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PC-Vault Version 4.4 Hard Disk Protection System (Formerly called PC-Lock) User's Manual (c) Copyright 1989 by Johnson Computer Systems, Inc. 20 Dinwiddie Place Newport News, VA 23602 (804) 872-9583 Table of Contents THANK YOU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 ABOUT THIS MANUAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 WHAT PC-VAULT DOES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 RESTRICTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 YOUR PC-VAULT LICENSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 USING PC-VAULT MENUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 PC-VAULT PASSWORDS AND USER NAMES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 HOW TO INSTALL PC-VAULT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 USING THE PC-VAULT MAIN PROGRAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 HOW TO USE THE MAIN MENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 How to Change PC-Vault Names/Passwords . . . . . . . . . 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 The PC-Vault Hot Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Selecting Automatic Lunchbreak . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 USING THE PC-VAULT PROGRAM AFTER IT IS INSTALLED . . . . . . 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 YOUR PC-VAULT FILES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 PC-Vault 4.4 User's Manual - Page 2 THANK YOU Thank you for investing in PC-Vault (formerly PC-Lock) version 4.4. We believe you will find it to be an effective and convenient security system for your IBM-PC/XT/AT/PS2 or compatible. Version 1.1 was reviewed in the June 23, 1987 issue of PC-Magazine and listed among "The Best of the Best Utilities." Subsequent versions have provided enhanced security and many new features. Please note that you are not licensed to use this software until you have read and agree to the "DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY" and "YOUR PC-VAULT LICENSE" beginning on page 5. If you have any suggestions for improvements, please tell us about them. While we cannot make every change in either the manuals or the programs which has been suggested by our users, we do give careful consideration to each suggestion and have implemented many of them. ABOUT THIS MANUAL While many people have told us that they are able to use PC- Vault without reading the manual, we know that others prefer a complete written description of the programs they use. This is why we have attempted to make PC-Vault as easy to use as possible without reading the manual as well as provided complete administrator and user manuals. The features of PC-Vault are accessed from simple menus. This manual describes each menu and provides a detailed description of each feature accessible from that menu. If there is a file named READ-ME.1ST on your distribution diskette, please read it before proceeding. It contains information on last minute enhancements to the program and its associated manuals. WHAT PC-VAULT DOES After you install PC-Vault you will be asked to enter a password each time your computer is booted from its hard disk. Just type your password and press return. The boot process will then continue normally. When you boot from a diskette, the system will boot normally, but you will not be able to access your hard disk. The PC-Vault LunchBreak feature provides protection for your computer when it is running but the operator is not physically present. When a computer is in the LunchBreak state: The screen is completely blank, PC-Vault 4.4 User's Manual - Page 3 The keyboard is locked, and Processing continues normally. This means that a large spread sheet computation, data base operation, or other process will continue normally during LunchBreak. A "would be" observer will not be able either to see or exercise control over the operation. LunchBreak may be activated by pressing the user selectable PC- Vault hot key. If you so choose or if the administrator has so required, the LunchBreak feature will be automatically activated after a selectable period of keyboard inactivity. When the correct password is entered, the screen and keyboard will return to normal operation. This feature not only provides protection for the data on the PC's hard disk but also protects any mainframe or network to which the PC is logged on. This software security program is probably somewhat more secure than a dead bolt lock on your front door. A sufficiently knowledgeable and determined individual will be able to circumvent the system, as indeed any software security system can be circumvented. The level of protection provided is, however, sufficient for most purposes and exceeds that of any similar program known to us. Data encryption is the most secure method for protecting your data. Our DesMaster program provides