|
Your
Step-By-Step Guide to Help Prepare Your PC for Y2K As the world leader in
smart, portable storage, Iomega is concerned about potential data loss as a result of year
2000 computer problems. Your important files may be at risk if your entire PC system is
not Y2K ready. To that end, we have teamed up with Symantec™
to bring you the Iomega® Y2K Software Suite and this
Step-by-Step Guide to help prepare your PC for the Year 2000. Using the software and this
guide will help make your Y2K preparation easier, more reliable and, most important of
all, safer.
First of all, install the Iomega® Y2K Software
Suite. This software bundle provides the information and basic software you need to backup
and protect your data, help evaluate the Y2K readiness of your PC, save time, and help
make recovery in the event of a problem as painless as possible.
Once you have installed the Y2K Software Suite, safely moving your information from
this millennium to the next involves three basic steps.
- Back Up: Before you do anything else, use Iomega®
drives and disks, along with Iomega® 1-Step
Backup and Norton™ Zip® Rescue software
to make copies of important files and system settings on your PC.
- Update: Use Norton 2000™ BIOS Test and Fix
to diagnose potential problems, and to either fix or update your PC clock. Use the
software provider web links to get the Y2K updates needed for your operating system and
applications.
Protect: Iomega® QuikSync will
then help you automatically protect your important files for today, tomorrow, and into the
next millennium.
I. Backup Your Data
The most important and valuable part of your PC is the information you create with it.
It's much more than data. It's your life, your business, and everything that goes with it.
This is why it is a good idea to make certain your information is protected at all times.
- Install the software in the Iomega® Y2K Software
Suite. Follow the instructions contained in the Iomega "start.exe" installer
to load IomegaWare™ 2.0, Norton 2000™ BIOS Test & Fix, and SymantecNorton™
Zip® Rescue on your hard drive.
- Backup all of your important data with Iomega®
1-Step Backup. This application gives you an easy way to backup and restore your
system and data files. Remember, getting your system Y2K ready can involve many updates
from several different software companies. Anytime you update a PC there is a risk of
problems. Never perform system tests or apply software or hardware fixes without
insuring that your information is safe. If you have access to a high capacity drive
such as an Iomega Jaz® 2GB drive, you should perform a
complete system and data backup. It's a good idea to always backup all your important data
and then store the disks in a safe place in case of emergency.
- Create Norton™ Zip®
Rescue disk(s). Norton™ Zip®
Rescue (NZR) saves your PC hardware settings and essential Windows®
95 and 98 files and system settings to an Iomega®
removable disk. (NZR is not yet available for Windows NT®
.) In the event of a system disaster, you can restart your system with a designated NZR
disk. While still working in Windows, the Norton™
Rescue Wizard then guides you through a process that can restore your system files and
settings. Be sure to update your NZR disk(s) after each system modification. (Note: Using
Norton™ Zip®
Rescue requires a blank 1.4MB floppy and a Zip® or Jaz® disk.)
You now have your system settings and data backed up and archived.
Y2K and beyond backup tips.
- Back up files regularly, as you work if possible.
- Keep most important files on two disks–one at home, one elsewhere.
- Clearly date and describe backup contents on disk labels.
- Remove tax, finance, and sensitive files from hard drive. Store only on disks.
- Organize disks by category: one for presentations, one for finances, one for e-mails,
etc.
- Notify lawyer/accountant where backup disks are kept.
II. Update Your System
- Run the Norton 2000™ BIOS Test and Fix
utility. This software checks your PC's BIOS system. BIOS stands for "basic
input, output system" and it is here where your computer gets the instructions it
needs to handle dates. Use this utility to create a test diskette, boot your system with
this diskette, then follow the on-screen prompts. The screen reports will tell you the
status of your PC real time clock, whether a Y2K fix is necessary, and whether you need a
new motherboard. Install the software fix, if possible, or else have a PC technician
replace the necessary components before 12-31-1999.
Your task will be easier and faster
if you opt to take advantage of Symantec's Norton 2000™
special rebate offer included in the package. Norton 2000™
checks your applications against its extensive database of Y2K compliance information and
issues a comprehensive report. Plus, with the LiveUpdate™
feature, you can stay on top of the latest Y2K information. Norton 2000™ can also look inside many popular database and spreadsheet
files to find potential date calculation problems. For more information, visit your local
software dealer or check out: http://www.symantec.com/
- Evaluate and update your Windows® Operating System
and Microsoft® products. Please call Microsoft at
1-888-MSFT-Y2K to receive their free Microsoft Year 2000 resource CD-ROM, or download the
latest version of the Microsoft Year 2000 Product Analyzer from the following Microsoft
Web site:
(http://computingcentral.msn.com/guide/year2000/msy2k/learningmore/analyzer.asp)
Run the Microsoft Year 2000 Product Analyzer on your system. This will tell you the Y2K
status of your operating system and any installed Microsoft applications. Determine the
availability of required Microsoft Y2K patches, order, download and apply them, as they
become available.
