Kosovo Orphans' Appeal Charity CD

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**************************************************************************** * VZAP - PROBABLY THE BEST ARCHIMEDES VIRUS CHECKER IN THE WORLD * **************************************************************************** ⌐ 1994/5/6 Paul Vigay DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS FOR USING !VZAP ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ INSTRUCTIONS ~~~~~~~~~~~~ !VZap is quite self-explanatory and easy to use. It also supports Acorn's interactive help application. However, there now follows a brief run down of it's usage and various options. In addition, full support is provided for Acorn's Interactive !Help application. Before using !VZap, it is best to make a backup copy and store this safe somewhere in case you should need to re-install it. MAIN MENU: (obtained by pressing MENU, the middle mouse button, from the icon bar) ~~~~~~~~~~ Info Gives information and version number. Kill Task Allows access to a sub-menu containing up to the last ten tasks loaded. Clicking on a specific task will 'Quit' it. This is handy, especially if unknown 'suspicious looking' tasks suddenly load for no apparent reason. Choices... Opens the 'Choices' window (details below) Quit Quit !VZap and remove from the icon bar. THE CHOICES WINDOW: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For ease of use, only half of the choices window is visible when you select this option from the main menu. To toggle full size, click SELECT on the top right (toggle size) icon on the window pane. Initially, the following options are available: AutoScan: --------- Scan floppies If on, !VZap will automatically scan floppy discs for viruses as soon as you click upon the drive icon on the icon bar. After you've scanned all your floppies, which may become a bit tedious, hence the ability to turn it on and off. N.B. This facility will temporarily override the 'AutoZap' feature and turn it ON, irrespective of it's normal setting. It will return to it's previous value as soon as the scan has been completed. On startup: Entering a directory filepath into the blank box will tell !VZap to automatically scan any specified directory next time !VZap is loaded (assuming you save the options - see below). You must specify the FULL pathname of the directory you wish to scan. ie. entering ADFS::HardDisc4.$.Applicats will scan the directory called 'Applicats' in the root directory of HardDisc4. N.B. You can drag a specific directory into the choices window in order to save typing the full filepath, if required. To cancel, simply ensure that this icon is empty. Virus Scan: ----------- Wimp watch If on, !VZap will bleep each time a new task or application loads, and will also keep an eye on the wimp environment, informing you of any changes or alterations that occur. Autozap If on, !VZap will automatically deal with known viruses when it is doing a disc scan. This is handy if you are a novice user, or simply want viruses removed with no user intervention. HOWEVER. If this is on, ONLY VERIFIED viruses are dealt with. If off, !VZap will pick up any files that simply 'look suspicious' thereby possibly detecting any as yet undiscovered viruses. It is best to keep this option on unless you are aware of how to examine !Boot files using !Edit. (see also 'On startup' above) *Set Again, this option is for the more technically minded and allows a more thorough search of files. This will pick up any attempts to *SET an alias and then load a virus by calling the alias. It is inevitable that when this option is on, many false alarms may be given. Unless you know how to interpret !Boot files in detail, then leave this option off. N.B. If autozap is on, ONLY verified viruses will actually be eliminated, so you don't need to worry about the increased 'sensitivity' of this option, deleting important files. Stamp If on, !VZap will save a short text file to the disc just scanned, informing future users that it is free from viruses known to whichever version of !VZap you are using. Auto Quit If on, !VZap will Quit automatically as soon as a virus scan has been carried out. This can be useful if used in conjunction with 'On startup' (described above) as it will free the memory occupied by !VZap as soon as a virus scan is complete. NOTE: Should you wish to override this feature once it has been set, hold the 'Q' key down when you load !VZap. This will set it to 'off' but will NOT change the permanent setting, saved on disc. To do this you will need to 'Save' the choices again. Logging: -------- Disc log If on, !VZap will write a text file to disc containing any relevant comments whilst it does it's virus scan. The file is automatically created inside the directory called DirLog, inside !VZap itself, and is called LogFile. This option is especially useful when used in conjunction with 'Autozap'. Auto Reset If on, this will ensure that the log file is deleted each time !VZap is loaded. This means that the log file only contains information relevant to the scans you've carried out during the present session. If the option is off, the log file will simply be appended each time you run !VZap so a continuous log may be kept. Obviously, depending upon how many times you carry out a virus scan, this file may become quite long. Log path Contains the name of the log file. By default, it is called "Logfile" and stored within the !VZap directory itself. This file should not be deleted (even if the filename is moved elsewhere) or !VZap will fail to install correctly. You can drag the icon into a new directory window to set the full filepath to a different directory. This option is saved with the choices, so be careful if you move !VZap to another computer. N.B. Be careful if you decide to store the logfile within !VZap itself, as VZap does it's own verification and will not like more than a single (text) logfile within it's own directory. If you change the filename from the default "Logfile", ensure you delete any previous log files. Activating Choices: ------------------- Default Clicking on this icon will restore all the above options to their preset 'factory' settings. Well, the ones I've programmed in actually! Save Clicking on this icon will save the settings in the choices window to disc so that you don't have to reset them next time you load !VZap. Cancel This will cancel any changes you have just made and restore any previous settings set before you called up the Choices window. OK This will