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README.1ST
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1990-12-02
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153 lines
Virus Central v1.23
* The following files are on the Virus Central distribution
disk:
CENTRAL.EXE - Virus Central executable program
CENTRAL.CFG - configuration file
CENTRAL.DOC - Virus Central user's manual
REGISTER.DOC - registration information form (share-ware
version only)
README.1ST - late breaking news! (this file)
* Some portions of the Virus Central user's manual use the
IBM extended characters. Be aware of this if the printout of
the manual looks funny.
* The virus list contains the viruses that apply to CleanUp 67.
If a newer version of the CleanUp program is released, you may
add on the newer viruses to this list. Whenever new versions
of Virus Central will be released, the virus list will be
amended to reflect the most current version of CleanUp.
* You may use the VALIDATE.COM program (included with your copy
of ViruScan and/or CleanUp) to test the integrity of Virus
Central. Take note that the share-ware and registered user's
versions of the program yield different results, because of
the share-ware notice on the latter.
Here are the validation results of the share-ware and
registered user's versions of Virus Central:
Share-ware version:
File Name: CENTRAL.EXE
Size: 76,752
Date: 10-7-1990
File Authentication:
Check Method 1 - AE2E
Check Method 2 - 004A
Registered user's version:
File Name: CENTRAL.EXE
Size: 75,328
Date: 10-7-1990
File Authentication:
Check Method 1 - 4865
Check Method 2 - 194F
** Release Notes / Bug Fixes **
As can be expected with ANY program, particularly the first
releases, there will ALWAYS be bugs. Virus Central is no
exception. To date, 4 bugs have been reported, and corrected,
since the initial release of the program. I have decided to do
away with my earlier practice of attaching letters to the
version numbers of new releases since it causes confusion. I
will, instead, adjust the version number to reflect the
magnitude of modification.
Virus Central Release Notes:
v1.00A (08/02/90)
A bug report (would you believe, the day after Virus Central was
first released as a share-ware program) found that the program
would flat-out refuse to run on MS-DOS 4.01. I realized early on
in the project that Virus Central required at least MS-DOS 2.1
to run properly, so I installed a routine to check the DOS
version before anything else. I tested the program using DOS
2.1, 2.11, 3.2, and 3.3, and they all worked fine. I never
tested Virus Central using DOS 4.01 because I do not have a copy
of that version. After I received the report, I examined the DOS
version checking routine again, found the error, and fixed the
problem.
----------------------------------------------------------------
v1.00B (08/08/90)
Two bugs were reported, again relating to Virus Central's
initialization routine. The program still refuses to run on some
systems using DOS 4.01, although the earlier problem was
corrected (a DOS bug, perhaps?). Another problem was that Virus
Central would sometimes mistake a VGA card for a Hercules
graphics card, particularly those that auto-sense and emulate.
Both these problems were related to Virus Central's pre-system
checking, which I still believe is a necessary step. I did not
remove this feature, but I added an option to get around it. To
bypass the pre-system check, from the DOS prompt, enter:
CENTRAL /IGNORE
When using the "/IGNORE" option, Virus Central does not check
the system for compatibility. You should only use this option
if you are sure that your system is compatible, but the program
refuses to run. You may still specify the "/NOMOUSE" option, if
so desired, by putting before the "/IGNORE" option in the
command line (e.g. "CENTRAL /NOMOUSE /IGNORE").
v1.03 (08/17/90)
A bug in the string input routine prevented the [Del] key from
working when it was on the last character of a string or number.
This was, surprisingly, easy to fix, and I am embarrassed that
it got away from me, in the first place. Also, the Virus List in
the CENTRAL.CFG file was updated to reflect the new ones in
ViruScan/CleanUp 66.
----------------------------------------------------------------
v1.23 (10/07/90) << MODIFIED CONFIGURATION FILE FORMAT >>
Another bug was fixed. Well, not really a bug. Well, sort of.
Since it's initial release, Virus Central has had a side-effect
that I have been aware of, but, up until now, have not been able
to remedy. Because Central redefines a certain interrupt service
routine (ISR), the DOS clock would occasionally stop, causing it
to lag behind. This is a problem common to many memory resident
type programs (Central uses some routines that are based on TSR
techniques). Since I was aware of the problem and knew exactly
what was causing it, I did not consider it to be a bug. It was,
however, an annoying problem. A complete rewrite of the routine
solved the problem, and increased the speed of screen output to
the black box by 20%.
This version of the program also adds support for the validation
codes, extinct viruses, and scan report features of ViruScan.
Take note, the configuration file format has been modified, and
the configuration file used by earlier releases will not work
right. A section has been added to the documentation describing
the new format.
Many users requested an option that would disable the screen
saver from automatically kicking in. Since I have always felt
that the screen saver is Central's most charming asset, I was
extremely reluctant to do this. But I aim to please. Setting
the screen saver time lapse to zero (0) disables it from
kicking in automatically, although you may still invoke it
manually (pressing the [B] key from the main menu, or clicking
on the diamond in the upper left corner).
To my embarrassment, I realized that I misspelled the name of
the ViruScan program all over the manual, spelling it
"VirusScan." This is hardly a bug, but it was worth correcting.
Sorry, John.
The virus list has been updated for ViruScan/CleanUp 67. And,
just to get fancy, an openning screen has been added to the
program, displaying the Virus Central trade mark.