Don’t assume your computer’s ready
And don’t think that, just because Microsoft Corp. and Apple Inc. are uploading automatic fixes to home users, you’re in the clear with your hardware.

Many people — too many, computer security experts complain — have automatic updates turned off. Others still use slow dial-up accounts, and their updates may have repeatedly aborted when users hung up. Moreover, if you’re running Linux, the preferred operating system for computer servers, you’re largely on your own.

There are numerous flavors of the open-source operating system, each of them slightly different, and there’s no master controller like Microsoft or Apple to fix everything. Research compiled by CNet shows that many larger organizations have hundreds of servers “running dozens of different versions of Linux and Unix operating systems” — all of which will have to be fixed locally.

Then there’s the cost. No one really knows if the extra daylight will save enough energy and spur enough extra shopping to recoup the costs of fixing everything, which includes overtime for IT specialists who are working around the clock.

Have you patched? Windows XP users have automatically received the security patch which updates their daylight saving time adjustment feature. But how can you tell if your machine has been updated?  It's easy. 1. Go to Add/Remove programs. 2. Check "show updates" (it's unchecked by default). 3. Find the Windows XP - Software Updates section.  There will be many updates in there. They are listed in order. 4. Look for "Update for Windows XP (KB931836). If it's there, you're done. -Bob Sullivan Alan Boyle / MSNBC.com

In Lakewood, Colo., for example, engineers have been working for months reprogramming and timing the traffic lights. “I don’t think they’re really saving,” said Steve Beavers, a traffic signal supervisor.

In California alone, utilities have estimated that updating electricity meters — many of which had to be upgraded to digital systems to accommodate the change — will end up having cost $160 to $170 per meter. That amounts to about $40 million, just a fraction of what utility retrofitting will cost nationwide.

As for the expected energy savings — which the government pegs at about 1 percent — researchers at the University of California released a study in January that said the extra daylight won’t come anywhere near that. It could, in fact, end up costing more.

The study looked at the extension of DST by two months in Australia in 2000. “Using detailed panel data on half-hourly electricity consumption, prices, and weather conditions, we show that the extension failed to reduce electricity demand,” it said.

In fact, utilities had higher peak loads in the mornings than before the switch, significantly driving up morning wholesale electricity prices, the researchers found.

The conclusion?

“These results suggest that current plans and proposals to extend DST will fail to conserve energy.”

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