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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Update for Daylight Savings Time 2007

A: Overview:

The U.S. Energy Policy Act of 2005, passed by the U.S. Congress July, 2005, extended Daylight Saving Time (DST) in the U.S. by approximately four weeks. As a result, beginning in 2007, DST will start three weeks earlier on March 11, 2007, and end one week later on November 4, 2007, resulting in a new DST period that is four weeks longer than previously observed.

The procedure "How do I update my computer?" is listed below and includes information for the operating system and for Microsoft Office Outlook. A more in-depth (very in-depth Registry solution) can be found at the following link: How to configure daylight saving time for the United States in 2007

Reference Microsoft Knowledge Base

February 2007 cumulative time zone update for Microsoft Windows operating systems

Determining the impact of Daylight Saving Time 2007 on your home computer (See below - "How do I update my computer?")

How to address the daylight saving time changes in 2007 by using the Time Zone Data Update Tool for Microsoft Office Outlook

How to configure daylight saving time for the United States in 2007 (in-depth registry solution)

Daylight Saving Time Help and Support Center

A complete list of affected Microsoft software can be found here.

How do I update my computer?

Identify what version of Microsoft Windows you are running on your computer:

1. From the Start menu, point to Settings and then click Control Panel.

2. In Control Panel, double-click System.

3. In the System Properties window, click the General tab. The name of the current version of your Windows software displays on this tab.

Once you have determined which version you are running, follow the instructions below:

• For Windows Vista: If you have Windows Vista and Office 2007, no action is necessary to update your computer. 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 computer 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, click here. You can also go to the Windows Update site to install the DST update.

• For Windows XP Gold or XP SP1: If you have Windows XP Gold or Windows XP SP1, you 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:

1. From the Start menu, point to Settings and then click Control Panel.

2. In Control Panel, double-click the Date/Time icon.

3. In the Date/Time window, click the Time Zone tab.

4. If checked, click to clear the Automatically adjust clock for daylight saving changes check box.

5. Click the Date/Time tab, and then manually adjust the system time to the correct day and time. To finish, click OK

These steps need to be repeated twice a year, prior to the second Sunday in March and on the first Sunday in November.

Updating Microsoft Office Outlook

If you do not use the Outlook calendar, then no further action is needed.

Microsoft recommends that 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 (the three weeks between the new and old DST change in March and one week in November). 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 will be available to you from the Microsoft Windows Mobile team on February 12, 2007. This update will be provided at no charge. More information is available on the Windows Mobile Web site.

If you do not update your device, then your phone system clock will be off by one hour for 3 weeks in March and for one week in November in the U.S. and Canada.

For more detailed information regarding Windows Mobile daylight saving time updates, please see this article on the Microsoft Web site.