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▀█▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▄ ▄▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█▀ ▀▄ ▀▄ ▄▀ ▄▀ ▄▀ ▀▄ ▀▄ ▄▀ ▄▀ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▀ ▀▄ ▀▄ ▄▀ ▄▀ ▄▀ ▀▄ ▀ ▄▀ ▄▀ ▀▄ ▄▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█▀ ▀▄ ▄▀ ▄▀ ▀▄▄▄▄▄█▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▀ TM █ █ █ █▀▀▀▀▀█ █ █ █▀▀▀▀▀▀ ██ █ █ █ █ █ █ █▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▀█ ▄▀ ██ ██▀▀█▀▀ ██ █ ██ ▀▄▀ ██ ██ ▀▄ ██▄▄▄▄█ ▄▄▄▄▄██ █▀▀▀▀▀█ █▀▀▀▀▀▀ █▀▀▀▄ █ ▀▀▀█▀▀▀ █▀▀▀▀▀█ █▀▀▀▀█ █ █ █▄▄▄ █ █ █ █ █ █ █▄▄▄▄█▄ █ ██ █▄ ██ █ █ ██ ██▀▀█▀▀ █▄ █ ██ ██▄▄▄▄█ ██▄▄▄▄▄ ██ ▀▄█ ██ ██ ▀▄ ██ █ ██▄▄▄▄▄ Version 3.00 Copyright (C) 1990, 1991 by Alejandro L. Abello the High-flying Hard-lander SHARE-WARE NOTICE: Virus Central is distributed as share-ware. You are granted the limited license to use the program for a trial period (about three weeks) and are encouraged to share it with friends and associates, provided that copies are distributed in their complete and unmodified form, no amount is charged for the program (with the exception of a distribution fee not to exceed $5.00), and it is not distributed as part of a promotional package. Registration is required for continued use of Virus Central beyond the trial period. The program and this manual are provided "AS IS" and without warranties as to performance of merchantibility and any other warranties expressed or implied. In the course of testing the program for compatibility and suitability to purpose, the user of must assume the entire risk of using Virus Central. The Virus Central program and manual are provided "AS IS" and without warranties as to performance of merchantibility and any other warranties, expressed or implied. In the course of testing the program for compatibility and suitability to purpose, the user must assume the entire risk of using Virus Central. While much care was made in the preparation of the Virus Central program and manual, the author shall assume no responsibility for defects in the program and/or errors or ommisions in the manual. ** TABLE OF CONTENTS ** ================================================================ INTRODUCTION................................................. 1 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:......................................... 2 INSTALLATION................................................. 2 USING VIRUS CENTRAL.......................................... 4 Screen Lay Out............................................ 4 A) Virus Central CGA/EGA Screen Orientation............ 5 B) Virus Central LITE Screen Orientation............... 5 General Notes On Mouse Use................................ 5 Options From The Main Menu And User's Screen.............. 6 The Screen Saver.......................................... 6 Configuration Option Locking.............................. 7 Additional Notes: CGA vs. EGA vs. LITE.................... 8 THE VIRUS/NET SCAN MENU...................................... 10 THE CLEAN UP MENU............................................ 13 THE INFORMATION SCREEN....................................... 14 THE SET UP MENU.............................................. 16 THE PROGRAM SUB-MENU...................................... 16 THE VIRUS/NET SCAN SUB-MENU............................... 18 THE CLEAN UP SUB-MENU..................................... 18 THE VIRUS LIST SUB-MENU................................... 19 SAVE OPTIONS.............................................. 21 THE DOS SHELL OPTION......................................... 22 THE QUIT OPTION.............................................. 22 THE CLEAN UP SEQUENCE........................................ 23 COMMAND LINE SWITCHES........................................ 24 The /NOMOUSE Switch....................................... 24 The /IGNORE Switch........................................ 24 The /AUTO Switch.......................................... 25 The /EGARAM Switch (EGA version only)..................... 25 The /EMSRAM Switch (EGA version only)..................... 25 The /SWAPFILE Switch (EGA version only)................... 26 The /MONO Switch (LITE version only)...................... 26 The /COLOR Switch (LITE version only)..................... 26 The /QUICKCGA Switch (LITE version only).................. 27 TEMPORARY FILES.............................................. 28 IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE.......................................... 29 ================================================================ V I R U S C E N T R A L Version 3.00 CGA/EGA/LITE Copyright (C) 1990, 1991 by Alejandro L. Abello the High-flying Hard-lander INTRODUCTION Virus Central is a shell program that simplifies the use of ViruScan, NetScan and CleanUp, all from McAfee Associates. It provides a menu oriented environment that does away with the need to memorize command line parameters. It is ideally suited for locations that devote a computer to checking incoming diskettes for virus infections (i.e. the computer lab of a college). The user interface is graphics/text based and works well with a mouse, although keyboard use is equally pleasant. As an added bonus, Virus Central has a built-in screen-saver that clears the screen after a specified amount of time to prevent screen image burn-in. The single most powerful feature of Virus Central is its Clean Up sequence. As a disk is scanned using ViruScan or NetScan, infections detected are noted and placed in a queue. After the scan is completed, Virus Central executes CleanUp and passes the information stored in the queue to the program, effectively automating the process. This feature is invaluable for cleaning disks with multiple file infections. This manual has been prepared to familiarize you with Virus Central. Although already fairly easy to use, I suggest you take some time to go over this text to learn more about the program. I have tried to be as thorough as possible in order for users to fully benefit from Virus Central. A special note should be made that the samples of the menus in the text are replicas of the menus that you will see on the screens of Virus Central LITE. The menus used in Virus Central CGA/EGA are similar, but not exactly alike. I would like to express my gratitude to Mr. John McAfee, who reviewed and tested a preliminary copy of the program, and whose kind words convinced me of its potential; Mr. Aryeh Goretsky, whose comments and suggestions were invaluable in the further development of the project; and all the guys 'n gals in the College of San Mateo's computer lab (Charlotte, Mike, John, Mark, Dave, Tonette, Robin, Stan, Steve, Yulin, and Andy), for pushing the project to a higher ground. THANK YOU, ALL! Alejandro L. Abello The High-flying Hard-lander Page 1 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: To get the most from Virus Central, your system should have the following: * The ViruScan, NetScan, and CleanUp programs, from McAfee Associates. NetScan will only be needed if you are running the program in a networked environment, but ViruScan and CleanUp is required. * IBM AT or compatible - Virus Central will work fine on a 4.77 Mhz PC compatible, but it will be slow (as can be expected when graphics are used). It functions decently on 10 Mhz Turbo XT machines, but is still pretty sluggish. * 512k RAM minimum (Virus Central CGA/EGA) = OR = 384k RAM minimum (Virus Central LITE) these memory requirements could easily go up if you have memory resident programs installed, or if the memory requirements of ViruScan, NetScan and CleanUp increase. * MS-DOS/PC-DOS 2.1 or later. * A hard disk drive - it may be possible to run Virus Central off of two floppy disk drives or even a RAM