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Aminet 5 - March 1995.iso
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BootController.lha
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BootController1.2
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BootController.DOC
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1994-10-26
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Boot Controller V1.2 - By D.Piper 1994
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
****************************************************************************
* DISCLAIMER *
* *
* Neither I Derek Piper or whoever supplies this program can take any *
* responsibility for any damage caused whether caused by this program or *
* errors in this documentation. If anything untoward should happen then the*
* user can seek no recourse against myself, Derek Piper or the supplier of *
* this software. *
* *
****************************************************************************
Phew, :-)
Features of Boot Controller V1.2
* User file for registrations
* Case-Sensitive Password up to 20 Characters.
* Password verification when changing password
* Ability to Write-Protect hard drive partitions.
* Hard Drive Boot locking on/off.
* Optional Timeout setting for uninterrupted booting.
* Invisible password entry for extra security.
* 12 / 24 Hour clock and written or number date styles.
* 1.3, (2.0 ?) & 3.0 Compatible
Plus
* Password and data encryption so good that your password and
options cannot be decoded by hacking the configuration file !!
For registered users
* System Vector Checking (CoolCapture,ColdCapture etc.)
* Optional display of last alert (Guru) for debugging purposes.
* Generation of 'Failed Attempts' log file with time and date
First of all if you don't have a hard drive then stop reading, after all
who the hell only wants to protect only one floppy of information ? Sorry
but it just ain't worth it guys !!
This program should be compatible with 2.0 it's just that I don't know
so as nobody I know has a 2.0 machine. I myself have an 1.3 A500 and a 3.0
A1200 120Mb HD.
Installation
~~~~~~~~~~~~
To install BootController put it in your C: directory under a name like
BPatch, Extra_Dir or something that helps disguise it in your startup. The
filesize gives it away in the C: dir anyway !
For proper usage the first few lines should look like this :
If Not Exists Ram:T - The Ram: disk is needed as
MakeDir Ram:T workspace so set it up like this.
Assign T: Ram:T
EndIf
C:SetClock Load - Get the current time.
C:BootController - Or whatever you want to call the
Boot Controller program.
........... - The next lines will only be
reached if the user makes it
through the program.
This assumes that you are booting from DH0: only and C: and S: are
available. You should have no problems getting it to work. If you do not
know what partitions and directories are then you probably don't need this
program anyway. It is very important to copy the BC.User file into S:
User File
~~~~~~~~~
The user file is used for the registration of programs. It is
easier to do it this way than have a separate version of the program.
N.B. If the file is deleted or damaged then the program will inform you
and a new BC.User file will be written, but only the UnRegistered
version will be written.
If you register you will recieve a customised user file that has
your name encrypted within the file and various flags which enable the
extra features. If you lose this file just send me an SAE (no more money
needed as I will have your name on file) and ask me for a new version.
Introduction
~~~~~~~~~~~~
I wrote this program as an attempt to produce a useful and usable
startup protection program for myself. I experimented with passwords and
encryption and as I added features I realised "Hey, this isn't too bad" and
so I decided to smarten up the program and add more features.
As you can see this program has quite a lot of features which I will go
through in a minute. First of all I have to say that although this program
is very difficult to break, it is possible to remove the protection it
provides without too much hassle (if you know what you are doing) but it
keeps prying eyes from accessing your data too easily. If you use it you
are advised to lock away all bootable disks as they can provide a means of
getting into your system.
Well , with all that over with I will tell you what this program CAN do.
The password allows you to change preference settings (explained shortly)
and to change the password itself. The password is a code with NO spaces or
punctuation in it that can be up to 20 characters in length (although I
recommend about 8 characters for ease of typing !!).
This password controls access to the preferences, the system locking
toggle and the change password items. When the system is 'Locked' the
password will have to be input before the program will let you carry on
booting. If you do not know the password the only way to exit is to reset.
The change password option is self explanatory (I hope !). The preferences
are explained below.
Preferences
~~~~~~~~~~~
The different options that were highlighted above can be altered with
the preferences mode. The program will allow you to go through the
preferences with the left and right arrow keys and change the flags from
true to false as required. Some options when 'True' is chosen will ask for
more information. This is very self explanatory and is better found by user
experimentation. As to the effects of the options they are explained below.
