Scanning windows from linux
in [Setup]
|
From: karthikbalaguru on 27 Dec 2009 23:20 On Dec 28, 4:00 am, Aragorn <arag...(a)chatfactory.invalid> wrote: > On Sunday 27 December 2009 22:01 in comp.os.linux.setup, somebody > > > > > > identifying as karthikbalaguru wrote... > > On Dec 27, 11:59 pm, Aragorn <arag...(a)chatfactory.invalid> wrote: > > >> On Sunday 27 December 2009 14:34 in comp.os.linux.setup, somebody > >> identifying as karthikbalaguru wrote... > >> > I am looking for a Linux-based application that could scan > >> > computers by accessing them via network. (Especially the > >> > systems(windows based systems) that cannot be booted). > > >> How on earth are you going to access a computer _which_ _cannot_ _be_ > >> _booted_ over the network? A network connection which shares > >> filesystems over the network for scanning requires at least a minimal > >> running operating system on the target machine. > > > Yes, it is a valid question. I am exploring various ways. > > > The problem is, one of the infected windows machine's CD/DVD > > drive does not work . So, i was exploring alternate ways like > > using rescue CD remotely/remote techniques from a remote machine > > that has a CD/DVD drive (though i was aware of the chances > > of its availability was very less). > > Any ideas ? > > For example, in linux there is a 'kickstart installation' technique > > that will enable automated installation of Red Hat Linux on > > indivdual computers based on the answers in the file in the > > server. Similarly, is it not possible to boot windows remotely > > so that rescue CD can be used on similar lines to recover it ? > > I suppose you could try a PXE boot, but the BIOS has to support it, and > Windows has to support it as well. On the latter, I have no > knowledge - I don't do Windows, sorry - so you would have to ask about > that in a Windows group, or via the Microsoft Knowledge Base. > > > One thought is to dis-connect the non-working CD/DVD drive > > and connect a working CD/DVD drive temporarily to fix this > > issue. But, that is ruled out due to various reasons. > > At the moment it seems like you have no alternative. > > > Is there no other way except for replacing the CD/DVD > > drive in that windows machine and trying with the rescue CD ? > > No way to avoid the replacement of CD/DVD drive ? > > Not that I can think of, unless you've got some external USB storage > device that the system can boot from - again, this is BIOS-dependent. > > If USB boot is supported on the target machine, then there are various > tools in various distributions for making a bootable USB stick from > which you could then scan the system, but none of those USB-based > distributions would then be designated virus scanners, so you would > probably have to add the antivirus software to the USB stick manually. > It can be done, but it's quite a bit of work. > This sounds great . This will surely be helpful :-) :-) I think, this approach can be tried out. I need to check for the USB- based Free distributions and need to check for the method to add the Free antivirus software to the USB stick. Can you lemme know the steps/links that talk in detail about this ? > On the other hand, you should be able to pick up a cheap second-hand > internal CD or DVD drive somewhere and mount it in the machine with the > broken CD player. > Yeah, this is another good idea, but in the current scenario, this is ruled out due to various reasons. Thx in advans, Karthik Balaguru
From: Aragorn on 27 Dec 2009 23:35 On Monday 28 December 2009 05:20 in comp.os.linux.setup, somebody identifying as karthikbalaguru wrote... > On Dec 28, 4:00 am, Aragorn <arag...(a)chatfactory.invalid> wrote: > >> If USB boot is supported on the target machine, then there are >> various tools in various distributions for making a bootable USB >> stick from which you could then scan the system, but none of those >> USB-based distributions would then be designated virus scanners, so >> you would probably have to add the antivirus software to the USB >> stick manually. It can be done, but it's quite a bit of work. >> > > This sounds great . This will surely be helpful :-) :-) > I think, this approach can be tried out. I need to check for the USB- > based Free distributions and need to check for the method to add the > Free antivirus software to the USB stick. Mandriva is a distribution which is available on a USB stick, and there are some others as well. As I gather, the cost is not too high, but alternatively, you can do it yourself using a freely downloadable distribution and a USB memory stick you already own. There are HowTos about it on the web. ;-) > Can you lemme know the steps/links that talk in detail about this ? Google is your friend. ;-) >> On the other hand, you should be able to pick up a cheap second-hand >> internal CD or DVD drive somewhere and mount it in the machine with >> the broken CD player. >> > Yeah, this is another good idea, but in the current scenario, this is > ruled out due to various reasons. I don't see why it would be a problem, if you have a non-booting machine, and thus a machine that is currently useless. Surely adding an old CD player to it - you might even find one for free - to remedy the problem would not be a big issue? -- *Aragorn* (registered GNU/Linux user #223157)