drive, but it was intended to run off of a hard disk. * CGA compatible video adapter/display (Virus Central CGA), = OR = EGA compatible video adapter/display (Virus Central EGA), = OR = Any video adapter/display (Virus Central LITE) * A mouse (optional). INSTALLATION Virus Central requires 2 program files to operate, along with ViruScan and CleanUp. The files are: CENTRAL.EXE - The main Virus Central program CENTRAL.CFG - The configuration file for Virus Central To install, simply copy these two files to the same directory on your hard disk as ViruScan, NetScan and CleanUp (which I presume are all in one directory). Make sure that you have set the DOS "PATH" variable to that directory, so that you may execute the program from any other directory. Virus Central (or, simply, "Central") normally searches the path for the configuration file. The distribution copy of Central is configured for a machine Page 2 that has three local disk drives (A, B, and C), the three drives are designated as the "Quick-Key" disk drives, the ViruScan, NetScan and CleanUp programs are installed in the root directory of the hard disk ("C:\"), the Stoned virus is specified as the default virus, and the list of viruses are those recognized by CleanUp 80. If you wish to make changes to this configuration, refer to the "Set Up Menu" section in this text for more information. There are some instances where you may wish to rename the Virus Central program file, CENTRAL.EXE, to something else, particularly to safe guard it from viruses that search for and infect specific files. You can give Virus Central any legal file name you wish, but the file name of the main program and the configuration file must be the same. For example, if you rename "CENTRAL.EXE" to "VC.EXE," then "CENTRAL.CFG" must be renamed to "VC.CFG." The configuration file must always have the extension "CFG." You may, also, rename the ViruScan, NetScan and CleanUp programs, if you so choose, but make sure to specify the new file names in the configuration file. Refer to the "Program Sub-Menu" section in this text for more information. Page 3 USING VIRUS CENTRAL To use Virus Central, simply enter "CENTRAL" at the DOS prompt. Central normally looks for a mouse driver, and, if a driver is installed, initializes the program's mouse handling routines. If your mouse driver is installed and you prefer to use Central without the mouse, enter "CENTRAL /NOMOUSE" instead. Aside from the /NOMOUSE command line switch, there are other command line switches which you may want to use when running Virus Central. For a list of these switches, and explanantions as to their uses, refer to the "Command Line Switches" section in this text. Screen Lay Out Assuming everything works alright, Central's user screen will appear. The main menu, located on the top row of the screen, presents you with six options: Virus/Net Scan : allows you to modify the options of ViruScan/ NetScan and execute the program Clean Up : allows you to modify the options of CleanUp and execute the program Information : displays information about selected virus Set Up : allows you to modify the configuration of Virus Central and save them to disk DOS Shell : loads up a copy of the DOS command processor Quit : terminates Virus Central and returns to DOS Aside from the above mentioned options, there is a small diamond character on the upper-left corner of the screen, used for manually invoking the screen-saver with a mouse. ================================================================ IMPORTANT! Because the main menu options "Virus/Net Scan" and "Clean Up" are directly related to the "ViruScan," "NetScan," and "CleanUp" programs, respectively, it will be the notation of this manual to refer to "Virus/Net Scan" and "Clean Up" (with spaces between the words) as the program options of Virus Central, and "ViruScan," "NetScan" and "CleanUp" (without spaces between the words) as the actual programs of McAfee Associates; the executable files "SCAN.EXE," "NETSCAN.EXE," and "CLEAN.EXE" ================================================================ Page 4 A) Virus Central CGA/EGA Screen Orientation On the lower-right portion of the screen are four boxes, indicating the "Quick-Key" scan disk drives; function keys [F1] to [F4] assigned to "scan" user selected disk drives. On the upper-right portion of the screen is a small box containing the ID of the current virus (by default, this is "[STONED]"). On the lower-left, occupying a majority of the user's screen, is the ViruScan/NetScan/CleanUp window, which I affectionately refer to as the "black box." Output from ViruScan, NetScan and CleanUp, which normally goes to the text screen, is diverted to this window, so that you never have to leave the Central user's screen. This window has a text resolution of 80 x 22 characters; three lines had to be sacrificed to make the black box fit right on the screen, but this is hardly a problem. B) Virus Central LITE Screen Orientation On the bottom row of the screen are four messages, indicating the "Quick-Key" scan disk drives; function keys [F1] to [F4] assigned to "scan" user selected disk drives. On the upper-right portion of the screen is a small box containing the ID of the current virus (by default, this is "[STONED]"). In the very middle and occupying a majority of the screen is the ViruScan/NetScan/CleanUp window, which I affectionately refer to as the "black box." Output from ViruScan, NetScan and CleanUp is redirected to this window, so that you never have to leave the Central user's screen. This window has a text resolution of 78 x 21 characters; four lines had to be sacrificed to make the black box fit right on the screen, but this is hardly a problem. General Notes On Mouse Use Most of the options in Virus Central are mouse selectable. To select an option with a mouse, position the mouse cursor (a black arrow in the CGA and EGA versions or a solid block in the LITE version) over the desired option and press any key on the mouse. This mouse selection process of positioning and pressing will, from here on, be refered to as "clicking," and any phrase that goes "click on..." or "clicking on..." will refer to this procedure. Some options, such as the Quick-Keys on the user's screen, are enclosed in little boxes. These options are mouse selectable by clicking anywhere inside the box. When entering a string, such as the overlay extension list in the Virus/Net Scan menu, or a number, such as the color setting in the Program sub-menu, a mouse may be used to select the Page 5 option, but cannot be used to position the cursor for editting or entering the string/number. Options From The Main Menu And User's Screen Options are easily selected using the keyboard or a mouse (if one is available). When an option is available, it is shown on the screen as bold characters. When an option is not available, it is "fuzzed" out, and attempts to select it will fail. There are three ways to select options from the main menu. You could use the left and right arrow keys to move the cursor over the desired option and press [Enter] to select it. A quicker way is to press the letter key corresponding to the underlined letter of the option (i.e. press [V] to select the Virus/Net Scan option). The third method would be to click on it with the mouse. Note that the Virus/Net Scan, Clean Up, and Set Up options produce their own menus, and even sub-menus. Function keys [F1] to [F4] are defined as Quick-Keys; pressing one of these function keys will scan a disk drive using ViruScan or NetScan using the parameters set in the Virus/Net Scan or Set Up menus. By default, disk drives A, B, and C are set up as Quick-Key disk drives, where: [F1] executes ViruScan on drive A, [F2] executes ViruScan on drive B, [F3] executes ViruScan on drive C, and [F4] is not