************************************************************************ Central Point Software, Inc.. README file for the Central Point Anti-Virus Special Edition February 21, 1992. This file contains information about the Michelangelo-specific Special Edition of Central Point Anti-Virus. To print this file from the DOS prompt, type: COPY README.TXT PRN: ************************************************************************ THE MICHELANGELO VIRUS Fast becoming one of the most publicized viruses, the Michelangelo virus has been the been the subject of much media attention in the last few months. First discovered in Scandinavia last year, the Michelangelo virus is now widely spread throughout the world. According to one source, as many as five million PCs may be infected with the virus, 500,000 of which are in the United States. On March 6, the birthday of the Italian Renaissance painter and sculptor, the Michelangelo virus will format the hard disks of infected systems by overwriting them with random characters from system memory. How does the virus work? The Michelangelo virus works by quietly hiding in a computer's boot sector and memory and infecting all disks the computer uses. The virus goes into memory the first time the user attempts to start the computer with an infected disk. Once in memory, Michelangelo infects diskette boot sectors as diskettes are accessed and the hard disk partition table as files are accessed on the system's hard disk. On Michelangelo's birthday, March 6, the data on the hard disks of all infected systems will be irretrievably damaged. The Michelangelo-specific Special Edition of Central Point Anti-Virus detects and removes the Michelangelo virus and will restore the hard disk partition table to its original state. If, however, the virus is not removed and activates on March 6, the data will be unrecoverable. ************************************************************************ USING THE SPECIAL EDITION OF CENTRAL POINT ANTI-VIRUS To detect and remove the Michelangelo virus follow these steps: 1. From the directory the files are located in type: CPAV A dialog box displays with information about this Special Edition of Central Point Anti-Virus. 3. Choose OK NOTE: If the window is not displayed correctly on your computer, type CPAV /video to get help on the video command-line. 4. Choose Detect & Clean. A progress bar displays showing the percentage of directories and files in directories that have been scanned. The path line lists each directory and file as it is scanned. Viruses are listed in the information area as they are found and cleaned. The program, however, does not stop when it finds viruses. You can interrupt the scan at any time by pressing Esc. If the Michelangelo or Friday the 13th virus is detected, Central Point Anti-Virus automatically cleans (removes) it and updates the Last Action Taken information. After the entire drive is scanned, the Viruses Detected and Cleaned window displays showing how many and what type of disks and files were checked for the presence of viruses, how many infections were found, the number of files or disks that were cured of infection, and the time it took to scan the drive. When you finish looking at the report, choose Continue to return to the main window. 5. Scan each drive on your computer by choosing Select new drive, selecting a drive, and choosing Detect and Clean. 6. Create a directory on your hard disk and copy all the files from the Central Point Anti-Virus Special Edition disk to that directory. You can now explore the variety of other features available in Central Point Anti-Virus. For information about features of the program, press F1 at any time. ************************************************************************ CENTRAL POINT ANTI-VIRUS Central Point Anti-Virus provides the most comprehensive, easy-to-use virus protection for both corporate and single-user environments. Its transparent and automatic operation assures total virus protection for any level of user. Easily customizable into multiple configurations, Central Point Anti-Virus is simple to introduce into organizations with diverse computing environments. Central Point Anti-Virus includes the following features: Advanced Virus Protection *Recognizes and removes more than 1,000 viruses *Detects and cleans unknown viruses *Permanently immunizes files, making them self-protecting against viruses *Offers advanced protection against stealth viruses, including unknown stealth viruses. *Searches for and discovers known viruses in memory and on disk. *Detects viruses attempting to enter your system before they infect files. *Provides virus protection for boot sectors and partition tables *Cleans viruses from infected files *Contains information on more than 1,000 viruses Automatic and Transparent Operation *Configurable memory-resident program provides automatic detection *Periodic scan reminders prompt users to scan *Prevents network login of users who are not protected *Automatic and customizable network messaging to alert system administrator of virus infections on PCs attached to the network. Highly Configurable *Offers complete virus protection in both DOS and Windows *Custom Install program lets you create installation sets with different configurations *Scans both local and network drives *Comprehensive reporting options enable you to monitor virus activities and scanning activities *Upgrade option allows installation of new versions with program reconfiguration *Express menu makes detection and elimination easy for any user level. *Customizable error messages *Password protection on user options and network access *Broad compatibility for working with Novell and other network System Requirements IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2 or 100% compatibles with DOS 3.1 or higher and 512K RAM; Supports Microsoft Mouse Driver 6.14 or higher, Logitech/Dexxa mouse drivers version 3.4x or higher, or 100% compatibles. ************************************************************************ ORDERING INFORMATION To obtain additional copies of the Special Edition of Central Point Anti-Virus, download them from CompuServe or the Central Point Software BBS: CompuServe: Enter "Go Central" Central Point Software BBS (2400 bps) (503) 690-6650 You can also call 1-800-288-4750 and order a Michelangelo Protection Kit directly from Central Point for $29 (overnight delivery included). The Michelangelo Protection Kit contains the Michelangelo-specific Special Edition, an executive briefing on computer viruses and what users can do to protect themselves, and a coupon for a $10 rebate on a future purchase of Central Point Anti-Virus, a full anti-virus software program which detects and cleans more than 1,000 viruses, including the Michelangelo virus. To purchase the complete version of Central Point Anti-Virus, winner of PC Magazine's Editor's Choice award, see your favorite software dealer. For information about purchasing in volume, or site licensing Central Point Anti-Virus, please call Central Point Software directly at (503) 690-8088 and ask for the Corporate and Government Sales Department.