From: karthikbalaguru on 28 Dec 2009 13:09 On Dec 28, 9:35 am, Aragorn <arag...(a)chatfactory.invalid> wrote: > On Monday 28 December 2009 05:20 in comp.os.linux.setup, somebody > > identifying as karthikbalaguru wrote... > > On Dec 28, 4:00 am, Aragorn <arag...(a)chatfactory.invalid> wrote: > > >> If USB boot is supported on the target machine, then there are > >> various tools in various distributions for making a bootable USB > >> stick from which you could then scan the system, but none of those > >> USB-based distributions would then be designated virus scanners, so > >> you would probably have to add the antivirus software to the USB > >> stick manually. It can be done, but it's quite a bit of work. > > > This sounds great . This will surely be helpful :-) :-) > > I think, this approach can be tried out. I need to check for the USB- > > based Free distributions and need to check for the method to add the > > Free antivirus software to the USB stick. > > Mandriva is a distribution which is available on a USB stick, and there > are some others as well. I checked Mandriva website, yeah they are providing on USB stick based linux, and since it is a full fledged linux, i think the virus scanners might be supported without much hassles ! But it is not free :-( Lemme know if there is any other USB Stick based linux flavour that is available for Free ? Also, lemme know if there is a USB stick based linux flavour that would support virus scanners ? No clear info from internet so far. > As I gather, the cost is not too high, but > alternatively, you can do it yourself using a freely downloadable > distribution and a USB memory stick you already own. There are HowTos > about it on the web. ;-) > Thinking on similar lines, i got an idea to try a Floppy based linux instead of USB. I know of MiniRTL(based on busybox) that did not have dependency on HDD except for the RAM (Even the RAM requirement is very minimal). Other than that, there are other flavours like 'Tomsrtbt', Asmutils based 'a-Linux' and various other Busybox based flavours. But,they are all Floppy based. But, floppy drive is not available in that machine :-( Does tomsrtbt support USB stick based boot up ? I may check with the tomsrtbt user list regd this. Incase you have any information w.r.t tomsrtbt you can lemme know. Another query that pops in my mind is that these minimal versions/flavours of linux might not have lot of features. They might be greatly stripped and hence not sure if they would be able to provide all required support for virus scanner or similar tools !! Any thoughts on this ? Incase these minimal versions are not suitable for existing along with virus scanning utility in the USB stick, do lemme know. > > Can you lemme know the steptrs/links that talk in detail about this ? > > Google is your friend. ;-) > Yeah, need to search/check the HOWTos in the internet to setup my own USB Stick based Linux so that it is Free . After that, the method to have the virus scanner on it should be tried out. I think this should be just straight forward just like having any other application on embedded linux. > >> On the other hand, you should be able to pick up a cheap second-hand > >> internal CD or DVD drive somewhere and mount it in the machine with > >> the broken CD player. > > > Yeah, this is another good idea, but in the current scenario, this is > > ruled out due to various reasons. > PS - Have looped in comp.os.linux.embedded to get their thoughts also as it is going towards that direction also interms of footprints,utilities in FD based linux, USB stick based linux , Tiny linux flavours having support for virus scanner etc. Thx in advans, Karthik Balaguru
From: Mark Hobley on 28 Dec 2009 15:08 karthikbalaguru <karthikbalaguru79(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Lemme know if there is any other USB Stick > based linux flavour that is available for Free ? Ubuntu provides a utility to create a bootable USB stick. > > Also, lemme know if there is a USB stick > based linux flavour that would support virus > scanners ? Ubuntu provides clamav. -- Mark Hobley Linux User: #370818 http://markhobley.yi.org/
From: karthikbalaguru on 28 Dec 2009 15:24