assigned a drive. The Quick-Key disk drive assignments may be changed from the Set Up menu's Program sub-menu. It is advisable to designate floppy disk drives as Quick-Keys since floppy disks are the ones most often checked for infections. You may also wish to set up a network disk drive in a Quick-Key; Central checks to see if the disk drive is defined as a local or network disk drive and executes ViruScan or NetScan accordingly. The Screen Saver One of Virus Central's most attractive features is its built-in screen-saver. The screen-saver prevents Central's graphics/text screen from "burning into" your monitor by blanking your screen and displaying psychedelic, seemingly random graphics. Pressing any key or mouse button returns you to the program, at the point you left off. Normally, the screen-saver is automatically triggered by Central after a set number of minutes of "idle time" (3 minutes, by default). For our purposes, idle time is defined as a period wherein Central awaits keyboard or mouse input and is not executing any other task. From the user's screen, you can manually invoke the screen-saver by pressing the [B] key or by clicking on the diamond character on the Page 6 upper-left corner of the screen. The number of minutes of idle time Central waits, the "time lapse," may be set from the Set Up menu's Program sub-menu. Configuration Option Locking Normally, all of Virus Central's main menu options are available at the press of a key or the click of a mouse button. There are, however, situations wherein you would prefer to make the options that modify the configuration of the program inaccessible; specifically, the Virus/Net Scan, Clean Up, and Set Up options. For example, if the program were used in the computer lab of a school, you certainly wouldn't want the curious and/or mishievous hacker types messing around with the program's settings, would you? For this reason, the Virus/Net Scan, Clean Up, and Set Up options can be "locked." In the locked state, indicated by a small "padlock" in the upper-right corner of the screen, attempts to access any of these options will prompt the user to enter a password, and will continue to prompt the user until the valid password is entered. When the correct password is entered, option locking is turned off (the padlock will disappear) and the program will proceed with the selected menu option. Pressing [Esc] during the password prompting will return you to the main menu. From the main menu, pressing [Ctrl-Home] will toggle option locking on or off, although you may also set it on/off from the Set Up menu's Program sub-menu. Note that if the lock is currently on, you will be required to enter the password to turn it off. Also, option locking is not available if there is no password specified in the configuration. For more information, refer to the "Set Up" menu section. Be aware that this feature does not guarantee total protection from tampering. I, personally, can think of at least a dozen ways to get around it, and I'm sure skilled hackers can devise other ways. It is simply a feature to discourage "casual" tampering of the program's configuration. You should still practise caution, particularly if "rogue" elements with streaks of genious lurk nearby. Page 7 Additional Notes: CGA vs. EGA vs. LITE The CGA, EGA and LITE versions of Virus Central are virtually identical in terms of functionality and use. In fact, the only differences that casual users may perceive between the three programs are in the screen displays, program sizes, and the speeds of operation. There are, however, a few more subtle differences that you should be aware of: 1. The EGA version will work on EGA compatible machines (most VGA systems are EGA compatible). The CGA version will work on CGA compatible systems, which means it will work on most EGA and VGA machines, too. The LITE version will work with either monochrome or color video systems. 2. Both the CGA and EGA versions use a 640 x 200 graphics mode, but the CGA version can only display in two colors, while the EGA version can display in up to 16 colors (although only a few colors are actually used). The LITE version uses the 80 x 25 character text display, which is the most common, and displays in color or monochrome, depending on the attached hardware. 3. Although the EGA program is slightly larger than the CGA version, in terms of executable code, the programs use just about the same amount of conventional memory. The LITE version, by virtue of design, uses the least amount of memory (over 100k bytes less than its graphics based brothers). 4. The EGA version requires more memory when running for video buffering (about 128k bytes). Since the program needs to reserve a certain amount of conventional memory for ViruScan, NetScan, and CleanUp, a special approach was used. The program will apply one of three methods for video buffering, depending on which one is available and/or which is the quickest. This "three-point" approach, in the order the program prefers, is as follows: a) If your EGA card has more than 128k of video RAM, the program will use the extra memory for video buffering. b) If your computer is equipped with LIM 4.0 expanded memory, Central will check to see if it can use it; there has to be at least 8 free pages (128k) and the page frame base address has to be outside the 640k barrier (a segment between A000h and F000h). This method is slightly slower than using the extra memory on the video card, but is slightly more efficient. c) If your current disk drive has at least 128k of free space, Central will create a temporary swap file for video buffering. The swap file, whose file name is CENTRAL.SWP, will be deleted when you terminate the program. This is the slowest video buffering method and practically Page 8 requires a hard disk drive. Note that Virus Central will use only one of the video buffering methods; it will not "mix" the approaches to try to maximize the use of available memory. 5. The screen saver patterns are different on the three programs, although a couple of them are variations on the same theme. To all the CGA users who had fallen in love with the "PACMAN" screen, my apologies; I tried and tried, but I could not get it to translate properly. 6. The EGA version was written using the same code as the CGA version, only the video drivers are different. The CGA versions source code has its roots in Virus Central LITE. For this reason, the CGA, EGA and LITE versions will progress with the same release numbers (eg. 3.00). 7. The "Color Setting" field in the "Program" sub-menu has been disabled (temporarily) in the EGA and LITE versions. Page 9 THE VIRUS/NET SCAN MENU Selecting the Virus/Net Scan option from the main menu pops the Virus/Net Scan menu. This menu allows you to set the parameters of the ViruScan/NetScan program and execute it. Although you can execute ViruScan/NetScan using the Quick-Keys, this menu allows you to scan a drive not designated as a Quick-Key drive. The Virus/Net Scan menu has 22 fields that affect the execution of ViruScan and/or NetScan, and only two options; "Okay," which accepts any changes made and executes ViruScan or NetScan, and "Cancel," which cancels any changes made and returns to the main menu. It looks something like this: ┌────────────────────────────────────────────┬───────────┐ │Disk Drive....................... : [-A-] │F10: Okay │ │Skip inside scan of LZEXE files.. : NO ├───────────┤ │Overwrite & delete infected files : NO │Esc: Cancel│ │Scan memory for all viruses...... : NO └───────────┤ │Scan all files................... : NO │ │Scan listed overlays............. : NO │ │Skip memory scan................. : NO │ │Scan multiple floppies........... : NO │ │Scan network using error handler. : NO │ │Scan subdirectories.............. : NO │ │Add validation codes............. : NO │ │Remove validation codes.......... : NO │ │Check validation codes........... : NO │ │Search for extinct viruses....... : NO │ │Generate Scan report............. : NO │ │Use external virus data file..... : NO │ │Pause on full screen............. : YES │ │Attempt automatic Clean Up....... : NO │ │Overlay extension list........... : .OVL .OVG .OV1 .OV2 │ │Report file name................. : NUL │ │External virus data file name.... : │ │File path to scan................ : │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ All of these fields, with the exception of "Attempt automatic Clean Up," correspond to the command line parameters of the ViruScan and/or NetScan programs. To select a field, use the up and down arrow keys to position the cursor and press [Enter] to select it. You may also click on a field with the mouse to select it. The first field specifies the disk drive to scan. When this field is selected, you will be presented with a string of letters, indicating the available disk drives. Select a disk drive from the list by using the left and right arrow keys to position the cursor over the letter of the disk drive you wish to scan and press [Enter] (i.e. position the cursor over "B" if you wish to scan drive B:). A simpler way would be to press the letter key corresponding to the desired drive (i.e. press [B] to Page 10 scan drive B:). Note that the string displayed on the screen is only five characters wide. The list of available disk drives may actually be longer; use the left and right arrow keys to scroll through the available disk drives. Central does not allow you to specify more than one drive letter at a time, although ViruScan and NetScan can handle it. ================================================================ NOTE: Virus Central determines which scan program to use, ViruScan or NetScan, by the disk drive specified. If the disk specified is from the local disk drive list, then ViruScan will be used. If it is from the network disk drive list, NetScan is used. For instructions on specifying the local and network disk drive lists, refer to the "Set Up" menu section. ================================================================ The next 17 fields "toggle" the parameter options; you either want them when ViruScan/NetScan executes (YES) or you do not want them (NO). When you position the cursor over these fields and press [Enter], or click on them with the mouse, the setting of the fields change from "NO" to "YES," and from "YES" to "NO." The first 16 of these fields correspond to the ViruScan and/or NetScan command line parameters as follows: Skip inside scan of LZEXE files -> /NLZ Overwrite & delete infected files -> /D Scan memory for all viruses -> /M Scan all files -> /A Scan listed overlays -> /E Skip memory scan -> /NOMEM Scan multiple floppies -> /MANY (*) Scan network using error handler -> /UNATTEND (*) Scan subdirectories -> /SUB Add validation codes -> /AV Remove validation codes -> /RV Check validation codes -> /CV Search for extinct viruses -> /X Generate Scan report -> /REPORT Use external virus data file -> /EXT Pause on full screen -> /NOPAUSE (**) (*) The /MANY parameter is disabled (fuzzed out) when NetScan is to be used and the /UNATTEND parameter is disabled when ViruScan is to be used. (**) The /NOPAUSE parameter turns off the pause on full screen, which the ViruScan and NetScan programs normally do. Because of awkward phrasing, I chose to present the field in reverse; that is, if "Pause on full screen" is NO, the /NOPAUSE switch is used. The last toggle field, "Attempt automatic Clean Up," specifies whether or not Central will execute the Clean Up sequence right after the scan is completed, without prompting you to begin the Page 11 sequence. Regardless of the setting here, Central will create a queue of detected infections. The next field is the overlay extension list. This is a string specifying the extensions of overlay files that ViruScan or NetScan will examine if the "/E" parameter is specified. The extensions should begin with a period, followed by the three character extension, and separated by spaces (i.e. ".OVR .OVG .OVL"). The maximum length of this string is 40 characters. The next field is the file name of the report file to be generated if ViruScan or NetScan finds any viruses, and if the "/REPORT" parameter is specified. This can be any valid file path with a maximum length of 40 characters. By default, this is set to "NUL." Unlike the ViruScan/NetScan program, which overwrites an existing report file, Central will append the newly created report to the old one, and stamp the report date and time for your reference. The next field specifies the external data file that contains the additional virus identification strings. If the "/EXT" parameter is specified, Central will use the data in this file to check for additional viruses. Refer to the ViruScan/NetScan documentation for specifics. The last field in the menu sets the file path that ViruScan or NetScan will check. This is normally blank, in which case the entire disk is checked. But if you wish to localize the scan to a single directory, or even a single file, set this string to the file path you wish to scan. Do not specify the drive, since it is already specified in the first field of this menu. Once you have all the parameters set, select the "Okay" option by pressing [F10] (or clicking on the "Okay" box) and Central will execute ViruScan with the set data. Note that the changes made to the fields will become the current settings and will remain active. If you change your mind and decide that you do not wish to execute ViruScan or NetScan, select the "Cancel" option by pressing [Esc] (or clicking on the "Cancel" box) and Central will return to the main menu. Any changes made to the fields in the Virus/Net Scan menu will be lost; all settings reverting to their previous states. Page 12 THE CLEAN UP MENU Selecting the Clean Up option from the main menu pops the Clean Up menu. This menu allows you to set the parameters of the Clean Up program and execute it. The Clean Up menu has 11 fields that affect the execution of CleanUp and only two options; "Okay," which accepts any changes made and executes CleanUp, and "Cancel," which cancels any changes made and returns to the main menu. It looks something like this: ┌──────────────────────────────────┬───────────┐ │Disk Drive............. : [-A-] │F10: Okay │ │Check all files........ : NO ├───────────┤ │Clean listed overlays.. : NO │Esc: Cancel│ │Skip memory scan....... : NO └───────────┤ │Clean multiple floppies : NO │ │Generate CleanUp report : NO │ │Pause on full screen... : YES │ │Virus Name............. : Stoned │ │Overlay extension list. : .OVL .OVG .OV1 .OV2 │ │Report file name....... : NUL │ │File path to clean..... : │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────┘ All of these fields correspond to the command line parameters of the CleanUp program. To select a field, use the up and down arrow keys to position the cursor and press [Enter] to select it. You may also click on a field with the mouse to select it. The first field specifies the disk drive to clean. When this field is selected, you will be presented with a string of letters, indicating the available disk drives. Select a disk drive from the list by using the left and right arrow keys to position the cursor over the letter of the disk drive you wish to clean and press [Enter] (i.e. position the cursor over "B" if you wish to clean drive B:). A simpler way would be to press the letter key corresponding to the desired drive (i.e. press [B] to clean drive B:). Note that the string displayed on the screen is only five characters wide. The list of available disk drives may actually be longer; use the left and right