Fix for ThinkTank Y2k Bug

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Note: This message is from the outliners.com archive kindly provided by Dave Winer.

Outliners.com Message ID: 447

Posted by sdlarsn
2000-01-03 23:02:17

As a diehard user of ThinkTank since 1984, I quickly discovered on New Years day that ThinkTank has a Y2k bug: It will automatically set the PC’s system date back to March 10, 1985 if it is currently beyond the 20th century when ThinkTank is started. And it does this EVERY time you start ThinkTank. I was mortified when I saw this!

Fortunately, after several hours of messing around with ThinkTank, I serendipitously discovered a fix!

In ThinkTank version 2.10, the bug is fixed as follows:

- Navigate to the ThinkTank directory and run it.
- Press function key F10 twice, and then select “date.”
- Change the date to *any* date in the 21st century. (The new date won’t really be accepted, but that’s OK.)
- Exit ThinkTank.
- Run the INSTALL.EXE program.
- Select “date” and disable the “initial date prompt” option.
- Exit the install program and use the DOS DATE command (or any other means) to set the system date back to the current date.

In ThinkTank version 2.41, the bug is fixed as follows:

- Navigate to the ThinkTank directory and run it.
- Press function key F10 twice, and then press o and then d. This disables the “initial date prompt” option.
- Press Esc.
- Press function key F10 twice, and then select “date.”
- Change the date to *any* date in the 21st century. (The new date won’t really be accepted, but that’s OK.)
- Exit ThinkTank and use the DOS DATE command (or any other means) to set the system date back to the current date.

For other versions of ThinkTank, one of the above fixes will most likely work. If your version includes a file named INSTALL.EXE, use the first method. If not, use the second method.

Happy outlining!

Sandy Larsen
sndlarsen(at)aol.com
(e-mail address modified to prevent spam)

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