British Advertising Standards Authority Confirms Year 2000 Readiness of Compaq PC Hardware
Business Wire - January 13, 1999 10:49
HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 13, 1999--
ASA Rejects Advertising Complaint On All Counts
In a decision concerning Compaq (NYSE:CPQ) advertising about the Year 2000 readiness of its products, the British Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) today issued a final report rejecting an earlier complaint about the advertising.
According to the final report, the Authority recognizes "that the hardware of Compaq computers was ready for the Year 2000." The decision marks a clear vindication of Compaq's advertising on products which are ready for the Year 2000 and the company's commitment to supporting customers during the millenium date change.
"We're extremely pleased that ASA recognizes Compaq PCs are ready for the Year 2000," said Ronnie Ward, Vice President and General Manager, Enterprise Solutions Division. "The sole message of our advertising -- that Compaq PCs are ready for the Year 2000 as tested by the NSTL YMARK2000 hardware test -- is accurate."
Questions about Compaq PC Year 2000 readiness were raised with the ASA by a company based in the U.K. The ASA rejected all issues raised in the complaint, including the main issue -- that the real time clock (RTC) was "one of the most important" issues related to the Year 2000. The ASA final report states:
"The Authority understood from expert advice that virtually all
commercially available software took the date from the BIOS and
direct interrogation of the RTC was generally discouraged. The
Authority accepted, therefore, that the hardware of Compaq
computers was ready for the Year 2000."
"Compaq appreciates concerns about the Year 2000 roll-over and the problems it may cause consumers and businesses alike," said Ward. "In addition to verifying Compaq products for Year 2000 compliance, we are meeting our responsibility as one of the world's largest technology companies by providing software solutions for non-standard applications." Compaq provides a wealth of information and its Year 2000 software solution free of charge as a download from the company's Web site -- compaq.com.
More than a year ago, Compaq products became the first in the world to be eligible to carry the NSTL Tested Year 2000 Hardware Compliant logo -- meeting one of the industry's leading open, globally available standards to verify proper date handling during the roll-over to the year 2000.
Compaq's worldwide Year 2000 compliance program uses the NSTL YMARK2000 test to verify its x86-based commercial and consumer desktop PCs, portable PCs, servers, and workstations are ready for the Year 2000. NSTL is one of the world's leading independent information technology testing organizations and the NSTL YMARK2000 test is the leading open, globally available standard for verifying proper date handling during the roll-over to the Year 2000.
About the Year 2000 Roll-over
The Year 2000 problem involves a transition problem which may occur if a computer is unable to determine the correct date when the year advances from December 31, 1999 to January 1, 2000. This means that businesses may be interrupted if their computer systems corrupt date information. Application software and operating systems typically retrieve the date from the computers they reside on -- consequently if a computer does not support the roll-over, the software running on it may be affected.
Comprehensive Portfolio of Year 2000 Solutions
Together with its partners, Compaq offers a comprehensive portfolio of Year 2000 solutions that span all phases of the Year 2000 readiness lifecycle. From assessment to inventory, planning, remediation, testing and implementation, Compaq's Year 2000 solutions address the millennium transition needs of its wide customer base. Solutions range from the desktop to the data center, from the PC to the network, and from Windows NT, to OpenVMS, Digital UNIX, and NonStop Himalaya. In addition to Compaq's Year 2000-ready hardware and software products, the company offers an extensive range of Year 2000 services, including packaged, channel-ready services.
Compaq recently enhanced its industry-leading Year 2000 offerings, announcing it will distribute Greenwich Mean Time's Check 2000 product suite as part of its comprehensive Year 2000 customer readiness program. With Check 2000, customers can evaluate all five "at-risk" layers of both stand-alone and networked PCs -- hardware, operating systems, software programs, data and data sharing. Headquartered in the UK, Greenwich Mean Time is the global software developer of the award-winning Check 2000 suite of diagnostic and corrective Year 2000 PC software. Karl W. Feilder, founder and president of the company, is acknowledged worldwide as a leading Year 2000 PC authority.
Compaq also offers StorageWorks for Year 2000, Year 2000 tools, and Year 2000 upgrade and leasing programs to round out the portfolio.
About the NSTL YMARK2000 Test
Although the YMARK2000 test is freely available on NSTL's Web site for self testing, only products tested by NSTL or under NSTL's guidance qualify to carry the logo. Background information and a full technical description of the test appear on NSTL's Web site in its white paper "Year 2000 Compliance and the 'Industry Standard' Personal Computer."
Headquartered in Philadelphia, NSTL is a CMP Media, Inc., company. Further information on NSTL and its services can be found on its Web site at nstl.com. |
