Spectrum Computing

This post has been edited by Admin:

I'm aware of a couple of 'viruses' for the Russian machines with TR-DOS which deleted files (See links below), but is anyone aware of any others which did similar things to Sprectrums with attached Microdrives or Disk storage (Especially the +3)

https://translate.google.com/translate? ... edit-text=

and this thread

https://translate.google.com/translate? ... edit-text=

After use a program, you normally reset the machine before load other, so is virtually imposible the virus propagation in that machines.

777 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 31, 2020 7:22 pm This post has been edited by Admin:

I'm aware of a couple of 'viruses' for the Russian machines with TR-DOS which deleted files (See links below), but is anyone aware of any others which did similar things to Sprectrums with attached Microdrives or Disk storage (Especially the +3)

https://translate.google.com/translate? ... edit-text=

and this thread

https://translate.google.com/translate? ... edit-text=

I just noticed, that the same question was asked by user "digital" on wos forum yesterday.
Did you ask that question and why did the admin edit your message?

Hi,

After the post which was the same as the original one on WoS, I contacted [mention]777[/mention] who is also Digital on WoS. Explained that the +3 didn't have viruses. He then sent me some links regarding TR-DOS, so I rephrased his question to mention TR-DOS and posted it again, and let him know that I had done it, and made sure I mentioned in the post that I had edited it.

https://worldofspectrum.org/forums/disc ... ses#latest

It looks like [mention]777[/mention] then asked a similar question to the one that I amended on WoS.

https://worldofspectrum.org/forums/disc ... rus#latest

I did raise about asking the same questions on both sites, but he feels he can reach a larger audience.

I’ll raise you one, very occasionally I post the same thing on three or four Sinclair computer forums

[Here, WoSf, Sinclair ZX World, QL Forum]

Incidentally, we have some other members who post the same thing here and on another forum (usually on WoSf). But sometimes here and SZXW, or SZXW and WoSf.

Mark

it would be nice if the author will provide links to topics on other forums when crossposting. just in case people will later find the topic with searching, so they can follow the discussion elsewhere too.

p.s.: don't take it as backseat moderation, please. ;-) it is just a thing i think would help others.

Agreed [mention]ketmar[/mention], I think that would be useful.

Phew, that's a relief...
For a moment, I thought this was another rogerjowett/harius attempt to infiltrate and flooded forum, with more ingenious topics.

Pegaz wrote: ↑Mon Aug 03, 2020 10:37 am For a moment, I thought this was another rogerjowett/harius attempt to infiltrate and flooded forum, with more ingenious topics.

That can be arranged...

Had to LOL at "harius attempt". I mean, Roger is almost legendary, but harrius ... it just reminded me of something - you know there's this German Sinclair/Speccy forum? It's not very interesting for me so I never even bothered to make an account, but I occasionally read a couple of posts. I think they had a topic about the WOS forums, and this guy was complaining that he doesn't enjoy it anymore because of all the topic spam by harrius. I have to agree ... especially those threads by harrius where he's the only one posting, resulting in easily a dozen consecutive posts just by him!

XTM wrote: ↑Mon Aug 03, 2020 9:58 pm those threads by harrius where he's the only one posting, resulting in easily a dozen consecutive posts just by him!

Well, I kind of don’t mind him (on WoS, that is; I wouldn’t wish his stream of consciousness upon this forum!). He’s probably lonely and has an urge to share his thoughts, and chat about his life. Granted, a personal blog would have been a much better option.

Ast A. Moore wrote: ↑Mon Aug 03, 2020 10:54 pm

XTM wrote: ↑Mon Aug 03, 2020 9:58 pm those threads by harrius where he's the only one posting, resulting in easily a dozen consecutive posts just by him!

Well, I kind of don’t mind him (on WoS, that is; I wouldn’t wish his stream of consciousness upon this forum!). He’s probably lonely and has an urge to share his thoughts, and chat about his life. Granted, a personal blog would have been a much better option.

I suggested this to him a long time ago on the wos forum but he didn't accept, it even seemed to me that he was offended somehow.
I don't know if he and rogerjowett are the same person, but I had more serious problems with roger about ten years ago, he trolled my youtube videos, spammed with private messages without any logical sense, mostly related to SamCoupe, which he is obsessed with.
One of the good reasons why I like sc forum is that I don't have to put up with such experiences anymore...

He's far too sane to be Roger, and never mentions Sam Coupe video modes or dial up modems.

When I put Spectrum stuff on eBay I frequently get very random messages from Roger.

+3code wrote: ↑Sun Aug 02, 2020 1:38 pm After use a program, you normally reset the machine before load other, so is virtually imposible the virus propagation in that machines.

I think the idea is that the TRD viruses lived on the disks and deleted files on that disk, but not harm the machine. If so then the same should be equally possible on a +3 shouldn't it?

I've only seen things the opposite way round: I once had a divIDE that showed up a piece of malware on my speccy that my laptop couldn't see!

R-Tape wrote: ↑Tue Aug 04, 2020 10:03 am

+3code wrote: ↑Sun Aug 02, 2020 1:38 pm After use a program, you normally reset the machine before load other, so is virtually imposible the virus propagation in that machines.

I think the idea is that the TRD viruses lived on the disks and deleted files on that disk

But they can't jump to other disks if the disk interface not have an own RAM or you reset the computer...

+3code wrote: ↑Tue Aug 04, 2020 10:52 am

R-Tape wrote: ↑Tue Aug 04, 2020 10:03 am I think the idea is that the TRD viruses lived on the disks and deleted files on that disk

But they can't jump to other disks if the disk interface not have an own RAM or you reset the computer...

it is slightly more intereting than that. for TR-DOS, people were often using so-called "boots" (aka simple file managers/runners) to run games from disks (just to avoid typing). most boots were universal programs, and could re-read disks by pressing some keys. so it was possible to insert one disk, run boot from there, and then use that boot to inspect other disks (while looking for a particular game, for example). this way, infected boot could "infect" other disks. still not a great danger, of course, but infector coupled with some nice-looking boot could theoretically spread.

ketmar wrote: ↑Tue Aug 04, 2020 11:10 am

+3code wrote: ↑Tue Aug 04, 2020 10:52 am But they can't jump to other disks if the disk interface not have an own RAM or you reset the computer...

it is slightly more intereting than that. for TR-DOS, people were often using so-called "boots" (aka simple file managers/runners) to run games from disks (just to avoid typing). most boots were universal programs, and could re-read disks by pressing some keys. so it was possible to insert one disk, run boot from there, and then use that boot to inspect other disks (while looking for a particular game, for example). this way, infected boot could "infect" other disks. still not a great danger, of course, but infector coupled with some nice-looking boot could theoretically spread.

What's more, there's such a thing as 'COPY' in all disk interfaces. User copies an infected program to another disk, it then infect other programs on that disk. Then you get the same effect by further copying one of those. It still spreads, even if not entirely by itself.

Yes, if you are running a program from one disk then insert another it could, theoretically, modify that second disk to propogate.

In reality though, most people just played games. And games that required a full reset to load something else. And the +3 doesn't try to load anything from disk unless you select the loader option.

So the possibility of a virus spreading is incredibly low, to the point of being impractical in all but demonstration scenarios.

with xUSSR clones, many were modified to boot directly into TR-DOS, and TR-DOS automatically loads boot. but with +3... yeah, i think it's not as interesting as it could be. ;-)