USER MANUAL for the "Virus Destruction Utility" version 3.0

  Congratulations  to your purchase of this new  product  in  the 
battle  against  computer viruses on the  Atari  ST,  the  "Virus 
Destruction Utility" (VDU) version 3.0. The main features of this 
program are:

 * Recognition  of virtually all software that uses  the  disk's 
   boot sector
   This  means that most commercial programs will not be damaged
   by this virus killer program!
 * Recognition  of  ALL known ST viruses -  both  bootsector-and 
   link viruses
 * Possibility to repair previously damaged boot sector software
 * All data on your disks remains 100% intact!
 * Immunizing of disks against all known bootsector viruses

 With this tool handy, you need not worry about the virus as much 
as you used to: You can simply use it to de-infect your disks and 
programs,  destroying the virus and leaving all other information 
intact.

MAKING A BACKUP

  The VDU contains no copy-protection,  as it is my  belief  that 
copy  protections  decrease  the  userfriendlyness  of  programs, 
especially  when the program in question happens to be a  utility 
program like the VDU.  Copying it to others,  however, is illegal 
and  depriving  me from my modest income made by  sales  of  this 
product.  Your  name  and  license number are  contained  in  the 
program,  so  that  illegal  copies can be  traced  back  to  the 
offender.
 VDU also runs from harddisk or drive B, from any subdirectory.

STARTING THE VIRUS DESTRUCTION UTILITY

  Turn your computer off and on again with the VDU disk in  drive 
A.  After some seconds,  a desktop will appear that contains  one 
file name "VDU_3_0.PRG". Double-click with the mouse on this file 
to  load  and run it.  The VDU will present its  start-up  screen 
after some more seconds, and it will be ready to use.
  It is advised to boot your system with the VDU disk because  it 
contains a virus-free and immunized bootsector. Theoretically, no 
virus can be present in memory this way (turning your system  off 
and  on  again assures that no possible  reset-resistant  viruses 
survive).








WORKING WITH THE VIRUS DESTRUCTION UTILITY

  On startup,  an alert box appears on the screen.  This kind  of 
alert box will be used throughout the program, and it offers some 
interesting extras to the standard GEM alert box. For example, it 
is  not only possible to select your option by clicking the  left 
mouse button on it,  but your selection can also be made by using 
the  corresponding  function keys,  displayed on  the  left.  The 
option  that is inverted is activated when you press  either  the 
RETURN or the ENTER keys.

  There  are five options available to the user from  this  first 
alert box:

                F1        Search'n'Destroy Viruses
                F2        Repair Disks
                F3        Information about VDU 3.0
                F4        Display Licence number
                F5        Quit to the Desktop

SEARCH'N'DESTROY VIRUSES

 Following the selection of this option, another alert box is put 
on the screen, allowing you to select the drive on which to start 
searching'n'destroying  viruses.   Please  note  that  bootsector 
viruses  can  only  be searched (and destroyed)  on  floppy  disk 
drives: Drives A (and B). Link viruses can be destroyed on either 
floppy-or hard disk.
  Once the drive to use is selected,  you can select whether  you 
want to examine data for bootsector-or link viruses. Depending on 
your  choice,  you'll  get  an alert box to insert  the  disk  to 
examine  or an item selector box respectively.  The rest  of  the 
procedures  are  self-explanatory.   There's  just  one,   rather 
important, note: IT IS POSSIBLE THAT A PERFECTLY HARMLESS DISK IS 
SUSPECTED  OF  BEING A VIRUS!!  This means that either  the  boot 
sector  of  the  harmless  program  is  not  yet  recognized  and 
implemented  in the VDU,  or that it is indeed a  new  virus!  In 
these  cases,  I'd very much like to receive either  an  original 
version or a backup of the disk that is suspected,  so that I can 
update the VDU. Of course, you'll get your disk(s) back, together 
with  a *free* update of the VDU if you supply your original  VDU 
disk.  ALSO IF YOU KNOW THAT THE SUSPECTED DISK IS NO VIRUS,  I'D 
VERY  MUCH  LIKE  TO RECEIVE IT,  BECAUSE OTHER  PEOPLE  IN  YOUR 
POSITION  MIGHT NOT KNOW THAT AND ACCIDENTALLY  DESTROY  PRECIOUS 
SOFTWARE!!  It  is  NOT necessary to send  a  properly  operating 
version  of  the software on the disk that is  meant  here.  Some 
software  is  copy-protected,  and can therefore  not  be  copied 
easily - but all I need is the bootsector and that's on a part of 
the disk that can ALWAYS be copied...
  Please send the disks in a good envelope that can also be  used 
for the way back,  and write "CONTAINS MAGNETIC MEDIA - PLEASE DO 
NOT X-RAY" on it in clear,  large characters (to minimize loss of 
your valuable software).

