A computer virus launched worldwide

to take advantage of a security flaw in Microsoft's Windows 2000

and XP software systems infected the Fayette County School System's

network last week in a bad way, but repairs were expected to be complete

and all electronic communication restored by Friday.

The attack by the virus, anticipated

the e-mail system and shutting down the central Web site.

Ed Steil, recently named director

of the Lafayette Educational Center and acting technology director, said

each of the 29 schools in the county had to be brought back online one

installed.

The time-consuming task required

a technician to manually install the software patch onto the hard drive

of every computer.

The school system maintains

more than 1,400 computers in its network.

Steil said Microsoft distributed

the security patch last week, but it wasn't soon enough to keep the

virus from penetrating the firewall of the school system's main servers

and opening the door to all kinds of unwanted transmissions.

On a normal day, the school

district processes about 22,000 legitimate communications, Steil said.

One day last week, more than 1 million files managed to slip through the

firewall, effectively overwhelming the network and shutting it down.

E-mail is more than a matter

of convenience for students, since many teachers post homework assignments

online and use the World Wide Web to quickly and frequently keep in touch

with parents.

"It's certainly one

of the most useful means of communication we have," said Steil.

Melinda Berry-Dreisbach, public

information specialist for the school district, said this virus was just

another in a series of hits the system's computer network has taken

recently. And it affected every office at every level, she said on Wednesday,

when Superintendent John DeCotis and his staff were closing in on day

four of making do without the aid of modern technology.

How did they manage?

"We're using the

phones," said Berry-Dreisbach.

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