arrow keys to scroll through the available disk drives. Central does not allow you to specify more than one drive letter at a time, although CleanUp can handle it. The next six fields "toggle" the parameter options; you either want them when CleanUp executes (YES) or you do not want them (NO). When you position the cursor over these fields and press [Enter], or click on them with the mouse, the setting of the fields change from "NO" to "YES," and from "YES" to "NO." These six fields correspond to the CleanUp command line parameters as follows: Check all files -> /A Clean listed overlays -> /E Skip memory scan -> /NOMEM Clean multiple floppies -> /MANY (*) Generate CleanUp report -> /REPORT Pause on full screen -> /NOPAUSE (**) (*) The /MANY parameter is disabled (fuzzed out) if the specified disk drive is on the network disk drive list. (**) The /NOPAUSE parameter turns off the pause on full screen, which the CleanUp program normally does. Because of awkward phrasing, I chose to present the field in reverse; that is, if "Pause on full screen" is NO, the /NOPAUSE switch is used. The next field is the name of the virus CleanUp will remove from the disk. Selecting this field pops a sub-menu, displaying a list of virus names. Use the up and down arrow keys to position the cursor over the desired virus name. You may also select a virus name by clicking on it with the mouse (click on the up and down arrows on the menu to scroll through the list). When you have selected a virus name, select the "Okay" option from the sub-menu, either by pressing [F10] or clicking on the "Okay" box, to make this the current virus. If you change your mind, select the "Cancel" option from the sub-menu, either by pressing [Esc] or clicking on the "Cancel" box, and the virus name selected will be ignored. In either case, you will return to the Clean Up menu. The next field is the overlay extension list. This is a string specifying the extensions of overlay files that CleanUp will examine if the "/E" parameter is specified. The extensions should begin with a period, followed by the three character extension, and separated by spaces (i.e. ".OVR .OVG .OVL"). The maximum length of this string is 40 characters. The next field is the file name of the report file to be generated if CleanUp finds any viruses, and if the "/REPORT" parameter is specified. This can be any valid file path with a maximum length of 40 characters. By default, this is set to "NUL." Unlike the CleanUp program, which overwrites an existing report file, Central will append the newly created report to the old one, and stamp the report date and time for your reference. The last field in the menu sets the file path that CleanUp will clean. This is normally blank, in which case the entire disk is checked for the infection. But if you wish to localize the process to a single directory, or even a single file, set this string to the file path you wish to clean. Do not specify the drive, since it is already specified in the first field of this menu. Once you have all the parameters set, select the "Okay" option by pressing [F10] (or clicking on the "Okay" box) and Central will execute CleanUp with the set data. Note that the changes made to the fields will become the current settings and will remain active. If you change your mind and decide that you do not wish to execute CleanUp, select the "Cancel" option by pressing [Esc] (or clicking on the "Cancel" box) and Central will return to the main menu. Any changes made to the fields in the Clean Up menu will be lost; all settings reverting to their previous states. Page 13 THE INFORMATION SCREEN Selecting the Information option from the main menu pops the virus information screen. This option takes the information in the virus list and displays it on the screen in a titled, formatted, and clear manner. This is helpful if you wish to know more about known viruses, particularly those that have invaded your system. In the CGA and EGA versions of Central, the Information option does not create another window or menu on the screen. Instead, it clears the black box and displays the virus information in there. When selected, the information screen looks something like this: ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┬───────────┐ │Virus Name........... : Stoned │F10: List │ │Virus ID............. : [STONED] ├───────────┤ │Disinfector.......... : CLEAN-UP │Esc: Return│ │Increase in file size : N/A └───────────┤ │ │ │Characteristics : │ │ * Infects Fixed Disk Partition Table │ │ * Infects Floppy Disk Boot Sector │ │ * Virus Remains Resident │ │ │ │Damage done by virus : │ │ * Corrupts or overwrites the boot sector │ │ * Directly or indirectly corrupts file linkage │ │ * Affects system run-time operation │ │ │ │ │ │ │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ When you first select the Information option, the virus information displayed is that of the default virus (usually the "Stoned" virus), but subsequent use will display the last selected virus. None of the fields displayed are modifiable from the information screen, and there are only two options, "List" and "Return." To display information on another virus, select the "List" option by pressing [F10] (or clicking on the "List" box) and Central will pop a sub-menu,displaying a list of virus names. Use the up and down arrow keys to position the cursor over the desired virus name. You may also select a virus name by clicking on it with the mouse (click on the up and down arrows on the menu to scroll through the list). When you have selected a virus name, select the "Okay" option from the sub-menu, either by pressing [F10] or clicking on the "Okay" box, to display the information about this virus. If you change your mind, select the "Cancel" option from the sub-menu, either by pressing [Esc] or clicking on the "Cancel" box, and the virus name selected Page 14 will be ignored. In either case, you will will return to the information screen. If you wish to return to the main menu, select the "Return" option by pressing the [Esc] key (or clicking on the "Return" box). The black box will be restored to the state it was in before the Information option was selected. Page 15 THE SET UP MENU Selecting the Set Up option from the main menu pops the Set Up menu. From here you can configure Virus Central to your computer and set the default parameters for ViruScan/NetScan and CleanUp. If your computer does not conform to the default set up, this should be the first option from the main menu that you select before anything else. There are five options in this menu, the first four of which pop individual sub-menus. To select an option from this menu, use the up and down arrow keys to move the cursor over the desired option and press [Enter]. Alternatively, you can click on an option with the mouse. When you are done making changes, you can return to the main menu by pressing [Esc], or clicking anywhere outside the menu borders. THE PROGRAM SUB-MENU The Program sub-menu configures Virus Central to your computer. If your machine is configured differently from the default settings, be sure to make the necessary changes in this menu. The Program sub-menu has 11 fields that affect the execution of Virus Central and only two options; "Okay," which accepts any changes made, and "Cancel," which cancels any changes made. Either option returns you to the Set Up menu. The program sub-menu looks something like this: ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │Virus Scan/Net Scan/Clean Up directory path : C:\ │ │Virus Scan program file name............... : SCAN.EXE │ │Net Scan program file name................. : NETSCAN.EXE │ │Clean Up program file name................. : CLEAN.EXE │ │Password................................... : │ │Lock configuration