Software Vault: The Diamond Collection/The Diamond Collection (Software Vault)(Digital Impact).ISO/cdr35/i_m242c.zip/QUESTION.TXT

Text File | 1995-03-23 | 27KB | 503 lines

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║ Welcome to QUESTION.TXT!  Hopefully you'll find the answer to your question ║
║ in this collection.                                                         ║
║                                                                             ║
║ o If you have a general question about data integrity, security, viruses,   ║
║   system sectors or similar things, the help index in Integrity Master may  ║
║   provide the answer (Hit F1 and then "I").  If that fails, read the manual ║
║   (file I-M.DOC), especially part two on "Data Integrity and Viruses".      ║
║                                                                             ║
║ o If you're having trouble using the menus in Integrity Master try the      ║
║   tutorial offered in SetupIM.                                              ║
║                                                                             ║
║ o If all else fails, please contact us or the Advanced Support Group for    ║
║   assistance.  See details in file SUPPORT.DOC (IMVIEW SUPPORT.DOC          ║
║   to read this file).                                                       ║
║                                                                             ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Q: Integrity Master said a file has an invalid time/date stamp or a file
   date is set into the future.  What should I do?

A: Some viruses mark files as infected by setting the date ahead 100 years
   or by setting the fields in time to stamp to 60 or 62.  This can also
   be caused by buggy software and is occasionally done deliberately. If
   you see this on only an isolated file, you probably have nothing to
   worry about. If you see this on a group of files associated with the
   same program, you should contact the company that produced that program
   to check if that is normal behavior or a bug.  If you have many files
   with this, read the next question:

Q: IM reports invalid time and date stamps on many of my files.  Do I have
   a virus?

A: Maybe!  If it's only executable files with the illegal values, you'll
   need to check further to make sure there's no unknown virus on the
   loose.  If you have such a virus, IM should be detecting unexplained
   changes to executable programs.  Try following the procedures
   outlined in the manual (or the I-M.DOC file) for determining if file
   changes are due to viruses.  (Basically, what you do is to run a full
   check, execute a suspect program, cold boot, and run another full
   check.)  There are some common causes for files to have illegal time
   and date stamps (such as 62 seconds):

   1) There is reportedly a backup program ("Intelligent Backup") which
      marks files by setting the seconds field to an illegal value.

   2) Some anti-virus products attempt to "immunize" your files by setting
      the seconds of time stamp of your programs to 62.  This works only
      against a handful of viruses but some programs do this anyway.

   3) Central Point's (PC Tools) Datamon will reportedly mark encrypted files
      by setting the seconds field to 62.


Q: Integrity Master found some duplicate files (files starting with the
   same name but ending in .COM, .EXE or .BAT).  Do I have a virus?

A: You could have a companion virus.  This is a virus which plants extra
   files to match your legitimate programs (See the manual for details
   on how this works.)  If you see only isolated instances of such
   files, it is usually nothing to worry about.  If you have any concern
   this may be virus, run IM regularly in full check mode and if you see
   additional such files reported, you probably have a virus.  Such a
   virus can be removed by simply deleting the extra files.


Q: I asked IM to scan a floppy but it froze.

A: You probably have a diskette with an invalid boot sector (some viruses
   cause this).  It's actually DOS that crashes when IM asks DOS to read
   the diskette.  You can use the "Scan floppy Boot sectors" option
   on the "Check" "Disk for known viruses" submenu (or the /VB command line
   option) to have IM scan this boot sector for viruses.  In this case, IM
   will bypass DOS and directly read the boot sector.

Q: I start SetupIM and suddenly nothing happens or I see the display
   scroll and then get disorganized.  The program seems to be stuck.

A: Insert formatted media (e.g., diskettes) in all removable drives, run
   SetupIM, and try waiting about 10 seconds and hitting the ENTER key
   several times.  You may be using a program which is trying to write a
   message to the screen while SetupIM is checking out your disk drives.
   You can safely ignore any garbage which appears on your screen. SetupIM
   will write a full report to file IMPROC.TXT.  Be sure to check this
   file.   The most common cause for this type of problem is using
   DRIVER.SYS to assign a duplicate drive letter to a floppy drive:

   You may have a statement like this in the \CONFIG.SYS file:

                 DEVICE=DRIVER.SYS /D:0 /F:0

   The numbers could be 0 as above or have some other value.  DRIVER.SYS
   may try to write a message to the screen to ask you to insert a new
   disk and hit a key when SetupIM checks this drive. Deleting this line
   should solve the problem. Once you finish running SetupIM you may
   restore the line. IM will have know enough not to access the
   duplicate logical drive.

