With Daylight Saving Time scheduled to begin on March 11, there are some fears of a mini-Y2K bug.
"I would say 50 per cent is a reasonable answer of systems that will be affected by this," said computer technician Sean Brown.
In previous years, clocks sprang forward on the first Sunday in April. However, U.S. President George W. Bush decided in 2005 to extend daylight savings time by a total of two months to save energy costs.
Canada decided to harmonize, and so the shift will finally occur on the second Sunday of March.
This creates a situation similar to Y2K. Computer systems hadn't been built to conceive of their year clock going past 1999, leading to fears of mass computer confusion and havoc when the clocks struck midnight on Jan. 1, 2000. Computer experts thought computers would interpret 2000 as 1900, then choke because going backward in time would be illogical to them.
Ultimately, Y2K didn't prove to be disruptive, although some argue that's because companies raced to upgrade their systems.
Most older computer software automatically adjusts for the current transition to daylight savings time.
Microsoft's Windows operating system powers about 90 per cent of all personal computers.
The company says that any operating system older than Vista - the newest version, released just last month - won't automatically adjust for this new date.
"After the first set of errors -- and there'll be a flurry -- people will become aware and they'll remember to patch or fix or permanently adjust," said Microsoft's Rick Kaplan.
However, he didn't think it will be a big deal.
"Even if you have older versions like Windows 95 or 98, now for this three-week window, the time will be off. But it won't affect them. You won't lose data. Everything will be fine."
Starting in mid-February, Microsoft released a patch for earlier operating systems. Those who automatically update their operating systems may already be protected. The company has a website to help make sure that Windows-equipped computers are protected.
Blackberries, the popular wireless handheld devices, may be affected. So could other electronic equipment with calendar/time functions, like VCRs, cellphones, MP3 players and camcorders, said CTV technology columnist Kris Abel. "You need to worry about anything that isn't connected to the Internet. You have to manually go in and change the time."
Sleep Debt
As Canadians prepare to lose an hour of sleep when daylight savings time kicks in on March 11, experts are warning the public to manage their sleep debt.
The Better Sleep Council Canada defines "sleep debt" as a personal sleep bank account in which any sleep we get is a deposit or an asset. Meanwhile, any sleep loss is considered a withdrawal from the account.
To ensure a good balance, most people need to deposit at least eight hours of sleep a night into their account. That cancels the debt incurred while being awake for the other 16 hours of the day.
The council has made a few suggestions to ensure that people adjust properly this year:
- Stick to your sleep routine the night before. Go to bed one hour earlier if possible, but at least maintain your regular bedtime and don't make the time change worse by staying up extra late the night before,
- Let yourself sleep in the next day -- if you can! Think of it as an hour of the day lost and don't feel you have to get up when you wake up. Take your time to re-charge, and
- Return to your regular sleep hours promptly: Keep your natural rhythm in check by going to bed and waking up around the same time every day -- even on the weekends. Try to get back to that routine within a week.
With a report from CTV's John Vennavally-Rao and files from The Associated Press