options................. : NO │ │Local disk drive list...................... : ABC │ │Network disk drive list.................... : ┌───────────┤ │Quick-key Scan / Clean disk drives......... : AB │F10: Okay │ │Color setting.............................. : 16 ├───────────┤ │Screen saver time lapse (minutes).......... : 3 │Esc: Cancel│ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ To select a field, use the up and down arrow keys to position the cursor. You may also click on a field with the mouse to select it. With the exception of the "Lock configuration options" field, all other fields in this menu contain editable data. For this reason, you do not have to press [Enter] to begin editing/entering data. In this sub-menu, the cursor is always in an "edit ready" position. The first field specifys the directory path to the ViruScan, Page 16 NetScan and CleanUp programs. For example, if these programs are in a directory called "VIRUS" in the C: drive, this field should be set to "C:\VIRUS\" When Central first executes, it checks this specified directory for the two programs. If it cannot find them there, it will search the other directories in the DOS PATH, which can take a little longer. It is a good idea to have the ViruScan, CleanUp, and Virus Central programs all in the same directory, to make it easier for Central to locate the necessary program files. The second field is the ViruScan program file name. This is a string specifying the file name of the ViruScan program. Normally, this is set to "SCAN.EXE." If you have renamed the ViruScan program to something else, modify this string to specify the new file name of ViruScan. The third field is the NetScan program file name. This is a string specifying the file name of the NetScan program. Normally, this is set to "NETSCAN.EXE." If you have renamed the NetScan program to something else, modify this string to specify the new file name of NetScan. The fourth field is the Clean Up program file name. This is a string specifying the file name of the Clean Up program. Normally, this is set to "CLEAN.EXE." If you have renamed the Clean Up program to something else, modify this string to specify the new file name of Clean Up. The fifth field is the password. This is an alphabetic string designating the word Central will accept when it requests for a password. You can only specify one password, and if this is left blank option locking will not be available. The sixth field toggles configuration option locking on or off. In the locked state, attempts to access the Virus Scan, Clean Up, or Set Up options will require the entry of the above mentioned password. Again, this feature can only turned on if a password has been specified. The seventh field is the local disk drive list. This is a string that specifys the drive letters of all local disk drives on your machine. For example, if your machine has three disk drives, labeled A:, B:, and C:, the local disk drive list should be "ABC." This string can contain the capital letters "A" to "Z," excluding those that are currently in the network disk drive list. Bear in mind that you should only specify "local" disk drives; drives which are physically connected to the computer and are not allocated as network resources. Do not specify network disk drives and RAM drives. The eighth field is the network disk drive list. This is a string that specifys the drive letters of all network disk drives available to your machine. For example, if your machine has access to two disk drives, labeled D: and E:, the network Page 17 disk drive list should be "DE." This string can contain the capital letters "A" to "Z," excluding those that are currently in the local disk drive list. Bear in mind that you should only specify "network" disk drives; drives which are accessed by your computer through network software and/or hardware, including those physically connected to the machine that are allocated as network resources. The ninth field is the Quick-Key disk drive list. This is a four character string specifying which of the available disk drives will be assigned as Quick-Key disk drives. Choose any four from the local and network disk drive lists. For example, if you wish to designate the disk drive A:, B:, C:, and E: as Quick-Key disk drives, the Quick-Key disk drive list should be "ABCE." You may, if you wish, specify less than four disk drives; the remaining Quick-Key(s) will be inactive. ===== COLOR SETTING FIELD DISABLED ON EGA & LITE VERSIONS! ===== The Color Setting field sets the color of the display. This is a number from 0 and 16. On true CGA systems, the color setting affects the foreground color and leaves the background color always black. On most EGA and VGA systems, however, changing the color setting has funny results; the background and foreground colors change in, mostly, funny combinations. Normally, you are only allowed to use values from 0 to 15, but color setting 16 was provided to force a white-on-black screen. ================================================================ The last field sets the screen saver time lapse. This is the number of minutes of idle time Central waits before invoking the screen-saver. This is a number between 1 to 60. A safe setting is about three minutes. Setting the time lapse to zero (0) disables the screen saver. THE VIRUS/NET SCAN SUB-MENU The Virus/Net Scan sub-menu allows you to set the parameters for the Virus/Net Scan option from the main menu. This sub-menu is the same as the Virus/Net Scan menu, except that the "Disk drive" and "File path to scan" fields are disabled, and you cannot execute ViruScan or NetScan from here. Refer to the "Virus/Net Scan Menu" section on using this sub-menu. Selecting the "Okay" option accepts all changes made to the fields and makes them current, while selecting "Cancel" restores the fields to their previous settings. In either case, you will return to the Set Up menu. THE CLEAN UP SUB-MENU The Clean Up sub-menu allows you to set the parameters for the Clean Up option from the main menu. This sub-menu is the same as the Clean Up menu, except that the "Disk drive" and "File path Page 18 to clean" fields are disabled, and you cannot execute CleanUp from here. Refer to the "Clean Up Menu" section on using this sub-menu. Selecting the "Okay" option accepts all changes made to the fields and makes them current, while selecting "Cancel" restores the fields to their previous settings. In either case, you will return to the Set Up menu. THE VIRUS LIST SUB-MENU The Virus List sub-menu is a maintenance feature for updating and modifying the virus list used by the Clean Up menu and Information screen. You can add, edit, or remove virus names, IDs, and individual virus information from the list. It is a good idea to use this feature whenever new versions of the ViruScan and CleanUp programs are released, keeping the virus list up to date. The virus list can contain up to 16,000 viruses. Also, Central requires the first 30 viruses as the bare minimum, so you will not be able to edit or remove the first 30 viruses on the list. The Virus List sub-menu is the same one used in the Clean Up menu and Information screen, except that it has three more options for adding, editing, and removing viruses from the list. It looks something like this: ┌──────────────────────────────────┬───────────┐ │┌──────────────────────────────┬─┐│F1 : Add │ ││Ping Pong │^│├───────────┤ ││Ping Pong-B │▒││F2 : Edit │ ││Slow │▒│├───────────┤ ││Stoned │▒││F3 : Remove│ ││Sunday │▒│├───────────┤ ││SURIV03 │▒││F10: Okay │ ││V800 │v│├───────────┤ │└──────────────────────────────┴─┘│Esc: Cancel│ └──────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ If you select the Add, Edit, or Remove option, the left side of this menu changes, displaying the name, ID, and information