Message-ID: <A44AF97EF779D011BDD300A0C90F3307FF3DAE@cscnts14.rti.org> Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 08:26:24 -0500 From: "Cressman, Gordon M." <mailto:gmc@RTI.ORG> Subject: Re: Y2K & Computers To: mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU
-----Original Message----- From: Kerry Miller [mailto:mailto:kerryo@NS.SYMPATICO.CA] Sent: Tuesday, December 15, 1998 8:41 PM To: mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU Subject: Re: Y2K & ComputersCressman, Gordon M. wrote:
{ I cannot recommend any of { the RTC cards or BIOS upgrades being sold.
Why not, please?
Kerry,
RTC cards and BIOS upgrades may be a reasonable choice for 386 and 486 PCs if the following is true:
1. labor for installation has no cost; 2. remedial components cost significantly less than a replacement PC; 3. remedial components are known to be reliable; 4. there is little chance of replacing the computer before Y2K; and 5. the components will extend the life of the computer significantly beyond Y2K
In general, the total cost/benefit of replacing a PC is much lower than that of upgrading, if labor has cost. Upgrading individual components rarely produces significant performance improvements or significantly extend the life of the PC. In addition, they often produce unwanted side effects. Intel 80386 and 80486 are fully depreciated and cannot support current software. In most situations, there is little chance existing software will remain useful, and these computers will continue to operate reliably, for another three to four years.
In addition, the Y2K hardware and software market should be approached with caution. Faulty testing software may be used to produce false results to convince customers to invest in unnecessary products and services. Customers should consult testing software from several independent sources, and should test remedial products thoroughly before deploying on a large scale.
If Y2K compliance in a 386 or 486 PC is mission-critical, most organizations would be wiser to invest in replacing it with a computer that can run current software and that may continue to be useful beyond Y2K. If Y2K compliance is not critical, then the clock can be corrected manually, and the PC used until it stops working, or becomes useless because it cannot support necessary software.
-gmc --------------------------------------- Gordon M. Cressman Research Triangle Institute 3040 Cornwallis Road RTP, NC 27709 USA Phone: 919-541-6363 Fax: 212- http://www.rti.org/cid/cid.html