Q:  Sometimes IM comes up with different colors on the screen than before.
    What's going on?

A:  IM checks the DOS video mode indicator on your PC to see if you are
    in color or monochrome mode, as well as directly checking your video
    adapter.  This allows you to use the DOS "MODE BW80" to indicate
    that a two-color display is present on a color adapter card.  Some
    programs change this value to an incorrect value.  If this happens
    to you, use the DOS mode command to set the video mode back to the
    correct state.  For example, enter "MODE CO80" to restore normal
    color mode.  You can also use the command line override (or SetupIM)
    so IM comes up using whatever colors you prefer.  "IM /C" would
    force IM to use color mode.

Q:  I just tried to do a check or initialize on my hard disk. Integrity Master
    replied that this disk was not working.  It IS working!  What's wrong?
                                                ~~
A:  File "DISKhelp.TXT" describes how to correct this problem. Read file
    DISKhelp.TXT using your favorite program, copy it to your printer ("COPY
    DISKHELP.TXT PRN") or enter the command:
          IMVIEW DISKHELP.TXT
    to display this file.

Q: I just entered the command IMVIEW (or IMPRINT) and nothing happened. My
   PC just said "Bad command or file name".

A: IMVIEW.COM and IMPRINT.BAT must be either in the current directory or
   in one of the directories in your DOS path.  To put these in the path,
   enter the command PATH at the DOS prompt and you'll see a list of
   directories on your disk.  You can copy IMVIEW.COM or IMPRINT.BAT into any
   of these directories.

Q: I don't have my original DOS install diskettes to do a clean boot from. How
   do I install Integrity Master?

A: It's only important to have a certified clean copy if a virus may already
   in control of your PC.  In most cases you can safely install using your
   DOS files in place on your hard disk.

Q: I use DOS 4.0. I get a message saying that SHARE needs to be loaded for
   large media, when I boot from diskette.   Do I need to copy SHARE.EXE to
   my Integrity Master boot floppy?

A:  Integrity Master does not need SHARE.  You may wish to copy it so other
    programs can use it.  If so, just copy it to your diskette. DOS will
    automatically load it when you boot.

Q:  I just checked several disks but I can't find the report file.  What
    happened?

A:  If you have the report file option turned on in automatic mode (check the
    OPTION menu), then the report file is written to the first disk that you
    check.  If you later switch to check another disk, without turning off the
    report file, the reports will still go to the same file on the same disk.
    You can choose to have this file always written to the same disk by
    selecting this on the OPTION menu.

    If you specified a report file name "of your choice", and did not
    include a drive or directory specification as part of the file
    name, then it will be written to the current disk and directory when
    you start checking or initializing.

Q:  Other anti-virus products don't say I have to boot my PC before checking
    my files; why do I have to boot before checking with Integrity Master?

A:  Actually, if you thoroughly read your documentation you'll probably see
    that your product DOES suggest you boot from a diskette; we're just
    a bit more up front about this issue.  If you're satisfied with the level
    of protection obtained from other products without booting, then you don't
    need to boot. IT IS OUR GOAL TO PROTECT AGAINST ALL VIRUSES NOT JUST KNOWN
    VIRUSES.  The reason we ask you to boot from a write protected floppy
    before checking, is that this is the ONLY way to be sure that a virus is
    not already resident and in control of your PC.   Integrity Master
    checks memory for resident viruses, so it is somewhat safe NOT to boot.
    If you choose to do this, be sure you always have the latest version
    of Integrity Master.

Q:  I want to write my reports to my printer.  IM reports that my printer
    isn't working, but it is!  What can I do?

A:  You have a printer which is not compatible with the standard IBM BIOS
    functions that IM uses.  There's an easy way around this.  Just use
    the OPTION menu to write the reports to a file called "PRN".  This
    will allow DOS to route the print for you.

Q:  IM just detected a change to a program.   Only this one program changed,
    I don't think it's a virus.   What are some programs known to change
    themselves?

A:  There are too many programs to list them all here.  Many programs will be
    changed when you run the install or option update program for that
    program.  WordStar is a well known example.  A new program is SETVER.EXE
    which is part of DOS 5.  Whenever you run SETVER to set the DOS version
    for a program, SETVER stores this information by modifying its own code.
    This will result in IM reporting a change to SETVER.EXE every time you
    run the program.    Changing certain options in MicroSoft Windows (R)
    will also change the program itself (WIN.COM).

