Daylight Savings Time Could Greatly Affect your Calendaring Soon
Posted by Elite VAs on February 27, 2007
Did you know that daylight savings time is changing at a different time this year? Normally, you “spring forward” on the first Sunday in April and “fall back” on the last Sunday in October. But because of a Congressional Act passed in 2005, you will “spring forward” on March 11 and “fall back” on November 4 this year. And this could cause major issues for those of you who are responsible for calendaring management for your clients, especially between March 11 and April 1 (the old and new starting DST dates) and between October 28 and November 4 (the old and new ending DST dates).
If you or your clients have Windows Vista, you will not be affected by this change. If you or your clients use Microsoft Outlook 2003 or older, there is an update tool you can download that will automatically update a person’s calendar to the new daylight savings time rules.
If you choose not to install the Windows updates and run the Time Zone Data Update Tool, then during the extended DST period (the dates between the old beginning and ending dates and the new beginning and ending dates), your Outlook appointments and reminders will appear one hour off. Any all-day events will shift and span two days because these events are associated with 24 specific hours rather than an individual date.
Microsoft suggests that you run the Update tool manually anytime after the Windows time zone definitions have been updated. It is says it’s preferable to run the Outlook/Exchange tool as close as possible to the time at which the Windows time zone patch is applied (to all computers) since that will minimize the likelihood of having single-instance calendar items that were created after the Windows time zone update was applied, but before the Outlook/Exchange tool was run.
Don’t take a chance of being responsible for your clients or yourself to miss appointments. Be sure to run this tool as suggested. Go to the Microsoft Office web site for specific instructions and for a link to the Download tool. The link is http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/HA102086071033.aspx
Vickie
mydigest said
If there is one thing the cyber world does not need it is clock changing twice a year. In fact, as for us old time short wave radio fans, it is actually disruptive. You guys are up all night anyway. We should all stick to UTC or, suits me fine, EST -given UNO is in NYC, not La or London. Good luck persuading anyone though. Cy Quick at mydigest.wordpress.com