March 2007 Newsletter ...
Another Y2K?
The Daylight Savings Time Change
As you have heard, dates for the Daylight Savings Time change have moved. It is now the second Sunday in March and the first Sunday in November. Many embedded computers will just need to be set as usual, i.e. your VCR or microwave. Most computers will need to have a patch of some sort applied. Microsoft has patches available. The Microsoft site has updated that area a few times. Here is the current link as of the writing of this newsletter.
Microsoft's Daylight Savings Time patch area
There are several patches available depending on your version of Windows. There is a "universal" one, TZEDIT.EXE that is listed under the Windows 2000 area. Running it enables you to manually enter when the Daylight Savings Time change should occur. It has one "bug", however. After running it, you must change the time zone on the computer you are patching to another time zone, then change it back to have the patch take affect. i.e. open the date/time settings by right-clicking on the time on the taskbar, select "Adjust Date-Time", then pick the time zone tab and change it from Eastern to Central. Close it out, then repeat to change it back to Eastern. Windows Update also applies patches, so you may not need to do anything. Not fixing it should not cause any serious problems other than an annoyance 4 times a year. These instructions also apply to Windows servers, except Exchange Server. Please read carefully the Microsoft instructions for Exchange and Outlook. If you have a Novell server, the Autoexec.ncf file in SYS:SYSTEM needs to contain the following lines (modify existing lines if they are there)
set start of daylight savings time = (MARCH SUNDAY SECOND 2:00 AM)
set end of daylight savings time = (NOVEMBER SUNDAY FIRST 2:00 AM)
You will also need to type those at the Novell server command console to have them take effect.
More continuing reminders...
1) Back up your data! If you use a USB drive, back it up to your hard drive or a CD or DVD too. They are easy to misplace or wash in the washing machine. I bet you have files you want saved on it.
2) If your hard drive is 3 years or older, think about replacing it. New ones are pretty inexpensive and include "cloning" software. Most hard drives fail within the 3-5 year window.
3) Clean and dust. Carefully vacuum the vents and drives, even if you don't feel comfortable opening the case.
4) Use antistatic spray or a mixture of fabric softener and water in a spray bottle. Dry air with static electricity can break keyboards and occasionally more expensive items.
That's it for this newsletter...
Until next time... Happy Computing !
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