Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!comp.vuw.ac.nz!waikato.ac.nz!canterbury!cctr132
From: cctr132@csc.canterbury.ac.nz (Nick FitzGerald, CSC, Uni. of Canterbury, NZ)
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.programmer
Subject: Re: Ibm Program Quest Information!
Message-ID: <1991Feb10.142645.43@csc.canterbury.ac.nz>
Date: 10 Feb 91 01:32:17 GMT
References: <28.27B3A209@bohemia.metronet.org>
Lines: 46

In article <28.27B3A209@bohemia.metronet.org>,
Greg.Smith@p11.f477.n104.z1.METRONET.ORG (Greg Smith) writes:
 
> To: cosc13gb@jetson.uh.edu
> In a message to All <07 Feb 91 04:13> Cosc13gb@jetson.uh.edu wrote:
>
>[much deleted] 
> 
>  Co>   6. Can virus survive a format in any form( bad sector? ) ? what if
>  Co>      format from a clean DOS and format report no bad sector?
> Nope, unless the virus is doing the formatting itself, skipping over itself...

Sorry Greg - you are right and wrong.  If the virus is not doing the formatting
but is a partition and/or boot sector infector which goes resident *and* it is
resident and active when you do the format, it *may* reinfect the HD as part of
the formatting process or when you re-install the system and/or restore your
files from backup.  Resident file infectors may reinfect some/all files as you
restore from backups, if still resident and active.

Moral:  If you *must* reformat following a virus attack (much less likely than
most people seem to think - the need to reformat, that is!), do a true cold
boot from a guaranteed clean floppy.

>  Co>   7. how to temporary write-protect a hard disk ? source wanted.  I have
>  Co>      seen a couple but don't how effective it is
> I'd love to see this done myself..

There are others which I can't recall the names of, but look out for WPROT2
- a neat little TSR that write-protects C: and format-protects any other HD's
in your system.  (No source.)

>[more deletions] 
>  Co>   9. how to make screen flash to
>  Co> replace warning bell? this is a neat idea
>  Co>      from some commerial software. I just want to see how it's done i.e.
>  Co>      source wanted
> Intercept the printing of characters in your program and falsh the screen
> when a ^G is encountered.

This will only work some of the time - there are other ways to make noises from
a PC.  I think it's a good idea for programmers to offer the flashing screen as
an optional replacement for the warning bell.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Nick FitzGerald, PC Applications Consultant, CSC, Uni of Canterbury, N.Z. 
 Internet: n.fitzgerald@csc.canterbury.ac.nz        Phone: (64)(3) 642-337