Your "simple" procedure is quite complicated yet can be accomplished very simply.
Why go through all the DOS contortions. Simply use Windows Explorer (should be on every desktop) to get to Windows/Command folder, right click on the file, click on rename, and simply change it to any name you please or just delete last letter of extension. No knowledge of DOS commands or any typing is required at all... less than 30 seconds, start to finish to change the names this way . As an old diehard DOS man, DOS it simply is dead. There is nothing I know of that DOS does easier or better than Windows except run DOS programs. Hate to admit it but tis so. I continued using DOS until 1997. Learn Windows before it is also obsolete. :-) Regards ----- Original Message ----- From: "James Osbourne, Holmes" <[email protected]> To: "Silver-List" <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, May 07, 2001 11:34 PM Subject: CS>OFF TOPIC, but of value to most list memers: Simple, very effective Security procedure. > > You can disable the two DOS programs which evil hackers most often use to > wipe out your hard drive data. DOS is still there, running behind windows; > at least through Millennium Edition; I don't know about Win2K. > > [Not all hackers are maleficent, quite the contrary; they are mostly the > good guys. The media tells us they are all demons, and can launch ICBMs by > simply whistling the correct series of tones into a telephone. Remember; it > was hackers who gave us PGP] > > Rename the file extension of the two files fdisk.exe, and format.com, so > that they are no longer executable; even if a worm or other cyberpathogen > gets in it cannot use these utilities to do damage. > > 1. Start, Programs, MS-DOS prompt. > > 2. Note the command prompt: C:\> > > 3. Type cd\windows\command This takes you to the command directory > [Remember, when we had to do stuff like this to do anything on our > computer?] > > 4. Type this: rename format.com format.con [then, hit return.] > > 5. Then type: rename fdisk.exe fdisk.exx [then, hit return.] > > 6. If you need to use these programs for the purpose for which they are > intended, do the same procedure, only correct the changes back to .exe and > .com Don't mix the extensions between the programs; fdisk is exe and format > is com > > 7. If you have trouble, consult with someone who still remembers how to > use DOS commands. Spacing and punctuation must be exact. The change of the > file extension [the three letters to the right of the dot, does not matter; > you may use anything except .exe or .com. For example .cox or .zzz or > whatever. Using the above characters will make it easier to remember the > correct extension. By convention, .com and .exe tell the operating system > that the file is "executable", i.e. it is a program which will perform some > series of actions when called by the operating system or another program. > > I am not certain that I have every detail correct; you may need to do other > procedures in your machine to get to the right directory containing these > files, but this is the basic principle. > > Do not be misled into thinking this will protect you from more sophisticated > attacks. Keep your anti-virus programs armed and loaded with the latest > updates, and still use caution opening attachments. > > This is courtesy of a gentleman named M.L. Shannon, and was swiped without > guilt from the May 2001 edition of Nuts and Volts, an excellent electronics > print magazine. > > www.nutsvolst.com <http://www.nutsvolst.com/> . > > JOH > > James-Osbourne: Holmes > > _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com -- The silver-list is a moderated forum for discussion of colloidal silver. To join or quit silver-list or silver-digest send an e-mail message to: [email protected] -or- [email protected] with the word subscribe or unsubscribe in the SUBJECT line. To post, address your message to: [email protected] Silver-list archive: http://escribe.com/health/thesilverlist/index.html List maintainer: Mike Devour <[email protected]>
