Time Change Problems

The possibility of real chaos arises with time-sensitive payments and applications like scheduled meetings, scheduled stock trades, scheduled bank deposits, time clocks, and large networks -- especially international ones -- that rely on a variety of synched devices to operate properly. Only North America and Bermuda are abiding by the U.S. time change, so companies with an international presence are at particular risk of missing some important conference calls and messing up the timing of transfers. Time clocks might show that employees clocked out early or late; sales orders may be recorded incorrectly; and bank deposits could post at the wrong time. Scheduled stock sales and purchases that happen just an hour off could mean big losses. Airlines could end up displaying incorrect departure and arrival times, and cell-phone companies might charge you peak rates for calls you place at off-peak hours.

But if everyone plans ahead, most of these issues can probably be avoided.

Photodisc/Getty Images Downloading a patch can prevent computer clock chaos at daylight-saving time.

As a consumer, as long as you double check your meeting times, and the companies you rely on have dealt with the necessary updates, you shouldn't run into too many problems. Fixing your computer, if it's pretty new, just means installing a patch. If you run Vista, this doesn't affect you at all, since Vista came out after 2005. It's already programmed with the new daylight-saving dates. If you run Windows XP with Service Pack 2 and you allow for automatic updates, the problem on your computer is probably already fixed or will be soon. Microsoft released the patch on February 13 that will set your machine to change the hour at the right time. If you've switched off automatic updates, you'll have to go to Microsoft Daylight Saving Time Help and Support Center and download the patch yourself. Mac also has daylight-saving patches available at Apple Daylight Saving Time 1.0.

IT system administrators definitely have the most work to do, downloading individual patches for each different piece of hardware and software and somehow getting everything to synch up, even though some parts of the network will update automatically and some won't. But all major software companies have released patches to address the problem. However, with many businesses running custom Java applications, the universal patch may not cut it, and tech folks may find themselves working overtime to fix each individual application by hand.

Still, most new software is covered. Patches for older equipment will be harder to come by. If your PC runs an operating system that's pre-Service Pack 2 (pretty much everything older than XP), your service agreement has run out. You can still get a patch, but you'll have to pay for it. Older Windows-based servers and mobile devices are in the same boat, and Mac patches only go back to Mac OS X Panther.

If you have a VCR with a clock that updates itself automatically for daylight-saving time, you should probably just plan on viewing the wrong time for a while. Or you can change the time manually. Regardless, everything should be back to normal on November 4.

For more information on daylight-saving time and related topics, check out the links on the next page.