Old Versions of Windows and Daylight Saving Time: The Phantom Menace

Thu Feb 1, 2007 4:22PM EST

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Reader Bob Hunt wrote me to ask about Windows 98 and daylight saving time. As you (hopefully) know, DST moves three weeks earlier this year, to March 11 (yech!). And as you also hopefully know, Windows has long since automatically changed your clock for you when daylight saving time hits.

If you're using XP or Vista, no worries about the new DST rules. But what if you're using Windows 2000 or earlier? Microsoft no longer supports Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Millennium Edition at all, and Windows 2000 is only supported through "Extended Hotfix Support." In other words: You're out of luck.

So what are you options for handling daylight saving time (or daylight savings time, if you're sloppy) and you don't want to upgrade to a more modern OS? Not a lot.

First, how about automated solutions? If you're running Windows 2000 you can check out IntelliAdmin's unofficial patch for DST at this link. I've tried it and, like other IntelliAdmin products, it works fine.

If you're running Windows 95, 98, or NT, I haven't found an automated solution, but you can try Microsoft's Time Zone Editor, which lets you manually update time zones. I don't have any PCs running any of these OSes, so I can't really tell you how easy this tool is to use, but it's worth a try. (Update: Here are detailed instuctions on using TZEDIT. Scroll down to "The Windows Time Zone Editor tool.")

I hesitate even linking to this, but in the interest of completeness, if you're computer friendly, Microsoft has instructions on hacking the registry to make DST changes yourself without extra software. Experts only!

Lastly, you can always do what we did in the days before Windows 95: Change your computer clock manually (and change it again when it gets auto-changed three weeks later). Even if you forget to change it for a day, I think it's safe to assume that most PCs running Windows 98 are not doing anything so critical that having a one hour error in the time stamp is going to cause the world to implode.

Good luck, and if anyone discovers any automated Win 95/98/NT DST fixes, please post them here or email me so I can update this post.

Update: IntelliAdmin finally has a patch for Windows 98 and Windows Me. Thanks, John!

Comments on Old Versions of Windows and Daylight Saving Time: The Phantom Menace

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  • 1 Posted by aatw55 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:43PM EDT Report Abuse

    now i remember why i chose linux- freespire if anyone wants to download for free...

  • 2 Posted by aatw55 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:43PM EDT Report Abuse

    and we allow microsoft an illegal monopoly...

  • 3 Posted by leo4yourloan on Thu Sep 3, 2009 6:49PM EDT Report Abuse

    Any of the atomic clock programs will take care of the DST conundrum for you.

  • 4 Posted by jaysei9941 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:29PM EDT Report Abuse

    How lazy are we when its to much of a task to double click the clock in the lower right hand corner, click on the hour button, pu----- up 1 hour, and click ok...I cant believe there was an article written about this

  • 5 Posted by cnull on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:27PM EDT Report Abuse

    jaysei9941 - that's a real problem because Windows automatically changes the time for you whether you want it to or not. if you manually change the clock, then three weeks after DST begins, your clock will be automatically moved forward another hour, like it or not. you'll then have to notice this fact and manually roll it back an hour. not an ideal solution...

  • 7 Posted by bobsbbb1017 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:10PM EDT Report Abuse

    It was the stroke of midnight on December 31st 1999. Oh what's going to happen when the clock strikes 12? Y2K? AAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhhhh NO LIGHTS!!!! NO POWER!!!!! Darn kid in the basement laughing & crying at the same time. Gotta love it

  • 8 Posted by travelchoices on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:19PM EDT Report Abuse

    If I manually change the time on Mar 11th will the computer then go ahead and automatically change it or even change it again when the original date pops up? Will I wind up 2 hours forward ? If I drop a new dollar coin in a machine will the machine notice? Just like the government to make things more uptodat?

  • 9 Posted by arborsehdey on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:57PM EDT Report Abuse

    Yes it is a headache for us all. To automate the update for WIN98 machines, intelliadmin has a freeware as well to run on just 98 machines and more. Go to http://www.intelliadmin.com/Downloads.htm and check under free downloads

  • 10 Posted by msimmons75035 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:29PM EDT Report Abuse

    jaysei9941 You should think on a larger scale. Think about all the servers, databases and network gear around the country that perform functions based on the time of day...like posting transactions automatically from your bank or credit card or automatically delivering medicine to a patient... and that time happens twice in the same morning or doesn't happen at all because the system was shut down because it couldn't handle the time zone shift appropriately. It's really not as simple as the clock on your computer. It could be pretty ugly for some systems not just Microsoft...hopefully it won't be a big deal but you never know unless everyone has patched their systems appropriately.

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