Carleton and the Year 2000 (Y2K) Problem

As we approach the year 2000, the news that some computers and computer programs may fail to operate correctly after December 31 has become commonplace in the media. These pages have been created to inform you about Carleton's approach to the problem and to help equip you with the information you need as we approach the new century.

What is Carleton doing about Y2K?

Carleton has a Y2K task force which has worked to identify and anticipate Y2K-related problems with Carleton infrastructure and computing resources. Information about campus-wide planning and communication can be found at the News Bureau Y2K Page.

Carleton's computing staff in ACNS and ACS have been working to ensure that all of the computers on faculty and staff desks are free from the Y2K problem, and to identify any commonly-used software that may be susceptible to failure. We are systematically contacting anyone who has hardware or software that may be susceptible to the problem.

What do I need to do?

Your personal response to Y2K falls into two categories, work-related and personal:

Work-related:
The steps you should follow as the year 2000 approaches are described in the Y2K Checklist. Please review this list immediately so that you'll know what to expect.

Personal:
Due to the extreme amount of work involved in identifying Y2K problems on campus, computing staff can offer only very limited assistance with home computers and equipment.

• As above, if you have hardware or software that is old or unusual, you will want to test it for Y2K problems. See the links below for help with this process.

• You may also want to evaluate less critical devices such as VCRs, which may exhibit strange behaviors as a result of Y2K. The links below can help in these areas as well.

• Finally, the American Red Cross is suggesting that households prepare for Y2K in the same way they prepare for a severe winter storm, when basic services may be disrupted. See the links belore for more information.

Resources and information

We've developed several pages of additional information that will help you prepare for Y2K. There are thousands of sites on the web dedicated to this kind of information, so we've tried to identify a few of the most useful, rather than flooding you with too much information.

Checking your computer for Y2K problems

• If you have a PC (Windows, Windows 95, or Windows 98)
• If you have a Macintosh