Y2K@UB

Can my computer or any of my software "catch" the Y2K bug?

No. The Year 2000 problem is not a virus and so cannot be transmitted the ways viruses can. However, your PC could "catch" bad data from another PC, LAN server, or mainframe if the program that produced the data used a two-digit date format.

Also, your hardware could be corrupted if you download noncompliant software from the Web and then pass that data to your system. This "freeware"-as well as illegal software (software that has not been licensed)-may be noncompliant also.

Do I have to test everything?

You probably won't have the resources to test everything. That's why an assessment of your equipment and its function is so important. If your assessment identifies any critical systems (in other words, systems that are critical to the work your office performs), then you must test those systems. And don't forget support systems you depend on to function at work, such as alarm systems on entrance doors and departmental phone systems that may be date-dependent.

If you have Y2K questions that you would like answered in this column, email them to goldbaum@buffalo.edu