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Viruses on Apple II GS?

billdeg

billdeg

Technician
Joined
Nov 18, 2003
Messages
3,885
Location
Landenberg, PA USA
How prevalent are viruses on the Apple II GS? I am curious about how far back (what models) do you start worrying about viruses?

On the IBM's I don't check PC/XT/AT's for viruses, but software installed onto anything newer gets scanned before installation onto a vintage computer.

I am curious as to your opinions.
 
Hi,
You really should not have to worry on the IIgs. Most of the Viruses were non destructive. I believe there were only 3 or so.

The Blackout Virus which went into the contol panel and change the text to black with the screenbackground to black. There were number of ways to back the computer.

The Flasher Virus which would pop up every now and then.

One other that I can not think of.

There were a couple of Virus killer programs. Even ZZ copy can check for viruses. Think I seen a viruses only once over 20 years.
 
The oldest one thats really destructive is known as the isreali, and it's only for pc's so you should be fine
 
I'm awair this thread is rather... old... but anyway....

Photonix II 2.3 has an option to check for(and remove) viruses when copying disks... I always have it turned on... I actually found a virus on one of the diskimages on the fairway... it was on Disk 3 of Jack Nicklaus Greatest 18 Holes of Major Championship Golf.... I had already put all their games to disk for myself and I had a friend over who was copying everything for himself when it found the virus.... it called the virus "Dave"
 
billdeg said:
On the IBM's I don't check PC/XT/AT's for viruses, but software installed onto anything newer gets scanned before installation onto a vintage computer.
Click to expand...

You should check PC/XT/AT if you can (usually this means scanning the files on a modern machine before you load them). I remember seeing the Stoned virus in 1989, and there are many programs from that era and later that run on such machines.
 
Zmatt said:
viruses in BASIC... how'd a thunk!
Click to expand...

Yes, I have (ahem)written a few "viruses" in basic. I just wanted to see if I could. For obvious reasons, I have NEVER messed with those on computers that use internet, nor have I released any outside of my own home, or stored them on any computer other than my 8086's. I designed one that replaces the "run" or "setup/install" file on diskettes(a user would see the file setup.exe, run.exe, or install.exe, and run it, not realizing it was a virus) and when it was activated, it would delete important files, nessesary to run DOS, such as command.com, or would execute c: del *.*, and the prompt would come up to ask it you where sure, I had to programmed to answer Y, then "enter." I have experimented with it on my vintage machines; it is kind of useful that all Windows machines(except maybe Vista, I dunno) So as far as I can tell, it would work on XP(del *.*) but again, no way I am testing it on that, unless I need to install a diff. O/S anyway.
 
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