full Data Encryption Standard (DES) encryption with very short encryption/decryption times. It also provides QuickDes encryption which omits certain steps of the full DES encryption process. The steps we omit are widely regarded as not strengthening the DES algorithm. Our proprietary Flash encryption, which is not as secure as DES but is extremely fast, is also included. For more information on DesMaster, please contact us. RESTRICTIONS PC-Vault does not work with any product that places non-standard sector sizes on your hard disk. Your hard drive(s) should not contain partitions belonging to operating systems other than DOS, and you should not use FDISK while PC-Vault is installed. In this version of PC-Vault, screen blanking does not always work correctly from within MS-Windows. We hope to rectify this in a later version. PC-Vault 4.4 User's Manual - Page 4 DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY PC-Vault, PC-Vault Plus, AND ASSOCIATED SOFTWARE AND THIS DOCUMENTATION ARE SOLD "AS-IS" AND WITHOUT WARRANTIES AS TO PERFORMANCE OR MERCHANTABILITY. THE SELLER'S SALESPERSONS AND/OR THIS OR OTHER DOCUMENTATION PROVIDED BY JOHNSON COMPUTER SYSTEMS, INC. MAY HAVE MADE STATEMENTS ABOUT THIS SOFTWARE. ANY SUCH STATEMENTS DO NOT CONSTITUTE WARRANTIES AND SHALL NOT BE RELIED ON BY THE BUYER IN DECIDING WHETHER TO PURCHASE AND/OR USE THIS PROGRAM. PC-Vault, PC-Vault Plus, AND ASSOCIATED SOFTWARE AND THIS DOCUMENTATION ARE SOLD WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES WHATSOEVER. BECAUSE OF THE DIVERSITY OF CONDITIONS AND HARDWARE UNDER WHICH THIS PROGRAM MAY BE USED, NO WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE IS OFFERED. THE USER IS ADVISED TO BACKUP ALL DATA ON HARD DISKS BEFORE TRYING IT, AND TO THOROUGHLY TEST IT BEFORE RELYING ON IT. THE USER MUST ASSUME THE ENTIRE RISK OF USING THE PROGRAM. ANY LIABILITY OF SELLER OR MANUFACTURER WILL BE LIMITED EXCLUSIVELY TO PRODUCT REPLACEMENT OR REFUND OF THE PURCHASE PRICE. If within thirty days after we ship your order, you wish to discontinue using PC-Vault because it does not perform to YOUR expectations or because you do not agree with the terms and conditions under which it is sold, we will be happy to refund your full purchase price. Just write to us stating that you do not and will not have PC-Vault installed on any of your computer(s) and that you no longer have any copies of the program. Enclose the original PC-Vault diskette(s) with your letter. We would appreciate a description of any problem(s) you encountered, but you are in no way obligated to provide one. YOUR PC-VAULT LICENSE AFTER you have read and AGREE TO the Disclaimer of Warranty you are licensed to install and use PC-Vault Version 4.4 on the number of computers for which the license fee has been paid. Removing PC-Vault from one computer and installing it on another is specifically permitted and does not increase the number of computers for which the license fee must be paid. Any form of disassembly or reverse engineering of any portion of any version of PC-Vault is specifically not included in your license or granted by it and is explicitly prohibited. PC-Vault Version 4.4 is a fully copyrighted software product and Johnson Computer Systems, Inc. reserves all rights which are not specifically granted in this license. PC-Vault 4.4 User's Manual - Page 5 USING PC-VAULT MENUS Each menu contains the list of functions which you may perform when that menu is displayed. You may select any item from a menu simply by Pressing the letter displayed in front of that item, or Using the "up" and/or "down" cursor control keys to position the light-bar (inverse video) over the item and pressing return. Additional information about a function may be displayed by moving the light bar to the item and pressing the "?" key. Letters and the "?" may be typed in either upper or lower case. Either the Escape or the "E" keys may be used to exit any menu. The menus shown in this manual may differ slightly from those displayed on the screen due to page/screen size limitations. PC-VAULT PASSWORDS AND USER NAMES All PC-Vault passwords consist of zero to sixteen characters (key-strokes). The minimum password length may be set to any value from zero to sixteen by the administrator. User names are optional. If used, they must be from one to seven characters in length. User names are set by the administrator, and may also be set by the user if the administrator has granted that permission. You must enter a password (and at the administrator's option, a user name) whenever the computer is booted from the hard disk, whenever you wish to exit LunchBreak, and whenever the PC-VAULT program is started. If user names are required, begin by entering your user name and pressing the return key. Then enter your password and press the return key. If the entry is correct you will hear two short tones, otherwise you will hear