Where does the year 2000 problem exist

The simple answer to this is that it might exist in any electronic system that is concerned with the processing of time and date.

And note that the above says might exist - there is no certainty that any particular piece of equipment or system will actually go wrong on any particular date.

And note also that the possibility exists of equipment or systems malfunctioning on various dates and times other than midnight on 1999-12-31, for a variety of reasons.

These include

• 2000-02-29 : because the equipment or system does not recognise the year 2000 as a leap year

• 1999-09-09 : because the date 9/9/99 was sometimes used in the past to indicate to the equipment or system an expiry date, or that this date would never be reached - but it soon will be.

It is usual to divide up equipment and systems into three broad categories, each of which are given seperate web pages on this web site.

The categories are :-

• Embedded systems - this is where a time or date clock is used inside control equipment such as a programmable central heating controller.

  Return to the year 2000 index page for links to more information.

• Desk top computers - this is the PC that sits on your desk, whether or not it is networked.

  Return to the year 2000 index page for links to more information

• Main frame computer systems

  These are beyond the scope of this website - they require specialised technical support, and no information is given on this site.

© 1999 Ron Turner

Return to the Year 2000 index page