Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ncar!tank!uwvax!astroatc!nicmad!brown
From: brown@nicmad.UUCP (Vidiot)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: CTRL-ALT-DEL key
Message-ID: <3818@nicmad.UUCP>
Date: 29 Mar 89 19:00:09 GMT
References: <1623@arctic.nprdc.arpa>
Reply-To: brown@nicmad.UUCP (Vidiot)
Distribution: na
Organization: Vidiot's Hangout
Lines: 33

In article <1623@arctic.nprdc.arpa> snguyen@nprdc.arpa (Son Nguyen) writes:
<
<Hello, every one.
<
<	I just wonder if (possibly done) we could write a program to
<detect the pressing of these three keys: CTRL-ALT-DEL.   In other words,
<can I write a software in the "C" language or in IBM assembly language to
<detect and maybe disable them  ?   You may say that I am a little crazy.
<The reason I would like to achieve so is because I would like to implement
<a password program hat allows only the authorized users to access my IBM
<PC XT computer.  I know how to disable the interrupts but my friends are
<smarter.  When they turn on my computer and notice that I have installed
<this program, they then press the keys CTRL-ALT-KEY and insert their own
<MS-DOS disk on the drive A:.  It may seem silly that why they don't put
<their system disk initially when they try o turn it on.  Well,  that is
<another problem.  This raises my second question:  Can we configure the
<computer to boot only with "C:" drive ?	
<
<PS:  Please, don't tell me to buy an IBM AT which
<has the key lock.  My questions are posted to achiee both
<points: for learning, and for my IBM PC  protection.

Sorry, to stop drive A: from being booted requires a rewrite of the BIOS ROMS.
So, the end result is that any diskette in drive A: will be booted.  Even
stopping the ALT-CTRL-DEL won't work; just turn the power off and on.

Newer machines not only have the key, but also have password protection built
into the BIOS.
-- 
	        harvard\     att!nicmad\
Vidiot            ucbvax!uwvax..........!astroatc!brown
	        rutgers/  decvax!nicmad/
	ARPA/INTERNET: brown%astroatc.UUCP@spool.cs.wisc.edu