one long tone and the system will wait for you to start the process over. No tones are ever sounded immediately after a user name is entered. The backspace key may be used to correct errors in the normal manner. The escape key may be used to terminate the present attempt and start all over. The return key signifies the end of your user name or password. After entering a password, you may hear a sequence of "beeps" alternating between two tones. This is called an alarm and PC-Vault 4.4 User's Manual - Page 6 occurs when a number of consecutive incorrect user name/password entries have occurred. The number of consecutive incorrect entries required to trigger the alarm is determined by the administrator. If the number of consecutive errors exceeds another limit, also chosen by the administrator, the machine will sound the alarm and then lock for five minutes following each incorrect entry. Turning the machine off will not influence the count of incorrect entries. If the machine is turned off during a five minute lock-up, the five minutes will be repeated from the beginning when the machine is next re-booted. For more information on user names and passwords, see the section on changing passwords on page 8. HOW TO INSTALL PC-VAULT Before installing PC-Vault, it is important that you read the warranty disclaimer and the terms of your license starting on page 5. You are not licensed to install and/or use this program until you have read and agree with the terms and conditions contained in those sections. Thank you. While we have a very high degree of confidence in PC-Vault, it is impossible to guarantee that any software program will work on all of the millions of differently configured systems on which it may be used. For this reason we ask that you ensure you have a current backup of your hard disk before you install PC-Vault. We do not anticipate that you will experience any problems in installing and using PC-Vault, but we do want you to be able to recover in the unlikely event a problem does occur. If you have an earlier version of PC-Vault installed on your computer, please remove it by using that version of PC-Vault. (NOTE: Your earlier version may have been called PC-Lock.) You will need to have the file PC-VAULT.EXE on a diskette drive or on your hard disk. To install or use PC-Vault simply enter PC-VAULT You may need to type the drive letter if the drive containing PC- Vault is not the default drive, for example: A:PC-VAULT or C:PC-VAULT If PC-Vault is not installed, the menu shown in Fig. 1 will be displayed: PC-Vault 4.4 User's Manual - Page 7 Simply select the Install option. After PC-Vault installation has been completed a screen giving important information will be displayed. Please read it carefully in its entirety. After reading the screen, press any key and the main menu will be displayed. Please note that a file named CLEANDSK.DRV has been placed in the root directory of your hard drive and the line DEVICE=CLEANDSK.DRV has been added to your CONFIG.SYS file. Do not delete the file or alter the device statement. The installation process is completed by selecting any desired items from the main menu. For a complete description of the use of this menu see "HOW TO USE THE MAIN MENU" on page 8. When all desired selections (if any) have been made, select the E (END THIS PROGRAM) option to return to DOS. Protection is now in effect. The LunchBreak feature will not be available until you reboot your computer. USING THE PC-VAULT MAIN PROGRAM If you run the PC-Vault program when PC-Vault is already installed on the computer, you will immediately be asked to enter your password. As soon as your password is correctly entered, the main menu shown in Fig. 2 will be displayed. HOW TO USE THE MAIN MENU For general information on using menus, see "HOW TO USE PC-VAULT MENUS" on page 6. You may return to DOS from the main menu by selecting the E option or by pressing the Esc key. The following sections describe the use of each main menu option. How to Change PC-Vault Names/Passwords You may change your password by selecting the P (Change PASSWORD) option from the main menu. If the administrator has allowed users to change their user names, a screen similar to that shown in the upper portion of Fig. 3 will allow you to change your user name. If you just press return, the name will not be changed and you will go directly to the password definition screen shown in Fig. 4. If you enter a new name you will be asked to enter it again to be sure you entered it correctly. The administrator may require that user names be entered whenever a password is required, so please be certain you remember your user name. After the name has been defined the upper portion of Fig. 4 is displayed. Please read the screen and then enter the new password of your choice. If you do not wish to change the PC-Vault 4.4 User's Manual - Page 8 password, press the escape