as the directions suggest!!) and the rest was pretty straight forward. You can set up "safe zone(s)" which can be anything from the Desktop(the default setting) to a folder anywhere on the Hard Drive. This allows SAM 4.5 to automatically scan any file that is on, downloaded or dropped on the the "safe zone(s)".
Features
SAM 4.5 does several things automatically with the Easy Install Feature (the one I used):
Conflicts
I did have several INIT conflicts*** that were not SAM 4.5's fault per say, but be warned SAM 4.5 can have issues with other INIT's that are installed from other programs, the included manual gives several ways to help you resolve these problems along with a very nice flow chart that takes you step by step through the elimination process (and can be used for other problems that arise from other INIT/Extension problems not related to SAM 4.5.). If this fails, Symantec Tech Support can help with the resolution of these issues and any other "problems" you may encounter, such as when I had a disk error -36, Michael S. at Symantec Tech Support was quick, courteous and knowledgeable(see Tech Support below for further details.).
The True Test of Might
Now the true test, I went to one of my favorite Mac hack site (no I will not give out the sites URL!) and purposely downloaded several known viruses, SAM 4.5 eradicated each and every one, from the nVIR to a Trojan Horse virus without a hitch ( I did not test Macro viruses since I use MS Word 5.0 only occasionally and rarely use my copy of Excel, but seeing how SAM 4.5 dealt with the other viruses I tried, I have no doubt that SAM 4.5 will handle these viruses just fine.).
Just a note here:
I recommend AGAINST downloading a virus on purpose, unless you know EXACTLY what your doing, it can cause severe damage to your Mac and severe data loss!
In a Nutshell:
SAM 4.5 is a very good virus protection program.
For occasional users who do not receive/download MS Word 6.0-7.0 or Excel documents, Disinfectant 3.6 by John Nostrand (freeware, 3.6 is the latest version of Disinfectant as of this writing.) will be just fine for your Mac virus needs.
On the other hand if you receive/download files and programs more than just occasionally then SAM 4.5 is well worth the investment. The "safe zone" feature really shines by allowing you to set up folders that are automatically scanned for viruses whenever a file or program is put in that area, and you can set up your browser or FTP client to save all downloads to the "safe zone" areas for automatic scanning.
Reviewers Grade:
WilliamLH macnowreviewer@mymac2u.com
This article is Copyright © 1997 WilliamLH. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.
