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Y2K: No disasters, lots of annoyances

At least in the US, there should be few problems of any significance caused by computer malfunctions at midnight on December 31, 1999, as clocks roll over to January 1, 2000. That doesn't mean that we're completely out of the woods, though, because some software malfunctions may not become visible for months.

The concerns

1. Modern society will melt down at midnight: Nonsense.

2. Computers will fail or will not function in 2000: Except for some older computers that will wake up on January 1, 2000, with a really bad headache and not know what year it is, there will be no problems. Most of these computers can be fixed by simply resetting the clock.

3. Factories will grind to a halt on February 29 because most computers won't recognize it as a legitimate day: Urban legend. Symantec (the folks who make Norton Utilities) say this seems to be a big concern, but they've never found a computer that exhibits this problem.

So then - what's the big deal?

The big deal is that data files on desktop and laptop computers may be at risk due to date misrepresentation within the programs on the computer or because of macros, programs, and formulas created by the users of spreadsheets and databases. These are the kinds of problems that might not be apparent on January 1. These are the problems that might not become visible until somebody notices monthly reports or quarterly statements don't look quite right.

And that's why Symantec developed Norton 2000. The utility scans Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, Lotus 1-2-3, Quattro Pro, dBase III, dBase IV, and Paradox files looking for the ambiguous use of 2-digit dates to represent 4-digit years. It also examines embedded Visual Basic applets and macros in Excel spreadsheets and even examines files with formats not known to Norton 2000 to scan for dates. The program reports what it finds, listing problems in order of severity.

For those who are concerned about hardware problems, Norton 2000 includes a BIOS test, checks the real-time clock (RTC), and even tests the basic input/output system (BIOS).

Why Norton 2000 is better than manual tests

The October 28 edition of the New York Times cited the kind of problem that can occur. In mid-1998, Robert Bennett set the date on his Windows 95 computer to 11:59 p.m., December 31, 1999. As expected, the clock rolled over a minute later and displayed "January 1, 2000". Hurrah! No problem.

Then Bennett did something he came to regret.

He opened Lotus Organizer and made some entries. The next day, he discovered that the test had wiped out his Lotus data files, including freelance-writing records he needed for tax reports. The program had done what many personal information managers routinely do: It had deleted "old data". The "current" (1998) data was deemed "old" data by the program because it thought the date was January 2000.

This isn't an example of a Y2K error. Everything worked just as it was supposed to work. The problem was that the user didn't understand how it was supposed to work. In fact, some of the biggest hazards of Y2K probably are people testing their systems.

I've said before that it's fine for you to test your hardware. Do what Bennett did - set the clock to December 31, 1999, one minute to midnight, and wait for the clock to roll over. If it does that, your hardware is fine.

But if you have any accounting software do not open the application! There's a very good chance that the software will decide that a new accounting period has begun and that it should close previous periods.

Recovery from this kind of problem is difficult. Often, it's impossible.

Besides using a program such as Norton 2000, you should also check with the companies that published the programs you use. If you have Internet access, check the companies' Web sites. If not, call support and ask about Y2K compliance.

Who doesn't need to check?

If you use your computer only for word processing, Internet access, and playing games, don't worry about it. These applications don't depend on date calculations. If you haven't set the date in the computer for a year or more, it may be off by several weeks anyway.

Virtually all PCs built within the past 5 years or so are compliant, at least as far as hardware is concerned. Every Macintosh ever made is compliant in terms of hardware. But software for both Apple and Wintel machines can have Y2K bugs. The NY Times article cites the online banking functions in Quicken for Windows versions 5 and 6 and in Quicken for Macintosh versions 6 and 7. These applications do not recognize dates later than December 31, 1999. Intuit is offering free upgrades to owners of those programs.

For more information, see http://www.symantec.com/.

You may already know that I am on WTVN radio each Sunday morning with Technology Corner. This information was originally used there. While I am certain that widespread catastrophes will not occur on January 1, 2000, I do feel that we'll continue to feel "mosquito bites" from the Y2K bug for 6 months or more.

Minor side issue: January 1, 2000, is believed by many to be the beginning of the third millennium. Even the New York Times seems to have succumbed to this popular belief and mentions only occasionally that because there was no year zero, the next millennium doesn't start until January 1, 2001. Of course, those who follow calendars other than the one that bases its origin on the birth of Christ see the entire concept of a new millennium as a non-issue. And because the actual calendar may be off by 3 years or so, it's possible that we're already in the new millennium. This makes my head hurt. I am going to go lie down now.

    
 
 

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