key. The example in the figure shows that the user has selected "SECRET-STUFF" as the new password. After you enter your password you will be asked to enter it once more just to be certain it has been entered correctly. The lower portion of the screen shown in Fig. 4 is then displayed and the new password is stored. The PC-Vault Hot Key The PC-Vault hot key is used to place your computer in LunchBreak. (For more information on LunchBreak, see "WHAT PC- VAULT DOES" on page 3.) The hot key is actually a combination of two or more keys held down simultaneously. The original hot key consists of the left and right shift keys. You may change it to any combination of two or more of the following keys: Left Shift, Right Shift, Alt, and Ctrl. To change your hot key, select the K (Define new hot KEY) option from the main menu. The hot key selection screen shown in Fig. 5 will then be displayed. Simply follow the directions on the screen and your new hot key will be in effect. Selecting Automatic Lunchbreak You may choose to have your computer automatically enter the LunchBreak state when your keyboard has been idle for a specified period from 3 to 60 minutes. If you are using a mouse, see VMOUSE on page 11. (Remember that your computer will continue the task it was performing. This is true for both hot key and automatic activation of LunchBreak.) If you select a time of 61 minutes, automatic activation of LunchBreak is disabled and your computer will go into LunchBreak only when the hot key is pressed. If you find that PC-Vault places the maximum value you can enter below 61, the administrator has selected that lower value. To select, deselect or change the automatic lunch break time, choose the I (Select maximum keyboard IDLE time) item from the main menu. The screen shown in Fig. 6 will then be displayed. Simply enter the desired time and press return. USING THE PC-VAULT PROGRAM AFTER IT IS INSTALLED Whenever you run the PC-Vault program on a machine on which PC- Vault is already installed, you will be asked to enter your PC-Vault 4.4 User's Manual - Page 9 password. When you enter a correct password, the main menu will be displayed. You may then select any of the options shown. Each of these is described in detail in the preceding sections. Your selections will be effective immediately. When the system is in LunchBreak, the password used to boot the computer or the administrator's password may be used to exit LunchBreak. The administrator may choose to allow any user name/password to exit LunchBreak. The permissions and capabilities normally associated with the password used to exit LunchBreak will then be in effect. YOUR PC-VAULT FILES This section describes some of the files on your PC-Vault distribution diskette, as well as those files created by PC- Vault during or after installation. The remainder of the files are described in the administrator's manual. BRK-CNTL.COM - This program is used to enable/disable Ctrl-Break and Ctrl-C at any time after your computer is booted. The system administrator can prevent users from breaking out of the AUTOEXEC file during system boot. This program can be placed in the AUTOEXEC file to re-enable breaks. Use BRK-CNTL ON to enable breaks and BRK-CNTL OFF to disable them. Resident programs, such as some of the DOS keyboard utilities for various languages which completely take over the keyboard interrupt, will cause your machine to recognize breaks even when you have them disabled. They will also prevent PC-Vault from "knowing" when you are typing on your keyboard. Thus, if you have selected the automatic LunchBreak feature, PC-Vault may go into LunchBreak right while you are typing. To prevent both of these anomalies you may also use the optional RES parameter. This will direct BRK-CNTL to remain resident. For example, BRK-CNTL ON RES will enable breaks and cause BRK-CNTL to remain resident. The RES parameter should be used after the resident program which takes over the keyboard and should be used only once per system boot. CLEANDSK.DRV - This file is a device driver. It is not on your PC-Vault diskette, but is created on your hard disk when you install PC-Vault. It will be automatically deleted when the PC-Vault 4.4 User's Manual - Page 10 administrator removes PC-Vault. THIS FILE MUST NOT BE DELETED IN ANY OTHER WAY BECAUSE YOUR COMPUTER WILL NOT BOOT FROM ITS HARD DRIVE UNLESS IT IS PRESENT. PC-VAULT.EXE - This is the main PC-Vault program and is described in the preceding sections of this manual. SET-TIME.COM - This program provides an alternate method for setting the maximum keyboard idle time before automatic Lunchbreak to any value between 3 and 61 minutes or the maximum allowed by the system administrator. For more information on automatic lunchbreak see "Selecting automatic LunchBreak" on page 9. If you use a non-resident program which completely takes over the keyboard and you have automatic