Year 2000 Investor Kit:
Year 2000 Tips

How To Check Your PC | Will Your Fax Machine Work?

How To Check Your PC

As the Year 2000 grows near, you should check the automated systems you use each day to be ready for the coming millennium, particularly your personal computer (PC).

Follow these steps to determine if a PC will roll over to the Year 2000 correctly. Apple/MAC users refer to http://www.apple.com/about/year2000/y2khw.html.

The test presented here requires a bootable DOS floppy diskette. This is a safer method to test your PC's system clock because it leaves the data and programs on the PC's hard disk unaffected. If you boot to your C: drive, you may end up loading Windows® or Windows®95 and other applications from your startup routine. Using a bootable diskette will ensure the integrity of the data and programs on your PC's hard disks. The test script presented here will check your PC's ability to transition to the Year 2000 and recognize it as a leap year.

Step 1: Create a bootable test diskette:
Insert a blank floppy diskette into the PC's A: drive. From a DOS prompt, type FORMAT A:/S. Or from Windows File Manager, click on DISK/FORMAT and check MAKE SYSTEM DISK.

Step 2: Shut down the PC:
With the bootable diskette created in Step 1 still in your PC's floppy drive, shut down your system (close Windows) and power off your PC. DO NOT use the reset button or warmboot (CTL-ALT-DEL).

Step 3: Power on the PC:
Turn the power on your PC and allow the PC to boot from the diskette. After bootup, type DATE and press enter. DOS automatically shows the current date. Current date should be displayed.

Step 4: Enter new date and time:
At the Enter New Date (mm-dd-yy) prompt, type 12-31-1999. After changing the date, the new date will be displayed. Type TIME and press enter. At the Enter New Time prompt, type 23:55:00.

Step 5: Shut down the PC:
Turn the power off on your PC and wait at least 10 minutes. If you don't, DOS will appear to transition correctly to the Year 2000 but your system may not be Year 2000 compliant.

Step 6: Power on the PC:
Turn the power back on and wait for the boot process to complete.

Step 7: Check the system date:
Type in Date at the Ready prompt. If Sat 01-01-2000 is displayed, your PC's BIOS passes the test.

Step 8: Test your system's ability to recognize 2000 as a leap year:
Repeat steps 3 and 4 using 02-28-2000 as the date and set the time to 23:55:00.

Step 9: Power off your PC:
Turn the power off on your PC and wait at least 10 minutes.

Step 10: Power on the PC:
Turn the power on the PC. Type in DATE at the Ready prompt. If Tue 02-29-2000 is displayed, your PC's BIOS passes the leap year test.

Step 11: Conclude Testing:
To conclude testing, repeat steps 3 and 4 to reset your PC to the current date and time. Enter the current date, e.g., 07-04-1997, and time, e.g., 06:00:00. Remove the bootable diskette from the floppy and power off your PC.

Will Your Fax Machine Work?

Another area to check for Year 2000 readiness is your fax machine.

You should first contact the manufacturer of the fax machine. Most manufacturers should be able to furnish a list of fax machines that they consider to be Year 2000 compliant. If the fax machine was purchased through a local dealer, the dealer should either provide the phone number of the manufacturer or the manufacturer's documentation detailing the specific machines considered Year 2000 compliant.

However, you may also attempt to conduct a "self test" of the fax. By setting the fax machine to January 1, 2000, you can test in advance of the coming century and see how the machine would operate on that date. First set the date on the fax machine to 12/31/99 and the time to 11:57 p.m. (if the machine works on military time, set it to 23:57). After setting the date and time and letting the date flip to 1/1/2000, turn off the fax machine for five minutes. After waiting five minutes, turn the fax machine back on. Then try to send and receive a fax. If you are able to perform these two tasks successfully, that fax machine is probably ready for 2000.

Although tests like these are likely to uncover most problems, it is still a good idea to check with the manufacturer. Manufacturers should have the most accurate information on how their particular machines will operate in 2000.

Year 2000 Investor Kit: Year 2000 Tips

How To Check Your PC

Will Your Fax Machine Work?

Year 2000 Investor Kit:
Year 2000 Tips