A newsletter for the Columbia University community on year 2000 issues

A great deal has happened since our first Year 2000 Alert — but there is still much more to do! AIS (at Morningside and Health Sciences) and Academic Information Systems (AcIS) are working to ensure year 2000 compliance for central University systems.

Year 2000 coordinators have been named in almost every department and business unit. AIS and Internal Audit produced the Year 2000 Conversion Tool Kit, and over 170 coordinators have attended training sessions on using the Tool Kit for departmental assessments.

Currently, a consulting team from Deloitte & Touche is interviewing departments and units on both campuses to assess the University’s progress and plans for the coming year, and to help identify potential areas of high risk to the University from year 2000 problems or failures.

We will keep you informed of developments on year 2000 readiness through this newsletter and our year 2000 web page. In this issue, our focus is on common questions and concerns that come up time and again. If  you would like to see other topics or questions covered, either here or on the web site, please contact the AIS Year 2000 Coordinator, Fred Trickey, at trickey@columbia.edu or call 854-5558. 

What is BIOS and should I worry about it? 

BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is part of the PC’s operating system. From a year 2000 viewpoint, BIOS supplies the system date to other functions and applications on the PC. BIOS stores the date as yymmdd, which may well cause problems in year 2000, when the first two digits become "00."  If you use a PC, it is critical to assess how the date problem may affect you. Apple Macintoshes and Windows NT, version 3.1 or later, do not have BIOS problems.

My department recently bought new PCs. Shouldn’t they be year 2000 compatible? 

If you have purchased machines since January 1, 1998 from reputable vendors like Dell, IBM, and Compaq, you probably don’t need to be concerned. However, BIOS problems have been found in a few recently shipped machines. Furthermore, even if one particular model from a given manufacturer shows no problem, others may. PC vendors recycle used chips and other parts, and internal date problems are machine-specific.

Can I purchase a BIOS upgrade for my current PC?  

Several manufacturers provide BIOS upgrades for the time clock on their PCs. However, installing a BIOS upgrade is a technical and time-consuming undertaking, which we do not recommended unless you have excellent technical skills. A simpler solution is to install CUFIXY2K (see below), which will fix any date problems in your machine.

Can I test my PC for BIOS problems?

Although there are software products available for testing PCs, these tests are technical and time-consuming — and can cause unexpected and undesirable results. Testing is not recommended unless you are very confident of your computer skills! The good news is, you don’t need to test your PC at all. AIS has provided a simple fix, CUFIXY2K, that eliminates the need for testing and actually resolves any year 2000 BIOS problems. 

How does CUFIXY2K work?  

Once installed on your PC, CUFIXY2K will start every time the PC is turned on and correct each day’s date. The program must reside permanently on your PC. CUFIXY2K will also solve leap year problems. (2000 is a leap year.)

CUFIXY2K is available, with simple instructions for installing it on the PC, on the Year 2000 web page . We recommend installing CUFIXY2K on all older PCs just to be safe.  (Note: The site license for this program is for the Columbia community only. It will not download unless you are accessing the AIS Year 2000 page from a machine connected to the Columbia Network.)

Should applications be fixed by expanding all dates to 4-digit years or by windowing?

There is no one right answer. For many applications, windowing will allow full functionality well beyond 2000.  Windowing will often be the most appropriate solution for applications to be retired or replaced early in the next century. If you have an application that exchanges data containing dates with another application (either within CU or externally), be sure that any year 2000 changes are compatible.

 If one application uses two digits for the year and the other one uses four, “bridge” code may be necessary between them to change dates to the expected format. Grants, contracts, and similar commitments with non-CU partners may require date expansion.

Do I need to worry about anything besides computers?  

While most problems will occur in computers, computer-based systems and applications, or microchip processors in non-computer equipment, there may be some problems with other commercial goods, services and supplies.

If your department orders critical supplies of any sort on short notice, you should consider what effect not being able to get them from your regular supplier might have on your operation. Some businesses may simply not be ready in time for the millennium. If your regular supply source is unable to deliver materials because of year 2000 failures, you should have a contingency plan in place.

Attention Researchers and Principal Investigators

All grant recipients and individual researchers are directly responsible for any systems or data maintained for individual projects.

Both NSF and NIH have stated that grant recipients are responsible for ensuring that funded projects are ready for  2000, and that any electronic data transmitted to them are fully compliant with their standards for date formats. It is probably safe to assume that other funding agencies will take similar positions.

If you have any questions, contact your departmental administrator to find the year 2000 coordinator for your department.

Statements from NSF and NIH are on the web.