Y2K in review.

I turned my computer clock back to 1998 in December. Would I encounter any problem if I changed it to the year 2000?

--E. Parker

New Jersey

Well, it depends on a variety of factors, mainly the hardware you have, the operating system you are running and the individual software program with which you are working. Yes, the initial Y2K scare is over for most of the world, but computers bought before 1995 may still experience problems.

Many computers at that time were not made to be Y2K compliant. However, there is an answer in sight. Microsoft has since identified the problem and created accessible and easy-to-use solutions. Windows 95 may experience some Y2K glitches, but these problems can be solved by downloading a program called SR2 from Microsoft's Website (www. microsoft.com/Y2K). In addition, business owners can rectify any problems that occur in Microsoft Office 98 by downloading another SR2 patch file specifically designed for this software.

Earlier versions of other programs, such as Quark (www.quark.com), Access (www.microsoft.com), Adobe PhotoShop and Adobe PageMaker (www.adobe.com), may also encounter problems. You may find the right solutions by logging on to the manufacturer's Website and by downloading the compliant patch file to upload onto your system.

If the operating system of your choice is DOS, you will find that since it was created approximately two decades ago, the date function will not be compliant with the year 2000. You will have to change the date every time you boot up your system. Good luck and fear not!