Y2K: The Fixes

 

          So you've tested your computer hardware and it is not Y2K compliant. It thinks that the year after 1999 is 1900 or 1980, but not 2000. Your computer is garbage now, right? Wrong.

          There are three basic solutions to your problem, presented here in order from Best to Next Best to Good. We have provided you with descriptions of each fix, their advantages and disadvantages, then where to look to find them. Once again, you are reminded that neither the Chebucto Community Net or the Beacon are endorsing any commercial product or service and that this page is for information purposes only. We are not liable for any loss or damages that may result from any use, abuse or misuse of any information presented here.

 

The Fixes: Descriptions

 

The Best: BIOS Replacement

          The motherboard is the heart of your computer and the BIOS, or Basic Input Output System, is the brain that controls it. In the vast majority of newer computers, from 486s to Pentium IIs, the BIOS is designed so that it can be replaced or "flashed" with a new BIOS if necessary. Remember that a BIOS is written for each specific motherboard and you cannot use a BIOS written for any other motherboard. Warning: do not attempt to flash your BIOS if you are not sure of what you are doing.

Advantages:

  • A permanent, perfect solution. No inherent cost involved.

  • No further action is necessary.

Disadvantages:

  • Finding a new BIOS from your specific motherboard manufacturer for your specific motherboard can be problematic. Some manufacturers do not bother writing new BIOSes for older product lines and some manufacturers are impossible to track down.

  • Flashing the wrong BIOS or incorrectly flashing it can kill your computer.

  • Not all BIOSes can be flashed. Some require the physical BIOS chip to be replaced or reburned; this can be difficult and expensive.

Where To Look

 

Next Best: BIOS Replacement Card

          Some manufacturers have developed BIOS cards that attach to your motherboard and take over from your motherboard's defective BIOS. These cards fit into an empty ISA slot on your motherboard and become the computer's BIOS.

Advantages:

  • A hardware solution, therefore permanent and effective.

  • Works on virtually every model computer with an available ISA slot.

  • No further action is necessary.

Disadvantages:

  • Cost. Typically these cards cost in the neighborhood of $100 CDN, which can very likely be more than the current worth of the computer.

  • Requires an unused ISA slot on the motherboard. Some computers would have to sacrifice another card to free up a slot.

Where To Look

 

Good: Y2K TSR

          A TSR, or Terminate and Stay Resident program, is a program which loads into memory and performs its function from there. A Y2K TSR would be loaded into memory when the computer started up and would intercept any incorrect BIOS date information and correct it before any other program on the computer could access it.

Advantages:

  • Simple to implement, effective.

  • Low or no cost.

Disadvantages:

  • As this program would be loaded from your hard drive, it would be vulnerable to accidental deletion or corruption and if the line loading it in the autoexec.bat file was erased the program would not function.

  • It would use system memory to function, though on most machines this will not be enough to make a difference.

  • Operating System dependent; will not work with non-DOS OS.

  • Will not work with some computers.

Where To Look

 

 

The Fixes: Where To Look

 

The Best: BIOS Replacement

          Here at Chebucto we discovered that three of our network machines, all recent vintage Pentium 166s, were not Y2K compliant. We identified the motherboard manufacturer, located the exact model and went to the manufacturer's web site where we discovered that a new BIOS for this model motherboard was available. We downloaded it and the flash utility, flashed the new BIOS and voilà! Our computers were saved.

          Here is the best BIOS resource on the web that I have found. This is what we used to find our own BIOS replacements.

Here are the main sources of BIOSes for motherboard manufacturers:

 

Next Best: BIOS Replacement Card

          Here are some sources for BIOS replacement cards. Inclusion in this list does not constitute an endorsement of the product.

 

Good: Y2K TSR

          Here are some sources for Y2K TSRs. Inclusion on this list does not constitute endorsement. Not all software is created equal. It is recommended that after installing any of these software patches that you test the computer again to ensure compliancy.

 

You may direct comments or suggestions about this feature to:

Andrew D. Wright,  au141@chebucto.ns.ca

 

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