fields of a virus entry. For example, if you select the Add option the box will look something like this: ┌──────────────────────────────────┬───────────┐ │┌────────────────────────────────┐│ │ ││ Virus To Add │├───────────┤ │└────────────────────────────────┘│ │ │ Name........... : █ ├───────────┤ │ ID............. : │ │ │ Disinfector.... : ├───────────┤ │ Characteristics : .......... │F10: Okay │ │ Size Increase.. : ├───────────┤ │ Damage......... : │Esc: Cancel│ └──────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ Page 19 You get the same thing if you select the Edit or Remove options, the data contained in each field will also be displayed, but the "Virus to..." message at the top will specify the selected operation. Virus entries are formatted similarly to the way they appear in the VIRLIST.TXT file, which comes with ViruScan, NetScan and CleanUp. Each line of the virus list in VIRLIST.TXT contains the information needed by Central's virus list; the virus name, ID, disinfector name, characteristics, increase in file size, and damage done, in that order. For example, the "JoJo" virus appears in VIRLIST.TXT like this: JoJo [JoJo] Clean-Up . . x . x . . . . . 1701 O,P The corresponding entry in Virus Central's virus list looks like this: Name........... : JoJo ID............. : [JOJO] Disinfector.... : CLEAN-UP Characteristics : ..X.X..... Size Increase.. : 1701 Damage......... : OP With the exception of the virus name, Central forces all the other fields to capital letters (if any). Note that in the "Characteristics" and "Damage" fields the data is compressed; spaces/commas are removed. To add a virus to the list, select the Add option (by pressing [F1] or clicking on the "Add" box), and enter the data for each field. When they are entered, select the "Okay" option (by pressing [F10] or clicking on the "Okay" box) to add the virus name and info to the virus list. If you change your mind and decide that you do not want to add it to the list, select "Cancel" (by pressing [Esc] or clicking on the "Cancel" option). In either case, you will return to the Virus List sub-menu. To edit a virus on the list, use the up and down arrow keys to position the cursor over the name of the virus on the list (or click on it), then select the "Edit" option (by pressing [F2] or clicking on the "Edit" box). Use the up and down arrow keys to move between fields, and edit the desired data. When done, select the "Okay" option to update the virus name and ID. If you change your mind and decide that you do not want the virus changed, select "Cancel." In either case, you will return to the Virus List sub-menu. To remove a virus from the list, use the up and down arrow keys to position the cursor over the name of the virus on the list (or click on it), then select the "Remove" option (by pressing [F3] or clicking on the "Remove" box). Select the "Okay" option Page 20 to remove the virus from the list. If you change your mind, select the "Cancel" option. In either case, you will return to the Virus List sub-menu. When all changes are made, select "Okay" to make the changes to the virus list current. Selecting "Cancel" restores the virus list to its previous state. In either case, you will return to the Set Up menu. SAVE OPTIONS Selecting "Save Options" from the Set Up menu writes the current settings of Virus Central to the CENTRAL.CFG file, and these changes will also be in effect the next time you execute Central. If you have modified any of Central's settings and you do not save them using this option, you will be warned and given the opportunity to save them when you select the Quit option from the main menu. Page 21 THE DOS SHELL OPTION The DOS Shell option from the main menu loads up the DOS command processor. This returns you to the text screen where you may issue DOS commands and even run other programs. Virus Central remains resident in memory and, as such, limits the amount of memory available to you in the DOS shell. To return to Central, enter "EXIT." THE QUIT OPTION The Quit option terminates Virus Central and returns you to DOS. Page 22 THE CLEAN UP SEQUENCE Virus Central's most powerful feature is the Clean Up sequence. As a disk is scanned using ViruScan or NetScan, infections detected are noted and placed in a queue. After the scan is completed, Central executes CleanUp and passes the information stored in the queue to the program, effectively automating the process. This feature is invaluable for cleaning disks with multiple file infections. The queueing process is, for all intents and purposes, automatic; Central will always enqueue infections detected by ViruScan or NetScan. There are points, though, that you should be aware of about the feature: * The queue can hold up to 150 individual infections. If there are more than 150 on the disk (that is one messed up disk!), ViruScan or NetScan will continue to scan, but Central will ignore those passed the limit. * Central will always enqueue detected infections, even if ViruScan or NetScan is executed with the "overwrite & delete infected files" option. * The Clean Up sequence works on individual files; that is, it executes CleanUp on each file where a virus was detected, even if the same virus was discovered on more than one file. * Since the Clean Up sequence executes CleanUp on individual infections, some of the options are not used; specifically, the /A, /E, and /MANY options. It does, however, always use the /NOMEM option, and uses the /REPORT and/or /NOPAUSE options if they are set in the configuration. * If ViruScan or NetScan detects infections, and the "attempt automatic clean up" option is off, you are asked if you wish to initiate the Clean Up sequence. If you decide not to, the queue is not cleared. It will prompt you, again, if you wish to initiate the sequence when you attempt to scan or clean another disk. * The Clean Up sequence may be interrupted by pressing [Ctrl-C]. It may be restarted later on, but the infection being worked on at the time of the interruption will be removed from the queue, whether or not CleanUp actually cleaned it. Page 23 COMMAND LINE SWITCHES Although Virus Central was developed to do away with the need to memorize the complicated command line switches of ViruScan, NetScan, and CleanUp, it does have its own set of command line switches to "over-ride" some of its characteristics. Switches are specified at the command line when you first run Virus Central. For example, if you executed Virus Central in this manner: CENTRAL /NOMOUSE /IGNORE the program will disable all mouse drivers (whether or not one is installed), and skip the pre-initialization system checks. Switches can be specified in any order or in uppercase or lowercase, but they must be separated by spaces and must begin with a slash (/). There are currently nine command line switches. Some of these switches are specific to the version of Virus Central you are using (EGA or LITE). Indeed, the CGA version only recognizes three of the switches. If you incorrectly specify an invalid switch, Central will ignore it. The /NOMOUSE Switch This switch prevents Virus Central from using the mouse driver, even if one is installed. Normally, the program will use it automatically. Some users, though, prefer not to use it and would rather not see the mouse cursor on the screen. In other cases, the installed mouse driver does not work properly with the program, causing some funny things to happen. If either case happens, use the /NOMOUSE switch. The /IGNORE Switch This switch forces Virus Central to skip the video and DOS version system checks. Normally, the program will check the video hardware and DOS version number for compatibility. Some VGA adapters, however, are mistakenly perceived to be monochrome adapters, particularly those that emulate the Hercules