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Year 2000 Computer Problem

The Millennium Bug: What is it?

Will it impact my computer or my company?

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Will YOU be in business on Tuesday 4 January 2000?

It could be a BLACK DAY for your company

You arrive into work - its been a long weekend celebrating the new 'millennium' (which is still, really a year away). Those fireworks are still ringing in your ears, when:

  • Alan in Accounts tells you that the outstanding invoices system has gone mad and is spewing paper out demanding invoices that were paid years ago!
  • Margaret in Marketing tells you her customer database now shows everyone's age's as having gone negative!
  • Pam in Personnel says the payroll has packed up!

What's going on?

Is this some Year 2000 virus?

NO

You just didn't prepare your computer systems for the Year 2000.

 What is this???

  • Many computer systems have been built assuming that they will not be existence in the Year 2000.
    So they just stored the year 1966 as '66', which is fine until '99' BUT ...
    then comes '00' and everyone born in 1966 is now minus 66 years old!
  • You need to get every computer and piece of software running on it checked out NOW!!!
  • It is estimated that it will take the average company 18 months to check thoroughly.
    If you haven't yet started it may be too late!
  • Computers will have to be upgraded, programs checked and changed; particularly, but not exclusively, older one's.
    Have every new piece of equipment checked for 2000 compliance.
    Yes even new PCs may not be fully 2000 compliant with all software - CHECK!

Here's a note we received from our PC supplier:

Please read very carefully as it applies to all PCs

Important Notes

.... The user must make sure that the particular system has been tested and complies with the year 2000 date roll over prior to the year end 1999, and to satisfy himself/herself that both hardware and software will work correctly after that date.

The PC vendor 's current product range is now fully Year 2000 compliant. However in an extremely small number of cases, even brand new PC's, will fail to correctly enter the next millennium.

The PC vendor  PC's, like all PC's, generally have three different clocks inside them; all running independently. These clocks are the CMOS, BIOS and OS (Operating System) timers. The lowest level clock is the CMOS clock and this is hard wired to only work from 1900 to 1999. After 1999 it resets automatically back to 1900. The BIOS clock, which takes its data at boot-up from the CMOS clock, has been made millennium compliant by spotting when the CMOS clock resets back to 1900. The BIOS clock then knows that it is the year 2000. The OS clock takes its data from the BIOS clock and so this clock will hold the correct data. So (after the year 2000) we have three clocks, two are correct but one is wrong.

Most software, including all the PC vendor  supplied software, takes the date information from either the BIOS or OS clock and so all date information is correct. Some bespoke software packages read the date directly from the BIOS clock; again there is no date problem here.

The problem occurs when a software package reads its date information from the CMOS clock. In the year 2000, the CMOS will think it is 1900 and the problems are obvious. The types of software that use this method are still in use today, e.g. Data Acquisition, machine control etc.   It must be said that the number of the PC vendor  PC's using this kind of software is probably very small.

The problem with the CMOS clock affects all PC manufactures equally as the CMOS clock has not changed since the first IBM AT design.

Trademarks acknowledged
NOTE: Even if you have a NEW computer all the software may not be year 2000 ready
Check it out now!!!
See our Y2k software special feature with online ordering
AND
make sure that any new equipment purchased is "2000 compliant".
IMPORTANT NOTE
Judging by the large number of emails we have received it is apparent that a very large number of people, including computer programmers, are 'confused' about the fact that there are 29 days in February 2000. When you have your systems checked for Year 2000 Compliance please get them to check 29 February 2000 compliance!!!!
A year is leap if and only if it is divisible by 4, unless it is divisible by 100 in which case it should be divisible by 400; which is the case of the year 2000.
I.E. 1900 was NOT a Leap Year.  2000 will be a Leap Year
HELP!

 

Who can help?

If you can help contact [email protected]   NOW!!!

 

Who is 2000 compliant???

If your computer systems (hardware & software) are 2000 compliant - tell the world here
Contact [email protected]  NOW!!!

 

 

 
 

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