• Please review our updated Terms and Rules here

Millennium bug.

F

flaviosr

Experienced Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2016
Messages
266
Location
Turin, Italy
Ok... at last it happened! I found a millennium bugged computer on my way! :(
The issue is in the BIOS... if I change the date in DOS, it works flawlessly but, after a new boot, the date is completely out... :( Obviously changing the date in the BIOS is useless... :(
I tried to look over the Internet but I have not found anything helpful and I do not think I can find a new BIOS... :)
Do somebody have any solution? Like a DOS program that translate the date?

Thank you
 
It would be useful to know what type of computer you have.

For example, is it an Olivetti M24 aka AT&T PC6300?
 
ahm said:
It would be useful to know what type of computer you have.

For example, is it an Olivetti M24 aka AT&T PC6300?
Click to expand...

It is not a branded computer.
It is simply an assembled computer:
° Adaptec AHA-1542CF/1540CF
° Aska SST2845E
° Chaintech CL-9028 VLB 2 Mb
° Creative SB16 CT4170
° "generic" motherboard SIMILAR to an AQUARIUS SYSTEMS MB-4DUVC MODEL 1
° CPU Intel 80486DX2-S 66 MHz
° 16 Mb RAM
° generica 200W PSU
° 1 × FDD 3½ da 1.44 Mb
° 1 × FDD 5¼ da 1.2 Mb
° 1 × Samsung WNR-31601A (1.6 Gb)
° 1 × WD Caviar 2120 (125 Mb) on a drawer

Thanx
 
I haven't come across this issue myself yet, but I expect to eventually. When that happens I have two approaches in mind:

1. use a utility invoked in autoexec.bat to fetch the correct time/date from another system on the network. assuming such a utility exists (or can be written).

2. rewind the year to something that works well. For example, 1985 is a good choice if you want the days of the week to match (April 25 fell on a Thursday in 1985, just like it has in 2019). 1969 is a good choice if you want an easy rule but don't care about weekdays falling on the correct dates (year - 50 is pretty easy), as long as the system you're using can handle it.

If the BIOS date is always offset after a reboot by a consistent amount, another option is to write a utility to adjust the date by that amount, again invoking it from autoexec.bat.
 
A VLB motherboard that's ignorant of Y2K? Wow, there's a lack of foresight.

You can probably fix the mess with a BIOS update, if you can find one. If you use a third-party utility to set the RTC, does the BIOS try to reset it on boot?
 
kgober said:
I haven't come across this issue myself yet, but I expect to eventually. When that happens I have two approaches in mind:

1. use a utility invoked in autoexec.bat to fetch the correct time/date from another system on the network. assuming such a utility exists (or can be written).

2. rewind the year to something that works well. For example, 1985 is a good choice if you want the days of the week to match (April 25 fell on a Thursday in 1985, just like it has in 2019). 1969 is a good choice if you want an easy rule but don't care about weekdays falling on the correct dates (year - 50 is pretty easy), as long as the system you're using can handle it.

If the BIOS date is always offset after a reboot by a consistent amount, another option is to write a utility to adjust the date by that amount, again invoking it from autoexec.bat.
Click to expand...

At the moment I have decided for your second option. At the moment I have put 1996 since the day of the week is the same as 2019... I have to check if I can go back to 1985... let's cross the fingers...
 
Chuck(G) said:
A VLB motherboard that's ignorant of Y2K? Wow, there's a lack of foresight.

You can probably fix the mess with a BIOS update, if you can find one. If you use a third-party utility to set the RTC, does the BIOS try to reset it on boot?
Click to expand...

Since I do not know the exact type of the mobo I cannot search for a suitable update! :( But I am going to look for Aquarius VLB BIOS update... it could be I am lucky! My mobo could be simply a different revision than the one I have found... they are veeeeeery similar...
The BIOS does not reset... simply it does not accept a beyond 2000 year... it reset time/date only... I have not checked if there are some rules... if I remember well it simply changes to 2099 with "certain" month, day, time...
 
I had a 486 that had the Y2K bug that I found in my back room back in 2011 and got it up and running around that time as well. The BIOS was Award 4.50G, which is the bugged BIOS and when I was looking for something about the Y2K bug fix for Windows and DOS, I found this link: http://www.daqarta.com/y2kure.htm#prob3 to be resourceful and the How-to guide as well: http://www.daqarta.com/y2kure.htm#howto
 
SkydivinGirl said:
The Commodore PC10-III only supports two digit years and is not Y2K compliant. I worked around it by creating a script and using a couple programs to take the date stored in the RTC and up-convert it to a modern year. You can read about it, along with the script, at the following URL:

http://www.amibay.com/showthread.php?64820-My-Commodore-PC10-III-Project

Heather
Click to expand...

There are other versions of the clock program that are Y2K compliant. I have one if you want it.
 
retro-pc_user said:
I had a 486 that had the Y2K bug that I found in my back room back in 2011 and got it up and running around that time as well. The BIOS was Award 4.50G, which is the bugged BIOS and when I was looking for something about the Y2K bug fix for Windows and DOS, I found this link: http://www.daqarta.com/y2kure.htm#prob3 to be resourceful and the How-to guide as well: http://www.daqarta.com/y2kure.htm#howto
Click to expand...

Wow. Very extensive site... I will try ASAP. Thank you very much for the hint!!! :D
 
kgober said:
1. use a utility invoked in autoexec.bat to fetch the correct time/date from another system on the network. assuming such a utility exists (or can be written).
Click to expand...

I did something similar (though less elegant) for a computer I used to own. The computer wasn't networked, so I simply added a command to the autoexec that manually changed the date to the current year. As I said, inelegant - the year stayed fixed unless I modified the command manually, but it was better than nothing.
I did think about writing a slightly more complex program that made a decision, based on the current date and the previous date on bootup, whether a year-change has occurred, but I never got around to it.
 
I'm surprising that a 486 BIOS has this problem ... Leap year bug is common (2000 it's a leap year) but I have several 286, 386 and 486 (all with different AMI (flex/win)BIOSes) and none of them have this problem.

If you cannot solve your problem using only software you can always try one of these Y2K cards:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Y2K-Year-2000-BIOS-Fix-Update-Card-ISA-NEW-IN-BOX-Rare-/232084622599

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Y2K-Year-2000-BIOS-Fix-Update-Card-ISA-QTY-3-pcs-RARE/333005550586?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D20160323102634%26meid%3Db3d6bd6441af4c2198b744f6939a8362%26pid%3D100623%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D232084622599%26itm%3D333005550586&_trksid=p2047675.c100623.m-1

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Y2K-fix-BIOS-for-ISA-based-PC-BIOS-Y2000-PS-TESTED/253973965144?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D20160323102634%26meid%3Db3d6bd6441af4c2198b744f6939a8362%26pid%3D100623%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D232084622599%26itm%3D253973965144&_trksid=p2047675.c100623.m-1

I, personally, have never used one so I don't know if they really work or not.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top