FAQ: What the daylight saving shift means to you
By Ina Fried
Staff Writer CNET News.com
Published: March 9, 2007, 4:00 AM PST
 

FAQ The fact that the U.S. is springing forward three weeks early could leave computer owners losing more than an hour of sleep.
Daylight saving time will kick in this weekend, but that's not when many computers are programmed to expect it. Getting ready for the time change has proved thorny for businesses, and even workers whose systems are now patched could see some calendar items showing up an hour off.
Here's a list of some commonly asked questions and answers regarding the time shift.

Q: So, daylight saving time is coming a couple of weeks early. What's the big deal?
Most computers these days are set to automatically move forward each year to daylight saving and then back an hour in the fall. That's important, particularly for time-sensitive programs like calendars. Without a software update--and even with one in some cases--calendar items may be off by an hour.

So what do I need to do?
Microsoft released an update to Windows in November that prompts Windows to make the move. The company also has other patches available on its Web site. The patch was delivered in February to Windows XP Service Pack 2 users who have automatic updates turned on, but others may need to download the patch or manually adjust their PC's clock. Apple issued an update for Mac OS X Tiger in February 2006 and offered an updated patch last month for users of Tiger as well as Mac OS X 10.3 Panther.

Are all my calendar items going to be off by an hour?
No. Only calendar items during the extra daylight saving time (the additional three weeks of March and the last week of October) will be affected. Depending on how your business is managing things, many of your one-time calendar items might already be fixed, but it is worth taking a look at your calendar and double-checking the time for any crucial meetings.

Are there any precautions that I should take?...... MORE

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