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- SYMANTEC CORPORATION - PETER NORTON GROUP
- README.TXT file for Norton Virus Scan
-
- Welcome to Norton Virus Scan!
-
- This file contains information about Norton Virus Scan, a scan-only
- version of Norton AntiVirus. Full versions of Norton AntiVirus are
- available for DOS/Windows 3.1, Windows 95, and Novell NetWare.
-
- Please read the WIN95NAV.TXT file if you have downloaded Norton
- Virus Scan to check for viruses before you install Windows 95.
-
- To print this file from the DOS prompt, type:
-
- COPY README.TXT PRN:
-
- This document has four sections:
-
- 1. Technical Support Information: where to go for help on using
- Norton Virus Scan.
- 2. Ordering Information: tells you how to order the complete version
- of Norton AntiVirus.
- 3. Technical Information: includes information about the complete
- version of Norton AntiVirus.
- 4. General Virus Information: describes the most common DOS viruses.
-
-
- TECHNICAL SUPPORT INFORMATION
-
- Recorded technical support information for the Norton Virus Scan is
- available from our 24-hour Virus Newsline at 1-503-465-8555.
-
-
- ORDERING INFORMATION
-
- To purchase the complete version of Norton AntiVirus for Windows and
- DOS, see your local dealer or call one of the following numbers:
-
- United States: 1-800-441-7234
- Europe(Holland): 31-71-353-111
- United Kingdom: 01628-592-222
- Germany: 02-11-99170
- France: 01-41-38-69-69
- Australia: 02-879-6577
- Canada: 1-416-366-0423
- Italy: 2-550-12266
- Other countries: 1-503-334-6054
-
-
- TECHNICAL INFORMATION
-
- To launch Norton Virus Scan, type NAVSCAN at the DOS prompt.
-
- This freeware version of Norton AntiVirus does not offer all of
- the features available in the complete version of Norton
- AntiVirus. It is designed to scan executable files for viruses
- (viruses cannot infect data files), remove boot infector viruses
- (viruses that infect boot MBR or boot records) and give you an
- overview of the full Norton AntiVirus program. This version will
- NOT repair infected files and does NOT provide an automatic
- monitoring program.
-
- The complete version of Norton AntiVirus is a comprehensive
- solution for preventing viruses from infecting your computer.
- It detects and removes over 5,300 known viruses and virus
- strains. In addition, it protects against unknown viruses by
- monitoring your system for irregular file activity. Should
- Norton AntiVirus detect an infection, it can repair most
- infected files quickly and easily before the virus damages your
- system. Norton AntiVirus is available for DOS/Windows 3.1 and
- Windows 95.
-
- In addition, Norton AntiVirus features the following:
-
- Auto-Protect - A memory-resident device driver or TSR (VxD on
- Windows 95) that protects your system against infection while
- you are working in other applications. It detects both known
- and unknown viruses. With its patent-pending Virus Sensor
- Technology, it will catch unknown viruses BEFORE they infect
- your system. It can repair, delete, or even halt your computer
- when a virus is found. With its unique ability to scan files
- when they are created, you are assured that a virus won't end
- up on your computer after uncompressing an archived ZIP file,
- for example. It can protect your system areas from alteration
- and will also check floppy disks when first accessed and when
- you reboot your computer. The DOS Auto-Protect TSR can be
- loaded in EMS, HMA, UMBs, High Memory, or conventional memory.
- In fact, it can load different parts of itself in different
- types of memory. It is a dynamic-memory protection system.
- That means that the memory usage will grow and shrink depending
- upon which features you enable or disable. Auto-Protect
- requires as little as 5K RAM. The Windows 95 Auto-Protect VxD
- takes no DOS memory.
