Microsoft admits it has Y2K issues

Software giant launches Year 2000 Resource Centre on the net to deal with the Bug.

Microsoft has offered a definition of Year 2000 compliance ando deal with the Bug. admitted that most of its own products have "minor issues" outstanding. Three of its packages are non-compliant.

A Year 2000 Resource Centre has been launched by Microsoft on the internet, listing all products under the headings Not Compliant, Testing For Compliance and Will Not Test.

This is an improvement on Microsoft's previous Year 2000 website that consisted only of FAQs with a firm guarantee of individual product compliance.

The software giant will attempt to prevent Millennium Meltdown with a service pack to upgrade the Internet Explorer browser. Most of the errors arise from the inability of IE 3.X and 4.X to recognise '00' dates in HTTP headers. The first will appear in July, with two more expected before Year 2000.

From an end-user perspective, Microsoft's approach has been "you bought it, it's your problem", said Steven Donnellan, system engineer at clothing manufacturer Simon Jersey. "Even Microsoft manuals still print two digits."

Donnellan also manages IBM AS/400s and has been receiving updates from IBM about Year 2000 ever since the original purchase.

"Before any products are bought, IBM takes great care to demonstrate and reassure users over the compliance issue," he said.

The advice from millennium specialist Stephanie Moore, of analyst Giga, is to ensure that all Microsoft purchases include a repair of any Year 2000 bugs that may emerge.

She also warns network professionals to investigate any applications developed using Microsoft tools such as 16-bit Visual Basic. "Because these products supported four-digit dates all along, Microsoft believes developers are responsible," warned Moore.

The Microsoft Wallet feature for online transactions on Internet Explorer does not recognise credit cards with dates beyond 1999. The company is expected to release a patch for this shortly.

Year 2000 problems withstanding, Microsoft has announced the release date for Window 98 as 25 June.

Y2K: WHERE MICROSOFT STANDS

Microsoft products not Y2K compliant:

- Word for MS-DOS 5.0

- Access 2.0 database

- Office Professional 4.3

- Microsoft products still under Y2K testing

- Windows 95

- NT 4.0 Workstation

- Office versions 4.0-97.