Hello, I am new to Mac's and just got a new imac. I want to run windows xp through vmware and my question is do I install antivirus on the mac side or on the windows xp side. If I were to buy netbarrier or use clamAV for instance would it also protect my xp side
Any thoughs would be appreciated

I wouldn't bother with antivirus on the Mac side--not until actual Mac virus threats exist. Which will make headlines, so you won't miss the news (Actually that headline has ALREADY appeared about once a year--a false alarm with a tiny retraction on page 999 two months later.)

The Windows side is what needs virus (and other malware) protection. I did a lot of research and found people consistently recommending the same set of free anti-malware apps:

Windows Defender
AVG
Spybot Search & Detroy
ZoneAlarm

So those are what I run in WMware. On the Mac side, nothing except the built-in firewall.

Virtualization (VMware etc.) DOES provide some virus protection by its nature. For instance, a Windows virus on VMWare can't touch your Mac data (unless you intentionally share the Mac volume with Windows--which I do not do). But a Windows virus can still attack the Windows side, so stay safe!

Thanks ngromme
my plan is to run avg and spybot on the windows side but glad to hear viruses dont cross the volumes. Thanks for the imput