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OCULTAR.DOC
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1990-08-11
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9KB
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212 lines
OCULTAR VERSION 1.0
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
( Uncle Carl's Famous Password Protection Plan )
(C) 1990 Carl J. Hafner ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
DISCLAIMER:
-----------
The author cannot be responcible for any damage to your equipment,
other software, or mental or physical well being caused by the use,
misuse or abuse of this program. The author also makes no guarantee
as to the compatability of this program with other software or
hardware products. Using this program means that you understand and
agree with the terms just explained. If you do not agree, DO NOT use
this program.
You are free to copy and distribute this program as long as the files
OCULTAR1.PRG\OCULTAR2.ACC\OCULTAR2.RSC\OCULTAR.DAT\OCULTAR.DOC and
REGISTER.DOC are included, are NOT MODIFIED in any way, and NO FEE
of ANY TYPE is incurred upon the recipient.
This program is SHAREWARE. If after trying it you decide it is of
use to you, you are asked to register for a nominal fee.
All registered users will receive the FULLY implemented version of
the program, (more on this later).
You may register by using either the enclosed REGISTER.DOC,
or by filling out the required information on a blank sheet of
paper and mailing it in.
OCULTAR.DOC and REGISTER.DOC are both saved in ASCII format. You can
print them out either from a word processor, or by double-clicking
on them,on the desktop, and then choosing the PRINT option.
This program works in LOW,MEDIUM & HIGH resolution.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM:
------------------
This is a fully working copy of the program with two exceptions.
The program will only accept the password help (the word help
in lower case letters, ie: LOGON: help ). It will also disable
the "invisible" protection after rebooting.
It IS possible to change the password using the program, but the
program will ONLY accept the word help. The FULLY implemented
version allows you to assign your own personal password of up to
eleven keyboard characters. There is no limit as to how many times
you can change the password. Also, if you have made the password
invisible, this version will make it visible again after you
reboot. The FULLY implemented version allows it to remain invisible
until you specify otherwise. I'm getting ahead of myself now. Let's
start at the very beginning, (a very good place to start...la,la,la).
This program works on both a floppy AND a hard disk (although
installing it on a floppy hardly makes much sense). To install
it, follow these steps...
1) Place OCULTAR1.PRG in your AUTO folder. If you are using
SuperBoot, you MUST place OCULTAR1.PRG before SUPERBTA.PRG in your
AUTO folder. If you don't, it is HIGHLY likely that SuperBoot will
ignore it. OCULTAR1.PRG is fully independent, and does not require
programs such as STARTGEM to operate. If it were the ONLY thing
in your AUTO folder, it would still work.
2) Place OCULTAR2.ACC\OCULTAR2.RSC and OCULTAR.DAT in the "root"
directory (not in a folder) of your boot drive.
If you are using a program such as SuperBoot, be sure you alert
it to the presence of these new programs. Otherwise SuperBoot
may disable it.
3) "RE-BOOT" your computer to load the program.
WHAT HAPPENS:
-------------
The program will now start to load itself. You should at some point
(depending on the size of your AUTO folder) be presented with a
LOGON prompt. This is the prompt for your password. Type in the word
help (in lower case letters) and hit <RETURN>.
If this were the FULLY implemented version, you would enter your
own password (after installing it) and hit <return>. DO NOT forget
your password (as if I had to tell you).
OCULTAR2.ACC\RSC will load next and install itself as a desk
accessory (assuming you have less than 6 accessories preceeding
it, and aren't using an accessory expander).
HOW TO USE IT:
--------------
1) Select OCULTAR from your desktop menu. The first thing to
appear is a copyright notice and a brief explanation of
how to use the program. Click once on the white area of the
box (or hit <RETURN>) to continue.
2) The next thing to appear will be a box prompting you for a
"New Password". Enter your new password (up to 11 characters)
and when you are happy with it, click on OKAY. DO NOT hit the
<RETURN> key unless you want to CANCEL the operation. If you
click on OKAY, the program will write your new password into
the password file. If you enter an empty string (nothing typed
in) you will, for all "intensive purposes",disable the password
protection. (When you get the LOGON prompt, simply hit <RETURN>).
Then the next box will appear...
3) This is the "Password Status" box. You have three options...
A) VISIBLE: When you choose this, the password file containing
your password (OCULTAR.DAT) will be visible from the GEM
desktop. This file is saved in ASCII format. Anyone who
double-clicks on it can find out your password.
B) INVISIBLE: Choosing this option will render your password
file (OCULTAR.DAT) invisible from the GEM desktop. No-one
will be able to see it (including yourself). To get it
back, simply enter a new password (or the same one), and
choose VISIBLE.
CAUTION/DISCLAIMER: DO NOT reorganize a disk drive without
first deleting all hidden OCULTAR.DAT files. If you do, the
remaining files will appear as lost-clusters, or "allocated
clusters not in files". The author cannot assume liability
for loss of data or damage to data that may result from such
actions. Depending on your set-up, you may find it necessary
to locate OCULTAR2.RSC under a different path other than the
boot drives "root" directory,(not at all recommended). OCULTAR
writes it's DAT file to the same "path" as the RSC file. If
the RSC file is in an area which is not part of normal
booting (like an accessory loader folder), than it is HIGHLY
likely that OCULTAR1.PRG won't be able to find your password.
In this event, password protection would be disabled.
If you think you've lost track of these files, you can try
using my librarian, Uncle Carl's Famous Disk Librarian
Version 2.0 (UNCLELIB.ARC) to find them. The librarian searches
ALL directories and IS capable of finding these hidden files.
When you find the hidden file, simply move the RSC file to
the same location as the hidden file and initiate a new password,
making it visible this time. Then you can delete it. In some
instances, it may also be necessary to open a path to this
directory before OCULTAR2.ACC can find it.
I'd like to say that this is not a plot on my part to get you
to use my librarian. There are probably MANY programs capable
of finding hidden files. I only mentioned my librarian because
it is the program I am most familiar with. As a rule, OCULTAR
will only write it's DAT files to the same "path" as it's RSC
file.
3) DELETE: Choosing this option will erase the file OCULTAR.DAT
completely. It is the same thing as dragging the file to the
TRASH can, the exception being that it will also erase the file
if it is invisible. OF course the file OCULTAR.DAT must be in
the same "path" as the RSC file in order for it to be erased.
TIPS:
-----
For maximum security, OCULTAR1.PRG should be the FIRST file in your
AUTO folder. For consistent security, OCULTAR2.ACC\RSC should
always remain in the "root" directory of your boot drive. This allows
the file OCULTAR.DAT to be written in a commonly accessed area.
The program should always be run from the GEM desktop to insure
consistent performance. For those of you who find this impractical,
read on...
If you are using a desktop replacement (ie: NEODESK) like I am,
it will be necessary to redefine your boot path before writing
a new password. Generally, NEODESK is loaded from inside a folder
named NEODESK. When you