Westland freshman Meagen Hudson will never leave her computer
unprotected again after the ordeal she has been through.

Hudson, whose computer was hit with three viruses, has been
without the Internet for two weeks. She sat in her room for more than
an hour on Friday as specialized software scanned her laptop for more
viruses.

Flint senior William Hosie, an Tech Operations technician, said
Hudson’s computer is a risk to the network.

“The virus will put out a lot of network traffic, which alerts the
Office of Information Technology,” Hosie said. “That is why she got
shut off.”

Chris Schreiber, manager of Tech Operations for RESnet, said his
department has prevented viruses from spreading wild this year. There
have been about 400 computers infected so far, compared to about 2,000
last year.

“As a staff, we are spending about 90 percent of our time dealing
with virus issues,” he said.

Hudson said she was unaware of her disconnection until she was
notified by e-mail. She said a phone call would have worked better
because she had no way of checking her e-mail regularly.

“It just baffles me,” she said. “I wish someone could explain the
logic to me on that.”

She contacted Tech Operations and was able to schedule an
appointment. The department has around 30 technicians but the demand
for their time has created a backup, Schreiber said.

“It is a balance of fast response and keeping costs down,” he said.

At the appointment, Hosie began by asking Hudson a few questions
about her computer use. He soon discovered she had anti-virus software
but it had expired.

“It was never worth it to have a virus scan in the past,” Hosie
said. “You really need to have a virus scan nowadays.”

Then he talked to Hudson about the importance of checking the
Internet for Windows Updates. This additional software helps fix
glitches in the Windows system, he said.

Hosie guided her through the process of making her computer run
better. Most of the information he presented was new to Hudson.

“Hopefully, we can teach you enough, so we don’t have to come back
here,” he said.

After updating the computer, Hosie used Trend Micro Sysclan software
to diagnose other problems with the computer.

“It scans every file on your hard drive to make sure there are no
viruses,” Hosie said. “It takes a lot of time.”

Finally, he used the Tech Operations CD to install anti-virus
software, SpyBot and Ad-Aware. These programs protect a student’s
computer and keep marketing companies from monitoring their computer
use, Hosie said.

Hudson said she received the CD when she moved in but did not think
it was important.

After everything was installed, Hosie informed Hudson she would have
to wait until the Office of Information Technology turned her back on.
The timetable for getting back on the network varies, Hosie said.

Hudson said she was disappointed her Internet was not turned on
immediately. However, she said a virus-free computer made her happy.

“Supposedly, I have none now,” Hudson said. “Hopefully, it is all
taken care of.”

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