Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!lll-winken!iggy.GW.Vitalink.COM!widener!netnews.upenn.edu!vax1.cc.lehigh.edu!cert.sei.cmu.edu!krvw From: act@softserver.canberra.edu.au (Andrew Turner) Newsgroups: comp.virus Subject: PREVENTION of Drive A: boots - Suggestions Please (PC) Message-ID: <0009.9104231715.AA16173@ubu.cert.sei.cmu.edu> Date: 23 Apr 91 00:50:31 GMT Sender: Virus Discussion List Lines: 28 Approved: krvw@sei.cmu.edu To minimise and manage virusses at our institution I wish to prevent PC's being booted off Drive A: and only permit booting off the Hard Disk. This of course immediately presents a management problem of what to do if the Hard Disk goes bad and I need to boot off a floppy. So ideally any solution needs to address this situation. Two possibilities spring to mind: a. Use of a ROM. This would sit in the appropriate address space and be detected during the BIOS boot. The code would need to at least prevent floppy boots and desirably check for a floppy with a particular label and if detected permit the floppy boot. This would overcome the problem of a clobbered hard disk. b. Use of hardware modifications connected to a key switch mounted on the case which would be used to enable/disable floppy boots. On our machines the keyboard lock could be used for this purpose. If you have a solution that does not address all the problems still respond. ALL suggestions help welcome. For option a., actual code and/or technical specs would be appreciated. For option b., specific details please. We run both Wyse 286's and PROTECH 386sx's(towers) all with hard disks. If I get a meaningful response I'll post a summary. - -- Andrew Turner :-) | E-mail : act@csc.canberra.edu.au Comp. Services Centre | +61 6 2522414 / +61 6 2522401 University of Canberra |________________ fax +61 6 2522400 P.O. Box 1 BELCONNEN ACT 2616 AUSTRALIA |