Option 1 : Invisible password entry
True : When entering a password or changing to a new one the text
cannot be read even though it can be edited.
False : Password is visible while editing.
Option 2 : Write protect hard drive partitions
The write protection of partitions relies on you calling them DH0:, DH1:
etc. in the standard manner. Obviously this is only the Device name so the
Volume name can be whatever you like. You can change the device names with
HDToolBox.
True : Partitions (up to the maximum available) will be write protected
with the current system password.
False : Partitions will be left write-enabled. The number of partitions
is remembered though.
Option 3 : Use 12 Hour clock display
True : The clock display will be in 12 Hour mode.
False : The clock display will be in 24 Hour mode.
Option 4 : Use written date format (DD MMM YYYY)
True : The date will be in written form eg. 23rd Jul 1994 etc.
False : The date will be in number form eg. 23 / 07 / 94 etc.
Option 5 : Use Timeout when unlocked
True : The timeout setting (which can be changed from here) will be
used when the system is unlocked and the program will choose
'Boot from HD' after the set number of seconds.
False : The timeout will not be used but the number of seconds will be
retained.
Option 6 : Enable System Vector checking (Registered versions only)
True : The vectors CoolCapture, ColdCapture, WarmCapture, KickMemPtr,
KickTagPtr and KickCheckSum will be monitored for change from
the standard $00000000. The program can be made to accept the
change after alerting you.
False : The vector checking is turned off.
Option 7 : Display Last Alert (Registered versions only)
True : The last alert (Guru Meditation) will be shown in the normal
format. ie. (32 Bit Index).(Address)
False : The alert display is not shown.
Option 8 : Use 'Failed Attempts' log file (Registered versions only)
True : Whenever an incorrect password is entered when the system is
locked then the time and date as well as the password itself
will be added to the log file.
False : Turns off the password log for failed attempts but does not
erase the file.
Well done if you're still reading !, but the amount of features I put
in is quite large (but may increase if I have good input from users). The
rest of the program should be straightforward enough but remember the only
way to quit is to choose BootHD (after all that's where it will be used,
right ?)
The other 'option' is to choose 'Boot from disk' even though all it
tells you to do is put a disk in and reset. You will be assured though that
the hard disk will not be accessed at this point so it is safe to reset
here. This was only included to make booting from floppies easier when the
hard drive boots automatically as you do not have to 'beat the drive' at
the start to get a disk in.
See the Destroy_Me.txt for information on the default password and
options. If the configuration file is damaged then the password maybe
altered unexpectedly so if you think tampering might occur then set the
write protection on your DH0: partition at least to prevent anyone changing
the file. The program can sometimes detect whether the file is damaged or
not and will use the defaults and re-write the old file.
As for compatibility with other machines I can only say that it works on
my A1200 but I can't check it fully on my A500 (KS 1.3) as it does not have
a hard drive but it seems to load OK. Under 3.0 (I don't know about 2.0)
the AmigaDOS window does not pop up straight away and this means that the
Startup-Sequence cannot be halted straight away by holding Ctrl-D like it
can under 1.2/1.3 so the program is more secure under the later revisions
of the operating system I think. Also the default Topaz 8 font is a nicer
sanserif font under 3.0 rather than the old 1.3 serif version.
Right, that's it I think so if you have any other problems don't
hesitate to contact me. (SAE will ensure reply).
If you like and use this program on your system then send £5 and an SAE
to me and you will receive a registered user file. The registered version
(If you had not noticed has three other (very useful) options and of course
has no 'Unregistered' statement at the front.
If you have any ideas as to features or (constructive) criticism then
don't hesitate to get in touch !
For any bug reports X-( or registrations :-) send to :
Derek Piper, 63 Hadley Rd., New Barnet, Herts EN5 5QU
****************************************************************************
* SHAREWARE *
* *
* This unregistered version cannot be used after Jan 1996 and has had 3 *
* features de-activated because I have had such a poor response from *
* previous programs that I am forced to cripple this version to try and *
* encourage users to support the ShareWare scheme. It's a shame that it is *
* necessary to do so. *
* *
****************************************************************************
PS : If anyone can retrieve the password from the BC.Conf file please let
me know what miracle you performed !!