PC-cillin 95
by Jeff Zubricky, Alamo PC

If you use a BBS, surf the Net, share files, or even load new software into your computer there is a good chance that sooner or later you will be confronted by a computer virus. By one count there are 6,000 new computer viral strains each year, and most are more insidious than the familiar Stoned or Anti.EXE viruses.

I know this from personal experience, I was one on the unfortunate Alamo PC members to get a virus off our BBS in 1995. The virus evaded detection by the Alamo PC Sysop's virus scan and infected my PC. My computer was infected and I was unable to remove the virus from my system, it forced me to format my hard drive. I have come away from the experience knowing that if you prepare before an infection occurs, the greater the chance of coming through it without losing data. You must arm yourself with a complement of anti-virus software that is running all the time, and make back-ups. I had failed to have a virus scanner running at the time of infection on my PC. I had failed to do a back-up so I had a lot of work to restore my computer. I suggest you have the anti-virus software like PC-cillin 95 running on your system today.

PC-cillin runs completely unnoticed in the background on my PC. The background monitoring capability in PC-cillin 95 runs as a 32-bit virtual device driver. This program, called Smart Monitor, not only scans for viruses and checks on when updates are needed, but also keeps' track of a system's risk factors. I was impressed by the ease of installation, and documentation that was provided in the software package. The manual is well thought out and covers everything from "What are Viruses?" to "How do I get support for this program?" The software installation went without any problems, and also comes with an uninstall utility. The installation process allows you to make an "Emergency Rescue Disk." The Emergency Rescue Disk is the only way to recover from certain types of boot sector viruses. PC-cillin 95 is fast and has a cool-looking interface and a mean bulldog mascot.

Installation:

PC-cillin 95 is complete with disks for both Windows 95, Windows 3.1 and DOS, so look closely at the disk and chose the correct ones. The installation of the software was fast on my Windows 95 machine, just a couple of questions to answer, and my computer was protected. I would suggest one of the first things you do after loading in the new software is to get the updated virus signatures available on the Internet, TouchStone's BBS or ordering a floppy.

Smart Monitor:

Smart Monitor is a real-time virus scanning tool that continuously monitors your system, and apprises you of the level or likelihood of acquiring a virus. The Smart Monitor window contains the following features:

Meters: The protect and threat meters display the current level of anti-virus security according to the current activity on your system. The Protection meter indicates how hard PC-cillin 95 is working to keep your system secure. The Threat meter indicates how many threats are currently active on your system.

Threats: The threats to your system are listed in the window and have indicators for those which are active. PC-cillin protects against these threats automatically, Floppy Access, Internet/E-mail Connection, Shared Folders, Modem Connection, CD ROM Access, DOS Prompt Open, Network Neighborhood, Dial-up Connection, and Direct Cable Connection. The list of threats is very complete.

Virus Pattern Status: Displayed is the current version of your virus pattern file and the recommended number of days left before you should replace it. You can get the new patterns for the Net, TouchStone's BBS or request a floppy for a fee.

Scan Update: The Scan Update area alerts you to scan you drives when needed. The last full scan date and time is displayed in this area. You may also select the Scan Now button to perform a scan of you system.

Virus Watch: If a virus is found on your system Virus Watch increases the system's defenses to combat reinfection. Virus Watch displays the number of days left on the current watch period.

Main Button: The Main Button removes the Smart Monitor from your view and shifts you to the PC-cillin 95's main program window.

Unload Button: Unloads that is to say removes the monitor from the Taskbar and exits the program.

Help Button: Selecting "Help" displays the on-line help for the current screen.

Exit Button: Reduces Smart Monitor to an icon in the Taskbar Tray.

The Custom Monitor:

The Custom Monitor is for the "Power User" or anyone who would prefer to use a something other than the default "Smart Monitor." The Custom Monitor is worth looking at if you are the type of person who wishes to modify your scanning program.

Scanning for Viruses

PC-cillin 95 gives you the ability to scan any file at any time with a truly "drag and drop" interface. You must have the Main Window launched in order to do the scan. The Main Window can be launched by clicking on the PC-cillin 95 icon in the Taskbar Tray, you can not scan directly from the Taskbar Tray icon. I found it comforting that PC-cillin 95 was running in the background, but I found it a little inconvenient at times to do an individual file scan.

A whole folder is scanned by a right clicking the folder in Explorer and selecting PC-cillin 95 from the drop down window, this is very smooth way to scan a complete folder. I have my system scanned every day because I spend so much time on the Net, and am involved in many of the items that pose a threat.

What is truly unique about PC-cillin 95 is that it can scan for viruses in files while they're in the process of downloading to your system, rather than scanning only after the files finish copying to your machine. I found this feature to have minimal effect on download times. PC-cillin 95 checks for viruses in places that most scanners do not. For example, it scans files within archives such as .ZIP files and even compressed files within .ZIP files. It also scans uu-encoded attachments to e-mail messages. When a virus is detected, users are given the option of deleting infected files or attempting to clean them. PC-cillin 95 also includes a thorough database of virus information that describes all the effects of most viruses. PC-cillin 95 carries the National Computer Security Association (NCSA) logo, which means they have been certified to detect all of the viruses in the NCSA collection.

To trap unknown viruses, its VICE (Virus Instructional Code Emulator) technology scans program code for virus-related instructions and also monitors for viruslike actions by a running program.

Virus Information

PC-cillin 95 includes a list of all the viruses it recognizes. Each virus is listed by it's common name, with aliases. The list also supplies you with the specifics on the type, size, damage it will cause, and infection method.

Cleaning your System

When PC-cillin 95 detects a virus, the virus name and the name of the infected file or files are displayed. The Clean Wizard walks you through its cleanup and broadcasts an e-mail message to warn your correspondents, checks all accessible disks for infection, and checks disks you regularly use.

Recommendation

I would recommend this anti-virus program to any computer user. The threat of a virus infection is real, and can affect anyone at anytime. With the popularity of the Internet, e-mail, and even new software you may be putting your system at a greater risk than ever before.

System Requirements

PC-cillin 95, Version 1.0requires: 2.5MB RAM, 4MB hard disk space, MS Windows 3.1, Win95 or DOS.
Upgrades: Free, download from http://www.antivirus.com
Suggested List Price: $49.95 plus $5 shipping, $54.99 locally.
TouchStone Software, Huntington Beach, CA.
Orders Phone: 1-800-932-5560, Customer Service Phone:1-800-531-045, Internet: http://www.antivirus.com

PC-cillin 95 by Jeff Zubricky, Alamo PC