Html challenged,

But if you go to current Aol news and read this article... it is pretty sad. (12:37edt)

Thought about copy and paste, but read the AP small print about publishing etc.

Hopefully someone here can get the full text for all to peruse

-- d----- (dciinc@aol.com), December 06, 1999

Answers

[Fair use, etc] From http://my.aol.com/news/story.tmpl?table=n&cat=02&id= 1999120610451765 link

How To Test for Y2K Bugs The Associated Press Dec 6 1999 10:45AM ET

NEW YORK (AP) - Even the personal computer isn't immune to the Year 2000 bug. While larger computers and networks used by business and government get most of the attention, the PC at home could be vulnerable, too. Risks are greater with older PCs, as well as banking, spreadsheets and other programs that use a lot of dates.

Free remedies are available in most cases, but owners need to take the time to check their computers.

Otherwise, come the new year, a PC might malfunction or corrupt data. An online banking program, for instance, might think a mortgage payment isn't due for another 100 years. Try explaining that to a bank preparing to foreclose on your home.

``It's important for consumers to think about it if they have files, personal finance and other date-based transactions that are important to them,'' says Steve Cullen, vice president at Symantec Corp., which sells a Y2K tester for PCs.

Despite warnings, many computers owners haven't yet acted.

Steve Thurlow, Y2K program director at Intuit Inc., says traffic is steadily growing at a Web site for its Quicken home finance and other software. Still, he admits, he's ``a little surprised at how people seem to be leaving things to the last minute.''

The Year 2000 bug, or Y2K, stems from a longstanding programming practice of using only two digits to represent the year. Computers might misread ``00'' as 1900 unless they have been fixed.

PCs have three areas that need checking:

Hardware. Computer processors do not care about the year, but other computer components do. Most PCs have a separate internal clock and a system called BIOS to relay date and time information to the computer applications. The BIOS in older computers won't relay the correct century.

Software, including the operating system. Word processors, Internet browsers and games may not care what year it is, but banking programs and spreadsheets do.

Personal files. Computer users may have put bugs into their own files by using two-digit shortcuts in spreadsheets and other programs.

Most PCs manufactured since 1998 and Apple computers do not have hardware problems, although software and data files still need to be checked. A Web site at www.pcy2000.org has information for major manufacturers. Free programs are available to test the BIOS.

In most cases, computer users can update their PCs by obtaining special software through the Internet or by manually resetting the clock to a date in the new century.

Next, check the operating system. Microsoft's Windows 3.1, 95 and 98 are all good for Y2K as long as computer owners upgrade to the latest versions, which are available for free.

Microsoft has Y2K information at www.microsoft.com/y2k and through a toll-free number at 1-888-MSFT-Y2K. The company is loaning free videotapes through Blockbuster stores.

Apple says its operating system is Y2K-ready, and that the latest versions are good forever, although one piece of software needs an update before 2019. The company expects to have a fix by then. More information is at www.apple.com/about/year2000.

Computer users also need to check with Microsoft and other software vendors for updates to other software. Older versions of Intuit's Quicken, for instance, have online banking problems.

Microsoft has a CD-ROM to test and update its applications. A Web site at www.y2kbase.com lists Y2K information for major vendors.

Don Jones, director of Year 2000 readiness at Microsoft, recommends that consumers assess what programs they use. Individuals tend to use less than 15 percent of more than 100 programs installed in a typical computer.

Microsoft tested more than 4,000 programs and found a handful of bugs, mostly minor ones that incorrectly displays dates rather than cause malfunctions.

Data files are the hardest to check because no two users are alike. The key is to manually convert years to four digits when possible. Commercial Y2K programs such as Symantec's Norton 2000 and McAfee's Y2K Survival Kit can help.

Don't make the mistake of assuming everything's OK just because one program shoots back the correct date.

APO/Y2K-Computers/ Copyright ) 1999 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

-- harl (harlanquin@aol.hell), December 06, 1999.