PCHS.RVW   950910
 
                               Comparison Review
 
Company and product:
 
Company: Stroem System Soft
Address: Husebyveien 58c, 7078 Saupstad, Trondheim, Norway
Contact: Henrik Stroem
Email:   hstroem@ed.unit.no, hstroem@pvv.unit.no
Product: HS 3.58 
 
 
Summary: boot virus change detection
 
 
Cost $15, licensing available, free for non-commercial use
 
Rating (1-4, 1 = poor, 4 = very good)
      "Friendliness"
            Installation      2
            Ease of use       2
            Help systems      2
      Compatibility           3
      Company
            Stability         2
            Support           2
      Documentation           2
      Hardware required       3
      Performance             3
      Availability            1
      Local Support           1
 
General Description:
 
HS is a change detection system specifically targeted at boot sector infectors
and other boot sequence corruption problems.  It can be installed in either the
CONFIG.SYS (by preference) or AUTOEXEC.BAT files to check the system at boot
time.
 
 
 
                  Comparison of features and specifications
 
 
User Friendliness
 
Installation
 
The package is distributed as shareware, and must be installed manually.  The
instructions are clear, but require a first run to produce a "clean state" data
base, and then modification of the CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT files for
automated checking.  (HS can be run from the command line for manual checking.) 
The installation instructions assume a clean machine.
 
Ease of use
 
Once installation is complete, protection should be automatic.
 
Help systems
 
The command line program has a "/?" switch for a brief help message.
 
Compatibility
 
The program is targeted at boot sector infectors only.  Compatibility problems
with Novell/DR-DOS and QEMM are address in the documentation.
 
Company Stability
 
The program has been developed over a period of some time.  It has been quite
stable over the past year.
 
Company Support
 
Support is available only by post or Internet email.
 
Documentation
 
The documentation is quite brief, but clear enough in regard to program
operation.
 
System Requirements
 
DOS 3.2 or higher.  HS will only run under DOS, but it can be installed on OS/2
and Windows NT multi-boot systems.
 
Performance
 
HS will automatically detect and remove boot sector infectors.  The invocation
of the program in the CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT files is fairly late in the
boot sequence, and therefore potentially subject to stealth avoidance.  HS has,
however, attempted to address a number of stealth technologies.
 
Local Support
 
None provided.
 
Support Requirements
 
Novice users would likely require some help with the program.
 
copyright Robert M. Slade, 1995    PCHS.RVW   950910

======================
roberts@decus.ca     rslade@freenet.vancouver.bc.ca     rslade@cyberstore.ca
  I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with
   sense, reason and intellect has intended us to forgo their use - Galileo
Author "Robert Slade's Guide to Computer Viruses" 0-387-94311-0/3-540-94311-0