OFF97: Two-Digit Years in Properties Dialog in 20th Century

• Microsoft Office 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Word 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Access 97
• Microsoft PowerPoint 97 For Windows
• Microsoft Office 97 for Windows, Service Release 1 (SR-1)

SYMPTOMS

In any of the programs listed at the beginning of this article, if you enter a date that uses a two-digit year in the Custom tab of the Properties dialog box, the date is in the twentieth century (from 1900 to 1999).

CAUSE

This problem occurs if you do the following:

1. On the File menu, you click Properties or Database Properties.



2. You click the Custom tab.



3. In the Name list box, you select a field name or enter a new field name in the edit box.



4. In the Type list, you click Date.



5. In the Value box, you enter a date that uses a two-digit year, for example, 7/5/00.



6. You click Add.

RESOLUTION

To temporarily work around this problem, use a four-digit year, for example, 7/5/2000.

To correct this problem, obtain Microsoft Office 97 Service Release 2 (SR-2).

For additional information about SR-2, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q151261 OFF97: How to Obtain and Install MS Office 97 SR-2

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the programs included in both Microsoft Office 97 for Windows and Microsoft Office 97 for Windows, Service Release 1 (SR-1). This problem was corrected in Microsoft Office 97 Service Release 2 (SR-2).

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about how programs work with two-digit years in dates, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q164406 XL: How Microsoft Excel Works with Two-Digit Year Numbers

Additional query words: OFF97 XL97 WD97 AC97 PP97 year2000 y2k 20th century sr1 sr2

Keywords          : xlloadsave 
Version           : WINDOWS:97
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbbug 

Last Reviewed: May 25, 1999