[comp.virus] Disinfectant and System 7

j-norstad@nwu.edu (John Norstad) (05/20/91)

Thanks to an error in Apple's Compatibility Checker, I've been deluged
with requests for information on Disinfectant 2.5.

If you have installed the Disinfectant INIT on your system, Apple's
Compatibility Checker incorrectly reports that it is incompatible with
System 7, and it recommends that you get version 2.5.

There is no Disinfectant 2.5, and there won't be one! Disinfectant 2.4
works fine with System 7, provided you leave the Disinfectant INIT in
the System Folder proper. Do not move the INIT to the new Extensions
Folder. If the Installer moves the INIT to the Extensions Folder for
you, move it back to the System Folder proper.

If you try to repair an infected file, Disinfectant 2.4 may tell you
that the file is busy and recommend that you "try again without
MultiFinder."  You can't turn off MultiFinder in System 7. If this
happens to you, restart your Mac using the "Disk Tools" startup floppy
that comes with System 7. Then run Disinfectant again.

There is one small problem with Disinfectant 2.4's custom get file
dialog which lets you select a folder to be scanned. Don't try to
select any files or folders in the new Desktop level in this dialog.
Disinfectant may crash or scan the wrong object.

I am working on a new version 3.0 of Disinfectant which will take full
advantage of the new facilities available in System 7, including
Balloon help, full color icon families, anti-viral and other Apple
events, icon dropping in the Finder, a new solution to the busy files
problem, and other neat new stuff. Version 3.0 will also include a
very thorough discussion of all the issues regarding viruses,
Disinfectant, and System 7 in the online manual, and it will fix the
problem with the custom get file dialog. I hope to release this new
version sometime this summer.

Again, until my version 3.0 is released, you can and should use
version 2.4 with System 7.

John Norstad
Academic Computing and Network Services
Northwestern University
j-norstad@nwu.edu