Wired

MS' Massive Y2K Campaign by Chris Stamper

9:00 a.m. 19.Aug.99.PDT

SEATTLE -- Microsoft's massive email and direct-mail campaign, urging 80 million customers to get their PCs ready to ward off the millennium bug, is well underway, the company's Y2K czar told a House panel Tuesday.

Microsoft fired off the first million of 60 million emails on 21 July. The remainder are being delivered through the end of August. Don Jones, Microsoft's director of year 2000 readiness, told a special congressional hearing in Seattle that another 60 million customers are receiving notices through postal mail.

"This could be the largest mass mailing outside of tax forms," Jones said.

He told the committee it should take about an hour for a typical PC user to install the computer's Y2K software.

Microsoft decided to mail the mass of missives now after focus group research told them more customers planned to concentrate heavily on millennial date issues. Jones said that of 3,200 Microsoft product tested, 98 percent were ready for the new year without major hassles.

Microsoft's three-paragraph message directs users to Microsoft's Y2K Web site for bug fixes. "In order to work properly after the year 2000, some Microsoft products may require a year 2000 software update," it says.

This includes the original English-language Windows 98, as well as some versions of Windows 95 and Site Server. Some products haven't been tested yet, including the Basque, Catalan, Danish, Finnish, Greek, Norwegian, and Thai editions of Windows 98.

Jones also said that Microsoft was on the lookout for virus and Trojan Horse writers who will capitalize on Y2K sensationalism, especially those who create software intended to look like they came from the Redmond giant. "We've (already) had seven that looked like they came from Microsoft but weren't," he said.

Also represented at the regional meeting were Seattle City Light, Boeing, and GTE. All said they were close to Y2K readiness and did not expect any major disruptions. Willie Aikens, Boeing's director of companywide process and strategy, showed a video clip of a Y2K test flight where a plane simulated the date change from 1999 to 2000.

"There are no safety-of-flight issues with our planes," he said.

-- (its@wired.news), August 25, 1999

Answers

From: Y2K, ` la Carte by Dancr near Monterey, California

I got this just today from a good friend:

FYI, Here is a rather interesting bit of Y2K G2 . . .

You may think your PC is "Y2K" compliant, and some little tests may have actually affirmed that your hardware is compliant, and you may even have a little company sticker affixed to your system saying "Y2K Compliant"... but you'll be surprised that Windows may still crash unless you do this simple exercise below. Easy fix but something Microsoft seems to have missed in certifying their software as Y2K compliant. This is simple to do, but VERY important.

Click on "START". Click on "SETTINGS". Double click on "Control Panel". Double click on "Regional settings" icon (look for the little world globe).

Click on the "Date" tab at the top of the page. (last tab on the top right) Where it says, "Short Date Sample", see if it shows a "two digit" year format ("YY"). Unless you've previously changed it (and you probably haven't) -- it will be set incorrectly with just the two Y's..it needs to be four! That's because Microsoft made the 2 digits setting the default setting for Windows 95, Windows 98 and NT.

The date format selected is the date that Windows feeds ALL application software and will not rollover into the year 2000. It will roll over to the year 00. (*)

Click on the button across from "Short Date Style" and select the option that shows, "mm/dd/yyyy" or "m/d/yyyy". (Be sure your selection has four y's showing, not just "mm/dd/yy).

Then click on "Apply". Then click on "OK" at the button.

Easy enough to fix. However, every "as distributed" installation of Windows worldwide is defaulted to fail Y2K rollover...

Pass this along to your PC buddies... this might be a welcome bit of information!

-- Dancr (addy.available@my.webpage.neener.autospammers--regrets.greenspun), August 25, 1999.

Sorry, this is a hoax. Please see:

http://www.microsoft.com/y2k/hoax/y2khoax.htm

-- Lynn Ratcliffe (mcgrew@ntr.net), August 25, 1999.