bios update procedure

8/2/2019 BIOS Update Procedure

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BIOS Update Procedure

All latest Motherboards today, 486/ Pentium / Pentium Pro etc.,ensure that upgrades areeasily obtained by incorporating the system BIOS in a FLASH Memory component. With

FLASH BIOS, there is no need to replace an EPROM component. Once downloaded, the

upgrade utility fits on a floppy disc allowing the user to save, verify and update the systemBIOS. A hard drive or a network drive can also be used to run the newer upgrade utilities.

However, memory managers can not be installed while upgrading.

Most pre-Pentium motherboards do not have a Flash BIOS. The following instructions

therefore do not apply to these boards. If your motherboard does not have a Flash BIOS

(EEPROM) you will need to use an EPROM programmer to re-program the BIOS chip.

See your dealer for more information about this.

Please read the following instructions in full before starting a Flash BIOS upgrade:

A. Create a Bootable Floppy (in DOS)

With a non-formatted disk, type the following:

format a:/s

If using a formatted disk, type:

sys a:

This procedure will ensure a clean boot when you are flashing the new BIOS.

B. Download the BIOS file

Download the correct BIOS file by clicking on the file name of the BIOS file you wish to

download.

Save the BIOS file and the Flash Utility file in the boot disk you have created. Unzip the

BIOS file and the flash utility file. If you don't have an "unzip" utility, download the

WinZip for Windows 95 shareware/ evaluation copy for that one time use from

_www.winzip.com or _www.pkware.com. Most CD ROMs found in computer magazines,have a shareware version of WinZip on them.

You should have extracted two files:

Flash BIOS utility eg: flash7265.exe (for example)

BIOS eg: 6152J900.bin (example)

Use the latest flash utility available unless otherwise specified (either on the BIOS update

page or in the archive file). This information is usually provided.


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C. Upgrade the System BIOS

During boot up, write down the old BIOS version because you will need to use it for the

BIOS backup file name.

Place the bootable floppy disk containing the BIOS file and the Flash Utility in drive a, and

reboot the system in MS-DOS, preferably Version 6.22

At the A:> prompt, type the corresponding Flash BIOS utility and the BIOS file with its

extension.

For example:

flash625 615j900.bin

From the Flash Memory Writer menu, select "Y" to "Do you want to save BIOS?" if youwant to save (back up) your current BIOS (strongly recommended), then type the name of

your current BIOS and its extension after FILE NAME TO SAVE: eg: a:\613J900.bin

Alternatively select "N" if you don't want to save your current BIOS. Beware, though, that

you won't be able to recover from a possible failure.

Select "Y" to "Are you sure to program?"

Wait until it displays "Message: Power Off or Reset the system"

Once the BIOS has been successfully loaded, remove the floppy disk and reboot the

system. If you write to BIOS but cannot complete the procedure, do not switch off, becausethe computer will not be able to boo, and you will not be given another chance to flash. In

this case leave your system on until you resolve the problem (flashing BIOS with old file is

a possible solution, provided you've made a backup before)

Make sure the new BIOS version has been loaded properly by taking note of the BIOS

identifier as the system is rebooting.

For AMI BIOS

Once the BIOS has been successfully loaded, remove the floppy disk and reboot the system

holding the "END" key prior to power on until you enter CMOS setup. If you do not do thisthe first time booting up after upgrading the BIOS, the system will hang.

BIOS Update Tipsnote:

1.Make sure never to turn off or reset your computer during the flash process. This will

corrupt the BIOS data. We also recommend that you make a copy of your current BIOS on

the bootable floppy so you can reflash it if you need to. (This option is not available when


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flashing an AMI BIOS).

2. If you have problems installing your new BIOS please check the following:

Have you done a clean boot?

In other words, did you follow the above procedure for making a bootable floppy? Thisensures that when booting from "A" there are no device drivers on the diskette. Failing to

do a clean boot is the most common cause for getting a "Memory Insufficient" error

message when attempting to flash a BIOS.

If you have not used a bootable floppy, insure a clean boot either by

a) pressing F5 during bootup

b) by removing all device drivers on the CONFIG.SYS including the HIMEM.SYS. Do

this by using the EDIT command.

Have you booted up under DOS?

Booting in Windows is another common cause for getting a "Memory Insufficient" errormessage when attempting to flash a BIOS. Make sure to boot up to DOS with a minimum

set of drivers. Important: Booting in DOS does not mean selecting "Restart computer in

MS-DOS Mode" from Windows98/95 shutdown menu or going to Prompt mode inWindowsNT, but rather following the above procedure (format a: /s and rebooting from

a:\).

Have you entered the full file name of the flash utility and the BIOS plus its extension?Do not forget that often you will need to add a drive letter (a:\) before flashing the BIOS.

Example: when asked for file name of new BIOS file which is on your floppy disk, in case

you're working from c:\ your will need to type a:\615j900.bin, rather than 615j900.bin only.______________________________

Getting used to using your keyboard exclusively and leaving your mouse behind will make

you much more efficient at performing any task on any Windows system. I use thefollowing keyboard shortcuts every day:

Windows key + R = Run menu

This is usually followed by:

cmd = Command Prompt

iexplore + "web address" = Internet Explorercompmgmt.msc = Computer Management

dhcpmgmt.msc = DHCP Management

dnsmgmt.msc = DNS Managementservices.msc = Services

eventvwr = Event Viewer

dsa.msc = Active Directory Users and Computers

dssite.msc = Active Directory Sites and Services


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Windows key + E = Explorer

ALT + Tab = Switch between windows

ALT, Space, X = Maximize window

CTRL + Shift + Esc = Task Manager

Windows key + Break = System properties

Windows key + F = Search

Windows key + D = Hide/Display all windows

CTRL + C = copy

CTRL + X = cut

CTRL + V = paste

Also don't forget about the "Right-click" key next to the right Windows key on your

keyboard. Using the arrows and that key can get just about anything done once you'veopened up any program.

