The change in DST impacts many products that rely on automatic date and time settings. Some of the products affected include:
- Home electronics, such as VCRs, DVRs, clocks, telephones, PDAs
- Computer software calendar and scheduling applications (Outlook, Exchange, or third party calendars)
- If you use your personal computer to manage a calendar, your meetings may be off by one hour during the extended DST weeks.
- If you live in a time zone which changed DST start and end dates this year, you will need to adjust the items (applications, calendar appointments, etc.) on your computer.
- If you live outside Canada time zone which changed DST start and end dates this year, but are planning to travel, you will want to take the changes in Daylight Saving Time into consideration.
A complete list of affected
Microsoft software can be found here.
Identify what version of Microsoft Windows you are running on your computer:
- For all versions of Windows except Vista, click Start, click Run, type Winver, and press Enter. If you are running Windows Vista, click Start, type Winver in the Search box and press Enter.
- Record the version of Windows you are running, then press OK to close the “About Windows” box.
Once you’ve determined which version you are running, follow the instructions below:
- For Windows Vista: If you have Windows Vista and the Microsoft Office 2007 installed, you should apply the latest updates for these products available by visiting the Microsoft Update Web site. Visit the Windows Help for Installing Windows updates Web site for more details on installing Windows updates. For Office 2007, please visit the Office Online Web site for more details. If you have an earlier version of Microsoft Office installed, you should following the directions outlined in Updating Microsoft Office Outlook below.
- For Windows XP Service Pack 2: If you have Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), Microsoft can install the necessary updates on to your computer through Automatic Updates to your PC in mid-February. It is important for you to turn on Automatic Updates on to get all of the proper updates. To find out more about using Automatic Updates, please click here. You can also go to the Windows Update site to install the DST update.
- For Windows XP Gold or XP Swith Service Pack 1: If you have Windows XP Gold or Windows XP SP1, you will need to update to Windows XP SP2 to apply the DST patch. To update your computer, you can visit the Windows XP web site to learn more, or go to the Microsoft Update web site to install Service pack 2 for Windows XP.
You will need to manually modify the system time on your computer before the new Daylight Saving Time rules take effect if you choose not to update to Windows XP SP2, or if you are running one of the following older operating systems:
Windows Millennium Edition, Windows 98 or Windows 95. To do this:
- Click the Start button and then click Control Panel
- Double-click Date/Time in Control Panel
- In the Date/Time window, click the Time Zone tab
- If checked, click to clear the “Automatically adjust clock for daylight saving changes” checkbox
- Click the Date/Time tab and manually adjust the system time to the correct day and time. To finish, click OK
These steps will need to be repeated twice, depending on your time zone’s DST start and end dates.
Updating Microsoft Office Outlook
If you do not use the Outlook calendar then no further action is needed.
Microsoft recommends prior to installing any automatic or manual DST updates that you print out your calendar. You may also save your Outlook Calendar as a web page (by selecting “Save as a Web Page…” from the File menu) for the extended DST period (refer to
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/dst_topissues/#A1 for information regarding affected dates). Once you have installed the updates, be sure to double check all appointments that you have scheduled during the extended DST period to ensure they are all correct. If an appointment you have scheduled is incorrect, you may move it manually to update it.
Outlook 2007: If you use the calendar in Outlook 2007, no action is necessary because the updates were already applied when you initially installed the product.
Outlook 2000, Outlook 2002, Outlook 2003: If you use the calendar or set reminders in Outlook 2000, Outlook 2002 or Outlook 2003, you can use the
Time Zone Data Update Tool for Microsoft Office Outlook to help you transition any existing appointment during these weeks. The tool should be used after applying the Windows update.
Outlook connected to Web-based Calendars: If you use Outlook connected to a Web-based calendaring application (such as Hotmail, Gmail or Yahoo Mail), then you should run the Outlook tool. However, your calendar provider may also need to make an update on their system for your appointments to display correctly in both Outlook and your web-calendar.
For example, if you use a Hotmail Premium account that is connected to Outlook, Hotmail will be updating their systems, but you should also install the Outlook Time Zone Update Tool as well.
Outlook on a Windows Mobile phone: If you have a Pocket PC or Smartphone that uses Outlook, an update is available to you from the Microsoft Windows Mobile team. This update will be provided at no charge. Choose one of the following locationsto take you to the appropriate Windows Mobile site:
If you choose not to update your device, then your phone system clock will be off by 1 hour for the duration of each extended DST period. For more detailed information regarding
An August 2007 daylight saving time update for Windows Mobile-based devices is available, please click here.
If you choose not to take any action, and you live in an affected time zone, your system clock and calendar will no longer automatically adjust for Daylight Saving Time at the proper time each year.
Where can I go for additional help?
For additional assistance:
This information represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation on the issues discussed as of the date of publication and is subject to change without notice. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented after the date of publication.This information is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION contained herein.
Help and Support
