Most of the 1.6 billion consumer-owned electronic products are bug-free.

Minor bug bytes Assuming there are no power outages on New Year's Day, you should be able to operate most, if not all, of your electronic goods. Many common appliances—coffeemakers, microwave and conventional ovens, bread-making machines, dishwashers, washing machines—contain embedded microchips with 24-hour clocks. But programming those products to perform time-related functions requires only time-of-day and/or day-of-the-week features, so Y2K readiness is not an issue. Likewise, devices that rely on built-in timers should continue to operate. These include garage-door openers, sprinkler systems, security systems, and heating and air-conditioning units. Some of those systems, particularly in apartment buildings and condominiums, may have embedded chips with a maintenance program that could cause a system shutdown if its clock rolls back to 1900. Residents should make sure that their building managers test all computer-controlled devices well before Jan. 1. Consumer products with real-time calendar functions that might require updating include older VCRs, camcorders, and cameras with date-stamping features, personal computers (PCs), portable electronic organizers, and digital watches. Few will totally cease to function if you don't correct the problem. VCRs manufactured since 1990 should be Y2K-compliant. Here's a simple test to check your machine: Set the date to Dec. 31, 1999, and the clock to a minute or so before midnight. When the clock displays 12 a.m., the date should change to Saturday, Jan. 1, 2000. If your VCR's clock reads Jan. 1, 1900 (or some other date), and you can't manually reset it to display 2000, don't worry. Your machine still should be able to record programs off the air and play prerecorded tapes. However, the time-shift feature that lets you program the machine to tape events days or weeks in advance may not work. Contact the manufacturer or visit its Web site for information about Y2K product compliance for your model. Most camcorders and still-shot cameras with calendar functions will continue to function, even if the date doesn't roll over to 2000. If you consider the date-stamp feature to be important, it's worth checking with the manufacturer to ensure that your model is millennium-compliant or to find out how to correct the problem. The same advice holds true for pocket organizers and digital watches with date features. Home office equipment such as printers, scanners, and copiers may have embedded chips but generally don't have calendar functions. Fax machines do use calendar data, and those machines built before 1990, as well as a few post-1990 models, may malfunction and print the incorrect date on incoming and outgoing faxes. Because PCs rely on microchips with real-time calendar functions, many manufacturers now provide free Y2K-compliant upgrades. Some older models even may require a new start-up chip. Computer components (modems, monitors, sound, and graphic cards) and peripherals (backup drives) with embedded chips also could suffer Y2K-related disruptions. Again, contact the manufacturer if you have a concern. One bright note, at least for some computer owners: Apple Computer Inc. promises that its Macintosh hardware and operating systems will breeze into the new century with no problem.

On-line links There's no lack of Y2K sites on the Web. At least two that specifically answer questions about consumer electronics products are the Federal Trade Commission and CEMA. CEMA's site also provides links to Web pages of manufacturers belonging to the association. Several sites also provide free diagnostic software to test PCs for Y2K readiness. These include www.righTime.com, www.quidham.com, bonneterre.net/y2k.html, and www.4x-inc.com. RighTime's site also provides links to other Y2K-related sites and to major manufacturers, including Apple and Microsoft Corp.

Some older PCs      may require      new start-up chips.