Free computer bootup Millennium clock for the PC!

Millennium Clock
Version 1.0
by Seán Byrne

(Download Links and Setup information further down the page)

You may have seen a millennium clock in the odd shop window, maybe on TV. I Decided to write one for the PC which shows up every time the computer boots up. The clock is free to download and may be distributed to friends, neighbours, etc. Also below is a Millennium Bug Fix that works on most 386's, 486's, etc. (It worked on every PC I tried it on!) Sorry, this program does not work on Windows NT. (Just in case you're wondering about real Millennium Clocks, they are NOT year 2000 compliant!!!!!)
(This one simply stops showing up the clock when the year 2000 hits and there is no waste!)

Information and how to use the Millennium Clock

The clock can be set to show up for any number of seconds before it lets Windows or DOS continue loading by simply adding something like C:\DOS\2000LEFT.EXE 3 to the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. The '3' means show the clock up for three seconds before Windows or DOS continues loading. This program works on 386's and above. It may even work on a 8086 and a 286 but I don't have one to test it on. On my 386, I stick the '2000left.exe 0' just before the WIN command because it stops other messages from the mouse driver, CD-ROM driver, etc. showing up and scrolling off the Clock. I use 0 because my machine takes its time loading Windows 3.1 and thus the clock shows up for at least 5 seconds. On a pentium 133, etc. it may be a good idea to stick a 2 or a 3 after the 2000left.exe to prevent the clock from disappearing too quickly.

Below is what the clock looks like
(Days left shown below is not the correct number as this is only an image)

(When set up, this will show for a second or two every time the PC boots up)

Below shows you how to download and setup the millennium clock.

Warning: If your computer is not Year 2000 compliant, then my program will not work properly on your machine.
(On most non compliant machines, my program 2000FIX.EXE (down below) will fix the 2000 bug problem)

Before downloading, print and save this page for info on how to set it up.

How to setup the millennium clock:

After downloading these files, follow the instructions exactly below:

Windows 3.1 and MS-DOS users:
1 - Exit Windows if you are in Windows
2 - Type 'EDIT C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT' (without quotes) and press enter
3 - Use the Down key on the keyboard to scroll to the bottom of the file
4 - (MS-DOS users ignore this line) Press the Up key until the cursor is on the line with WIN.
5 - Press the Enter key once to push it down and then press the Up key
6 - (Ignore this line if you did not download 2000FIX.EXE) Type in 'C:\WINDOWS\2000FIX.EXE' and press Enter.
7 - Type in 'C:\WINDOWS\2000LEFT.EXE 1' (Replace 1 with the number of seconds you prefer the clock to show)
8 - Click on File and Click on exit (otherwise press ALT F and press X if there is no mouse pointer) and press Enter to save
9 - Reboot the computer to test the clock

Window 95/98 users
1 - Click Start, Programs, MS-DOS Prompt
2 - Follow instructions 2 to 8 for the 'Windows 3.1 and MS-DOS users'
3 - Type EXIT to return to Windows 95
4 - Click Start, Shut Down..., click Restart Computer and press Enter to test the clock.

Trouble shooting

If 'Bad command or file name' appeared or no clock appeared at all then check if you had done everything correctly and that you have saved the files in your WINDOWS directory.
If the clock showed and disappeared too quickly then go through the above instructions and change the the number after 'C:\WINDOWS\2000LEFT.EXE' to something higher, e.g. 3

NOTES on 2000LEFT.EXE:

By default the clock will show 000 Full days left on December 31st 1999
If you prefer 001 Days left to show on December 31st 1999, use 'C:\WINDOWS\2000LEFT.EXE 3 1', the second number (1) means don't show up the word 'Full' and show up 001 on December 31st 1999 (I don't prefer this.)
After the year 2000 arrives, the clock will stop showing up. It can be simply removed from the Autoexec.bat File.

To check if your computer automatically changes to the year 2000 when switched off:
Go to the clock settings and select the 31st of December 1999 and select the time as 23:59, 0 seconds.
Straight away, exit Windows and turn off the PC for at least 1 minute.
(For DOS users, use the DATE and TIME commands to do this)
Turn on your machine and press F8 as soon as 'Starting Window 95/98' appears, select 'Command Prompt' and press Enter.
(MS-DOS and Windows 3.1 users should press F5 as soon as 'Starting MS-DOS 6.xx' appears)
Type in 'DATE' and press Enter.
If the Date says 4th of January 1980 then follow these instructions to see if 2000FIX will solve this problem:

Test to see if 2000FIX will work on your machine
First type in 01-01-2000, press Enter and turn off the PC.
(If you get 'Invalid Date' then your computer is certainly not Year 2000 compliant)
Follow the above instructions (from Turn on your PC. . . to . . .Type in 'Date' and press Enter)
If the date shows as '01-01-2000' then your computer can handle 2000 otherwise 2000FIX will not work!

Type in the correct date in the form asked and press Enter.
Type in 'Time' and press Enter, type in the correct time in the form asked and press Enter.
Press the Reset button on your computer to reboot the machine (It is safe to do this as you are completely out of Windows)

(These files have been checked for viruses and it is recommended to check them again to be sure after downloading)

Files to Download

2000left.zip	(- Save and extract this file to C:\WINDOWS\2000LEFT.EXE
2000FIX.zip	(- Save and extract this file to C:\WINDOWS\2000FIX.EXE

If you want the QuickBasic files (uncompiled), E-mail me at S_BYRNE@HOTMAIL.COM and mention what you would like to use the Basic file for or if you just want to see how it works. Really, these programs were very simple to write, it only took about an hour to write both and the millennium clock worked without errors or bugs first time!

Click here to return to my HOME PAGE

Contents of my HOME PAGE:

I tested 1000's of Midi Files and put my favourite ones on a link on my Home Page ready to download.
(UK & Ireland only) I mention how to get more TV channels e.g. Cartoon channel, sport, films, entertainment, Music Channels, etc. without subscriptions and what equitment is needed, starting at aprox. £150 to get Eurosport, Cartoon Network, Sky News, CNN, MTV (German with English music), etc. on one satellite or Get 2 Music channels, BBC World, TV 5 (french), Q24, etc. on another satellite. With extra equitment (aprox £99), how to get movie channels, entertainment channels, cartoons, comedies, etc.
This page here (Millennium Clock + 2000 bug fix that works on most machines)
Battery Information, how to save lots of money (e.g. over £100 if you listen to CD's using a portable CD player off batteries) by buying the proper rechargable batteries. e.g. 4 'C' type standard batteries cost here £3.99. 4 'C' type rechargable batteries cost £0.01 to recharge! The length the rechargable batteries last before needing recharging is aprox. the same length as standard non-rechargable batteries. How to use rechargable batteries in appliances that say 'Do not use rechargable batteries' and why these appliances say this.
Hidden features on the PACE 100 receiver, i.e. useful instructions that are not mentioned in the manual!!!, e.g. How to get much better sound quality, how to watch MTV Germany, how to prevent the sound from muting for 1 second everytime you change radio channels, etc.

Click Here to goto my HOME PAGE
Click Here to goto GO2NET (The best search engine I found yet on the internet)

LE FastCounter

This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page