Update now to avoid daylight-saving time hassles

You probably didn’t expect to hear about Y2K in Y2007, but as the United States faces its first year of starting daylight-saving time three weeks early, we’re seeing many references by press and analysts to an impending "miniY2K."

The 2005 Energy Policy Act changes daylight-saving time (DST) to the second Sunday in March instead of the first Sunday in April, so you’ll be setting your clocks ahead at 2 a.m. on March 11. (On the other side, DST ends the first Sunday in November instead of the last Sunday in October.)

You should easily be able to prevent your own miniY2K with a few simple preparations. For home computer users, Microsoft has taken care of the fixes you’ll need for your operating system — just make sure you have Automatic Updates turned on, or are using Windows Vista (which does updates without any need to take action on your part). Or you can download the DST update for your PC yourself. Go to Microsoft's Daylight Saving Time Help and Support Center, select the operating system you use, and download the patch.

If you’re using Microsoft Outlook, you’ll need an additional patch for your calendar. You can find information on that fix, called the Time Zone Data Update Tool. Microsoft recommends this patch even if you're using Office 2007.

Macintosh users can pick up the OS X DST update.

Finally, this Web site aggregates patches from a variety of hardware and software providers.

Oh yes, don’t forget about your cell phone, DVD clock, stove, and other appliances. We’ve got additional “timely” advice in this post on our Home & Yard Blog.

— Donna Tapellini