check equipment

The Year 2000 Problem.

(Check Your Equipment)

At this time let us think of the problem on a more personal note, which means the things most close to us, in our own homes. As an example think of your alarm system, or your phone system, heating systems etc: Most, if not all of these operate on dates and are therefore suspect and could go wrong on the rollover to the year 2000 ! Your alarm system may not work, as it could be confused by the date. Your heating may not work, or even worse refuse to turn off. Your phone may not operate properly or allow you to receive or make calls ? All of these things should be checked by us all and contact made with the supplier or maintenance company of these and other suspect pieces of equipment, such as Video recorders, Televisions, etc; and we should obtain written guarantees that all our equipment in the home is year 2000 complient.
If it is not, then obtain confirmation of the exact date your supplier intends to remedy it and make it complient. Ensure that the company concerned honour this commitment.
At this stage it is fitting to move on and decide how we are going to check our equipment ourselves, in some small way, to reasure ourselves that it is complient. This is not an area for high technology, or complicated explanations, but can be explained and understood quite easily.
We only need to test simple things like changing dates and leave major testing to experts and those qualified to do so. Take whatever piece of equipment you wish, perhaps your video recorder, alarm system or heating, and change the date to 31 December 1999 and the time to 23hrs 59mins. Wait for two minutes until the date has moved on to 1st January 2000 and then observe your equipment and note if it has held the date properly. If it has then switch it on and operate it to ensure that it is working ok. If it works ok, leave the date as it is and switch the equipment off. Unplug the equipment and wait for two minutes, then plug it back in and switch it on. You should find the date held in the system is still in January 2000. If it is then you can be fairly certain your equipment is year 2000 complient. Reset your date and time back to the correct current settings.
What if your equipment failed ?? Perhaps It would either not operate with the date in the year 2000, or it would not hold the date once it was switched off and on ? In this case it is obviously not complient, and you have no option but to contact your supplier or maintenance company. Inform them of the problem, and obtain a guarantee that they intend to have it fixed. Do not under any circumstances try to fix anything yourself. Leave it to those qualified to do so.
A word of warning might be appropriate here ! If you dont have a regular maintenance company, and your equipment requires to be made complient, be careful to whom you approach ! Use only respected and reputable firms, or you may find yourself paying for replacement equipment you didnt actually need !!
One last thing. Dont leave it to be checked or repaired until the latter half of 1999 ! There are plenty of others in this world who will do that ! Make sure you are not caught up in any last minute rush. Get it done, if it needs to be done, as soon as possible.

Your Own P.C. -->

<-- Return to Main Page.