VDU 3.0 DOCS edited by Sewer Possum for use on DOC DISC III. We've included this DOC as an educative exercise for those ST neophytes to whom viruses are a mystery...read on dear child, savour this literary ambrosia! ****** USER MANUAL for the "Virus Destruction Utility" version 3.0 The main features of this program are: * Recognition of virtually all software that uses the disk's boot sector This means that most commercial programs will not be damaged by this virus killer program! * Recognition of ALL known ST viruses - both bootsector-and link viruses * Possibility to repair previously damaged boot sector software * All data on your disks remains 100% intact! * Immunizing of disks against all known bootsector viruses With this tool handy, you need not worry about the virus as much as you used to: You can simply use it to de-infect your disks and programs, destroying the virus and leaving all other information intact. MAKING A BACKUP The VDU contains no copy-protection, as it is my belief that copy protections decrease the userfriendlyness of programs, especially when the program in question happens to be a utility program like the VDU. Copying it to others, however, is illegal and depriving me from my modest income made by sales of this product. Your name and license number are contained in the program, so that illegal copies can be traced back to the offender. VDU also runs from harddisk or drive B, from any subdirectory. STARTING THE VIRUS DESTRUCTION UTILITY Turn your computer off and on again with the VDU disk in drive A. After some seconds, a desktop will appear that contains one file name "VDU_3_0.PRG". Double-click with the mouse on this file to load and run it. The VDU will present its start-up screen after some more seconds, and it will be ready to use. It is advised to boot your system with the VDU disk because it contains a virus-free and immunized bootsector. Theoretically, no virus can be present in memory this way (turning your system off and on again assures that no possible reset-resistant viruses survive). WORKING WITH THE VIRUS DESTRUCTION UTILITY On startup, an alert box appears on the screen. This kind of alert box will be used throughout the program, and it offers some interesting extras to the standard GEM alert box. For example, it is not only possible to select your option by clicking the left mouse button on it, but your selection can also be made by using the corresponding function keys, displayed on the left. The option that is inverted is activated when you press either the RETURN or the ENTER keys. There are five options available to the user from this first alert box: F1 Search'n'Destroy Viruses F2 Repair Disks F3 Information about VDU 3.0 F4 Display Licence number F5 Quit to the Desktop SEARCH'N'DESTROY VIRUSES Following the selection of this option, another alert box is put on the screen, allowing you to select the drive on which to start searching'n'destroying viruses. Please note that bootsector viruses can only be searched (and destroyed) on floppy disk drives: Drives A (and B). Link viruses can be destroyed on either floppy-or hard disk. Once the drive to use is selected, you can select whether you want to examine data for bootsector-or link viruses. Depending on your choice, you'll get an alert box to insert the disk to examine or an item selector box respectively. The rest of the procedures are self-explanatory. There's just one, rather important, note: IT IS POSSIBLE THAT A PERFECTLY HARMLESS DISK IS SUSPECTED OF BEING A VIRUS!! This means that either the boot sector of the harmless program is not yet recognized and implemented in the VDU, or that it is indeed a new virus! In these cases, I'd very much like to receive either an original version or a backup of the disk that is suspected, so that I can update the VDU. Of course, you'll get your disk(s) back, together with a *free* update of the VDU if you supply your original VDU disk. ALSO IF YOU KNOW THAT THE SUSPECTED DISK IS NO VIRUS, I'D VERY MUCH LIKE TO RECEIVE IT, BECAUSE OTHER PEOPLE IN YOUR POSITION MIGHT NOT KNOW THAT AND ACCIDENTALLY DESTROY PRECIOUS SOFTWARE!! It is NOT necessary to send a properly operating version of the software on the disk that is meant here. Some software is copy-protected, and can therefore not be copied easily - but all I need is the bootsector and that's on a part of the disk that can ALWAYS be copied... Please send the disks in a good envelope that can also be used for the way back, and write "CONTAINS MAGNETIC MEDIA - PLEASE DO NOT X-RAY" on it in clear, large characters (to minimize loss of your valuable software). BOOT SECTOR VIRUSES Boot sector viruses are the easiest to recognize. They occupy the first sector on a disk, commonly known as the 'boot sector'. They are destroyed by zeroing the boot sector except for the necessary data that's also present there (e.g. the disk format data or Bios Parameter Block). The only difficulty is that there are many innocent programs that also use this bootsector. Most of those are recognized by the VDU, but some are not. That's what the update service is all about. Please note the capital letters on the previous page concerning this small problem. LINK VIRUSES These viruses are the worst. They merge themselves to a .PRG file, and are executed each time that program file is run. They keep on multiplying themselves onto other .PRG files on the disk, until they notice that a certain condition has been set to trigger them (this can e.g. be the system data and time, thus creating the principle of a time bomb). Destroying them is also quite difficult, but the VDU knows how to handle them. REPAIR DISKS If you find that you have accidentally destroyed a suspected but apparently completely innocent bootsectored disk (by earlier virus killers, for example), this options allows you to repair many of them. If you have for example destroyed your copy of the popular game "GOLDRUNNER", it is possible to install a proper bootsector on it again, thus repairing the program. This option can save a lot of trouble and money. After selecting this option, you will get some alert boxes on the screen so that you can select bootsectors from a list. Selecting is done by clicking on the arrows up and down in the alert box (the more arrows, the larger the jumps in the list are). In most cases, the bootsector will be present in the list, but what to do when it isn't? When it isn't present, you can order a VDU update, hoping that the bootsector you want is included in that update. But I cannot promise you anything with regard to that, so you'd better also supply the address and telephone number of the company that made the software whereto the bootsector belonged, as well as the name of the piece of software. SUGGESTIONS Nobody is perfect, and neither am I. If you think that something in the VDU setup should be altered for easy of use, or if you happened to have come accross a bug in it, I would greatly appreciate some feedback at my address. I will try to include the alterations in the updates. ST NEWS The VDU was started as a small PD program for a disk magazine called "ST NEWS" (distributed in England by Page 6 magazine). Versions 3.0 and up of the VDU are no PD, but news about updates and the like is always included in "ST NEWS". And it's also a perfect way of keeping into touch with the ST world outside. FEEDBACK Feedback, non-recognized disks and requests for a VDU update can be sent to: Richard Karsmakers Kievitstraat 50 NL-5702 LE Helmond The Netherlands Updates can be ordered by sending œ4 to the above address, or transfering the money to giro account number 5060326 of Richard Karsmakers, Kievitstraat 50, 5702 LE, Helmond, The Netherlands. Please specify your license number!! If you choose not to order an update after receiving a letter, you will not get further update notices, although you will still be able to order one. Not until after you have ordered an update will you get further letters.