Keyboard Shortcuts

[Alt] and [Esc] Switch between running applications

[Alt] and letter Select menu item by underlined letter

[Ctrl] and [Esc] Open Program Menu

[Ctrl] and [F4] Close active document or group windows (does not work with some

applications)

[Alt] and [F4] Quit active application or close current window

[Alt] and [-] Open Control menu for active document

Ctrl] Lft., Rt. arrow Move cursor forward or back one word

Ctrl] Up, Down arrow Move cursor forward or back one paragraph

[F1] Open Help for active application


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Windows+M Minimize all open windows

Shift+Windows+M Undo minimize all open windows

Windows+F1 Open Windows Help

Windows+Tab Cycle through the Taskbar buttons

Windows+Break Open the System Properties dialog box

acessability shortcuts

Right SHIFT for eight seconds........ Switch FilterKeys on and off.

Left ALT +left SHIFT +PRINT SCREEN....... Switch High Contrast on and off.

Left ALT +left SHIFT +NUM LOCK....... Switch MouseKeys on and off.

SHIFT....... five times Switch StickyKeys on and off.

NUM LOCK...... for five seconds Switch ToggleKeys on and off.

explorer shortcuts

END....... Display the bottom of the active window.

HOME....... Display the top of the active window.

NUM LOCK+ASTERISK....... on numeric keypad (*) Display all subfolders under the

selected folder.

NUM LOCK+PLUS SIGN....... on numeric keypad (+) Display the contents of the selected

folder.

NUM LOCK+MINUS SIGN....... on numeric keypad (-) Collapse the selected folder.

LEFT ARROW...... Collapse current selection if it's expanded, or select parent folder.

RIGHT ARROW....... Display current selection if it's collapsed, or select first subfolder.

Type the following commands in your Run Box (Windows Key + R) or Start Run


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devmgmt.msc = Device Manager

msinfo32 = System Informationcleanmgr = Disk Cleanup

ntbackup = Backup or Restore Wizard (Windows Backup Utility)

mmc = Microsoft Management Consoleexcel = Microsoft Excel (If Installed)

msaccess = Microsoft Access (If Installed)

powerpnt = Microsoft PowerPoint (If Installed)winword = Microsoft Word (If Installed)

frontpg = Microsoft FrontPage (If Installed)

notepad = Notepad

wordpad = WordPadcalc = Calculator

msmsgs = Windows Messenger

mspaint = Microsoft Paint

wmplayer = Windows Media Playerrstrui = System Restore

netscp6 = Netscape 6.xnetscp = Netscape 7.x

netscape = Netscape 4.x

waol = America Onlinecontrol = Opens the Control Panel

control printers = Opens the Printers Dialog

internetbrowser

type in u're adress "google", then press [Right CTRL] and [Enter]add www. and .com to word and go to it

For Windows XP:

Copy. CTRL+C

Cut. CTRL+XPaste. CTRL+V

Undo. CTRL+Z

Delete. DELETEDelete selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin.

SHIFT+DELETE

Copy selected item. CTRL while dragging an itemCreate shortcut to selected item. CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item

Rename selected item. F2

Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word. CTRL+RIGHT ARROW

Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word. CTRL+LEFT ARROW


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Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph. CTRL+DOWN ARROW

Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph. CTRL+UP ARROW

Highlight a block of text. CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keysSelect more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text within a document.

SHIFT with any of the arrow keys

Select all. CTRL+ASearch for a file or folder. F3

View properties for the selected item. ALT+ENTER

Close the active item, or quit the active program. ALT+F4Opens the shortcut menu for the active window. ALT+SPACEBAR

Close the active document in programs that allow you to have multiple documents open

simultaneously. CTRL+F4

Switch between open items. ALT+TABCycle through items in the order they were opened. ALT+ESC

Cycle through screen elements in a window or on the desktop. F6

Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer. F4

Display the shortcut menu for the selected item. SHIFT+F10Display the System menu for the active window. ALT+SPACEBAR

Display the Start menu. CTRL+ESCDisplay the corresponding menu. ALT+Underlined letter in a menu name

Carry out the corresponding command. Underlined letter in a command name on an open

menuActivate the menu bar in the active program. F10

Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu. RIGHT ARROW

Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu. LEFT ARROW

Refresh the active window. F5View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer. BACKSPACE

Cancel the current task. ESC

SHIFT when you insert a CD into the CD-ROM drive Prevent the CD from automaticallyplaying.

Use these keyboard shortcuts for dialog boxes:

To Press

Move forward through tabs. CTRL+TAB

Move backward through tabs. CTRL+SHIFT+TABMove forward through options. TAB

Move backward through options. SHIFT+TAB

Carry out the corresponding command or select the corresponding option.ALT+Underlined letter

Carry out the command for the active option or button. ENTER

Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box. SPACEBARSelect a button if the active option is a group of option buttons. Arrow keys

Display Help. F1

Display the items in the active list. F4

Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box.


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BACKSPACE

If you have a Microsoft Natural Keyboard, or any other compatible keyboard that includesthe Windows logo key and the Application key , you can use these keyboard shortcuts:

Display or hide the Start menu. WIN Key

Display the System Properties dialog box. WIN Key+BREAK

Show the desktop. WIN Key+DMinimize all windows. WIN Key+M

Restores minimized windows. WIN Key+Shift+M

Open My Computer. WIN Key+E

Search for a file or folder. WIN Key+FSearch for computers. CTRL+WIN Key+F

Display Windows Help. WIN Key+F1

Lock your computer if you are connected to a network domain, or switch users if you are

not connected to a network domain. WIN Key+ LOpen the Run dialog box. WIN Key+R

Open Utility Manager. WIN Key+U

accessibility keyboard shortcuts:

Switch FilterKeys on and off. Right SHIFT for eight seconds

Switch High Contrast on and off. Left ALT+left SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN

Switch MouseKeys on and off. Left ALT +left SHIFT +NUM LOCK

Switch StickyKeys on and off. SHIFT five timesSwitch ToggleKeys on and off. NUM LOCK for five seconds

