Y2K 'Quick Fix' for Windows (NOT!)

[janet paterson <janet313@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Y2K 'Quick Fix' For Windows (NOT!)
Dateline: 08/11/99

The millennial countdown is still on, with roughly four and a half months to go 
till Armageddon. Are you Y2K ready? Part of the challenge is figuring out how 
you might actually be affected by the dreaded Y2K Bug. I won't pretend to 
advise you, but I will recommend not heeding the advice you read in forwarded 
emails.

One message currently circulating claims that some VCRs will be rendered 
unprogrammable by a Y2K defect and says manufacturers are hiding a simple 
solution from consumers to boost sales of new machines. (Did you really think 
we could enter the new millennium without a conspiracy theory?)

Another message claims that the year 2000 will be a double leap year wherein 
the month of February will have 30 days. Since this only happens once every 400 
years (says the email), children born on that day will die without ever having 
a birthday.

Arguably, a life without birthdays is much less dire than life without a 
functioning VCR, but in any case this is a hoax. February 2000 will be a garden 
variety leap year with 29 days, no more.

The latest Y2K prank to circulate by email purports to reveal a "quick fix" for 
non-compliant installations of Windows 95 and 98. But, while it's true that 
there are minor compliance issues for Windows, they cannot be resolved by 
following the pointless instructions below.

    Subject: Easy Y2K Fix please read

    I received this today and am passing it on to those of
    you who might want the information for yourself or
    friends.

    For those of you running Windows, this is a fix for a
    small Y2K problem. After running this quick little test,
    much to my surprise, I learned that my computer would
    have failed on 01-01-2000, due to a computer clock
    glitch. Fortunately, a quick fix is provided, should your
    computer fail the test.

    TEST:

    Double click on "My Computer."

    Double click on "Control Panel."

    Double click on "Regional Settings."

    Click on the "Date" tab at the top of the page.

    Where is says "Short Date Sample," look and see if it
    shows a "two digit" year? Of course it does. That's the
    default setting for Windows95, Windows98 and NT. This
    date setting is the date that feeds application software
    and WILL NOT roll over in the year 2000. It will roll
    over to 00.

    Click on the arrow button across from "Short Date Style"
    and select the option that shows mm/dd/yyyy. (Be sure
    your selection has four "yyyy" showing, not two.)

    IMPORTANT: Click on "Apply" and then on "OK" at the
    bottom. It is easy enough to fix, yet every single
    installation of Windows worldwide is defaulted to fail
    the Y2K rollover. Now you know how to prepare your
    computer.

    Make a copy of these instructions and in five minutes,
    your computer will be ready to roll over to the year
    2000.


Don't bet on it. All anyone will accomplish by following these instructions is 
to modify how the date is displayed by Windows. According to Microsoft, 
"Windows will store and calculate the date as 4 digits, independent of the date 
display selected by the customer."

See 'Windows 95 and Windows 98 Year 2000 email hoax' on Microsoft's Website for 
more information.

Unfortunately, there will be people who believe this message and assume they 
can make their computer Y2K compliant just that easily. It's got the potential 
to cause problems for a few folks, which makes it rather less amusing than the 
"double leap year" hoax. If you feel a need to send this message somewhere, 
make it the trash bin. That's where it'll do the most good.

Subscribe to the Urban Legends and Folklore newsletter
<>

janet paterson
52 now / 41 dx / 37 onset
snail-mail: PO Box 171  Almonte  Ontario  K0A 1A0  Canada
website: a new voice <>
e-mail: <janet313@xxxxxxxxxxx>