Hardware refers to the machinery and equipment—such as CPU, disks, modems, cables, tapes, etc.—that make up a computer system. The most common Year 2000 hardware problems are associated with the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) of the PC. The BIOS provides the computer with basic information needed to "boot" or begin operation. The BIOS also interacts with one of the critical clocks used by the PC—the PC Real-Time Clock (RTC), which tracks date and time.

Your computer system will react to the date with varied results depending on the make-up of your operating systems. Y2K-related BIOS/RTC errors manifest in a variety of ways, so you must assess the problem on a per product, per machine basis.

An end-to-end view of your organization and its computer systems is the best way to understand problems and risks related to data interfaces. Even if your PC platform is Year 2000 compliant, there may be an interface from that PC to a legacy system that is not calculating dates properly. If this is the case, any information placed into the PC environment can cause problems. It is imperative that the interfaces between your PC and other platforms be understood, inventoried, analyzed, prioritized, fixed and tested, just like any other component.

A key part of preparing your computing environment for the turn of the century is knowing what RTC/BIOS will do at the century rollover and what the RTC/BIOS will do as it performs Power On Self Tests (POST) after the rollover. Here’s an overview of where to begin your RTC/BIOS Y2K remediation on specific Microsoft products:

Note: For Microsoft NT 3.51 and 4.0 the RTC must be examined. When the Windows® NT operating system starts up, it directly accesses the RTC’s memory and uses its time and date values to set the system time and date. Whenever Windows NT reads dates between 1900 and 1919 in the RTC it adds 100 to the year in the system. In effect, it maps the time period forward to 2000 – 2019. Windows NT does not add 100 to dates between 1921 and 1999.

• Logic built into the Windows® 98 operating system will automatically set the date forward at boot time if the BIOS does not roll over the RTC to 2000. The system will not automatically compensate for a BIOS that changes valid dates. Users of Windows 95, Windows 3.x and MS-DOS version 5.x or later can address most rollover errors by simply resetting the date in Control Panel or by using the DATE command in MS-DOS.
• The RTC and BIOS functionally support each other, so the most effective approach may be to view their Year 2000 compliance as a combined unit. Most RTC rollover issues are remedied by the BIOS, while still others are remedied by the operating system.

Beyond the preliminary steps listed above, you should refer to individual Microsoft product pages or the statements of non-Microsoft vendors to reach compliance.

This web portal provides the information, assessment, and remediation tools needed to achieve Year 2000 hardware readiness.

Below is a list of Year 2000 remediation tools, with links to the companies that may be able to assist you in your Year 2000 remediation efforts. The tools listed on this site do not indicate an endorsement or recommendation on the part of Microsoft for the manufacturers, their products or the underlying technologies being used. You will need to do your own assessment to determine if the tools offered meet your needs. For information regarding these companies or their Year 2000 solutions, please contact the companies directly.

Hardware
Test, profile, and resolve BIOS and RTC related issues