How to Protect Hardisk (HDD)

Is there any way that I can write protect my hard drive?

Yes, it is possible to protect your hard drive using the lock command. E.g.
Lock sys: on - this will lock your partition
Lock sys: off - this will unlock it.
If you wish to lock a drive other than your main partition simply substitute Sys: for the drive name.
When was the last time you had the opportunity to interact with a computer virus? If you've never lost computer data because of a virus, consider yourself lucky. If you don't take precautions against viruses, you are playing Russian Roulette with your data. The danger of data loss through malicious mischief is real and growing, so protect yourself!
First the bad news: no computer system can be made completely virus proof. As fast as antivirus software vendors such as McAfee and Norton can turn out new antivirus programs, hackers write more viruses. However, the good news is that if you follow these simple and inexpensive procedures, you can give your computer a good level of virus protection.

Do today

1. Create an emergency disk. Sometimes when a virus infects your PC's hard disk, it reloads itself every time you reboot the system. Some viruses make your hard drive unbootable without destroying the data on the hard disk. They contaminate the Master Boot Record (MBR) or DOS Boot Record (DBR). To make an emergency disk, in Windows 95/98 you select Start|Settings|Control Panel. Double-click Add/Remove Programs and select the Startup Disk tab. For DOS systems, make a bootable floppy disk (from the C prompt, type FORMAT A: /S) and then copy the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC. BAT files to the disk. (You may need to edit these files to make them run from the A: drive.) Write-protect the emergency disk and label it. Make another copy of the disk and store it someplace safe.
2. Write-protect all floppy disks. Floppy diskettes are a common way to store and move computer data. They are also the most common vehicle for infecting your PC. Every time you insert a disk in your computer, you run a potential risk. One way to keep diskettes from infecting your system is to write-protect your floppy diskettes. Write-protection prevents changes to the floppy disk, (like when you break the plastic tab on a VCR tape), so viruses cannot be written to it. On a 3-1/2-inch disk, move the little tab, so the square hole is open. For 5-1/4-inch disks, cover the notch on the upper-right corner with a piece of tape or a label. Be sure to write-protect all your software disks before using them to install a program.
3. Do not boot from a floppy disk. If you do not have a hard drive, you have to boot from a floppy disk. In this case, it's especially important to write-protect the boot disk, since many viruses are boot-sector viruses. If you do have a hard disk, check to see if your computer has a configuration program that can disable the ability to boot from any drive other than C. Many times, you can change the BIOS settings so the computer won't boot from the A drive (see the article on page 14 for more information on BIOS settings). NOTE: If your virus checker discovers a virus, check all your floppy disks!

Do tomorrow

1. Set the read-only attribute for all executable files. The read-only attribute of a file prevents "well-behaved" programs from overwriting it. "Well-behaved" programs are not viruses and do not modify or destroy the boot sector of the floppy or hard drive. Usually the first action of a virus is to overwrite the system files in the boot area of DOS and Windows 95/98: IO.SYS, MSDOS.SYS and COMMAND.COM. Use the following DOS commands to set the read-only attribute for vulnerable files on your hard disk:
   C:\>ATTRIB IO.SYS +R
   C:\>ATTRIB MSDOS.SYS +R
   C:\>ATTRIB COMMAND.COM +R
   C:\>ATTRIB AUTOEXEC.BAT +R
   If you prefer to use Windows Explorer, right-click a file, choose Properties and click to add a check mark in the "Read-only" box (hidden files must be showing for it to work).
2. Delete extra copies of the system file. Some viruses attach themselves to the COMMAND. COM file. If you have several copies of COMMAND.COM in your subdirectories, each is a potential virus entry point. You should only have one COMMAND.COM that is located in the root directory of your boot disk (C:\). Delete any other copies you find.
3. Restrict access with power-on passwords. Although some viruses come from downloading files, many viruses come from strangers inserting disks in your computer (or you inserting strange disks in your computer). Most PCs can be configured so you enter a password when the system boots. This password protection is a good idea.

Do next week

1. Install an anti-virus program. Many anti-virus programs are available through on-line services such as America Online, CompuServe, and Prodigy. If you do not subscribe to one of these services, buy a commercial product from McAfee (www.mcafee.com), Norton (www.symantec. com), Cheyenne (www.cheyenne.com), or Dr. Solomon (www.drsolomon.com). Any of these products come with virus alerts and antivirus software updates. Some of these products even have unattended downloads, which you can obtain for a small annual fee.
2. Backup your hard disk. The only way to guarantee the integrity of the information on your computer is to maintain a periodic archive of its contents. Plenty of commercial backup programs exist. For the frugal computer user, the BACKUP program in DOS and Windows 95/98 is an alternative. A simpler choice for floppy disk users may be the XCOPY command, which can backup groups of files to multiple disks.
3. Store your data files in one directory. Application programs can be configured to store data files in a directory of your choice, rather than the default directory. Keeping data files on one place on your hard disk makes them easier to back up. Instead of backing up the entire disk, you just back up your data. You don't need to back up the software programs because they can be restored from the original disks or CD-ROMs if necessary.

Unfortunately, no software product or procedures can offer an iron-clad guarantee of safety. The procedures in this article can help you protect your system from boot sector and executable file viruses, which are a large percentage of viruses. Lost data costs you time and money, so put the odds in your favor and implement these virus-proofing procedures.