Prepare Your Computer for the End of Daylight Saving Time

Perhaps you've heard already - we (the Americans and Canadians who observe Daylight Saving Time) are falling back later than usual this year. Congress passed a law to begin Daylight Saving Time early this year in an effort to conserve more energy. Instead of beginning DST on April 1, we sprung forward on March 11. In addition to starting early, DST is also ending a week later, on November 4. The problem? Unless you're using Windows Vista, your computer may not know about the change.

Windows XP and previous versions of Windows were made before the law changed, and they won't automatically change from DST on November 4. While it's not the end of the world, it could confuse you to have your computer display the wrong time, or you might be an hour late to an important meeting if your calendaring application is using the wrong time.

To get a patch for Windows XP with Service Pack 2, all you have to do is turn on Automatic Updates. Windows 2000 users can get a patch at Microsoft's support site, and XP users can use the online tools to ensure they have the patch installed. Vista users don't need a patch, since the operating system is new enough to reflect the change in the start of DST.

Of course, if you have an aversion to patches, you can change the Windows clock manually.

Microsoft Windows isn't the only operating system or software affected by the changes to DST. Mac users are facing the same issue, and calendaring features like those in Microsoft Outlook are also affected. Microsoft's Daylight Saving Time Help and Support Center can help you identify any other updates you need from Microsoft.

You can also check with the vendors for other software to see if they have patches available. PDAs, cell phones, and other electronic devices that are used to schedule appointments may also be affected, so check with the vendor for any device on which you store important appointments.