ll12+@andrew.cmu.edu (Laura Ann Lemay) (01/29/89)
Hi all. I've been testing the new string of virus programs for my still-not-completed virus guide (A new concept in macintosh information processing! VaporDocs!), and one of the programs I tried out was NOMAD, which is a NVIR removal tool. Here's EXACTLY what happened. I started up NOMAD on my hard drive, then stuck the disk with the virus on it in my internal disk drive, and started the program. Nomad disinfected it. I then clicked "Eject" so I could put another one of my test disks into the drive. Theoretically, the disk is supposed to eject. It didn't. The "eject" button went grey, and the disk didn't eject. I though this was wierd, so I pressed the "drive" button a few times. The program still insisted that I didn't have a disk in the drive. Really confused now, I quit the program and returned to the finder. The finder didn't think I had a disk in the drive eitheer, although the disk was still there. I've worked in public macintosh clusters for years now -- I know a dead drive when I see one. For a short time, I was in a total panic that I was going to have to put my mac in the shop. My life is on my mac. I can't do that. I tried ejecting the disk with a paper clip, and then re-injecting it, think- it was a fluke. Nope. The drive was still dead. I rebooted the machine. (warm boot). The drive was still dead. Nearly in tears, I shut off the machine for a few seconds, then turned it back on, holding down the mouse button. The disk ejected. Now if the drive was really dead, that shoulnd't have happened. I let the machine boot up with my hard drive, and stuck the disk back into the drive. Things were fine. I began to look with a very suspicious eye at NOMAD. So I tried it again. And the same thing happened. Pressing eject renders the internal drive unuseable until the machine is COLD booted! Has anyone else run into this problem? I really don't think I'm crazy, since it happened three times and its never happened with any other program. And why is it possible to do this? I know a hard disk can be "unmounted", but an ordinary floppy drive???? and why did it survive the warm boot? Seems to me, if NOMAD *is* causing this problem, it should be taken off the archives IMMEDIATELY. If this side effect caused ME this much panic, think of what it could do to someone who is more confused than I am.... -Laura Lemay Author, Guide to Viruses ll12+@andrew.cmu.edu