If you are like me, you check your e-mail at least 10 times a day. Imagine that one of those times, a strange message appears from one of your close friends. In the subject line, it says "Here's a new virus." Innocently thinking it's a joke, you open it.

This is what happened to thousands of students who were recipients of the "Romeo and Juliet" virus. The outbreak across campus has brought increased awareness to an important issue: the need for anti-virus software.

Most likely, you have a commercial virus protection program on your computer. The main anti-virus programs on the market are Norton AntiVirus and McAfee VirusScan. F-Secure also offers commercial virus protection software, but it is less likely to be preinstalled on new computers.

The question is, do you update your program at least once every few weeks? If you don't update your program for virus definitions, you will be at greater risk the next time a new virus is distributed.

When your virus protection program is preinstalled on your computer, it most likely comes with free updates. Whether your program is Norton or McAfee, a screen should automatically pop up every two weeks prompting you to download the latest updates.

If this is not the case, you can try to update manually. Either go to "Start-Programs-McAfee" or "Start-Programs-Norton AntiVirus" and there should be an "update" icon.

Now that you know how the update process works you should know its largest flaw: Updates don't last forever. Usually, when you buy your computer, it comes with either 24 or 36 months of free updates. After that, you can either electronically buy more time or buy an upgraded copy of either commercial anti-virus software for about $30.

Strapped for cash? It's still important to have some form of virus protection. If all else fails, the Center for Academic Computing will bail you out.

CAC offers free shareware virus protection software for both the Windows and Macintosh operating systems. To download virus protection software for Windows, visit ftp://ftp.cac.psu.edu/pub/dos/virus/. If you have a Mac, visit ftp://ftp.cac.psu.edu/pub/mac/virus/ for the software.

The drawback of this software is its usability. You will have to bookmark the download site in order to check for new versions. Also, it is more difficult to install and update the shareware than the commercial software. Still, with a little time and effort, you will be able to protect your computer from viruses at no cost.

If you have a Windows PC, another CAC-recommended alternative is InoculateIT Personal Edition. To obtain this free software, visit http://antivirus.cai.com. You'll have to give your address and e-mail to download the software. Be sure not to use a phony e-mail address, as you will receive an e-mail with your customer ID. You'll need this ID, as well as your e-mail ID, to download the software.

Once you download the software, you can find in-depth instructions on how to use it, courtesy of CAC, at http://ftp.cac.psu.edu/pub/ger/documents/virus.htm.

Even if you are very careful and update your anti-virus program daily, there is still a chance you will contract a virus. If this happens, there are still measures that can be taken to restore your hard drive.

The first and most obvious thing to do is back up your important files before the virus hits. You can save your important documents and programs to compact disks if you have a CD burner, or to Zip disks if you have a Zip drive. If your computer is not equipped with any type of storage device, be sure to at least back up your important files using the floppy disk drive.

Another important step is creating rescue disks. This can be done quickly and easily using either Norton or McAfee. Once created, these disks can be used to boot your computer after a virus infection.

Still, the truth of the matter is, there is a possibility of losing all data on your hard drive after a virus hits. Sometimes the only way to restore the working capacity of your computer is to reformat your hard drive and start from scratch. This is why it is crucial to back up your important files.

Hopefully, even if you take the advice here and frequently update your virus protection program, you will never become the victim of a virus. Still, don't be complacent. Back up your files and prepare for the worst.

Next week I'll discuss different search engines, including their many features and how to use them effectively.