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The University is in the process of completing a Campus Agreement with Microsoft. The Campus Agreement covers all versions of the Windows, Office, FrontPage, and Visual Studio software and the BackOffice Client License. Under this agreement, each participating department/area pays an annual fee for each employee, using the University's official FTE count. (The fee is expected to be about $40 per employee for this year.) This entitles the department to use all of the licensed software on every department-owned machine, including lab machines, for one year. It also entitles the faculty and staff in the department to install selected software on a home computer or laptop (under certain conditions). Also note the following:
-The fee covers the license only. It does not include the installation CDs or manuals, which must be purchased separately. Copies of each CD should be about $15.
-This agreement includes client software only. It does not include any server software. Server software may still be purchased under the existing Open License agreement. Contact the Supply Store for more information.
-The software will not be available for use on student-owned machines under this agreement. The University of Alabama has elected not to add the student pricing option.
-Each department must keep track of the machines on which software is installed under this agreement, including faculty/staff home machines. At the end of the year, if the department elects not to renew the license, the software must be purchased or removed from all the machines on which it was installed, including home machines.
Each department/division must now decide whether or not to participate in this agreement. If your department does not participate, you may still purchase licenses under the existing Microsoft Open License agreement managed by the Supply Store, as you have been doing. If you think your department/area does want to participate, first check if your whole division is going to participate. A&S, Education and the Computer Center have already elected to participate, and other areas are considering it. If your division is not participating as a unit, your individual department can still participate. However, it must be the whole department, not just selected people in the department. The charge will be based on the University's official FTE count of the employees in your department or division. The department head should call Sherry Harvey (348-9809) by November 5 to add a department to the list of participants. Don't wait; call right away. Once the agreement is signed, no one else can join until it is renewed next year.
Visit http://www.microsoft.com/education/license/ for more information, or call the HelpDesk at 348-2435.One of the most important things you should do to prepare for the Year 2000 is to check the Y2K-readiness of your hardware. While hardware is by no means the only part of your computer system that needs to be ready for the new year, it is one of the most important. Compliant software is unlikely to function properly on non-compliant hardware.
First, check the web page of your computer's manufacturer. Most vendors have Year 2000 information available. Look for a link to it in the hardware section of the Seebeck Computer Center Y2K page (http://bama.ua.edu/~y2k) or try your favorite search engine. If you have a home-built or generic computer, you will want to check with the manufacturers of each hardware component (i.e., motherboard, processor, etc.). You will also need to check any external devices you may have added, such as printers or scanners. See if the manufacturers list your computer hardware and peripherals as Y2K-ready.
Afterwards, you may want to run a hardware test on your computer. Many tests for IBM compatible (DOS/Windows) machines are available, and you can find links to them on the Seebeck Y2K site under "Hardware." (Most Macs are compliant and do not need this test.)
It is also important to know what it means when your hardware is Y2K compliant. Most newer computers will make the transition to the Year 2000 with little or no problems. Some will need to have their clocks manually reset after the Year 2000, but will be fine after that. (There are also small programs available that will do this for you.) Other computers may not allow you to set a year after 1999, or won't hold it after reboot. This often means you should look into upgrading your computer or buying a new one.
On a final note, many experts do not recommend testing your system by manually setting the date forward. This may cause non-compliant systems to crash, and some software may not be able to operate after the clock has been changed back (especially software working under timed licenses). However, if you do want to try this test, the web site http://www.mitre.org/research/cots/TEST.html contains careful instructions for doing so. Make sure that you have at least two up-to-date system backups and a boot disk.Q: I heard that all Windows machines will fail the date rollover on January 1st, and only show '00' instead of '2000'. Is this true? Can it be fixed?
A: No, it is not true that every Windows machine will fail the date rollover. What you heard concerns the default for the date display. Most computers (including machines running Windows, but also other computers) are set to DISPLAY only the last two digits of the year when displaying dates. Thus the year '2000' is displayed as '00'. However, the display does not affect the way the computer stores or uses the date. It only affects what you see. For example, if you have a Windows 95 machine, go to Windows Explorer, and look at the contents of any subdirectory. Scroll over until you see the 'Modified' date. Most likely the dates will be shown with only two digits for the year.
Microsoft recommends that you change the date display so that all four digits are shown for the year. If any of your software does have a date problem after January 1, displaying dates with four digits for the year may help you see the problem. For complete instructions on how to change the way dates are displayed, and a discussion of the pros and cons of doing so, visit the campus Y2K web site at http://bama.ua.edu/~y2k, and click on the link to 'Change the date display'. (The date display site, from Berkeley, includes instructions and information for Macs as well.) After you change the date display, if you go back to Windows Explorer and look at the 'Modified' dates in your subdirectory, you should see the year displayed with four digits instead of two.
Do you have up-to-date virus scan software running on your computer? If not, go immediately to the Seebeck web site at http://bama.ua.edu/~seebeck, click on the Software Library link, and download the virus checking software for your computer. Then install it and use it. Bookmark the software site, and check back there regularly (at least once a month) to see if the software has been updated. Virus checking software is updated often, as new viruses appear. You must keep your virus checker updated as well. Virus software is not something you can do without, and it is not something you install and forget about.
Some experts expect that a rash of new viruses will surface around January 1. Some of these viruses could already be circulating, installing themselves on unwary computers, and lurking, waiting to activate on January 1 (or on other pre-set dates.) Install your virus protection now, keep it up-to-date, and use it all the time to protect yourself from Y2K viruses and other computer viruses.
If you're not already doing so, now is the time to start a routine of regularly backing up your computer's vital data, particularly your own files. While it is always important to back up your work, sometimes it may be even more important than usual. Before you begin to install or upgrade software, import your data into newer versions of programs, or convert data to run under different programs, make sure you have at least two current copies of your data. This gives you the chance to "start all over" in case you run into trouble. Remember that if you have a backup of your data that existed before "something happens" (virus corruption, disk errors, a year 2000 bug, or simple user error) you can restore your files instead of having to fix them. Since getting your computer ready for the year 2000 may involve some or all of those potential problem areas, back up your data before you start. Better to be safe than data-less.
How to back up your hard disk? The choice is up to you. Floppy disks are cheap, but the number needed for a complete backup of your hard disk might seem excessive. Zip drives offer another option. Tape backup systems are available. While all of these options involve some expense, keep in mind the cost of recreating, if possible, the data you might loose. If you can re-install the original software, you might think about just backing up your data. If you store your data on floppy disks, make sure you make copies on other floppies and, perhaps, a hard drive as well. And, for those who have access to network drive space, using some of it to store backups makes sense as well.
Don't think that one backup is enough. You should retain at least two or three prior generations of any valuable files. Again, this gives you the chance to "go back in time" before any problem arose.
Finally, make sure the backups work before you need to use them. Test to make sure they are usable. Try to restore a test file, or files. If you've copied files to other locations, make sure you can still open them. Make sure you have the security of a true backup. Someday, maybe someday soon, you will need it.