Open Utility Manager. WIN Key+U

shortcuts you can use with Windows Explorer:

Display the bottom of the active window. END

Display the top of the active window. HOME

Display all subfolders under the selected folder. NUM LOCK+ASTERISK on numeric

keypad (*)Display the contents of the selected folder. NUM LOCK+PLUS SIGN on numeric keypad

(+)

Collapse the selected folder. NUM LOCK+MINUS SIGN on numeric keypad (-)Collapse current selection if it's expanded, or select parent folder. LEFT ARROW

Display current selection if it's collapsed, or select first subfolder. RIGHT ARROW


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ADSL - Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line

AGP - Accelerated Graphics Port

ALI - Acer Labs, IncorporatedALU - Arithmetic Logic Unit

AMD - Advanced Micro Devices

APC - American Power ConversionASCII - American Standard Code for Information Interchange

ASIC - Application Specific Integrated Circuit

ASPI - Advanced SCSI Programming InterfaceAT - Advanced Technology

ATI - ATI Technologies Inc.

ATX - Advanced Technology Extended

--- B ---

BFG - BFG Technologies

BIOS - Basic Input Output System

BNC - Barrel Nut Connector

--- C ---CAS - Column Address Signal

CD - Compact Disk

CDR - Compact Disk RecorderCDRW - Compact Disk Re-Writer

CD-ROM - Compact Disk - Read Only Memory

CFM - Cubic Feet per Minute (ft?/min)

CMOS - Complementary Metal Oxide SemiconductorCPU - Central Processing Unit

CTX - CTX Technology Corporation (Commited to Excellence)

--- D ---

DDR - Double Data Rate

DDR-SDRAM - Double Data Rate - Synchronous Dynamic Random Access MemoryDFI - DFI Inc. (Design for Innovation)

DIMM - Dual Inline Memory Module

DRAM - Dynamic Random Access MemoryDPI - Dots Per Inch

DSL - See ASDL

DVD - Digital Versatile Disc

DVD-RAM - Digital Versatile Disk - Random Access Memory

--- E ---

ECC - Error Correction CodeECS - Elitegroup Computer Systems

EDO - Extended Data Out

EEPROM - Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory


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EPROM - Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory

EVGA - EVGA Corporation

--- F ---

FC-PGA - Flip Chip Pin Grid Array

FDC - Floppy Disk ControllerFDD - Floppy Disk Drive

FPS - Frame Per Second

FPU - Floating Point UnitFSAA - Full Screen Anti-Aliasing

FS - For Sale

FSB - Front Side Bus

--- G ---

GB - Gigabytes

GBps - Gigabytes per second or Gigabits per second

GDI - Graphical Device InterfaceGHz - GigaHertz

--- H ---

HDD - Hard Disk Drive

HIS - Hightech Information System LimitedHP - Hewlett-Packard Development Company

HSF - Heatsink-Fan

--- I ---IBM - International Business Machines Corporation

IC - Integrated Circuit

IDE - Integrated Drive ElectronicsIFS- Item for Sale

IRQ - Interrupt Request

ISA - Industry Standard ArchitectureISO - International Standards Organization

--- J ---

JBL - JBL (Jame B. Lansing) SpeakersJVC - JVC Company of America

- K ---Kbps - Kilobits Per Second

KBps - KiloBytes per second

--- L ---

LG - LG Electronics

LAN - Local Area Network

LCD - Liquid Crystal Display


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LDT - Lightning Data Transport

LED - Light Emitting Diode

--- M ---

MAC - Media Access Control

MB?

MotherBoard or MegabyteMBps - Megabytes Per SecondMbps - Megabits Per Second or Megabits Per Second

MHz - MegaHertz

MIPS - Million Instructions Per SecondMMX - Multi-Media Extensions

MSI - Micro Star International

--- N ---

NAS - Network Attached Storage

NAT - Network Address Translation

NEC - NEC CorporationNIC - Network Interface Card

--- O ---OC - Overclock (Over Clock)

OCZ - OCZ Technology

OEM - Original Equipment Manufacturer

--- P ---

PC - Personal ComputerPCB - Printed Circuit Board

PCI - Peripheral Component InterconnectPDA - Personal Digital Assistant

PCMCIA - Peripheral Component Microchannel Interconnect ArchitecturePGA - Professional Graphics Array

PLD - Programmable Logic Device

PM - Private Message / Private MessagingPnP - Plug 'n Play

PNY - PNY Technology

POST - Power On Self TestPPPoA - Point-to-Point Protocol over ATM

PPPoE - Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet

PQI - PQI Corporation

PSU - Power Supply Unit

--- R ---

RAID - Redundant Array of Inexpensive DisksRAM - Random Access Memory

RAMDAC - Random Access Memory Digital Analog Convertor

RDRAM - Rambus Dynamic Random Access Memory


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ROM - Read Only Memory

RPM - Revolutions Per Minute

--- S ---

SASID - Self-scanned Amorphous Silicon Integrated Display

SCA - SCSI Configured AutomaticallySCSI - Small Computer System Interface

SDRAM - Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory

SECC - Single Edge Contact ConnectorSODIMM - Small Outline Dual Inline Memory Module

SPARC - Scalable Processor ArChitecture

SOHO - Small Office Home Office

SRAM - Static Random Access MemorySSE - Streaming SIMD Extensions

SVGA - Super Video Graphics Array

S/PDIF - Sony/Philips Digital Interface

--- T ---

TB - TerabytesTBps - Terabytes per second

Tbps - Terabits per second

TDK - TDK ElectronicsTEC - Thermoelectric Cooler

TPC - TipidPC

TWAIN - Technology Without An Important Name

--- U ---

UART - Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter

USB - Universal Serial BusUTP - Unshieled Twisted Pair

--- V ---VCD - Video CD

VPN - Virtual Private Network

--- W ---WAN - Wide Area Network

WTB - Want to Buy

WYSIWYG - What You See Is What You Get

--- X ---

XGA - Extended Graphics ArrayXFX - XFX Graphics, a Division of Pine

XMS - Extended Memory Specification

XT - Extended Technology


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Create A Huge File

You can create a file of any size using nothing more than what's supplied with Windows.Start by converting the desired file size into hexadecimal notation. You can use the

Windows Calculator in Scientific mode do to this. Suppose you want a file of 1 million

bytes. Enter 1000000 in the calculator and click on the Hex option to convert it (1 millionin hex is F4240.) Pad the result with zeroes at the left until the file size reaches eight digits

000F4240.