Q:  IM keeps reporting that my boot sector has changed.  It is NOT reporting
    a known virus. The boot sector seems to change every day. I don't think
    I've got a virus.  What's going on?

A:  If your boot sector keeps changing repeatedly and you have an older HP
    or Zenith PC, you may have one of the models that changes its boot
    sector every time you boot.  If you use a program like STACKER which
    establishes a virtual (not a real) disk, do not be concerned if the boot
    sector on the virtual (e.g., Stacker) disk keeps changing.  This is normal
    behavior.  As a matter of fact, changes to the boot sector of any disk
    which can not be booted from, generally do not represent a problem.  If
    you have any doubt about whether it's a virus, save a few of your
    BOOT.SRL files (Run an Initialize boot sector after IM reports a change)
    and send these along with the other information called for in file
    SUPPORT.DOC to us.  We'll check to see if a virus might be present in
    your boot sector.

Q:  I use an executable compression program (e.g., LXEXE or PKlite), am I in
    danger of the compressed files being infected?

A:  If a virus should infect ANY of your files, compressed or not, IM can
    detect this fact.  So if a virus should infect a compressed executable
    file, IM will have no trouble detecting this.  On the other hand if a
    known virus infects a program and then that program is compressed, IM
    may or may not recognize the virus in the compressed file.  However if
    the virus should attempt to spread, IM will detect this.

Q:  IM just detected a virus in one of my system sectors, and says to
    reload the system sector.  I've never run an "Initialize", so I don't
    have the sector reload file (.SRL).  Help!   What do I do?

A:  This reinforces an important point: DO AN INITIALIZE ON ALL YOUR DISKS
    SO THAT YOU CAN EASILY RECOVER ANY DAMAGE TO A SYSTEM SECTOR.  Don't wait;
    DO IT NOW!  If you lost your boot sector, you're in luck, otherwise you
    have some serious work ahead of you.

    BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING, POWER OFF AND BOOT FROM A WRITE PROTECTED DISKETTE
    CONTAINING A CLEAN COPY OF DOS THEN:

  o You can manually reload the DOS boot sector by entering the command:
    "SYS C:" where "C" is the drive with the damaged boot sector.  You must
    logged on to drive A: when you enter this command.

  o Manually reloading partition sectors is MUCH more difficult.  Before you
    go any further, make sure you have as much of your data backed up as
    possible.  There is a serious risk that what you are about to do may
    render your disk unreadable!  Try one of the following options:

    1) If you have DOS 5 or later, try the command: "FDISK /MBR" to create a
       new partition sector (AKA Master Boot Record).  Be careful; this
       is NOT documented and may not always work.

    2) If you can locate an identically formatted hard disk you could use IM
       (INITIALIZE partition sector) to capture the sector reload file and
       then reload it on your damaged disk (use Reload "Missing Partition")
       to accomplish this.

    3) Some of the utility programs such as Norton or MACE may be able to
       repair this sector. If they don't replace the sector, you could use
       one of the sector editors to write zeros over the first part of the
       boot sector and then turn the "disk fix-it" program loose again.  Our
       testing shows that these programs don't always succeed and may
       further damage your disk.

    4) The last alternative is to do a low level format.  This completely
       removes all data from your hard disk.  See the next question for
       details on how to do this.

Q:  How do I do a low-level format?

A:  This procedure varies with the type of computer your have and the type
    of disk controller board.  If you have an IBM PC then you have (or can
    get) a diskette containing a program to low level format your drive.
    Some other manufacturers provide this also.  Running SPINRITE to do a
    low-level format is NOT what we want to do here.  We MUST do a
    DESTRUCTIVE format. Check the documentation that came with your disk
    controller board for the technique to low-level format or call the
    manufacturer for information on how to do this.  Be sure to explain that
    all you really want to do is to replace the partition sector (master
    boot record).  They may have a utility to do just that.  The procedure
    for some common Western Digit controllers is as follows:

    Enter "DEBUG"  (from your DOS boot diskette)

    at the DEBUG prompt ("-") enter: "g=C800:5"   (press ENTER)

    at this point you should be able to follow the directions. You will need
    to know whether you are formatting your first on second hard disk and
    the layout (heads and cylinders plus and bad tracks) but often you can
    just hit ENTER and accept the defaults.  To find the bad track list open
    your PC and look on the drive itself.

Q:  When I first start IM, I see something red flash on my screen, but I
    can't make out what it says.

