For the most part, PC users have little to fear on January 1, 2000. That doesn't mean the transition will go without a hitch, though. If you use Windows 95's Date command at the DOS prompt to change your system date, Windows will squawk at you unless you type in all four digits (in other words, it likes 2000 but balks at 00) for the years 2000 to 2079. A 258KB update at support.microsoft.com/download/support/mslfiles/win95y2k.exe updates the command, and adds a new switch to the Dir command that forces it to display file dates using four digits instead of two. The patch also includes an updated version of the 16-bit File Manager utility; the version included on the Windows 95 CD couldn't handle file dates after 1999 correctly.

Windows NT 4.0 has its own trouble with the year 2000. If you happen to set a user's account to expire on February 29, 2000, the User Manager utility dutifully, and incorrectly, informs you that 2000 is not a leap year. The problem is resolved in the forthcoming Service Pack 4.