Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!suned1!lev
From: lev@suned1.Nswses.Navy.MIL (Lloyd E Vancil)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: A question about hardware design X Viruses
Message-ID: <8158@suned1.Nswses.Navy.MIL>
Date: 28 Feb 91 15:50:02 GMT
Reply-To: lev@suned1.UUCP (Lloyd E Vancil)
Distribution: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Organization: NSWSES, Port Hueneme, CA
Lines: 20



With all of the news lately about various viri and other beasties. I was
wondering about the possibility of a hardware approach to protection.
Would there be any advantage to sequestering the system files (IO.com, 
Command.com, Config.sys etc) in a write protected piece of EPROM.  Since
the beasties I have been reading about, bootsectors and such like, need 
a boot sector to run from it seems to me that this would be one way of
protecting your system.
I have to admit, this is not a completely my own brainstorm.  I was looking 
at a friends Tandy TL/2 (80286 on a limited Mother board).  That's the way they
sell their systems, with the line, "you don't have to know a lot to use this
machine."


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----------------- My employer has no opinions.  These are mine! ----------------