-
- Scanner - The full screen application that scans your
- computer's memory and drives for the presence of known and
- unknown viruses. It is here that you can also configure all
- aspects of Norton AntiVirus, view the Virus List, or view the
- Activity Log or Infection Log (these features are described
- later in this file). The Scanner can check ZIP 1.x or 2.x
- compressed files for viruses, without the need to first
- uncompress them. It is the fastest virus scanner on the market
- today.
-
- Flexible scanning features - Norton AntiVirus can be configured
- to quickly check your entire computer system for virus
- infection. Scanning can be set to occur every time you start
- your computer, or only on demand. Also included is a Windows
- Scheduler, so you can specify the exact time to perform a scan.
- You can execute a scan of your entire system in the background,
- while working within your word processor or other application.
-
- Virus updates - Norton AntiVirus lets you upgrade your virus
- protection without having to wait for software updates.
- Symantec's 24-hour Virus Newsline offers access to the latest-
- breaking news about new viruses and instructions on how to
- protect your system from them. Virus updates can be downloaded
- from the Symantec BBS or CompuServe, or obtained on disk from
- the Norton AntiVirus subscription update service.
-
- Configurable options - Gives you complete control over the way
- Norton AntiVirus operates. Norton AntiVirus is the most
- configurable anti-virus product on the market. For example,
- when a virus is found, you can specify exactly what to do with
- it (delete it, repair it, prompt the user, halt the computer,
- or just notify the user). Another example is the ability to
- specify how to alert the user or others when a virus is found
- (generate audible alerts, display a custom message, alert
- network users, alert the network console, or alert Norton
- AntiVirus for NetWare NLM).
-
- Unique Exclusions List - You can exclude a drive, directory, or
- list of files from being checked for different operations. For
- example, suppose you want your FORMAT program to be able to
- write to the boot record of a floppy disk. You can easily
- exclude it from being checked. There are 8 different
- operations from which you can exclude particular files or
- directories of your choice. Norton AntiVirus is the only
- anti-virus product that provides this type of flexibility.
-
- Inoculation - For industrial-strength protection, you can
- inoculate your system against future unknown viruses. Norton
- AntiVirus can inoculate not only your files, but also your
- system areas, such as the boot records and master boot records.
-
- Password Protection - Almost every feature of Norton AntiVirus
- can be password protected. For example, you may not want
- anyone removing virus definitions from the Virus List. You can
- protect only that feature of Norton AntiVirus, or you can
- password-protect all options. In this way you can ensure that
- only you are able to make configuration changes.
-
- Virus List - Norton AntiVirus has full details on over 5,300
- viruses and virus strains. You can look up the symptoms of a
- particular virus or what effect it will have once it is
- triggered.
-
- Network Features - Norton AntiVirus has many features for the
- corporate environment. It has the most configuration options
- of all anti-virus products. This means you can configure it to
- work the way your organization works. In addition, if a virus
- is found it can notify other users, notify Norton AntiVirus for
- NetWare NLM, or notify network consoles. Norton AntiVirus can
- be configured to password-protect specific features, so only
- selected users can access certain features. With the multipack
- version, you get NavUpdate, which provides centralized
- configuration, installation, and updating of Norton AntiVirus
- and virus definitions. You will no longer have to go from
- workstation to workstation installing or updating Norton
- AntiVirus. Also, Norton AntiVirus works on all major network
- environments, including Novell NetWare, 3Com OPEN, OS/2 LAN
- Manager, AT&T Starlan and more.
-
- Activity Log and Infection Log - All activity is tracked in
- an Activity Log and Infection Log. You can specify which events
- should be logged and can also restrict the size of the log
- file. When you view the log file, you can filter it, so you
- can zoom in on exactly what you are looking for.
-
- Integrated DOS and Windows application - Norton AntiVirus is
- both a complete Windows application and an easy-to-use DOS
- program, offering comprehensive virus defense for both DOS and
- Windows users.
