Action Item: Time Check

Instead of fretting about Y2K, simply test your computer's BIOS chip to find out if your machine is prepped for the New Year. (On most systems, the BIOS is the device that tells other parts of a computer what year it is.) Here are two free programs that can help.

TAntra Software's Cloktest 2000 determines whether your computer's BIOS can recognize the year 2000. Copy Cloktest onto a bootable floppy disk, and restart your PC with the disk in your floppy drive. Cloktest won't solve a BIOS problem for you, but it will tell you if there is a problem with your hardware.

Coordinates: Cloktest 2000, TAntra Software Ltd., http://members.aol.com/tantrauk/main.html

RighTime's Test2000.exe checks whether your computer can make the leap into the 21st century and whether it will show the correct date after rebooting.

Coordinates: Test2000.exe, the RighTime Co., www.rightime.com

Sidebar: Y2K Online

Don't even think of investing in Y2K software or in a consultant before checking out these free resources on the Web.

Y2K News Magazine This online publication posts news reports from various sources. Check out its frequently issued vendor-compliance reports.

Coordinates: Y2K News Magazine, www.y2knews.com

The Year 2000 Information Center Author and Y2K bon vivant Peter de Jager's site features lots of links to Y2K-busting companies, along with a comprehensive section on the legal repercussions of Y2K.

Coordinates: The Year 2000 Information Center, www.year2000.com SBA-Y2K The federal government has developed page after page of valuable Y2K information, and you can access much of that information through the Small Business Administration site.

Coordinates: SBA-Y2K, www.sba.gov/y2k

Sidebar: Y2K Solution for Dummies

Free agents and small-business owners might have no choice but to hire a Y2K consultant to check every piece of hardware, every software program, and every electronic file that could have a year-2000 problem. K.C. Bourne, a consultant and the author of "Year 2000 Solutions For Dummies," offers four pieces of advice for separating the competent professional from the fly-by-nighter.

Check references. Talk to former clients of the consultant. Find out whether he or she saw each client's project through from start to finish. Ask whether the price escalated as each project neared completion.

Go for experience. There's nothing wrong with people who are new to the computer-consulting industry -- but why should they learn on your dime?

Insist on Y2K know-how. Find out if the consultant has done Y2K work on hardware and software like yours.

Reserve the right to reject staff. If the consultant sends over an assistant who turns out to be a bozo, you don't want any problems when you send the bozo back.

Coordinates: $29.99. "Year 2000 Solutions For Dummies," IDG Books World-wide, www.idgbooks.com

Sidebar: Quain's Top 10 Tips

1. Call your accountant. My accountant uses an old DOS program to do my taxes, and DOS is not Y2K-ready. Make sure that your accountant is prepared for the year 2000.

2. Pay by check. The longer the paper trail that you leave (in the form of canceled checks), the better prepared you'll be to handle Y2K disputes.

3. Pay bills early. That way, you'll have time to resolve any disputes that might arise in the New Year.

4. Load up on cash. Come December, you'll be able to avoid the crush of panicky people at your local ATM.

5. Get paper receipts. If you bank online, ask your financial institution to give you a hard-copy confirmation of every transaction.

6. Balance your checkbook. Your account might look hunky-dory in Quicken, but Quicken won't help you if your bank's electronic records go awry. You'll need a paper record.

7. Get records of your current balances. Should anything go amiss in the New Year, you'll need a paper baseline to straighten things out.

8. Get credit reports. Order copies from Equifax Inc. (www.equifax.com).

9. Take stock. Ask your broker to give you frequent updates on your stocks and mutual funds.

10. Follow up. After January 1, 2000, check back with credit-reporting bureaus, and obtain new copies of your credit reports to guard against the filing of false delinquencies.

Sidebar: Software to the Rescue

Instead of wasting days poring over every file and software package on your hard drive, you can buy software that automates that process. The following four packages track down Y2K problems. In a few cases, they'll even fix problems while you take a meeting.