graphics card. Also, some OEM versions of DOS return false version numbers, fooling Central into thinking it is not compatible (the program requires DOS 2.1 or greater). If either case happens, use the /IGNORE switch. Be aware that, if you do use this switch, you should be certain that your system IS compatible. Page 24 The /AUTO Switch This switch enables Virus Central's "auto-scan" mode. Upon execution, the program will immediately scan a list of specified disk drives. Used primarily for batch files, the switch has the following syntax: /AUTO={disk drive list}[,QUIT] "Disk drive list" is a string specifying the disk drives you wish to scan. For example, if you executed the program like: CENTRAL /AUTO=AC Central will run ViruScan or NetScan on drive A, and then scan drive C. The optional ",QUIT" parameter makes the program return to DOS after it has scanned the drives on the list (useful if you run Central from your AUTOEXEC.BAT file). For example, if you executed the program like: CENTRAL /AUTO=C,QUIT Central will run ViruScan or NetScan on drive C, and then return to DOS. Note that there should be one continuous line with no spaces in the middle. Also, the auto scan mode uses the settings for ViruScan and NetScan that you defined in the "Set Up" menu with one exception; the /MANY switch is always turned off. The /EGARAM Switch (EGA version only) This switch forces Virus Central EGA to use the extra memory on the EGA card for video buffering. Normally, the program will use the extra memory if it detects it during the system check. Some video adapters, however, return a false reading, causing Central to use a disk swap file, instead. This, of course, slows down the program. If this happens and you know that your video card has more than 128k bytes of memory, use the /EGARAM switch in your command line when executing Virus Central. Be aware that, if you specify this switch, you are responsible for making sure that it is available; the program disables the system check that determines if extra EGA memory is available or not. The /EMSRAM Switch (EGA version only) This switch forces Virus Central EGA to use LIM 4.0 expanded memory for video buffering. Normally, the program will use expanded memory if it is available and there is insufficient memory on the EGA card. In some cases, it may be wiser to use Page 25 expanded memory over EGA memory because it is somewhat more efficient. Also, if you have a machine with lots of extended memory, there are a good number of utility programs (many of them share-ware) out there that let you convert extended memory to expanded memory. If you prefer to go this route, use the /EMSRAM switch. Be aware that, in order for Central to use expanded memory properly, there should be at least 8 free pages and the page frame base address should be beyond 640k. The /SWAPFILE Switch (EGA version only) This switch forces Virus Central EGA to use a disk swap file for video buffering. Normally, the program will use a swap file if there is insufficient memory on the EGA card or unable to use expanded memory for video buffering. Some video adapters, however, return a false reading, causing Central to try to write to non-existent video memory. The results, although not always predictable, are never good. If this happens, use the /SWAPFILE switch in your command line when executing Virus Central. The swap file is given the file name CENTRAL.SWP, is created in the current directory, and is deleted when you terminate the program. The /MONO Switch (LITE version only) This switch forces Virus Central LITE to display in monochrome, even if the computer uses a color video. Normally, the program will detect the attached video hardware and display accordingly. Some video adapters, particularly monochrome EGA and VGA cards, "appear" to be color cards when checked, so the program uses color attributes when displaying text. If this happens, use the /MONO switch. The /COLOR Switch (LITE version only) This switch forces Virus Central LITE to display using color text attributes. Normally, the program will detect the attached video hardware and display accordingly. Some VGA adapters, however, are mistakenly perceived to be monochrome adapters, particularly those that emulate the Hercules graphics card. If this happens, use the /COLOR switch. Page 26 The /QUICKCGA Switch (LITE version only) This switch is primarily for CGA systems; it forces Virus Central LITE to write to the screen without checking vertical retrace. Normally, on CGA systems, the program checks vertical retrace before writing to the screen. This prevents ugly "snow" from appearing, but slows down screen output considerably. If you are one of the fortunate few who owns a CGA adapter that does not have the snow problem, use the /QUICKCGA switch to increase the speed of screen output. Page 27 TEMPORARY FILES Virus Central sometimes creates temporary files during program execution. The reason the program "sometimes" creates them is because it does not need to do so all the time; the temporary files are created if and only if Virus Central needs to use them. When you terminate program execution and return to DOS, Virus Central erases the temporary files. However, in the rare instance that the program terminates improperly and the temporary files are left on your disk, you should be aware of what they are. As a general note, Virus Central temporary files will always have the file name "CENTRAL" and a specific extension. Unlike the CENTRAL.CFG file, whose file name may be changed, temporary files always use the file name "CENTRAL." Also, temporrary files are always created in the directory current when the program is initially executed. CENTRAL.SWP This file is created by Virus Central EGA when there is insufficient RAM for video buffering, or if the /SWAPFILE switch was used in the command line. Used as a "last resort" for video buffering, this file is created at the beginning of program execution and is present until the program is terminated, and is exactly 131,072 bytes long (128K). CENTRAL.VLT This file is created when the "Virus List" option is selected from the "Set Up" menu. It holds a temporary copy of the virus list. The file is of varying length and is erased when the option is popped back. CENTRAL.^^^ This file is created to temporarily hold the reports generated by the ViruScan, NetScan and CleanUp programs. When the /REPORT option is used by any one of these programs, they will either create a new report file or overwite the existing one. What Central does is route the report to the temporary file first, and "append" it to the existing report (if there is one) when ViruScan/NetScan/CleanUp is done. Page 28 IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE... That's about all there is to know about Virus Central. If a point was missed or something is unclear, whether about the program or registration, feel free to contact me at this address: Alejandro L. Abello 2937 Sherwood Drive San Carlos, CA. 94070 Tel. No.: (415) 369-1811 You may also contact me at the above telephone number. If I am not home, please leave a message and I will get back to you (provided I can call collect). Please ask for me by my name, "Alejandro" or "Jing" (my nickname), since I am the only one at home who knows anything about the program. Also, please call during reasonable hours of the day (9:00am to 5:00pm PST). Be forewarned that I will not entertain truly technical questions; the ones that may divulge precious trade secrets. The inner workings of Virus Central must be considered sacred. And, in fairness to me, unregistered users should not expect full product support, although I will greatly appreciate it if you bring to my attention features of the program that do not function properly or are improperly documented. HAVE FUN! Page 29