MAINT@UQAM.BITNET (Peter Jones) (03/03/90)
After reading how the WDEF virus on the MAC propagates when an infected disk is inserted in the MAC, I would like to suggest the approach of using a PC with a 3 1/2 drive to scan the MAC diskettes and check for viruses. Assuming the PC hardware can read everything the MAC can, this would be safer, IMHO, than using a MAC for this task, for the chance of a virus being able to infect both a MAC and a PC seem remote. Using the MAC to scan DOS diskettes may also be possible, but something would have to be done to prevent the MAC from assuming the disk is legitimate when inserted. This approach would also avoid the casual approach taken by some lab supervisors, who simply put scan/disinfection tools on one of the lab machines, without making sure 1) The machine is booted from a "clean" operating system 2) The user is aware of how to use the tools properly. With this approach, virus victims would have to go to a special station to be disinfected. Peter Jones MAINT@UQAM (514)-987-3542 "Life's too short to try and fill up every minute of it" :-)
hf07+@andrew.cmu.edu (Howard Haruo Fukuda) (03/06/90)
MAINT@UQAM.BITNET (Peter Jones) writes: >After reading how the WDEF virus on the MAC propagates when an >infected disk is inserted in the MAC, I would like to suggest the >approach of using a PC with a 3 1/2 drive to scan the MAC diskettes >and check for viruses. Assuming the PC hardware can read everything >the MAC can, this would be safer, IMHO, than using a MAC for this >task, for the chance of a virus being able to infect both a MAC and a >PC seem remote. I don't think a PC equiped with a 3.5" drive can read a Mac formatted disk. A Mac formats the disk to 800K by using a variable speed controller which puts more data on the outer rings of the disk than on the inner ones. I'm not sure if it's possible to override the ROM on a PC, but this would be pretty extreme measures. IMHO it's not really neccessary to do this. Again: >After reading how the WDEF virus on the MAC propagates when an >infected disk is inserted in the MAC,[...] This is a misleading simplification. WDEF spreads when a disk is inserted if the Finder or MultiFinder is running (and when the disk is opened). If an application is running and not with MultiFinder, WDEF doesn't spread it's infection. So a Mac running Disinfectant (or a commercial equivalent) w/o MultiFinder is quite capable of stopping infections. - -Howard Internet: hf07+@andrew.cmu.edu
woody@chinacat.Lonestar.ORG (Woody Baker @ Eagle Signal) (03/16/90)
SPBK09@SDNET.BITNET (Brian Piersel) writes: > On Tue, 06 Mar 90 01:12:47 -0500 Howard Haruo Fukuda said: > >MAINT@UQAM.BITNET (Peter Jones) writes: > >I don't think a PC equiped with a 3.5" drive can read a Mac formatted > >disk. A Mac formats the disk to 800K by using a variable speed > >controller which puts more data on the outer rings of the disk than on > >the inner ones. I'm not sure if it's possible to override the ROM on a > I've tried to read an 800K CP/M disk (formatted on a C-128) on a PC, > and the hardware just isn't capable of doing that. In this case, the > disks have 10 sectors/track, and PC drives can't read more than 9. In > the case of the Mac, with variable speed drives, that sure wouldn't > work without hardware modifications. No way to change drive speed > through software. The other problem, is that the 800K CPM disk is encoded with GRC or something similar rather than MFM, in it's native mode. I understand that the CPM disk is MFM, but I have to experience. There is a company, in DeKalb Ill, that produces a product called UNIFORM. Uniform can read and write nearly 200 cpm format disks on a PC. It alters drive tables,and installes a virtual drive that can access the cpm disk. >From that point on, it looks like an msdos disk, you can open files, create files etc etc on the CPM floppy, and it can be read on a CPM machine afterwards With the Compaticard II, you can handle any mix of 5 1/4 3 1/2 and 8 1/2 floppies. They also have a neat product called matchmaker that allows the free reading and writing of Mac disks, andallows full access to them. The actual name of the company escapes me at the moment, but it is something like Microware .... Cheers Woody