Now open a command prompt window. In Windows 95, 98, or Me, you can do this byentering COMMAND in the Start menu's Run dialog; in Windows NT 4.0, 2000, or XP

enter CMD instead. Enter the command DEBUG BIGFILE.DAT and ignore the File not

found message. Type RCX and press Enter. Debug will display a colon prompt. Enter the

last four digits of the hexadecimal number you calculated (4240, in our example). TypeRBX and press Enter, then enter the first four digits of the hexadecimal size (000F, in our

example). Enter W for Write and Q for Quit. You've just created a 1-million-byte file usingDebug. Of course you can create a file of any desired size using the same technique.

______________________________

elete An "undeletable" File

Open a Command Prompt window and leave it open.

Close all open programs.

Click Start, Run and enter TASKMGR.EXEGo to the Processes tab and End Process on Explorer.exe.

Leave Task Manager open.

Go back to the Command Prompt window and change to the directory the AVI (or otherundeletable file) is located in.

At the command prompt type DEL where is the file you wish to

delete.Go back to Task Manager, click File, New Task and enter EXPLORER.EXE to restart the

GUI shell.

Close Task Manager.

Or you can try this

Open Notepad.exe

Click File>Save As..>

locate the folder where ur undeletable file is

Choose 'All files' from the file type box


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click once on the file u wanna delete so its name appears in the 'filename' box

put a " at the start and end of the filename

(the filename should have the extension of the undeletable file so it will overwrite it)

click save,

It should ask u to overwrite the existing file, choose yes and u can delete it as normal

Here's a manual way of doing it. I'll take this off once you put into your first post zain.

1. Start

2. Run

3. Type: command

4. To move into a directory type: cd c:\*** (The stars stand for your folder)5. If you cannot access the folder because it has spaces for example Program Files or Kazaa

Lite folder you have to do the following. instead of typing in the full folder name only takethe first 6 letters then put a ~ and then 1 without spaces. Example: cd c:\progra~1\kazaal~1

6. Once your in the folder the non-deletable file it in type in dir - a list will come up with

everything inside.7. Now to delete the file type in del ***.bmp, txt, jpg, avi, etc... And if the file name has

spaces you would use the special 1st 6 letters followed by a ~ and a 1 rule. Example: if

your file name was bad file.bmp you would type once in the specific folder thorugh

command, del badfil~1.bmp and your file should be gone. Make sure to type in the correctextension.

part 1

Like any other field in computer science, viruses have evolved -a great deal indeed- over

the years. In the series of press releases which start today, we will look at the origins andevolution of malicious code since it first appeared up to the present.

Going back to the origin of viruses, it was in 1949 that Mathematician John Von Neumann

described self-replicating programs which could resemble computer viruses as they areknown today. However, it was not until the 60s that we find the predecessor of current

viruses. In that decade, a group of programmers developed a game called Core Wars,

which could reproduce every time it was run, and even saturate the memory of otherplayers computers. The creators of this peculiar game also created the first antivirus, an

application named Reeper, which could destroy copies created by Core Wars.

However, it was only in 1983 that one of these programmers announced the existence of

Core Wars, which was described the following year in a prestigious scientific magazine:

this was actually the starting point of what we call computer viruses today.


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At that time, a still young MS-DOS was starting to become the preeminent operating

system worldwide. This was a system with great prospects, but still many deficiencies as

well, which arose from software developments and the lack of many hardware elementsknown today. Even like this, this new operating system became the target of a virus in

1986: Brain, a malicious code created in Pakistan which infected boot sectors of disks so

that their contents could not be accessed. That year also saw the birth of the first Trojan: anapplication called PC-Write.

Shortly after, virus writers realized that infecting files could be even more harmful tosystems. In 1987, a virus called Suriv-02 appeared, which infected COM files and opened

the door to the infamous viruses Jerusalem or Viernes 13. However, the worst was still to

come: 1988 set the date when the Morris worm appeared, infecting 6,000 computers.

From that date up to 1995 the types of malicious codes that are known today started being

developed: the first macro viruses appeared, polymorphic viruses Some of these even

triggered epidemics, such as MichaelAngelo. However, there was an event that changed the

virus scenario worldwide: the massive use of the Internet and e-mail. Little by little, virusesstarted adapting to this new situation until the appearance, in 1999, of Melissa, the first

malicious code to cause a worldwide epidemic, opening a new era for computer viruses.

part 2

This second installment of The evolution of viruses will look at how malicious code usedto spread before use of the Internet and e-mail became as commonplace as it is today, and

the main objectives of the creators of those earlier viruses.

Until the worldwide web and e-mail were adopted as a standard means of communicationthe world over, the main mediums through which viruses spread were floppy disks,

removable drives, CDs, etc., containing files that were already infected or with the virus

code in an executable boot sector.

When a virus entered a system it could go memory resident, infecting other files as they

were opened, or it could start to reproduce immediately, also infecting other files on the

system. The virus code could also be triggered by a certain event, for example when thesystem clock reached a certain date or time. In this case, the virus creator would calculate

the time necessary for the virus to spread and then set a date often with some particular

significance- for the virus to activate. In this way, the virus would have an incubationperiod during which it didnt visibly affect computers, but just spread from one system to

another waiting for D-day to launch its payload. This incubation period would be vital to

the virus successfully infecting as many computers as possible.

