11th Hour Y2K Cheat Sheet (December 29, 1999)


For the last 12 months I've warned you about Y2K. Tried to get you ready for the date change at work and at home. Attempted to separate the Chicken Little hysteria from the Y2K debunkers. (If you've missed any of this, go to Page 2 for a recap.)

Bottom line: I thought I'd pretty much said it all. Until the Team was talking earlier this week about holiday gatherings they'd been to. And how Y2K was the topic du jour. And Y2K naivete surprisingly rampant. So I asked them to help me put together a non-judgmental, super-simple, do-it-yourself Y2K compliance workbook. It starts with PC basics, followed by a New Year's Eve primer:

PC BASICS
The whole Y2K issue revolves around an old programming practice of saving space by using two digits to represent the year. Which means there are four things you should worry about as the calendar turns to 00:

BIOS. In a nutshell, this is software that sets a PC's internal clock. If you have a Windows PC purchased in the last two years, you should have Y2K-compliant BIOS. PCs made in 1996 and 1997 are a crapshoot. And those made before '96 likely have non-Y2K-compliant BIOS. The ZDNet Help site recommends a free tool that will both check your BIOS and automatically apply fixes as needed.

Applications. Some older software simply can't handle Y2K and never will; some can be updated. Any software purchased in the last two years should already be Y2K-compliant. But you need to know for sure. Your first click should be to the manufacturer's Web site. Microsoft, for instance, has a Y2K portal where you'll find extensive resources. The ZDY2K site has numerous direct links to software and hardware companies' Y2K info.

Dated files. Spreadsheet or database program files that use two-digits to indicate the year could cause problems. It may be time consuming, but you will rest easier if you go through and change them to four digits.

Y2K viruses. Beyond the Year 2000 bug itself, there's concern virus writers and malicious hackers will find the millennium change a tempting time to wreak havoc. If you don't have anti-virus software, get it and install it now.  If you do, be sure to grab any necessary updates as events dictate.

NEW YEAR'S EVE PRIMER
For those of you who took care of computer-related Y2K issues long ago, I asked the AnchorDesk crew for other ways to prepare for the New Year and New Millennium. Here's what they came up with:

Executive Producer Liz Enbysk. A banker friend told her he's going to take out $1,000 in cash -- just in case. He's not worried about banks being Y2K-ready, but has concerns about getting goods and services from all the small businesses who say they're taking a wait-and-see attitude about Y2K. Our resident Mom figures a little extra cash, a full tank of gas and some auxiliary water jugs, batteries and candles can't hurt.

Managing Editor Nicci Noteboom. Seattle's mayor canceled the annual New Year's Eve hoopla at the Space Needle over concerns it would be a target for terrorists. But our resident party girl will not be deterred. Her advice for like-minded revelers: Have enough money for a martini and cab fare home. And wear comfortable shoes.

Associate Editor Neil Strother. When last heard from, Neil had packed up the family and was driving his Suburban toward Montana. But no, Mr. Sunshine hasn't adopted a Doomsday mentality. He's hot tubbing and skiing away his last vacation of the millennium.

Associate Editor Chris Albrecht. Our trendy, always-looking-to-the-future guy isn't wasting a lot of brain share on Y2K. He's already talking about what's next, what bugs are on the horizon, how we're going to put the date change behind us and move on.

Now I promise: That's the last you'll hear from me about Y2K. At least this millennium. Now it's your turn. Use the TalkBack button to tell me if you are more -- or less -- worried about Y2K problems the closer we get to Jan. 1. You can also talk it over with other readers in my Berst Alerts forum.  

3Com Provides a Networking Hotline for Y2K

Many computer and telecommunications products have some kind of time or date oriented mechanism within their architecture.  This mechanism may be designed as part of the product’s hardware or internal software.   Sometimes the year portion of the date is represented only by the last two digits instead of the entire four digits.  Consequently, when January 1, 2000 arrives, some products - though not all - may see this change as a move backwards in time to the year 1900 instead of forward in time to the year 2000, and various problems may unfold as a result.  This situation has become known as the "Year 2000 Problem" or the "Millennium Problem." 3 Com has developed a Web Site for the Year 2000 situation.  There are six different links for information regarding the following:   Product Status Listing; Warranty Statement; Testing Statement; Look up by 3C number; FAQ; and Palm Computing.