LunchBreak selected, PC- Vault may go into LunchBreak right while you are typing. This can be prevented by using a simple batch file. If the name of your program is DOWORLD and you normally use a maximum idle time of five minutes, the batch file: SET-TIME 61 DOWORLD SET-TIME 5 would prevent automatic Lunchbreak while DOWORLD is executing. If the program causing the problem is resident, see the BRK-CNTL program described above. VMOUSE.COM - This utility causes the automatic LunchBreak feature to treat mouse activity as keyboard activity. It also prevents anyone from using the mouse while your computer is in LunchBreak. VMOUSE should be loaded after your mouse driver. If your mouse driver is a device driver (commonly MOUSE.SYS or MSCMOUSE.SYS) place a VMOUSE statement near the beginning of your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. If your mouse driver is loaded from your AUTOEXEC,BAT file, place the VMOUSE statement immediately after the statement that loads your mouse driver. PC-Vault 4.4 User's Manual - Page 11 ╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ PC-Vault Hard Disk Protection System - Version 4.4 ║ ║ (C)Copyright 1988 by Johnson Computer Systems, Inc. ║ ║ 20 Dinwiddie Place, Newport News VA. (804) 872-9583 ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ PC-Vault is not installed on this computer. ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ Please press the LETTER in front of the option you wish. ║ ║ ║ ║ E. END this program. ║ ║ ║ ║ H. HOW to use this menu. ║ ║ ║ ║ I. INSTALL PC-Vault. ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ Fig. 1 - PC-Vault Installation Menu ╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ PC-Vault Hard Disk Protection System - Version 4.4 ║ ║ ║ ║ Please press the LETTER in front of the option you wish. ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ E. END this program. ║ ║ ║ ║ H. HOW to use this menu. ║ ║ ║ ║ P. Change PASSWORD. ║ ║ ║ ║ K. Define new hot KEY combination. ║ ║ ║ ║ I. Set maximum keyboard IDLE time. ║ ║ ║ ╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ Fig. 2 - PC-Vault Main Menu PC-Vault 4.4 User's Manual - Page 12 ╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ ║ ║ PC-Vault Name Definition ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ The current name for this user is: Admin ║ ║ ║ ║ Press return to retain this name, or enter a new name: Tiny ║ ║ ║ ║ Please enter the new name again to be sure its correct: Tiny ║ ║ You may be required to enter this name to gain access. ║ ║ ║ ╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ Fig. 3 - Change User Name Screen ╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ ║ ║ PC-Vault Password Definition ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ Passwords may be one to sixteen key strokes, and include ║ ║ letters, numbers, and the keys: space - = [ ] ; , . ║ ║ ║ ║ Case is not significant. Three special keys are: ║ ║ Backspace - Used to correct an error in the normal way. ║ ║ Return - Means, "Password entry is complete." ║ ║ Escape - Means, "I don't want to enter a password." ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ Please enter new password and press return: SECRET-STUFF ║ ║ ║ ║ Your new password is defined. Whenever PC-Vault asks for ║ ║ your password, type it in and then press return. You MUST ║ ║ be able to enter it correctly. We suggest you use your ║ ║ print screen key and then keep it in a safe place. ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ Please press any key to continue. ║ ║ ║ ╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ Fig. 4 - Password Definition Screen PC-Vault 4.4 User's Manual - Page 13 ╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ PC-Vault Hard Disk Protection System - Version 4.4 ║ ║ ║ ║ You may now select the keys which will cause your computer's ║ ║ screen to blank (if selected) and your keyboard to lock ║ ║ until you enter your password. ║ ║ ║ ║ Please press any two or more of the following keys: ║ ║ ║ ║ Left Shift Right Shift Alt Ctrl ║ ║ ║ ║ Hold them down until you hear a two tone beep and you are ║ ║ asked to release them. You will have to hold the keys down ║ ║ approximately four seconds. ║ ║ ║ ╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ Fig. 5 - Hot Key Selection Screen ╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ PC-Vault Hard Disk Protection System - Version 4.4 ║ ║ ║ ║ You may request that your machine automatically go into the ║ ║ LunchBreak state if the keyboard is idle for a specified ║ ║ time period. You may select a time period from 3 to 61 ║ ║ minutes. ║ ║ ║ ║ A time of 61 minutes means that automatic LunchBreak will ║ ║ never occur. ║ ║ ║ ║ The current keyboard idle time is 5 minutes. ║ ║ ║ ║ Please enter new keyboard idle time in minutes: ║ ║ ║ ╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ Fig. 6 - Maximum Idle Time Selection Screen