I am new to the Mac. I had assumed no antivirus was needed, but I am finding maybe that isn't true. I want to be as protected as possible. I have only found a product by Symantec. Is this all there is? Is it any good? And do most people with Macs have it or recommend it? And what about anti-spyware? I have dial-up connection. A sony pc I have connects at 52kbs almost all the time, but the Mac always connects to the exact same connection at 28 to 32 kbs, never faster and it is noticeably slower. It is slower to connect, slower in every way. Is something wrong, why is this? The Sony has less CPU and I believe 512 MB ram. Thanks

Anti-Virus is okay... Most people will suggest McAfee to Symantec/Norton. www.mcafee.com Spyware is not an issue on Mac... in fact, most viruses are not an issue on Mac's. But it is best to tread on the side of safety. Get teh Anti-Virus, skip the spyware. Most spyware (if not all) is designed for Windows. As far as the modem connection speed is concerned, I'm not sure what kind of computer you are connecting with, or who your ISP is, but those are big factors in your connection speed. It all depends on your access number, the connection speed that the ISP determines you should connect at, and the actual modem and driver you are using. I've seen people connect to an ISP using the same telephone number and computer and get 28K/sec... and 5 minutes later get 52K/sec. I would suggest checking your network settings in the System Preferences and make sure your modem is using the correct script. Also, check the specs of your computer on Apple.com (under support) to make sure the modem is capable of 52K/sec... older models my not be fitted with a 52K modem. Newer models should have a V90 or better modem. Lastly, check to make sure your ISP is not rerouting your connection based on your hardware configuration. Some ISPs "don't support Macintosh" although it is just a PPP service and you should be able to connect with anything using a modem, username, and password. If you are being rerouted and your speed is being reduced because you are on a Mac, ask why and threaten to go to another ISP... or just go to another ISP.