One classic example of a destructive virus that lay low before releasing its payload was

CIH, also known as Chernobyl. The most damaging version of this malicious code

activated on April 26, when it would try to overwrite the flash-BIOS, the memory which


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includes the code needed to control PC devices. This virus, which first appeared in June

1998, had a serious impact for over two years and still continues to infect computers today.

Because of the way in which they propagate, these viruses spread very slowly, especially in

comparison to the speed of todays malicious code. Towards the end of the Eighties, for

example, the Friday 13th (or Jerusalem) virus needed a long time to actually spread andcontinued to infect computers for some years. In contrast, experts reckon that in January

2003, SQLSlammer took just ten minutes to cause global communication problems across

the Internet.

Notoriety versus stealth

For the most part, in the past, the activation of a malicious code triggered a series of onscreen messages or images, or caused sounds to be emitted to catch the users attention.

Such was the case with the Ping Pong virus, which displayed a ball bouncing from one side

of the screen to another. This kind of elaborate display was used by the creator of the virus

to gain as much notoriety as possible. Nowadays however, the opposite is the norm, withvirus authors trying to make malicious code as discreet as possible, infecting users systems

without them noticing that anything is amiss.

pat 3

This third installment of The evolution of viruses will look at how the Internet and e-mailchanged the propagation techniques used by computer viruses.

Internet and e-mail revolutionized communications. However, as expected, virus creatorsdidnt take long to realize that along with this new means of communication, an excellent

way of spreading their creations far and wide had also dawned. Therefore, they quickly

changed their aim from infecting a few computers while drawing as much attention tothemselves as possible, to damaging as many computers as possible, as quickly as possible.

This change in strategy resulted in the first global virus epidemic, which was caused by the

Melissa worm.

With the appearance of Melissa, the economic impact of a virus started to become an issue.

As a result, users -above all companies- started to become seriously concerned about the

consequences of viruses on the security of their computers. This is how users discoveredantivirus programs, which started to be installed widely. However, this also brought about a

new challenge for virus writers, how to slip past this protection and how to persuade users

to run infected files.

The answer to which of these virus strategies was the most effective came in the form of a

new worm: Love Letter, which used a simple but effective ruse that could be considered an

early type of social engineering. This strategy involves inserting false messages that trick


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users into thinking that the message includes anything, except a virus. This worms bait

was simple; it led users to believe that they had received a love letter.

This technique is still the most widely used. However, it is closely followed by another

tactic that has been the center of attention lately: exploiting vulnerabilities in commonly

used software. This strategy offers a range of possibilities depending on the security holeexploited. The first malicious code to use this method and quite successfully- were the

BubbleBoy and Kakworm worms. These worms exploited a vulnerability in Internet

Explorer by inserting HTML code in the body of the e-mail message, which allowed themto run automatically, without needing the user to do a thing.

Vulnerabilities allow many different types of actions to be carried out. For example, they

allow viruses to be dropped on computers directly from the Internet -such as the Blasterworm-. In fact, the effects of the virus depend on the vulnerability that the virus author tries

to exploit.

part 4

In the early days of computers, there were relatively few PCs likely to contain sensitiveinformation, such as credit card numbers or other financial data, and these were generally

limited to large companies that had already incorporated computers into working processes.

In any event, information stored in computers was not likely to be compromised, unless thecomputer was connected to a network through which the information could be transmitted.

Of course, there were exceptions to this and there were cases in which hackers perpetrated

frauds using data stored in IT systems. However, this was achieved through typical hackingactivities, with no viruses involved.

The advent of the Internet however caused virus creators to change their objectives, and,from that moment on, they tried to infect as many computers as possible in the shortest

time. Also, the introduction of Internet services -like e-banking or online shopping- brought

in another change. Some virus creators started writing malicious codes not to infect

computers, but, to steal confidential data associated to those services. Evidently, to achievethis, they needed viruses that could infect many computers silently.

Their malicious labor was finally rewarded with the appearance, in 1986, of a new breed ofmalicious code generically called Trojan Horse, or simply Trojan. This first Trojan

was called PC-Write and tried to pass itself off as the shareware version of a text processor.

When run, the Trojan displayed a functional text processor on screen. The problem wasthat, while the user wrote, PC-Write deleted and corrupted files on the computers hard

disk.

After PC-Write, this type of malicious code evolved very quickly to reach the stage of


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present-day Trojans. Today, many of the people who design Trojans to steal data cannot be

considered virus writers but simply thieves who, instead of using blowtorches or dynamite

have turned to viruses to commit their crimes. Ldpinch.W or the Bancos or Tolger familiesof Trojans are examples of this

part 5

Even though none of them can be left aside, some particular fields of computer science

have played a more determinant role than others with regard to the evolution of viruses.

One of the most influential fields has been the development of programming languages.

These languages are basically a means of communication with computers in order to tell

them what to do. Even though each of them has its own specific development and

formulation rules, computers in fact understand only one language called "machine code".

Programming languages act as an interpreter between the programmer and the computer.

Obviously, the more directly you can communicate with the computer, the better it willunderstand you, and more complex actions you can ask it to perform.

According to this, programming languages can be divided into "low and high level"languages, depending on whether their syntax is more understandable for programmers or

for computers. A "high level" language uses expressions that are easily understandable for

most programmers, but not so much for computers. Visual Basic and C are good examples

of this type of language.

On the contrary, expressions used by "low level" languages are closer to machine code, but

are very difficult to understand for someone who has not been involved in theprogramming process. One of the most powerful, most widely used examples of this type

of language is "assembler".

In order to explain the use of programming languages through virus history, it is necessary

to refer to hardware evolution. It is not difficult to understand that an old 8-bit processor

does not have the power of modern 64-bit processors, and this of course, has had an impact

on the programming languages used.

In this and the next installments of this series, we will look at the different programming

languages used by virus creators through computer history:

- Virus antecessors: Core Wars

As was already explained in the first chapter of this series, a group of programs called Core

Wars, developed by engineers at an important telecommunications company, are

considered the antecessors of current-day viruses. Computer science was still in the early

stages and programming languages had hardly developed. For this reason, authors of these


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proto-viruses used a language that was almost equal to machine code to program them.

