For some Penn State students, Valentine's Day brought more than just a box of chocolates or a dozen roses.

Some people got an unpleasant surprise — the "Romeo and Juliet" computer virus that attacked the hard drives of hundreds of students personal computers this week.

"At this point, we've had over 400 calls just on virus problems," said Cliff Rodack, Network Coordinator for Residence Halls.

Romeo and Juliet enters and infects computers through their primary e-mail server, namely Outlook Express or Eudora, when the virus mail is selected or previewed in Outlook or read in Eudora.

The virus spreads by automatically mailing itself to everyone in the user's address book.

Outlook, due to programming differences, is even more susceptible to the virus than Eudora.

"In Outlook, it e-mails to everyone in your inbox, not just your address book," said Robert Camacho, an East Halls ResCom associate.

After invading the hard drive, Romeo and Juliet, also called the BleBla virus, prevents programs from opening. When clicked upon the next time, infected files are re-named and run as the virus.

"I had 55 copies on my computer. It loops itself over and over," Jen Daubner (sophomore-accounting) said.

Students on listservs, such as class members or sorority members, are hit most frequently. Daubner received an infected e-mail earlier this week from a student in her German class.

"I had gotten it by chance," Daubner said. "It just bombards your system and it was a real hassle. I went to ResCom, and they were really helpful," she said. "I was impressed."

Rodack said the best precaution is to be wary of unfamiliar e-mail attachments, to have updated virus-detection software and to keep this software updated. Updates are often available through the manufacturer online.

"The best prevention of the whole thing is education of what virus protection is," Rodack said.

"Lots of kids have virus protection and think they are safe," he said.

"But they never update it, and that's why they get hit. It's not a matter of if it's going to hit, it's a matter of when it's going to hit," he said.

The most popular virus protection programs are the McAfee and Norton AntiVirus programs, which can be purchased at most computer stores.

Janda Hankinson, manager of the Microcomputer Order Center, said that sales of anti-virus programs due to the newest outbreak of viruses have been consistent with sales in the past few months.

"In general, we sell more products after a virus hits," Hankinson said. "This one has been pretty consistent with the last few. I think people are becoming more aware."

Rodack said anti-virus programs are relatively inexpensive in regards to the safety they provide.

It's better to spend money on a good anti-virus program rather than save a few dollars and lose important files because of a virus, he said.

Students facing problems with the Romeo and Juliet virus or any of the other current viruses (such as the Hybris Virus or the Anna Kournikova virus) should contact ResCom for assistance.

"It's difficult at best to get to everyone," Rodack said. "If you do get it, we're here to help you."