Y2K SYSTEM CHECK LIST Millions are being spent tackling the Millennium bug as the clock ticks into the year 2000 (Y2K for those techies in the know). Y2K teams have been set up to ensure planes land safely, hospitals run smoothly and banks don't deposit £1 million in your account by mistake. But what should you be doing at home to make sure your PC doesn’t collapse in a heap at the stroke of midnight? If your computer is used for homework and games, the odds are it will tick along as usual. If you use it for work or have added bits over the years, then you will have more to check. First, its important to understand what the Bug is all about. It is the result of a computer or electronic device's inability to recognise the date change from 1999 to 2000. Their timers may only acknowledge the last two digits of any year and interpret the millennium change incorrectly, assuming it is 1900 rather than 2000. But only test your computer if you have the technical skills, original software disks and the manufacturers manuals. If you feel confident, make a copy of your entire program and data files before you start. Always disable passwords before testing. STEP 1: Check your hardware - this drives the PC including the keyboard and monitor. Most computers bought in the last year will be fine. The simplest test to see if your PC's internal clock and Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) are working properly is to set the date to 31/12/1999 and the time to 23:58:00. Switch off your PC and wait for the fake midnight to pass. Switch it back on and check your date now reads 01/01/2000. If it fails, then set the date manually to 01/01/2000 with DOS DATE command or the Date/Time facility in the control panel on windows based systems. Switch your PC off, then on again after a few seconds. If it still fails, contact the manufacturer- some may produce free fixing software. STEP2: Check your operating system- this is the software that runs the basic programs and is normally included at the same time you bought the PC. The majority use Microsoft Windows while older systems may use DOS. Most systems will work properly if they've been set up correctly. Check with the manufacturer. If you are running Microsoft Windows, check how your "date" system is set up. Look in "control panel" and then "regional settings" for Windows ) 95. Change from date format DD/MM/YY to DD/MM/YYYY. Some may not accept that. There are some minor display problems With two Windows 95 components-File manager and explorer. STEP3: Check your application software - these are the programs you buy to enable your PC to perform specific functions like word processing, spreadsheets or games. Some may be affected because they use the date to calculate, sort and search. You may need to change the way they are set up. Be particularly careful of freeware (programs given away with magazines etc) and shareware (allowing you to test software for a set period). They are not quality controlled and are impossible to check. The only way to be sure your programs are Bug free is to take everything off your PC directory and then re-install only your fully licensed and documented programs using the original system discs. STEP4: Check your data - this is the information produced by the application software you use such as spreadsheets. While most use four digit dates there are still some problems. Microsoft Excel 5, for instance, will only accept two digit year dates up to 2019. So If you type in 20 for 2020,the program will convert it to 1920. Other applications may have different years in which they cease to function. To check, open a new spreadsheet and insert a date in the next millennium. STEP5: Check your data sharing- the information you download via e-mail, the Internet or floppy disk. Even if your PC is ready and waiting for Y2K there is nothing to say there is nothing to say you won't take o board "unsafe" information. If you exchange information between home and work, be particularly careful. You don't want to re-Bug the office. Long Live Free Lebanon. Booli