BOOT SECTOR VIRUSES

  Boot sector viruses are the easiest to recognize.  They  occupy 
the first sector on a disk,  commonly known as the 'boot sector'. 
They  are  destroyed by zeroing the boot sector  except  for  the 
necessary  data that's also present there (e.g.  the disk  format 
data or Bios Parameter Block).  The only difficulty is that there 
are many innocent programs that also use this bootsector. Most of 
those are recognized by the VDU,  but some are not.  That's  what 
the update service is all about.  Please note the capital letters 
on the previous page concerning this small problem.

LINK VIRUSES

  These viruses are the worst.  They merge themselves to  a  .PRG 
file,  and are executed each time that program file is run.  They 
keep on multiplying themselves onto other .PRG files on the disk, 
until  they  notice  that a certain condition  has  been  set  to 
trigger  them (this can e.g.  be the system data and  time,  thus 
creating the principle of a time bomb).  Destroying them is  also 
quite difficult, but the VDU knows how to handle them.

REPAIR DISKS

 If you find that you have accidentally destroyed a suspected but 
apparently  completely  innocent bootsectored  disk  (by  earlier 
virus killers,  for example),  this options allows you to  repair 
many of them.  If you have for example destroyed your copy of the 
popular  game "GOLDRUNNER",  it is possible to install  a  proper 
bootsector on it again,  thus repairing the program.  This option 
can save a lot of trouble and money.
  After selecting this option,  you will get some alert boxes  on 
the  screen  so  that you can select  bootsectors  from  a  list. 
Selecting  is done by clicking on the arrows up and down  in  the 
alert  box  (the more arrows,  the larger the jumps in  the  list 
are).  In most cases, the bootsector will be present in the list, 
but what to do when it isn't?
 When it isn't present,  you can order a VDU update,  hoping that 
the bootsector you want is included in that update.  But I cannot 
promise  you anything with regard to that,  so you'd better  also 
supply the address and telephone number of the company that  made 
the software whereto the bootsector belonged, as well as the name 
of the piece of software.

SUGGESTIONS

 Nobody is perfect, and neither am I. If you think that something 
in  the VDU setup should be altered for easy of use,  or  if  you 
happened  to  have  come accross a bug in  it,  I  would  greatly 
appreciate some feedback at my address. I will try to include the 
alterations in the updates.



ST NEWS

  The VDU was started as a small PD program for a  disk  magazine 
called  "ST  NEWS" (distributed in England by Page  6  magazine). 
Versions 3.0 and up of the VDU are no PD,  but news about updates 
and  the like is always included in "ST NEWS".  And it's  also  a 
perfect way of keeping into touch with the ST world outside.

FEEDBACK

 Feedback, non-recognized disks and requests for a VDU update can 
be sent to:

                              Richard Karsmakers
                              Kievitstraat 50
                              NL-5702 LE  Helmond
                              The Netherlands

Updates  can be ordered by sending 4 to the  above  address,  or 
transfering  the money to giro account number 5060326 of  Richard 
Karsmakers,  Kievitstraat 50,  5702 LE, Helmond, The Netherlands. 
Please specify your license number!!  If you choose not to  order 
an  update  after receiving a letter,  you will not  get  further 
update notices, although you will still be able to order one. Not 
until  after  you  have ordered an update will  you  get  further 
letters.

