The Year 2000 Computer Problem Y2K INDEX of TOPICS: Overview Year 2K Compliance We will get it fixed in time, won't we? What's the Rush? Countdown to the Year 2000. Consumer Preparedness Thoughts Isn't anybody safe? I thought my computer company was a good one. Do you know a good lawyer? Where else can you look for help? Inside the CLUB 2000 site.

Isn't anybody safe? I thought my computer company was a good one!!
As it turns out, if you are a Macintosh user, you can skip this section all together! Our friends at Apple designed computers that most should be fine for the next 40 years, and the majority could last several thousand years. This has to do with the fact that the earlier PCs,( ATs, 386s, 486s and pre-133 MHz Pentiums) particularly the PCs made prior to 1996 (running MS-DOS, Windows 95 or Windows 3.1), use a BIOS chip that is doomed to crash when the year 2000 rolls around. Since this chip gets running before even the operating system starts up, the computer date will jump back to 1/01/80 (the date PCs came on the market) at the strike of midnight the year 2000. (This is according to an article in the San Jose Mercury - May 24, 1998) The only fix for this, is one which could cause additional problems if not done correctly. Consider either purchasing and upgrading with a new BIOS chip, or purchasing a newer version of PC-DOS 7 and installing that. This is only advised for the later computers, since many of the earlier ones, can't be updated even with this new chip. Unfortunately, you may lose some old data in the process, or the timing on your computer may not allow for a smooth transition. (A lot of old DOS based machines -particularly the ATs, 386s and the 486s, might find a new life as hardware to support the hundreds of DOS-based games out there since they don't rely on databases or financial information that is date critical.)

If you do try to upgrade your old machine, be sure you "test it" by exiting to the DOS prompt, changing the date to December 31, 1999 and then change the time to 11:58pm. Turn off your computer and wait four minutes. Turn the computer back on and check the date. If it shows 1980, or 1984, or some other date other than 2000, you've got a problem. Even if your computer passes THAT test, there still is one more test that you might try running to see is your Windows 3.1 machine can pass the leap year test. If you get an error message when you type in DATE 02-29-2000 at the DOS prompt, you'll need to consider replacing the BIOS. If you bought your computer and are using the same software that you bought prior to 1992, you may consider donating it to the local museum, instead of tucking it away in the back of the closet. One note of caution, however, if you do test your computer by pushing the date ahead, it may cause some software applications (particularly shareware, demo copies of applications, and other date-dependent programs) to expire and stop working. (One person suggested that if you don't think your system is compliant and you don't plan to upgrade it, just leave the machine on and let it run through into the new year.) {PLEASE NOTE: The information contained above is an overview and deemed accurate. CLUB 2000 recommends that you have an experienced person assist you with your tests, and we accept no responsibility for potential damage caused should you choose to test out your computer.}

With all this bad news about my computer system crashing, is there any good news? Well, yes, your modem, scanner, disc drives, printers, mice and keyboards and monitors are probably not using date calculations to function and therefore should cruise through the New Year!

This global project to fix all the computers is one that will get many of the old COBOL programmers to dust off their hats and sit down for some long days of reviewing code. The longer a company waits to get started, the higher the price they will pay for the programmers time and the higher the risk of completing on time. Ed Yourdin, the head of the Y2K Advisory Service at the Cutter Consortium in Arlington, Mass., suggests that software engineering is not a predictable process and therefore, it often finishes later than expected for at least 15% of the projects. Therefore, with the size of this project ahead of us, it is advised that we push the dates forward since the magnitude of the consequences is bigger than simply a delayed deadline.