http://www.expressnews.com/pantheon/news-bus/sheron/0605jds6.shtml

Microsoft's Y2K site helps consumers

By Don Sheron

EXPRESS-NEWS SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY WRITER

People who use Microsoft products and have questions about the Year 2000 computer bug issue can find answers on a new consumer Web site that was launched last week.

Microsoft Corp.'s "Microsoft Year 2000 Readiness Disclosure & Resource Center" can be found at: www.microsoft.com/y2k/

Microsoft also has related issues for information technology professionals.

When the site pops up, users will get a good look at a photograph of Microsoft founder Bill Gates and can read his welcoming statement.

This Web site is best seen with Microsoft's Explorer Web browser.

Netscape users will have to load a plug-in, because some graphic elements don't show up as they do in Explorer. This is especially true with a slide show, or online seminar, by Rich Kaplan, Microsoft's director of Y2K Readiness.

The crux of the site, though, are the many hyperlinks, such as testing PCs or Microsoft software for Y2K compliance.

The Web site also offers computer users other types of information, such as an update about Windows 95, for which Microsoft recently released a Y2K patch; remediation tools; frequently asked questions; and a Year 2000 Newsgroup, where people can chat online with others about their Y2K problems.

Another featured item is the "Microsoft Year 2000 Product Analyzer." Download this program to scan the hard drive for Microsoft products. The product analyzer will report to the user just how compliant his or her system is, as well as provide online access to Y2K software updates.

The site can be translated into almost 30 languages. Users, for example, can click on the worldwide sites dialog box to pick a Spanishspeaking country, and the Web site will convert to that language.

Consumers without Web access can order a "Year 2000 Resource CD." The CD is free, but shipping and handling is about $6. The CD may take up to six weeks to be mailed. To request the CD, call Microsoft toll-free at (888) MSFTY2K (673-8925).

Saturday, Jun 5,1999

-- Linkmeister (link@librarian.edu), June 06, 1999

Answers

I wouldn't get that CD from Microsoft yet. Too many things STILL incomplete and not finished. Here's something I put together for another message board I participate in: =============================================================

Microsoft modified their compliance statements, added a disclaimer (assume) at the end ... and got rid of these two previous catetories:

TESTING YET TO BE COMPLETED Product test is not yet complete or has not been started but will be tested. WILL NOT TEST The product will not be tested for compliance. http://www.techstocks.com/~wsapi/investor/reply-8672264

Guess those categories got some people nervous. Instead, they covered their butts with this statement:

"The products represented in this guide constitute an incomplete list of Microsoft products. Microsoft will continually update this guide with the most current Year 2000 test information." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------

COMPLIANT The product meets Microsoft's standard of compliance as indicated with the following symbols applied, as appropriate: * The product is compliant. User action is recommended, which may include loading a software update or accessing shared technology. # The product is compliant with an acceptable deviation from Microsoft's standard of compliance. An acceptable deviation does not affect the core functionality, data integrity, stability, or reliability of the product. + The product is compliant. Software updates are pending. Future maintenance actions will be recommended shortly.

[LOL - I love this last one!!!!! How in the h*ll do they get away with this stuff? If you use Microsoft's definition of "compliance", I guess the world is already 99.9% compliant.]

Note: Compliance ratings given for each product assume that all recommended actions have been taken.

[The way Microsoft's been handling this whole Y2K deal, is just too, too funny.] ====================================================== The Saga of Y2K and MICROSOFT Bill Gates is gonna fix it =======================================================

NOVEMBER 1998: Windows 2000 is clearly aimed at the Fortune 500 market, not Main Street ... Microsoft's marketing machine is pretending that a new operating system is going to help Y2K efforts in late 1999, Microsoft is going to have one nasty public relations problem on its hands ... Microsoft is continuing to lead consumers to wrongly conclude that by upgrading their operating system to Windows 2000, they will be immune to Y2K problems. What about the millions of people who simply don't have the necessary hardware to run something the size of Windows 2000? http://www.y2ktimebomb.com/Techcorner/DE/de9846.htm

JANUARY 1999: Microsoft announces that all of their "core" products are Y2K compliant.

MARCH 1999: Microsoft's Terminal Server Edition (TSE) is under fire yet again after the company admitted the product is still not Year 2000 compliant despite having already issued a Y2K patch. http://www.techstocks.com/~wsapi/investor/reply-8285054

Windows 2000, Users Zilch: The Y2K Disaster Parading as Microsoft's Windows NT Marketing Plan http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit19990311.html

It is my understanding that there is a problem with the cookies file. "Without the proper patch, cookies that use a two-digit year value of 00 are considered to be expired." (source: PC Novice Guide to Y2K) Think that might mess up e-commerce just a bit? http://www.techstocks.com/~wsapi/investor/reply-8331056

Microsoft has used different windowing strategies for their Access database and the Excel spreadsheet .... So a user of Microsoft's Y2K compliant Access database can send a transaction to Microsoft's Y2K compliant Excel spreadsheet and it will fail because Microsoft's Y2K fixes classify it in different centuries. http://www.techstocks.com/~wsapi/investor/reply-8339656

Microsoft's year 2000 (Y2K) strategy manager, Matusow - however, acknowledged that Microsoft could not possibly give "patches" for all its products. Thus, it is currently identifying products that are "heavily used," though these may be old versions. http://www.cnnfn.com/digitaljam/newsbytes/128165.html

