For the computees whose only need is another thrill, backup and security is of little concern. You will not require this knowledge, so please exit. For the enterprise or entrepreneur whose labours are funneled key-ward, system security is vital. It should be reliable and uncomplicated. The backup concept is a foregone conclusion. If you do not comply, you are a fool or a gambler. The issue is as follows: Scanners look for old codes. Scanners do not ORDINARILY look for new codes. Like Old West myths, they swagger after *duh bad gize*. Wringing your hands in schoolmarm idolization, you are convinced they will clean up the territory. But they rely on Wanted Posters -- confirmed, antiquated, virus signatures. They cannot see new scumbugs until after one has bludgeoned a system. You're sure it's always somebody else's. Tomorrow it could be YOURS. April 1, 1993. Mark the date on your calendar. A new protection system is coming. (No, it's not an April Fool's joke.) The procedures are not new; they are merely optimized. The only solid protection for System Parts is: * BACKUP and RESTORE * Virus scanners would have you believe that CLEANING is the answer. But misidentifications of viruses have caused improper, inadequate cleaning. And you CANNOT clean a file that has been OVERWRITTEN by a virus. Scanners love to sneer at File Comparison techniques. This is because, if not handled properly, they can be *oh ---- sooooo ---- sloooooooooooooooow* But what is a File Comparer, really? Imagine you own an Android, much like the Star Trek New Generation's "Data." You come home from a long day at the office. The Android greets you at the door and you ask him, "Any changes?" He replies: "The variations since you departed this morning are as follows: 3 drops of moisture formed on the ceiling above the humidifier, a vibration from a passing van rattled the windows, loosening one latch, and a shadowy figure scampered across the kitchen table, removed a bread crumb and departed into a hole behind the stove." From this you learn, that although your home is secure, potential problems may be around the corner. Time to adjust the humidistat to prevent water damage, time to secure the windows - no point in offering an easy access to intruders, and better buy some mousetraps, or phone the exteriminator. This is the File Comparison program. When combined with a Virus Scanner, a unique picture develops of your system. You have just run your combined FC/Scanner only to find that 3 .COM files have changed and the scanner has detected the same virus in those three files. You erase the files, restore them from backups, but must carefully observe the hard drive activity, so you must run your FC/Scanner frequently for a few weeks. You have just run your combined FC/Scanner and discover that your Master Boot Record has changed, 7 .EXE files have changed, but the scanner has detected nothing. Since you did not change the files, you either have a new and undefined virus, or environmental damage (could be that overactive humidifier). Make archive copies of the contaminated .EXE files, send them to an Anti-Virus Group for dissection and evaluation, then restore your MBR and replace the damaged files from original backups. Situation 3: You have just booted up your computer, have requested a directory, but the file lists are all scrambled. "Serious situation, dude," says your all-knowing but helpless progeny. You just got hit by a Trojan. They like to junk File Allocation Tables. Not to worry. Just restore your FATs from a recent backup. You do have a FAT backup, don't you? This is Filehawk. - System Comparison: compares and backs up and can restore MBR, DOS boot, FATs. - Hard Drive Comparison: compares files and directories and annouces changes. - Virus Scanner: Scans only files that are new or changed. Scans files for signatures (Wanted Posters), trademarks (virus writers' egotistical inclusions), and keywords (what miscreants are apt to include in a virus code. Filehawk is fast. Filehawk is uncomplicated. Filehawk is coming April 1. You'll like it.