Curiously enough, it seems that one of the Core Wars programmers was Robert ThomasMorris, whose son programmed -years later- the "Morris worm". This malicious code

became extraordinarily famous since it managed to infect 6,000 computers, an impressive

figure for 1988.

- The new gurus of the 8-bits and the assembler language.

The names Altair, IMSAI and Apple in USA and Sinclair, Atari and Commodore in

Europe, bring memories of times gone by, when a new generation of computer enthusiasts

"fought" to establish their place in the programming world. To be the best, programmers

needed to have profound knowledge of machine code and assembler, as interpreters ofhigh-level languages used too much run time. BASIC, for example, was a relatively easy to

learn language which allowed users to develop programs simply and quickly. It had

however, many limitations.

This caused the appearance of two groups of programmers: those who used assembler and

those who turned to high-level languages (BASIC and PASCAL, mainly).

Computer aficionados of the time enjoyed themselves more by programming useful

software than malware. However, 1981 saw the birth of what can be considered the first 8-bit virus. Its name was "Elk Cloner", and was programmed in machine code. This virus

could infect Apple II systems and displayed a message when it infected a computer.

part 6

Computer viruses evolve in much the same way as in other areas of IT. Two of the most

important factors in understanding how viruses have reached their current level are thedevelopment of programming languages and the appearance of increasingly powerful

hardware.

In 1981, almost at the same time as Elk Kloner (the first virus for 8-bit processors) made itsappearance, a new operating system was growing in popularity. Its full name was

Microsoft Disk Operating System, although computer buffs throughout the world would

soon refer to it simply as DOS.

DOS viruses

The development of MS DOS systems occurred in parallel to the appearance of new, more

powerful hardware. Personal computers were gradually establishing themselves as tools

that people could use in their everyday lives, and the result was that the number of PCs

users grew substantially. Perhaps inevitably, more users also started creating viruses.


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Gradually, we witnessed the appearance of the first viruses and Trojans for DOS, written in

assembler language and demonstrating a degree of skill on the part of their authors.

Far less programmers know assembler language than are familiar with high-level languages

that are far easier to learn. Malicious code written in Fortran, Basic, Cobol, C or Pascal

soon began to appear. The last two languages, which are well established and verypowerful, are the most widely used, particularly in their TurboC and Turbo Pascal versions.

This ultimately led to the appearance of virus families: that is, viruses that are followed

by a vast number of related viruses which are slightly modified forms of the original code.

Other users took the less artistic approach of creating destructive viruses that did not

require any great knowledge of programming. As a result, batch processing file viruses or

BAT viruses began to appear.

Win16 viruses

The development of 16-bit processors led to a new era in computing. The first consequencewas the birth of Windows, which, at the time, was just an application to make it easier to

handle DOS using a graphic interface.

The structure of Windows 3.xx files is rather difficult to understand, and the assembler

language code is very complicated, as a result of which few programmers initiallyattempted to develop viruses for this platform. But this problem was soon solved thanks to

the development of programming tools for high-level languages, above all Visual Basic.

This application is so effective that many virus creators adopted it as their daily working

tool. This meant that writing a virus had become a very straightforward task, and virusessoon appeared in their hundreds. This development was accompanied by the appearance of

the first Trojans able to steal passwords. As a result, more than 500 variants of the AOL

Trojan family -designed to steal personal information from infected computers- wereidentified.

part 7

This seventh edition on the history of computer viruses will look at how the development

of Windows and Visual Basic has influenced the evolution of viruses, as with the

development of these, worldwide epidemics also evolved such as the first one caused byMelissa in 1999.

While Windows changed from being an application designed to make DOS easier tomanage to a 32-bit platform and operating system in its own right, virus creators went back

to using assembler as the main language for programming viruses.

Versions 5 and 6 of Visual Basic (VB) were developed, making it the preferred tool, along

with Borland Delphi (the Pascal development for the Windows environment), for Trojan

and worm writers. Then, Visual C, a powerful environment developed in C for Windows,

was adopted for creating viruses, Trojans and worms. This last type of malware gained


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unusual strength, taking over almost all other types of viruses. Even though the

characteristics of worms have changed over time, they all have the same objective: to

spread to as many computers as possible, as quickly as possible.

With time, Visual Basic became extremely popular and Microsoft implemented part of the

functionality of this language as an interpreter capable of running script files with a similarsyntax.

At the same time as the Win32 platform was implemented, the first script viruses alsoappeared: malware inside a simple text file. These demonstrated that not only executable

files (.EXE and .COM files) could carry viruses. As already seen with BAT viruses, there

are also other means of propagation, proving the saying "anything that can be executed

directly or through a interpreter can contain malware." To be specific, the first viruses thatinfected the macros included in Microsoft Office emerged. As a result, Word, Excel,

Access and PowerPoint become ways of spreading lethal weapons, which destroyed

information when the user simply opened a document.

Melissa and self-executing worms

The powerful script interpreters in Microsoft Office allowed virus authors to arm their

creations with the characteristics of worms. A clear example is Melissa, a Word macro

virus with the characteristics of a worm that infects Word 97 and 2000 documents. Thisworm automatically sends itself out as an attachment to an e-mail message to the first 50

contacts in the Outlook address book on the affected computer. This technique, which has

unfortunately become very popular nowadays, was first used in this virus which, in 1999,

caused one of the largest epidemics in computer history in just a few days. In fact,companies like Microsoft, Intel or Lucent Technologies had to block their connections to

the Internet due to the actions of Melissa.

