#PostScript Warning
5 messages in this thread
I just pulled this off of the DTP Forum and thought that it is one of those
kind of things that should receive the widest possible circulation.
There were additional messages confirming that such problems do occur and a
suggestion that possibly setting the "password" to something other than 0
might cure the problem….. additional discussion indicated that such a
solution may not allow the machine to work with normal files…..etc.
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34848 S7/Output Devices
09-Jul-90 12:33:09 Sb: #New PostScript Virus!? Fm: Thom Hartmann
<HiResOp> 76702,765 To: All
I just got an amazing call from Guy Mirande at Co-Operative Printing
Solutions, the people who produce PServe. He said that 6 of his customers
have had this same problem occur in the past month:
While a computer is printing to a PostScript device, somewhere in the
file is embedded the "Set Password" command, which resets the password of
the PostScript device (LaserWriter, Lino, etc.) to something other than the
default 0. Once this is done, you cannot access that device!
The only solution is to buy a new EPROM chip and have a service
technician come out and install it. In a Lino machine, this costs a few
hundred dollars. It's more difficult with a LaserWriter, as the EPROM is
soldered into place, rather than socketed.
Guy said that *all six* of the people who have had this happen have had
it happen within a week of starting to use PageMaker 4.0. There has been
no other common denominator they can find, and they've been getting
together and trying to figure out what else it might be. This "virus" or
bug or whatever has brought down several LaserWriters, a couple of Lino's
and at least one CG machine.
Has anybody here had anything like this happen?
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=> 73 <=, bill => KB7LX@K4IWW <=
Bill – I don't know anything about it, but it seems to me that someone
could check the file and find out what the password had been changed to,
and change it back to 0. I assume you meant an EEPROM for storage of the
password even with power off, btw? best – kev
Kevin:
Only problem with that is that many times PS files are generated & sent to
the PS printer without either viewing it, or saving it to disk. The EEPROM
in question is the one that actually holds the PS interpeter (along with
any users settings like the PW). I think the problem was found to be
related to a version of PageMaker, so shouldn't be too much trouble for us
Amigans. (who should be using PPage, or PgS rather than PC stuff)
-Mike Schiller
In sunny Fort Lauderdale
Kevin;
Seems so, except that it appears that it is no quite so easy to determine
what happened. In any event, several folks are looking into the problem.
=> 73 <=, bill => KB7LX@K4IWW <=
Bill seems to me that the problem is something in Pagemaker4.0. Now if that
is the case and it does seem to be as that particular string died out
quickly then it has little to no bearing on the amiga. Fact is we're not
sure it is a virus. It is more likely a BUG in the new version of
Pagemaker. If we get an answer from Aldus I will cross post the answer here
if there are no objections from management.