Y2K Problem? What Y2K Problem?

No matter what you've read or heard about the year-2000 computer bug, the fact remains that no one really knows what will happen to the world's computers at the turn of the year. In fact, the biggest problem that you face this New Year's Eve could be a champagne shortage.

But why take chances? While the Y2K bug probably won't cause ATMs to crash or airplanes to fall from the sky, it may very well affect your PC's operating system, your software, or your Web browser. But don't expect your company's MIS people to fix your system for you. The mandate at companies everywhere is to deal with so-called mission-critical applications first. Your company's techies are probably too busy wrestling with corporate-wide systems -- mainframes, network servers -- to worry about your pesky PC. So you'll need to look out for yourself.

The good news is that there are steps that you can take to innoculate your system against the Y2K bug. In this edition of Powertools, you'll find the FAQs of Y2K -- the most frequently asked questions about this glitch -- plus straightforward strategies and tools for safeguarding your system.

Bottom line: It's your choice. You can take action now to prevent problems, or you can simply hope that your computer won't fall back to 1900 when the rest of the world leaps into 2000.

What's the big deal?

For nearly 50 years, the people who wrote computer code used a standard two-digit shorthand to indicate the year -- substituting, say, "99" for "1999." Early on, when computer memory was always in short supply, that practice made a lot of sense. But programmers continued using this shorthand even as memory capacity expanded.

As a result, when some computers see "00," they can't tell whether that figure refers to 1900 or 2000. And if your PC gets the date wrong, your system could lose or delete email that it thinks is 100 years old; your contact-management and scheduling software could fail to list crucial appointments; or your financial program could neglect to make automated mortgage payments. In short, you could be in for some real hassles.

Are all computers susceptible to the bug?

If you work on a Mac, you shouldn't have to worry about Y2K. As far as anyone can tell, even older-model Macintosh computers are ready for the New Year (and for many years to come). If you work on a Windows PC, however, read on. No version of Windows is immune from the Y2K bug -- not even Windows 98 or Windows NT.

How might the bug affect my hardware?

The problem starts with the BIOS chip inside your PC. (BIOS stands for "basic input-output system.") This chip is responsible for (among other things) telling other components of your computer -- as well as your software -- what year it is.

How might the bug affect my system?

With some exceptions, including Windows 98 and NT, operating systems such as DOS and other versions of Windows blithely accept whatever date the BIOS chip gives them. Even worse, if the BIOS reports that the year is, say, 1900, the operating system may interpret that date as 1980 -- the earliest year that the system recognizes.

Are there other areas of concern?

Applications, such as Microsoft Word and Excel and Netscape Navigator, must also be Y2K-compliant. Otherwise, they may get the date wrong -- even if the BIOS and the operating system get it right.

The data that you enter into each program must also be Y2K-ready. If you've been entering years in spreadsheets as two-digit numbers, you may run into snags. For example, a cost-projection analysis that uses "21" to represent the year 2021 may perform extended-lease calculations using the year 1921 -- and you'll end up wondering why your business plan failed.

I have a new computer: Do I still need to worry about Y2K?

Most PCs made before 1997 won't make the leap into 2000. You may have a problem even if your PC is less than two years old. The software firm Greenwich Mean Time estimates that more than 10% of the computers made as recently as last year are unprepared for Y2K.

To determine if your PC is vulnerable to the Y2K bug, record its model and serial number (you'll find that information on the back of the machine), and visit the manufacturer's Web site. Many companies have posted information on which of their systems are Y2K-ready, which ones aren't, and how you can solve any glitches.

What about the computer guys at my company? Aren't they supposed to make my system Y2K-compliant?

If you use a PC, you are "the computer guy": You've got to take responsibility for your own machine. Besides, even if your company's MIS people made your system Y2K-compliant several months ago, you might still encounter problems if you've downloaded data or added software since then.