While the flu season is ending, it is not too late for your computer to catch a virus.

When the Michelangelo virus goes into effect this Friday, University students who do not take precautions could wake up to find much of their computer hard drive memory gone.

Paul Shan, senior microcomputer systems consultant, said the virus will probably not affect many University students. University computer experts have made many efforts to educate students about the virus, he said. Notices about the virus are posted in all computer labs.

The virus originated in Sweden in 1991. It is designated to activate on the 16th century painter Michelangelo's birthday.

Once it activates Friday, it will overwrite the hard disk with random characters from system memory.

Despite the notices posted, many students working in computer labs remain unaware of the virus.

"I don't know anything about it. Should I have heard about it?" said John Ward (senior-industrial engineering).

Melisa Hankle, laboratory attendant, said students have not asked her questions about Michelangelo.

Gerry Santoro, staff member of the Center for Academic Computing, said he recommends that all students who own or use IBM or IBM-compatible computers should obtain a copy of the F-Prot disk and make disk back-up copies.

The F-Prot disk -- which detects and removes viruses -- can be obtained from the Center for Academic Computing or the Computer Learning Center. The virus has been detected and removed from several disks.

Dave Kolasa, Office Information Specialist, said the University is not overly concerned about the virus.

"There is not really any reason for anyone to panic if they take precautionary measures and run F-Prot -- there really is no danger," Kolasa said.

The University computer labs run the virus detection system periodically, which reduces the risk of contracting the virus from a computer lab, Shan said. The potential to receive the virus from the computer labs does exist, however minimal.

If the virus hits the University computers or students' computers on a wide-scale basis, it will cause much damage.

"We're going to be busy if that happens," Shan said.