The technique started by Melissa was developed in 1999 by viruses like VBS/Freelink,

which unlike its predecessor sent itself out to all the contacts in the address book on the

infected PC. This started a new wave of worms capable of sending themselves out to all thecontacts in the Outlook address book on the infected computer. Of these, the worm that

most stands out from the rest is VBS/LoveLetter, more commonly known as I love You,

which emerged in May 2000 and caused an epidemic that caused damage estimated at

10,000 million euros. In order to get the users attention and help it to spread, this wormsent itself out in an e-mail message with the subject ILOVEYOU and an attached file

called LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.TXT.VBS. When the user opened this attachment, the

computer was infected.

As well as Melissa, in 1999 another type of virus emerged that also marked a milestone in

virus history. In November of that year, VBS/BubbleBoy appeared, a new type of Internetworm written in VB Script. VBS/BubbleBoy was automatically run without the user

needing to click on an attached file, as it exploited a vulnerability in Internet Explorer 5 to

automatically run when the message was opened or viewed. This worm was followed in

2000 by JS/Kak.Worm, which spread by hiding behind Java Script in the auto-signature in


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Microsoft Outlook Express, allowing it to infect computers without the user needing to run

an attached file. These were the first samples of a series of worms, which were joined later

on by worms capable of attacking computers when the user is browsing the Internet.

Google secrets

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

method 1?ww.google.com

put this string in google search:

"parent directory " /appz/ -xxx -html -htm -php -shtml -opendivx -md5 -md5sums

"parent directory " DVDRip -xxx -html -htm -php -shtml -opendivx -md5 -md5sums

"parent directory "Xvid -xxx -html -htm -php -shtml -opendivx -md5 -md5sums

"parent directory " Gamez -xxx -html -htm -php -shtml -opendivx -md5 -md5sums

"parent directory " MP3 -xxx -html -htm -php -shtml -opendivx -md5 -md5sums

"parent directory " Name of Singer or album -xxx -html -htm -php -shtml -opendivx -md5

-md5sums

Notice that i am only changing the word after the parent directory, change it to what you

want and you will get a lot of stuff.

voila!

method 2

?ww.google.com

put this string in google search:

?intitle:index.of? mp3

You only need add the name of the song/artist/singer.

Example: ?intitle:index.of? mp3 jackson


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First the safety rules

The inside of a computer is a bad place full of electricity and sharp edges.On the electricity side always when working on you computer make sure that its still

plugged in to the power socket and the power is turned off, this is to ensure that any static

From you is discharged through the earth. The inside of most computer cases areunfinished metal and has very sharp edges so be careful.

The first signs of a battery failing are:-

1) your clock starts running slowly

2) when you boot (start) your computer it has a problem finding your hardware (no hard

drive, no cd rom)

To change the battery you need the following tools

1) a X-point screwdriver2) an anti-static strap(optional)

3) a new battery (seems logical)

Then unplug all the cables from the back of the computer as you remove them make a note

where they came from. (So when you finished you can put them back)

Move the computer somewhere where you can work on it with ease

Remove the cover by locating the screws around the outer edge (back) of the computerSome computer cases only require you to remove 2 screws on one side then a panel can be

removed allowing you access to the computers insides, others you must remove 6 screws

and remove the whole case by sliding it to the rear and lifting it off.

Now make sure that you read the safety instructions about static.

Look inside you will see a round silver thing that looks about the size of a 10p piece(quarter). This is the battery itself, carefully lift the retaining clip and slide the battery out.

Thats it removed now go to your local computer retailer, electrical retailer (Tandy/Radio

shack) taking the old battery with you and get a new battery.

Back to your computer insert the new battery by lifting the clip and sliding the battery in.

Reinstall your case and plug all the cables back (you did remember to label them didntyou)

Now for the fun part.

You will now need to go into you bios.

Right the bios is the god of your computer.


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To access it, when your computer first starts you will see a black screen with white text.

If you look carefully you will see a line that says something like "press del for setup" or

some other key (F2 or ESC or tab) this will take you to god's house where you can make

lots of changes to the way your machine works.

It is also the place where you can make your nice computer in to a rather expensive door

stop so be careful and dont go playing with anything.

You will now be presented with a blue screen with a lot of options on it,

The one we want is load optimised/default settings.

Press the F10 key and type y the computer should now reboot.

If every thing went well then your computer will now be up and running.

Shizers way: Keep computer running. Lay it on it's side and remove side cover to expose

MoBo. Take any thin object, "small screwdriver, knife point, wood shiskabob skewer. Pull

back the battery retaining clip. Toss the old battery in the junk recepticle, unless youbelong to greenpeace and want to save the earth. Install the new battery. No need to reset

bios becasue the compter supplies voltage to the cmos while it is running. Reset or resync

clock with internet. Done!

Keep Folders Hidden

first create a new folder somewhere on your hard drivewhen you name it hold down "Alt" and press "0160" this will create and invisible space so

it will apper as if it has no name.

then right click in and select "Properties" select the tab "coustimize" and select "changeicon" scroll along and you should a few blanc spaces click on any one and click ok when

you hav saved the settings the folder will be invisible to hide all your personal files

CTRL+C (Copy)

CTRL+X (Cut)

CTRL+V (Paste)CTRL+Z (Undo)

DELETE (Delete)

SHIFT+DELETE (Delete the selected item permanently without placing the item in theRecycle Bin)

CTRL while dragging an item (Copy the selected item)

CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item (Create a shortcut to the selected item)

F2 key (Rename the selected item)


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CTRL+RIGHT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word)

CTRL+LEFT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word)

CTRL+DOWN ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph)CTRL+UP ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph)

CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Highlight a block of text)

SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Select more than one item in a window or on thedesktop, or select text in a document)

CTRL+A (Select all)

F3 key (Search for a file or a folder)ALT+ENTER (View the properties for the selected item)

ALT+F4 (Close the active item, or quit the active program)

ALT+ENTER (Display the properties of the selected object)

ALT+SPACEBAR (Open the shortcut menu for the active window)CTRL+F4 (Close the active document in programs that enable you to have multiple

documents open simultaneously)

ALT+TAB (Switch between the open items)

