VIRUSES
By Keefy
WE’VE ALL HEARD ABOUT THE DREADED VIRUS AND HOW MUCH DAMAGE THEY CAN DO AM I RIGHT? YEP, PROBABLY. BUT THERE ARE STILL LOADS OF US OUT THERE WHO IGNORE ALL THE WARNINGS AND ONLY EVER GET THAT VIRUS BUSTER OUT WHEN IT’S ABOUT 20 DISKS TOO LATE. THE THING IS, THAT A LOT OF US STILL HAVEN’T GOT A CLUE WHAT A VIRUS DOES OR HOW IT WORKS AND SOME OF US COULDN’T CARE LESS (USUALLY THE GITS THAT WROTE THEM). I’M GOING TO PRESUME YOU KNOW ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WHATSOEVER ABOUT VIRUSES. SO LISTEN UP
VIRUSES ARE NASTY LITTLE PROGRAMS THAT ARE WRITTEN BY VERY MALICIOUS PEOPLE TO ANNOY AND IRRITATE OTHERS. ALTHOUGH IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT SOME OF THEM WERE WRITTEN BY GAMES PROGRAMMERS AS COPY PROTECTION.
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF VIRUS THERE’S THE BOOTSECTOR VIRUS AND THE LINK VIRUS. THE BOOTSECTOR VIRUS HIDES AWAY ON THE BOOTSECTOR OF YOUR DISKS SO THAT WHEN YOU BOOT UP WITH AN INFECTED DISK IN THE DRIVE. THE ST’S OPERATING SYSTEM FINDS IT LOADS IT AND RUNS IT. USUALLY THEY COPY THEMSELVES TO THE ST’S RAM AND THEN WHENEVER YOU PUT IN A NEW DISK THE LITTLE BLIGHTER COPIES ITSELF TO THE DISK. THEY ALSO DO A FEW OTHER THINGS AS WELL BUT THIS VARIES FROM VIRUS TO VIRUS. BOOTSECTOR VIRUSES CAN BE EXTREMELY HARMFUL TO COMMERCIAL GAMES AND WILL ALMOST ALWAYS COMPLETELY RUIN THE GAME AS MOST COMMERCIAL GAMES USE THE BOOTSECTOR TO START THE GAME. FOR THE SAME REASON VIRUS KILLERS SHOULD ALSO NEVER BE USED ON GAMES DISKS EITHER. UNLESS YOU’RE ABSOLUTELY SURE.
THE MOST COMMON BOOTSECTOR VIRUS BY FAR IS THE “GHOST” VIRUS. THIS ONE COPIES ITSELF TEN TIMES THEN FLIPS THE MOUSES Y AXIS AND CAN BE VERY VERY ANNOYING IF YOU ONLY NOTICE IT WHEN YOU’RE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING IMPORTANT.
OTHER VIRUSES FOUND ON THE ST ALTHOUGH NOT AS COMMON ARE:
COOKIE MONSTER, COPIES ITSELF 30 TIMES THEN PRINTS “YOU KNOW WHAT?. I WANT A COOKIE” ON SCREEN, IF YOU TYPE IN “COOKIE” YOU CAN CARRY ON WITH YOUR WORK. BUT THEN IT WILL COME BACK EVERY 20 COPIES.
PUKE, COPIES ITSELF 5 TIMES THEN FLIPPIN’ DELETES THE FIRST FILE IN THE DIRECTORY OF ANY DRIVE(LITTLE SOD)
SIGNUM/BPL, DON’T KNOW WHAT THIS DOES BUT APPARENTLY IT’S QUITE COMMON
LAB, COPIES ITSELF TEN TIMES THEN BLACKS OUT THE SCREEN.
CHOPIN, COPIES 20 ODD TIMES THEN PLAYS CHOPINS DEATH MARCH AND FREEZES THE ST, WHEN IT’S FINISHED IT PRINT’S UP “F**K YOU’VE GOT A VIRUS” RUDE HUH?
NOW ONTO LINK VIRUSES, LINK VIRUSES ATTACH THEMSELVES TO THE END OF PROGRAMS AND THEN INFECT YOUR ST WHEN YOU RUN THE PROGRAM. THEY THEN ATTACH THEMSELVES TO EACH SUBSEQUENT PROGRAM YOU EXECUTE. THESE ARE NOT REALLY AS COMMON AS BOOTSECTOR VIRUSES BUT USUALLY MUCH MORE DESTRUCTIVE AND MUCH HARDER TO DETECT. THE MAIN ONES THAT I KNOW OF ARE:
ULURU, AFTER A CERTAIN AMMOUNT OF TIME IT CREATES A TEXT FILE ON DISK SAYING “MAD ZIMMERMAN WILL BE WATCHING YOU”
VIRUS CONSRTUCTION KIT2 PRINTS ON SCREEN “YOU HAVE 10 SECONDS TO PREVENT A RESET” THEN IF YOU CANT IT RESETS YOUR ST. APPARENTLY SOME DUMB GERMAN COMPANY SOLD A KIT WHICH TAUGHT PEOPLE HOW TO WRITE THIS SO IT’S PROBABLY VERY COMMON.
CRASH, APPARENTLY LOCKS UP YOUR ST.
TO PREVENT YOURSELF FROM GETTING YOUR DISK COLLECTION INFECTED JUST FOLLOW THESE SIMPLE RULES
- ALWAYS KEEP YOUR DISKS WRITE- PROTECTED WHEREVER POSSIBLE (OBVIOUSLY YOU CAN’T IF YOU NEED TO SAVE SOMETHING”)
- CHECK YOUR ENTIRE COLLECTION AT REGULAR INTERVALS AND ALWAYS IF YOU DISCOVER A VIRUS
- ALWAYS BOOT UP WITH A CLEAN DISK
- AVOID USING THE RESET BUTTON, MOST VIRUSES ARE RESET PROOF, IT’S USUALLY BEST TO COMPLETELY SWITCH OFF FOR ABOUT A MINUTE TO ENSURE THAT THE VIRUS IS COMPLETELY WIPED FROM MEMORY
- ALWAYS CHECK NEW DISKS BEFORE USING THEM WITH A GOOD VIRUS KILLER.
- TRY AND IMMUNIZE YOUR ENTIRE COLLECTION OR AT LEAST PUT BOOT PROTECTOR ON YOUR DISKS, THE MEDWAY BOYS PROTECTOR 4 IS PRETTY GOOD. ALSO THE ULTIMATE VIRUS KILLER IS EXCELLENT AS A VIRUS DETECTOR ALTHOUGH IT COSTS £10 THE SHEER AMOUNT OF VIRUS IT CAN DETECT AND BOOTSECTORS IT CAN REPAIR IS UNBELIEVABLE.
- NEVER USE A VIRUS KILLER OR BOOTBLOCK ON A COMMERCIAL GAME.
HOPE YOU FOUND THAT INFO USEFUL, BUT BETTER STILL I HOPE YOU ALREADY KNEW ALL OF IT!
BYE! KEEFY