A:  When IM first starts, it looks for the parameter file (IM.PRM)
    which contains all your option settings.  On some PCs this can be a
    slow process, so IM announces that it is: "Searching for and reading
    parameter file."   On faster PCs, this message appears as barely a blur!

Q:  IM says I have a virus resident in memory, but I doubt this, since I have
    another anti-virus product which reports nothing.  What's going on?

A:  Some anti-virus products execute as a resident program (TSR) to monitor
    your system and check for signs of known viruses.  To check for these
    viruses, they use fragments of the same viruses that IM checks for.
    It's a standard practice to keep these fragments encrypted or stored in
    pieces, but some products don't follow this practice.  You probably have
    such a product.  To double check, remove any line in your CONFIG.SYS and
    AUTOEXEC.BAT file which executes this product.  Cold boot your PC.  Now
    run IM.  If the other product was at fault, IM will now detect no virus.

Q:  I'm using STACKER on my PC and IM keeps reporting boot sector corruption
    on my stacker volume.  What gives?

A:  STACKER closely simulates an actual DOS disk drive on its volume. It
    pretends to have an actual boot sector.  This boot sector is not a real
    boot sector and may change from moment to moment.  Viruses can not spread
    by infecting this boot sector and since it can change at any time,
    checking this boot sector is a waste of time.  When you check a STACKER
    volume, just check the files and not the system sectors. Don't do a
    "Check Entire disk integrity" which includes the system sectors on the
    STACKER volumes.  If you use the command line, use "/CD" rather than
    "/CE".  Automatic handling of STACKER volumes will be available soon.

Q:  IM reports corruption of its own report file.  Why?

A:  This can happen in only one circumstance.  If you select a report
    file with a name of your own choice and then check the disk and
    directory containing that report file, IM will write to that file
    between the time that it checks it and the time that the file is
    closed.  We recommend using auto-named report files or placing them
    on a disk different from the disk being checked to avoid this message.

Q:  I am getting errors when reading a disk I think is working OK.
    Why does IM report an error.

A:  See file DISKhelp.TXT

Q:  How do I get rid of that wait for keypress at the end of processing.

A:  If you enter a command line parameter such as "/CR" or "/CD", and
    specify no pause either by using the option menu or with the
    "/N" or "/NE" parameter, IM will pause only briefly after it
    finishes checking.

Q:  How can I quickly remove boot sector viruses (such as Stoned or
    Michelangelo) from numerous diskettes?

A:  If your diskettes are bootable, the DOS "SYS" command can be used to
    quickly remove boot sector viruses.  (You can always try the SYS command
    it won't hurt anything)  Be sure to boot from a write protected copy
    of DOS and then issue the "SYS x:"  command (x is the disk you wish
    to clean).

    For non-bootable disks, locate an uninfected disk of the same type
    as that which is infected.  Use IM to initialize the boot sector data
    for that diskette.  Temporarily remove all other "BOOT.SRL" files
    from your disks.  Make sure the "BOOT.SRL" (boot sector reload file)
    which IM just created is present either in your current directory
    or in the root directory of one of your disks.  Now:

    o Run IM and turn the report file off.

    o Change to the drive containing an infected floppy (Commands menu).

    o Tell IM to reload the boot sector.

    o Insert and another diskette and keep reloading. IM will locate the
      BOOT.SRL file on one of your other disks and reload the sectors on
      each floppy diskette.

Q:  How can I avoid having separate report files on each disk IM checks?

A:  Use the Options menu to set the auto-named report file to go to
    a specific disk of your choosing.  All reports will then go to this
    disk, independent of the disk being checked.

Q:  I see:  "Changes in directory xxxxxx:" but no changes appear on my
    screen.  Why is this?

A:  If you have asked IM to exclude files or directories from checking,
    IM will remove their associated integrity data the next time you
    run a check.  If you have asked IM not to tell you about excluded files
    or directories, it will still alert you that it is updating the
    integrity data for directories where something is being excluded.
    This notice appears only once when IM first removes the preexisting
    integrity data for the excluded files and directories.

Q:  Integrity Master reported a file as having a problem or being suspicious
    yet I didn't see why.  Where's the explanation?

A:  You probably have your halt options set to halt only on serious
    problems or emergencies.  In this situation the detail information is
    written only to your report file.  Please read the report for the
    detail information on what was found wrong with the file.

Q:  I tried the "/L" option on my laptop but the screen is not very legible.