ALT+ESC (Cycle through items in the order that they had been opened)F6 key (Cycle through the screen elements in a window or on the desktop)

F4 key (Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer)SHIFT+F10 (Display the shortcut menu for the selected item)

ALT+SPACEBAR (Display the System menu for the active window)

CTRL+ESC (Display the Start menu)ALT+Underlined letter in a menu name (Display the corresponding menu)

Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu (Perform the corresponding

command)

F10 key (Activate the menu bar in the active program)RIGHT ARROW (Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu)

LEFT ARROW (Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu)

F5 key (Update the active window)BACKSPACE (View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer)

ESC (Cancel the current task)

SHIFT when you insert a CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive (Prevent the CD-ROM fromautomatically playing)

Dialog Box Keyboard Shortcuts

CTRL+TAB (Move forward through the tabs)

CTRL+SHIFT+TAB (Move backward through the tabs)TAB (Move forward through the options)

SHIFT+TAB (Move backward through the options)

ALT+Underlined letter (Perform the corresponding command or select the correspondingoption)

ENTER (Perform the command for the active option or button)

SPACEBAR (Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box)Arrow keys (Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons)

F1 key (Display Help)

F4 key (Display the items in the active list)

BACKSPACE (Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open


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dialog box)

Microsoft Natural Keyboard Shortcuts

Windows Logo (Display or hide the Start menu)Windows Logo+BREAK (Display the System Properties dialog box)

Windows Logo+D (Display the desktop)

Windows Logo+M (Minimize all of the windows)Windows Logo+SHIFT+M (Restore the minimized windows)

Windows Logo+E (Open My Computer)

Windows Logo+F (Search for a file or a folder)CTRL+Windows Logo+F (Search for computers)

Windows Logo+F1 (Display Windows Help)

Windows Logo+ L (Lock the keyboard)

Windows Logo+R (Open the Run dialog box)Windows Logo+U (Open Utility Manager)

Accessibility Keyboard Shortcuts

Right SHIFT for eight seconds (Switch FilterKeys either on or off)

Left ALT+left SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN (Switch High Contrast either on or off)Left ALT+left SHIFT+NUM LOCK (Switch the MouseKeys either on or off)

SHIFT five times (Switch the StickyKeys either on or off)NUM LOCK for five seconds (Switch the ToggleKeys either on or off)

Windows Logo +U (Open Utility Manager)

Windows Explorer Keyboard ShortcutsEND (Display the bottom of the active window)

HOME (Display the top of the active window)

NUM LOCK+Asterisk sign (*) (Display all of the subfolders that are under the selected

folder)NUM LOCK+Plus sign (+) (Display the contents of the selected folder)

NUM LOCK+Minus sign (-) (Collapse the selected folder)

LEFT ARROW (Collapse the current selection if it is expanded, or select the parent folder)RIGHT ARROW (Display the current selection if it is collapsed, or select the first

subfolder)

Shortcut Keys for Character MapAfter you double-click a character on the grid of characters, you can move through the grid

by using the keyboard shortcuts:

RIGHT ARROW (Move to the right or to the beginning of the next line)

LEFT ARROW (Move to the left or to the end of the previous line)UP ARROW (Move up one row)

DOWN ARROW (Move down one row)

PAGE UP (Move up one screen at a time)PAGE DOWN (Move down one screen at a time)

HOME (Move to the beginning of the line)

END (Move to the end of the line)CTRL+HOME (Move to the first character)

CTRL+END (Move to the last character)

SPACEBAR (Switch between Enlarged and Normal mode when a character is selected)

Microsoft Management Console (MMC) Main Window Keyboard Shortcuts


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CTRL+O (Open a saved console)

CTRL+N (Open a new console)

CTRL+S (Save the open console)CTRL+M (Add or remove a console item)

CTRL+W (Open a new window)

F5 key (Update the content of all console windows)ALT+SPACEBAR (Display the MMC window menu)

ALT+F4 (Close the console)

ALT+A (Display the Action menu)ALT+V (Display the View menu)

ALT+F (Display the File menu)

ALT+O (Display the Favorites menu)

MMC Console Window Keyboard ShortcutsCTRL+P (Print the current page or active pane)

ALT+Minus sign (-) (Display the window menu for the active console window)

SHIFT+F10 (Display the Action shortcut menu for the selected item)

F1 key (Open the Help topic, if any, for the selected item)F5 key (Update the content of all console windows)

CTRL+F10 (Maximize the active console window)CTRL+F5 (Restore the active console window)

ALT+ENTER (Display the Properties dialog box, if any, for the selected item)

F2 key (Rename the selected item)CTRL+F4 (Close the active console window. When a console has only one console

window, this shortcut closes the console)

Remote Desktop Connection Navigation

CTRL+ALT+END (Open the Microsoft Windows NT Security dialog box)ALT+PAGE UP (Switch between programs from left to right)

ALT+PAGE DOWN (Switch between programs from right to left)

ALT+INSERT (Cycle through the programs in most recently used order)ALT+HOME (Display the Start menu)

CTRL+ALT+BREAK (Switch the client computer between a window and a full screen)

ALT+DELETE (Display the Windows menu)CTRL+ALT+Minus sign (-) (Place a snapshot of the active window in the client on the

Terminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing PRINT SCREEN

on a local computer.)

CTRL+ALT+Plus sign (+) (Place a snapshot of the entire client window area on theTerminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing ALT+PRINT

SCREEN on a local computer.)

Microsoft Internet Explorer NavigationCTRL+B (Open the Organize Favorites dialog box)

CTRL+E (Open the Search bar)

CTRL+F (Start the Find utility)CTRL+H (Open the History bar)

CTRL+I (Open the Favorites bar)

CTRL+L (Open the Open dialog box)

CTRL+N (Start another instance of the browser with the same Web address)


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CTRL+O (Open the Open dialog box, the same as CTRL+L)

CTRL+P (Open the Print dialog box)

CTRL+R (Update the current Web page)CTRL+W (Close the current window)

______________________________

bios update procedure

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