"Microsoft has recently reversed their recommendation ... and will not guarantee [that] Windows 95 will be Y2K-ready, nor will they develop a migration path from Windows 95 to Windows 2000," said EDS CIO Gary Rudin in a March 16 memo to EDS business-unit executives ... The big question is why Microsoft hasn't released the same information to the thousands of other companies that plan to stick with patched-up Windows 95 operating systems through the millennium rollover. Currently, about 125 million corporate desktops worldwide run on Windows 95... http://www.computerworld.com/home/print.nsf/CWFlash/9903299A6E

Two weeks later - LOL APRIL 1999: Microsoft, which released a new year 2000 testing tool is preparing an update for Windows 95 ... Windowing' update should fix date glitches ... http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,1014262,00.html

COMMON Y2K FIX ONLY TEMPORARY: "WINDOWING" The most common technique used to fix computers vulnerable to Year 2000 failures is only a short-term remedy, and even advocates of the method acknowledge it will require other expensive repairs or replacements within a generation ... The temporary fix, using a sophisticated twist of logic to fool computers, is highly controversial among insiders because it's intended to work for only a few decades -- typically 30 years ... The Clinton administration and industry analysts estimate the method is being used to patch 80% of computers in the worldwide repair... So why is the technique, called ''windowing,'' used at all? http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/cte638.htm

I finally finished that 'Microsoft and Y2K' white paper ... 1) Microsoft is not going to get all of its mainstream products up to 'Y2K compliance' ... 2) Some major corporate products, like NT 4.0 Server, are still in serious flux. There is a small possibility that they will not be ready at all, and a large possibility that they won't be ready in time for large companies to install them ... http://www.techstocks.com/~wsapi/investor/reply-8863436

Gates: Y2K not so Bad For most people the millennium bug should prove to be no more than a "minor inconvenience", according to Microsoft Corp. Chairman, Bill Gates... "The most important thing is that people in the area of information technology ... should remember that there's still time to solve the problem," Gates was quoted as saying... "But the time to start -- if you haven't already done so -- is now." http://www.zdnet.com/enterprise/zdy2k/stories/0,6158,2240487,00.html

[Gates said this in April. Here we are 2-months later, and Microsoft still doesn't have all of the patches for people to start fixing these problems.]

Microsoft has found still more Year 2000-related issues in Windows 98 and is currently working on a fix, which it expects to issue in the next few weeks. http://www.winmag.com/news/1999/0401/0423b.htm

MAY 1999: 60 MINUTES "But that wasn't the only problem. The county soon learned from Microsoft, that the in-house computer network that handles e-mail and stores county records and was supposed to be Y2K compliant was not." http://www.techstocks.com/~wsapi/investor/reply-9748340

JUNE 1999: Microsoft Corp.'s Chief Technology Officer Nathan Myhrvold denied Monday a report that he was being forced out but said he will begin a one-year leave of absence from the software giant on July 1 ... Myhrvold, 39, said he will return to his current job in July 2000. During his leave, he will act as a consultant for Gates, tend to personal investments and spend time with his family, as well as joining a hunt for dinosaur fossils in eastern Montana this summer. http://www.techstocks.com/~wsapi/investor/reply-9882308

Murphy also confirmed that Microsoft [MSFT] '98 was not entirely Y2K compatible, but said the problem was not widely known because "what they're (Microsoft) worried about is, when you tell people to do an upgrade like that - download the patch and upgrade it - you get a million tech support calls." Murphy said the problem wasn't fatal and Microsoft notification of this wouldn't really be widely known "until we get toward October-November. http://www.techstocks.com/~wsapi/investor/reply-9975736

Cheryl

P.S. Where's that CD that Microsoft told us about in March?? Anyone get their CD yet? ... "Microsoft will soon distribute CD-ROM versions of Microsoft's Y2K product guide. It lists products that are Y2K ready. The CDs that will be produced every quarter will target IT specialists." http://www.cnnfn.com/digitaljam/newsbytes/128165.html

-- Cheryl (Transplant@Oregon.com), June 06, 1999.

<The CD may take up to six weeks to be mailed.>

LOL - What are the odds that they're gonna do that - within 6 weeks??? My guess is that they're gonna delay. Otherwise, some people will have to keep on spending that $6 postage over and over again until ...

What have they been truthful about so far? You and I realize what's going on, and wouldn't waste our $6 to order a CD at this point in the game. But, Joe Six-Pack, who's off the net ... doesn't.

IMHO - They're doing whatever they can to keep stock price up prior to that Office 2000 intro.

I'm gonna be real curious to see how they promote this CD. How well publicized it is in mainstream media. If Microsoft sends letters out to registered customers, etc.

Is Microsoft gonna run a full-page ad directing customers to their "Y2K Solution"? I think not.

This reminds me of something I encountered many, many years ago when I was in advertising. (I was an Account Executive back in the 70's on the Bank of America account, when they were first introducing the VISA credit card - before bank credit cards existed.)

Attorney's told us to place one-time ads in some very small markets, to establish ourselves for copyright purposes. Granted, Microsoft didn't place an ad. It's just funny that this article was published in a small market. Why? Seems it has relevance to many.

[WHOOPS Just saw it was in San Antonio. So, it's not a small market. Nonetheless, am curious to see how this plays out.]

David Stockwell said this ...

Microsoft stopped development of 16 bit windows many years ago. I wouldn't expect them to make win 3.1 y2k compliant....>

If true - what are the 3.1 users gonna get for their $6?

This is too, too funny.

Cheryl

-- Cheryl (Transplant@Oregon.com), June 06, 1999.