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- Check-OS - a program to guard against Viruses.
-
- This program was written to be compiled with Turbo Pascal version 4.0. It
- checks the Filesize, File Date/Time (last updated), and Checksum of
- COMMAND.COM, AUTOEXEC.BAT, and CONFIG.SYS. It was developed to verify that
- no virus had installed itself in DOS. It does not stay resident to guard
- against Viruses, it just checks the specified drive once when the program is
- invoked. It also doesn't have terribly extensive error checking so little
- things like the disk being too full to create the Control file, or a Write
- protect error will cause a runtime error. I didn't feel it was necessary to
- fix these since I only use the program on my hard disk.
-
- To use it, type CHECK-OS DRIVE where DRIVE is the drive letter containing
- the DOS to be checked. I would recommend putting the command in your
- AUTOEXEC.BAT so it's control file (\CHECK-OS.CTL) is kept current.
-
- I've done fairly extensive testing on a Bullet 286 (AT clone) but the source
- is included since 1) I don't have access to enough systems to do as much
- testing as I'd like and 2) because I hate using PD software without having
- the source (it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling to collect source to things I
- use frequently).
-
- No warranty is given with this software - use at your own risk.
-
- I can be reached on GEnie as R.BARTLETT if you'd like to send any comments,
- questions, or jokes involving COBOL programmers.
-
- R.J. Bartlett 05 March 1988
-
-
- First, let me introduce myself. I am Erik Ch. Ohrnberger. I'm currenty
- a Systems Engineer for a large data processing company. I found this
- archive file on GEnie, was interested, and downloaded it. I found the
- origonal program very good, but rather limited in it's capabilities.
- Using the origonal form of the program, you could not have the files that
- were being checked write protected (marked as read-only), and you could
- not have the command interpriter (COMMAND.COM) loaded via the CONFIG.SYS'
- SHELL directive. I modified the origonal version of the program so that
- it would take these two specific alternative into account. The code that
- I added scans the CONFIG.SYS file for the SHELL directive, and uses the
- specified path to find the COMMAND.COM command interpriter. The way that
- I figure it is that these PC viruses are written by malicous, intelligent,
- mal-directed computer types of a high caliber of skills, and they would
- not overlook such a detail. Therefore these modifications will enhance
- the protection against PC viruses. Thinking about it a little farther,
- a smart PC virus might install itself into the hidded system IBMBIO.COM
- and IBMDOS.COM files. The next iteration of this program should also
- check these files agains PC virus corruption.
-
- Erik Ch. Ohrnberger 13 March 1988
-
- Update 13 March 1988 13:35
- I already added the capability for this program to check and log DOS'
- hidden system file. It was alot eaisier than I first thought that it
- would be. So sorry about the double update.