- Update your other software applications. Look through the "Programs"
menu under the "Start" button on the desktop. List all the applications
installed on your PC. To find out their version numbers, run each program and look under
the "Help" menu. There will typically be an "About…" choice that
lists version information. If not, version information is often shown on the "splash
screen" that displays when the program first starts up. One final way to determine
the version number is to "right mouse click" on the application icon, choose
"properties" and then click the "version" tab.
Contact your
software providers to determine the availability of Y2K updates. Phone and web contact
information can usually be found in the documentation that shipped with the software, or
may be included in the "About…" information on screen. Web addresses with
specific Y2K information for several top software publishers are: [Addresses current as of
July 1, 1999]
Microsoft http://www.microsoft.com/y2k/
Symantec
http://www.symantec.com/region/reg_eu/y2k/year2000.html
Intuit http://www.intuit.com/corporate/year2000/
Adobe http://www.adobe.com/newsfeatures/year2000/prodsupport.html
Corel http://www.corel.com/year2000/index.html
Lotus http://www.lotus.com/home.nsf/welcome/newsviews
Novell http://www.novell.com/year2000/index.html
Autodesk http://www.autodesk.com/support/resource/year2000/2000text.htm
Learning Company http://www.learningco.com/Y2K/default.htm
Peachtree http://www.peachtree.com/year2000/
You can locate the contact information for many other software vendors from the Y2K
Base software compliance site at:
Y2K Base http://www.y2kbase.com/y2kbase/comsof.html
Order and download any required Y2K patches, as they become available, then apply the
patches.
Remember, you need to make certain all three parts of your PC are Y2K
compliant—the BIOS, the operating system and applications. Leaving any one component
non-compliant can potentially cause the problems.
Just to be safe, also check out the hardware peripherals on your system like printers,
scanners, and modems. Visit the manufacturer's web site. Look for any Y2K advisories about
the particular models. Another good idea is to download the latest drivers and install
them. Drivers control the way the device works with a PC and as improvements are made,
they are usually made available for free download.
Y2K update checklist
- Make sure you backup all of your important information.
- Inventory hardware, software, files, and documents
- Prioritize them according to importance and use.
- Test your PC system for Y2K compliance.
- Fix, upgrade, or replace non-compliant components and applications.
III. Protect Your Data
Now that you have updated your system and applications, it's a good idea to turn your
Y2K preparedness into an ongoing habit. With the Iomega®
QuikSync software, you can automatically and simultaneously back up your files while you
work.
- Set QuikSync backup parameters. Set QuikSync to maintain a version history of
your important files, especially date sensitive files. Group your files as desired in the
designated QuickSync folder. This will provide a simultaneous backup of any data file
within this folder. Each time you save a change to your designated folder, QuikSync will
save a copy to your Iomega® disk.
- Identify data files to correct. Select the data files you intend to correct.
These include files containing dates such as spreadsheets, calendars, project management,
time management, financial applications, time and billing, and so on. Copy these files to
your designated QuikSync folder.
Optional: Use Norton 2000™
to locate and highlight date problems in many existing spreadsheet and database files.
- Fix data files as needed. Make certain that Iomega®
QuikSync is logging changes to the files selected for updating. Fix the files using new
Y2K compliant application versions.
Optional: Use Norton 2000™ Fix Assistant Feature and apply recommended modifications to
appropriate data files.
- Continuously review new programs and files. As a precaution, you may want to
continue to evaluate files on a routine basis well after January 1, 2000. Non-compliant
files can continue to show up from your own archives of non-updated files, or from other
locations and individuals.
Optional: Use Norton 2000™
to scan new data files. Run the LiveUpdate™ module
to stay informed about new software products and versions.
For Further Information
You can find further information on the contents of the Iomega Y2K Software Suite at:
Iomega http://www.iomega.com/y2k/index.html
Symantec/Norton http://www.symantec.com/sabu/n2000/fs_retail.html
You can find Y2K information concerning many popular PCs at:
PC Y2000 Alliance http://www.pcy2000.org/
The Bottom Line
Iomega® removable storage drives and software
solutions, along with software from partners such as Symantec™
, provide you with a complete solution for a wide range of data management requirements
and problems. The result is that your data is more reliable, more secure, and less time
consuming to manage.
| top | |
