Disinfectant (software)

{{Short description|Anti-virus software}}

{{Infobox Software

| name = Disinfectant

| logo = Disinfectant-software-icon.png

| logo size = 32px

| logo alt = Disinfectant software icon

| developer = John Norstad at Northwestern University

| released = {{Start date and age|1989|03|18}}{{cite web |url=http://www.norstad.org/disinfectant-retire.txt |title=Disinfectant Retired |date=1998-10-11 |author=Norstad, John |authorlink=John Norstad |accessdate=2016-04-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304221509/http://www.norstad.org/disinfectant-retire.txt |archive-date=2016-03-04 |url-status=dead }}

| discontinued = yes

| latest release version = 3.7.1

| latest release date = {{Start date and age|1997|07}}{{cite web |title=Disinfectant 3.7.1 |url=https://tidbits.com/article/2219 |publisher=TidBITS |date=1997-07-14 |author=Ducan, Geoff |accessdate=2016-04-06}}

| operating system = Classic Mac OS

| license = Freeware{{cite web |url=https://tidbits.com/article/4876 |title=John Norstad Retires Disinfectant |publisher=TidBITS |date=1998-05-11 |author=Anbinder, Mark H. |accessdate=2016-04-06}}

}}

Disinfectant was a popular antivirus software program for the classic Mac OS. It was originally released as freeware by John Norstad in the spring of 1989. Disinfectant featured a system extension that would detect virus infections and an application with which users could scan for and remove viruses.{{cite book |title=Macworld Read Me First Book |url=https://archive.org/details/mac_MacWorld_Read_Me_First_Book_1991 |author=Borrell, Jerry |publisher=IDG Books |page=[https://archive.org/details/mac_MacWorld_Read_Me_First_Book_1991/page/n15 219] |date=1991-01-01|isbn=9781878058195 }} New versions of Disinfectant were subsequently released to detect additional viruses. Bob LeVitus praised and recommended Disinfectant in 1992.{{cite book |title=Dr. Macintosh's Guide to the On-Line Universe |author=LeVitus, Bob |authorlink=Bob LeVitus |year=1992 |publisher=Addison-Wesley |page=270}} In May 1998, Norstad retired Disinfectant, citing the new danger posed by macro viruses, which Disinfectant did not detect, and the inability of a single individual to maintain a program that caught all of them.{{cite web |title=Disinfectant: Macintosh Anti-Viral Utility |publisher=Apple Inc. |date=2012-02-18 |accessdate=2016-04-06 |url=https://support.apple.com/kb/TA38539}}