I found this extract from a newsgroup on the internet about Windows compatibility with Y2K. “Send this one to your friends. After running this quick little test, much to my surprise, I learned that both of my computers would have failed on 01-01-2000 due to a computer clock glitch. Fortunately, a quick fix is provided, should your computer fail the test:

TEST
Double click on “My Computer”.
Double click on “Control Panel”.
Double click on “Regional Settings” icon.
Click on the “Date” tab at the top of the page.

Where it says, “Short Date Sample”, look and see if it shows a “two digit” year. Of course it does. That’s the default setting for Windows 95, Windows 98 and NT. This date RIGHT HERE is the date that feeds application software and WILL NOT rollover in the year 2000. It will roll over to 00. Click on the button across from “Short Date Style” and select the option that shows, mm/dd/yyyy. (Be sure your selection has four Y’s showing, not two) Then click on “Apply” and then click on “OK” at the bottom. Every single installation of Windows worldwide is defaulted to fail Y2K rollover. How many people know about it? How many people know to change that? What will be the effect? Who knows. But this is another example of the pervasiveness and systematic nature of the problem”.

Is the above information and remedy correct? I would be very grateful for any help. (more…)

I have recently upgraded from Outlook Express to Outlook 98. I have an “email only” account with an ISP, but my actual internet connection is through a different ISP. The “email only” is a very cost effective account, and gives me the flexibility to retain a constant email address, regardless of who I may select in the future as my primary ISP. Outlook 98 shows both the connections in the “Tools-Options-Mail Services” menu, and checks incoming mail on both sites. However, when I send mail, it shows as originating from the primary ISP site whereas I would prefer it shows the “email only” site as the origin, and thus the “natural” return address. Under the previous version of Outlook Express I was able to nominate the “email only” site as the sender, this doesn’t seem possibly under Outlook 98. Any suggestions? (more…)

I am running Windows 98 and I want to make a boot disk for emergency re-booting. The command sub-directory under Windows has a program file called ‘boot disk’ which I have copied onto a floppy. But when I start the computer with this disk in A drive I get the “non system disk” error message and the computer will not boot. What must I do to get a functional boot disk? (more…)

In correcting something on my computer I appear to have wiped out an important file. When I attempt to open Winword or Word documents the message ‘xxx is not a valid Win32 application’ appears. I have reinstalled windows and then attempted to reinstall Word but I get the message that share.exe is not available. I’ve found share.exe but I get the message that it is an incorrect Dos version. Can you help?

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When I go to some websites it asks me if I want to keep information from my visit in a ‘cookie’. I have heard that these things can invade people privacy. What should I do? (more…)