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From: norlin@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu (Norman Lin)
Newsgroups: comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d
Subject: Re: Password program. Where ?
Message-ID: <1990Oct31.021421.7987@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu>
Date: 31 Oct 90 02:14:21 GMT
References: <90299.144326JFS10@psuvm.psu.edu> <1990Oct30.180312.5734@ccu.umanitoba.ca>
Organization: Engineering Computer Network, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK
Lines: 32

lucas@ccu.umanitoba.ca (Brian Lucas) writes:

>In article <90299.144326JFS10@psuvm.psu.edu> JFS10@psuvm.psu.edu (Jonathan Swaby) writes:
>>I am in search of a password program for my hard drive. I don't want people
>>to be able to boot with a floppy and gain access to the drive. I don't want
>>a program that protect just individual, but one that asks for the password
>>when the machine is powered on.
>>

>I doubt such a thing is possible with software.
> 
>Apparently, this is not uncommon with hardware, though - my roommate has a
>'386 that allows a power-up password to be installed, presumably in the 
>CMOS setup.  There are ways around this, as with any password, but it would

Just a thought...  if the machine in question is an AT or higher class
machine, what about the following:  set the CMOS RAM so that it thinks the
floppy drive isn't there.  Then it will boot from the hard drive, thus
running whatever password or security program is needed.

Of course on most AT's, a simple key sequence will bring up the setup menu,
but this requires a knowledgeable user.  Also, some AT's exist (such as mine)
that do not have the setup built in, so that to reconfigure CMOS requires
running an external SETUP.EXE program.

Hope this helps in some degree.  In any event, I think there is some degree
of security affordable with software only.
-- 
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