-
- System Requirements (DOS/Windows 3.1):
- IBM PC AT, PS/2 or compatible
- DOS 3.1 or higher
- 512K RAM
- RAM-resident option requires as little as 5K RAM
- Compatible with Microsoft Windows 3.1 or later
- Works with any floppy disk, hard disk, or removable media
- Mouse support
- Network compatible with Novell NetWare, 3Com OPEN,
- OS/2 LAN Manager and more
-
- System Requirements (Windows 95):
- IBM or 100% compatible
- Windows 95
- Intel 80386DX or higher
- 4MB of RAM required (8MB recommended)
- 6MB hard disk required
- Works with any floppy disk, hard disk, or removable media
- Network compatible with Novell NetWare, 3Com OPEN,
- OS/2 LAN Manager and more
-
-
- GENERAL VIRUS INFORMATION
-
- The most common DOS viruses are as follows:
-
- Stoned:
- This is the most common virus. It infects the hard disk
- partition table and floppy disk boot records. The virus often
- displays the message "Your PC is now stoned."
-
- Michelangelo:
- The Michelangelo virus activates itself on March 6th,
- the anniversary of Michelangelo's birth. The Michelangelo
- virus is spread only by floppy disks, not over networks or by
- connecting to electronic on-line services and bulletin boards.
- The virus is transferred to memory and hard disks when an
- attempt is made to start (boot) your computer from a floppy
- disk that is infected. The floppy disk does not have to be a
- bootable floppy disk; it can be a floppy disk with data files
- on it. Once the virus is on your hard disk, it will infect
- every floppy disk that you put in your computer, thereby
- creating further infections that help it continue to spread.
-
- If a computer is infected with Michelangelo when it is started
- on March 6th, the virus will format the hard disk, irretrievably
- destroying all data.
-
-
- NoINT (Bloomington, Stoned III):
- This virus is very similar to Stoned and Michelangelo. It
- infects the hard disk partition table and floppy disk boot
- records. It often causes corruption of root directory entries,
- making it difficult to properly retrieve your data.
-
- Form:
- The Form virus is a very common infector of boot records.
- It sometimes displays the message "The FORM-Virus sends
- greetings to everyone who's reading this text." It may
- also cause the system speaker to emit a "clicking" noise.
-
- Joshi:
- Activates on January 5th.
- The Joshi virus is a stealth infector of floppy disk boot
- records and hard disk partition tables. On January 5th, it
- activates and displays a message asking the user to type
- "Happy Birthday Joshi."
-
- Jeru.1808 (Jerusalem, Friday the 13th Virus):
- This is the most common file-infecting virus. Some strains
- will delete any files executed on a Friday the 13th. The
- Jerusalem virus can cause an enormous amount of file growth
- due to multiple infections.
-
- Green Caterpillar (1575, 1591):
- The Green Caterpillar virus is another very common file
- infector. It causes infected files to grow by approximately
- 1575 to 1591 bytes. The virus may cause a "caterpillar" to
- travel across the user's screen (similar to the arcade game
- of the same name).
-
- Ping-Pong (Italian-A):
- Ping-Pong is a boot record infector that activates on a random
- basis, sending a white ball bouncing around the screen.
-
- Yankee.44.A (Yankee Doodle, TP44):
- This virus is a memory-resident file infector that may play
- "Yankee Doodle" from the system speaker at 5:00 P.M. and also
- increases an infected program's size.
-
- Azusa (Hong Kong):
- This virus infects hard disk partition tables and floppy disk
- boot records. It occasionally disables the LPT1 and COM1
- ports. It can also cause floppy drives to fail to notice when
- a diskette is removed and a new one inserted.
-
- DA.1800 (Dark Avenger):
- The Dark Avenger virus infects .COM, .EXE and .SYS files.
- After every sixteenth file is infected, the virus overwrites
- a random sector of the hard disk, destroying any programs or
- data files that happen to be using that sector.
-
-
- For additional virus information, phone the Symantec Virus
- Newsline at 1-503-465-8555 (available in the USA only).
-
- ** END OF README.TXT **
-