A:  The "/L" (LCD) option is intended for older CGA compatible laptops such
    as the Toshiba 1000.  Newer laptops (especially VGA gray scale displays)
    should work fine with no special video override.  If the display doesn't
    look right on a newer laptop try the "/M" rather than the "/L" command
    line switch.

Q:  When I run Integrity Master on an empty directory, it lists a large
    number of files as deleted (or sometimes added).  These files don't
    exist there.

A:  You are using the DOS "APPEND" command.  This makes files appear to be
    present in any directory which are actually in the appended directory.
    Type "APPEND" and hit ENTER to see if you are using it. When you
    installed DOS this command may have been placed in your AUTOEXEC.BAT
    file.   You almost certainly don't need it.  If you don't want to
    get rid of it, just enter the command "APPEND ;" before you execute IM
    or include this in a .BAT file to execute IM.

Q:  I don't like the way IM displays dates or times.

A:  Execute SetupIM and select "Change Format for date or time" from the
    "Advanced option" menu.

Q:  I installed IM and now I'm have a problem running MS EXCEL spreadsheet.

A:  Excel automatically tries to execute files from directory XLSTART.
    It's probably trying to execute the integrity data file that IM created
    in this directory (e.g., "ZZ##.IM", ")(.ID" ).

    Use the Exclude option from the Options menu in IM to exclude the
    XLSTART directory.  After you select this directory to exclude, make sure
    that "Exclude checking" is set to "ON".

Q:  I registered an earlier version of IM; can I download and use the current
    shareware (evaluation) version on my system?

A:  If you have registered or upgraded to version 2.31a or later, any
    shareware version will work as the registered version.  (This is true
    for shareware versions released up to 12 months after your paid
    registration.)  You must use the IM.PRM file that you created with
    registered version 2.31a or later.  If you have lost this, get your
    IM diskette with the IM.DAT file--then run "SetupIM /U".  This reads
    the IM.DAT from the diskette and updates the license information
    stored in your IM.PRM file.

Q:  IM keeps find the same changes every time it runs. It appears that it
    is not updating its integrity data.

A:  If you run IM from the command line with halt turned off (/N, /NE or /ND),
    it will stop updating your integrity data if it finds a damaged file.
    It does this because it assumes it is running unattended and can't ask
    you what to do about the damaged file.  If you do want IM to update the
    integrity data just run from the menus or with a lower halt setting.
    IM will then ask you whether to update the integrity for the
    corrupted file. Check your report for disk corruption and run IM
    from the menus to let let it update t

Q:  IM reports that integrity data for a directory is invalid or a *.SRL
    (or *.SID) file is damaged.  What do I do?

A:  This could be due to a hardware problem but it's most likely due to
    doing another "first time" install with SetupIM.   When you run
    SetupIM and specify a new install, it will look for an existing IM.PRM
    file.  If it finds one, it will offer to "Keep the old check algorithms".
    If you do NOT select this option, IM will select different encryption
    and check algorithms. This means that when IM uses the new IM.PRM that
    is created by SetupIM, it will be unable to decrypt the old integrity
    data files.

    If this has happened to you, it's best to delete then new incompatible
    IM.PRM and locate the old IM.PRM files.  If this is impossible or if
    something else such as a hardware problem damaged your integrity data,
    then you will need to use the "Initialize" menu to create new integrity
    data files.

Q:  IM says my disk does not have a boot sector or it fails while trying to
    read the boot sector.

A:  You may be running software such as the Artisoft Lantastic network server.
    This software intercepts all disk access and makes even local disks
    simulated (network) disks.  These disks do not have a boot sector.
    To allow IM to run in this situation, shut down the server or start
    only your network redirector (without the server component).  Alternately,
    ask IM to check only the files (use /CD rather than /CE) when this
    software is active.

Q:  Integrity Master is finding file corruption but it's not reporting a virus
    and I think my disk is OK.  What could be wrong?

A:  Check the following items:


    If your disk uses disk compression (e.g., Stacker, DoubleSpace,
    DriveSpace, SuperStore, etc.) try disabling all other resident (TSRs
    and drivers) software including your disk cache.  There may be a
    conflict causing the corruption.

    Turn off your disk cache and see if the problem goes away.  It may be
    conflicting with another resident program or a hardware disk cache.

    Run Scandisk or similar program to read your entire disk and check for
    hardware errors.

    Boot with no config.sys or autoexec.bat file and see if the problem goes
    away. If not, then you are probably having hardware problems.  If the
    problem does go away, then try adding back your files one line at a time.