On Dec 28, 11:09 pm, karthikbalaguru <karthikbalagur...(a)gmail.com> wrote: > On Dec 28, 9:35 am, Aragorn <arag...(a)chatfactory.invalid> wrote: > > > > > > > On Monday 28 December 2009 05:20 in comp.os.linux.setup, somebody > > > identifying as karthikbalaguru wrote... > > > On Dec 28, 4:00 am, Aragorn <arag...(a)chatfactory.invalid> wrote: > > > >> If USB boot is supported on the target machine, then there are > > >> various tools in various distributions for making a bootable USB > > >> stick from which you could then scan the system, but none of those > > >> USB-based distributions would then be designated virus scanners, so > > >> you would probably have to add the antivirus software to the USB > > >> stick manually. It can be done, but it's quite a bit of work. > > > > This sounds great . This will surely be helpful :-) :-) > > > I think, this approach can be tried out. I need to check for the USB- > > > based Free distributions and need to check for the method to add the > > > Free antivirus software to the USB stick. > > > Mandriva is a distribution which is available on a USB stick, and there > > are some others as well. > > I checked Mandriva website, yeah they > are providing on USB stick based linux, and since > it is a full fledged linux, i think the virus scanners > might be supported without much hassles ! > But it is not free :-( > > Lemme know if there is any other USB Stick > based linux flavour that is available for Free ? > http://www.linux.com/distrocentral/distronews/8221-comparing-linux-usb-flash-disk-distros This seems to have some good pointers to start with. DSL and Puppylinux seem to be very good. Nothing like setting up Ubuntu as it is a full blown linux. Pendrive linux seems to have started from Mandriva and unlike Mandriva Linux, i think this is also Free. > Also, lemme know if there is a USB stick > based linux flavour that would support virus > scanners ? > > No clear info from internet so far. > A) Ubuntu based USB has Synaptic Packet Manager system that could be used to install, remove, configure, or upgrade software packages, browse, sort and search the list of available software packages, manage repositories, or upgrade the whole system. https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SynapticHowto I think, this can be used to get the virus scanner onto the USB stick once the Ubuntu is up from the USB stick. Need to check. But, No clear method is available on the method of addition of new software. Any ideas ? B) In Puppy linux, i found specific statements that convey that one can use antivirus that is built-in or can be installed in Puppy. http://puppylinux.org/main/index.php?file=Overview%20and%20Getting%20Started.htm But, did not get a clear link on the method of addition of new application to it. Any ideas ? C) Pendrivelinux also seems to be full blown linux, and the virus scanner can be installed just as this application is installed in the below link - http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=8465858 Lemme know if this Pendrivelinux method fine as conveyed in above link ? > > As I gather, the cost is not too high, but > > alternatively, you can do it yourself using a freely downloadable > > distribution and a USB memory stick you already own. There are HowTos > > about it on the web. ;-) > > Thinking on similar lines, i got an idea to try a > Floppy based linux instead of USB. > I know of MiniRTL(based on busybox) that did > not have dependency on HDD except for the RAM > (Even the RAM requirement is very minimal). > Other than that, there are other flavours like > 'Tomsrtbt', Asmutils based 'a-Linux' and various > other Busybox based flavours. But,they are all > Floppy based. > But, floppy drive is not available in that machine :-( > > Does tomsrtbt support USB stick based boot up ? > I may check with the tomsrtbt user list regd this. > Incase you have any information w.r.t tomsrtbt > you can lemme know. > > Another query that pops in my mind is > that these minimal versions/flavours of linux > might not have lot of features. They might be greatly > stripped and hence not sure if they would be able to > provide all required support for virus scanner or similar > tools !! > Any thoughts on this ? > > Incase these minimal versions are not suitable > for existing along with virus scanning utility in > the USB stick, do lemme know. > > > > Can you lemme know the steptrs/links that talk in detail about this ? > > > Google is your friend. ;-) > > Yeah, need to search/check the HOWTos in the > internet to setup my own USB Stick based Linux > so that it is Free . After that, the method to have the > virus scanner on it should be tried out. I think > this should be just straight forward just like having > any other application on embedded linux. > > > >> On the other hand, you should be able to pick up a cheap second-hand > > >> internal CD or DVD drive somewhere and mount it in the machine with > > >> the broken CD player. > > > > Yeah, this is another good idea, but in the current scenario, this is > > > ruled out due to various reasons. > > PS - Have looped in comp.os.linux.embedded > to get their thoughts also as it is going towards > that direction also interms of footprints,utilities > in FD based linux, USB stick based linux , > Tiny linux flavours having support for virus scanner > etc. > Thx in advans, Karthik Balaguru |