any changes you may have made for the current session only, and NOT save them to disc for future use. Options on the right-hand side of the Choices window: ----------------------------------------------------- Filer Clicking SELECT or MENU lets you change the filing system from any recognised ones available on your computer. Drive Clicking SELECT or MENU lets you change the drive to scan (from 0 to 7) Due to popular demand the 'Filer' and 'Drive' settings are duplicated within the main status window. This is so that you don't have to keep opening the Choices window if you are scanning lots of different filing systems and drive numbers. Sound Toggles on and off the sound. This is useful when using in a classroom environment where the bleeps may become irritating. Scan memory now Performs a quick check on the memory inside the computer. If the main status window is open, a status report will be given. If a virus is present, the status window will open automatically and give you the option to deal with the virus. ADDITIONAL NOTES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Stopping a virus scan A complete virus scan make take a little while, especially if you have many hundred (thousand?) files on a hard disc. The actual virus scan itself is non-multi-tasking. This is deliberate, so that devious viruses cannot re-infect files already inoculated. However, if you decide you wish to abort the virus scan part way through, you can press ESCAPE at any time to stop the scan. Scanning specific directories/files: Individual directories and/or files can be scanned by SELECTing the required file icons and dragging into either the !VZap icon (on the icon bar) or into the main status window. Multiple directories can be dragged, simply by dragging a group of files/directories onto the !VZap iron or the main status window. If !SparkFS is loaded, the contents of archives will also be scanned when using this facility. Files compressed using Computer Concept's CFS filing system are automatically scanned if !VZap detects the presence of CFS. What's actually scanned for? The main way that viruses can spread via the Archimedes RISC OS system is via !Boot files within applications, because these are executed as soon as the user opens their parent directory. !VZap will scan ALL !Boot files. The second way a virus can creep in is via a !Run file. These are only executed when a user double-clicks on an application to load it, but are nonetheless as easy to infect as !Boot files. !VZap also scans all !Run files. !VZap also scans module files, which can sometimes become infected. Lastly, !VZap can actually scan any filetypes it thinks may become infected with a virus, especially if the interrogation of other files indicates a hidden file somewhere. Generally, data files such as Sprite and !Draw files are virus resistant. However, !VZap believes it is better to be safe than sorry and is equally capable of scanning any type of file it considers to be 'suspicious'. !Boot files Most viruses affect !Boot files by adding lines to the end of them, to load the virus program itself. !VZap will detect this and give the option to INOCULATE the virus. If this option is given, !VZap will delete the appended lines and restore the !Boot file to it's original condition. However, occasionally you may find that !VZap finds one or more SUSPICIOUS lines in a !Boot file. If this is the case !VZap gives you the option to 'comment' the suspect lines. If you choose to comment the relevant lines, !VZap will insert a | character at the beginning of the suspect line so that it is not executed in future. You can examine the file later (using a text editor) and check which lines have been commented. N.B. If your expertise does not extend to examining !Boot files, you are always welcome to sent any suspicious files to me (on an 800K E format disc please), enclosing a stamped addressed envelope for reply and telling me which version of !VZap you are using (see 'Info' option). I will then check the file(s) for you and return your disc ASAP. This service is completely free of charge (as long as you send a disc and SAE), but unfortunately, is only available to registered users. Locked files If !VZap finds a locked file, it will unlock it and deal with it if it contains a potential virus, otherwise it's protection status will be left unaltered if the file is harmless. Thus !VZap can delete viruses even though they may be locked against deletion. Protected discs Obviously there's not a lot !VZap can do if it finds a virus on a protected disc, as it physically cannot write back to the disc. In such an event an error will be given and you should un write- protect the disc and try again. Broken directories !VZap is unaffected by Broken directories, simply skipping over the corrupted file(s). However, one side affect of this is that RISC OS is unable to calculate how many files are on the disc, hence the hourglass may be inaccurate. Disc Errors !VZap does not abort it's virus scan if a disc error is encountered. It simply skips over the corrupted file and continues scanning past the disc error. Users of Disc Commander should be able to restore most disc errors without too much trouble, recovering lost data. (read the file called 'Advert' for more information) Virus infection In case a virus has already loaded before you load !VZap and it's one that !VZap doesn't spot when it does it's self-check, it's always best to perform a CTRL-BREAK, both before AND after using !VZap. Comment from the Author ! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I have received a number of comments about compiling !VZap and not releasing the source code. I have this to say; I have decided to protect !VZap by compiling it, for two reasons; 1. By not seeing how I have detected and killed viruses, virus writers won't get any ideas on how to amend viruses to avoid detection and be able to make more devious viruses in the future. 2. By not supplying the source code, it makes it extremely difficult for any potential hackers and virus writers to amend my code and/or incorporate viruses into the !VZap code itself. !VZap incorporates fairly extensive self testing to ensure that the !VZap application itself is safe from contamination. Therefore, do not attempt to alter any files within the !VZap application, or it may fail to load correctly. ⌐1994/5/6 Paul Vigay P.S. Please feel free to call my Bulletin Board on (01705) 871531 for latest news concerning !VZap. All downloads on this BBS are guaranteed virus free.