Utility Programs Detect Most Problems and Offer Peace of Mind

I don’t lose sleep over the so-called Y2K bug. That’s because I have a relatively new PC and Mac, use the newest versions of the operating systems and most software and I don’t rely on old data files that depend on dates. Besides, as the father of two teenagers, I have lots of other things to worry about.

But just because I’m not nervous about Y2K doesn’t mean that computer users shouldn’t take precautions. When you add up all the things that can go wrong, lots of PC users could be affected to some degree by the Y2K problem.

By using the right Y2K utility software, most problems can easily be detected before they have any impact. Y2K utility programs typically cost between $20 and $50. You may not need one, but if you are nervous, they can bring you some peace of mind.

When evaluating tools to reduce any Y2K-related risks, it’s useful to understand the potential problems that can occur as we move from 1999 to 2000. Many people worry that their PC hardware will fail. While that’s possible, it’s not likely in most cases.

There is a possibility that your operating system could become confused about the date and a somewhat more likely possibility that you’ll have trouble with some software programs. Data files that contain two-digit dates should be your biggest concern along with data you get from other sources and any custom applications you might use.

You could have a hardware problem if the computer’s BIOS (basic input output system) is unable to recognize the changeover. Any Mac ever built (according to Apple) and most PCs built in 1997 or later are going to be “hardware compliant.” Older PCs won’t necessarily present a problem and there are a few newer machines that will act up. Fortunately, such problems are easy to detect and--in most cases--easy to fix or work around.

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Even if your PC is relatively new, it’s worth it to check the BIOS by running one of the commercial programs I cover in this article.

If you’re still using MS-DOS, you have a problem. It won’t roll over to 2000. Intelliquis (https://www.intelliquis.com) claims that its Fix2000 can alter MS-DOS to be compliant, but I couldn’t test it because I no longer have machines that run DOS.

Application software varies by product, but if you have any programs that haven’t been updated in the last two or three years, there is a chance they might not be compliant. Whether that matters depends on what they do. If it’s a game or word-processing program that doesn’t calculate dates, then it probably won’t matter. If it’s a spreadsheet, database, statistical program or financial program that makes calculations based on dates, then you could have a problem.

Leading Y2K utility programs such as Check2000 PC and Norton 2000 will analyze most popular programs and determine if they are compliant.

If you are going to have a Y2K problem, it’s most likely to be with your data files, which is why I wouldn’t buy a Y2K utility if it doesn’t have a data-scanning feature. Regardless of what type of computer you use, you could have a problem if you use software that relies on dates for its calculations.

Application programs may try to rectify the problem by making an assumption as to what the two-digit code means, but they may not guess correctly and they aren’t always consistent. Early versions of Microsoft Excel, for example, assume that two-digit dates from 00 to 19 come after 2000, while dates above 19 are from the current century. Later versions assume that any two-digit date beyond 30 belongs in the 20th century. Other programs make different assumptions, so you can’t always count on your application program to get it right.

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Check 2000 PC Deluxe from Greenwich Mean Time-UTA (https://www.gmt-uta.com) and Norton 2000 from Symantec can alert you to potential data problems by analyzing the files and reporting those that might present a problem. Check 2000 PC Deluxe comes with a separate Data Scanner program. With Norton 2000, the feature is built in.

Both programs did a good job alerting me to the fact that I have a lot of old database and spreadsheet files with two-digit dates, but Norton 2000 is a bit easier to use, which is why I prefer it. Finding those old files, as it turned out, was a real eye-opener. Most of them hadn’t been used in years so I deleted them and recovered several megabytes of disk space. One benefit of Y2K is that it forces you to take stock of what you have and get rid of what you don’t need.

Custom applications aren’t generally supported by these off-the-shelf Y2K repair programs. If you have applications that were written especially for you or your industry, you should check with the person or company that created them to see if there is a potential problem. Remember, there is only a problem if the application does calculations based on dates.

Norton 2000 scans programs written in Visual Basic and identifies common issues in the source code, according to Symantec software architect Dan’l Leviton.

Finally, there is the issue of human error that comes up every time we switch years. Every January I find myself writing the wrong year on checks until I get used to the new year. Even a simple ballpoint pen, if used improperly, can have a Y2K bug.

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Lawrence J. Magid can be heard at 1:48 p.m. weekdays on KNX (1070). He can be reached at larry.magid@latimes.com. His Web page is at https://www.larrysworld.com. On AOL, use keyword “LarryMagid.”