If you’re concerned about how the revised DST time change will affect your hardware, consult with your employer before making any changes to your office-related computers or handheld devices. Chances are, your IT team will have the problem resolved.

If you’re on your own, follow these steps to determine which operating system is running on your computer and which patch applies to your system.

FOR PC USERS:

1. Click “Start,” point to “Settings” and click on “Control Panel.”

2. Double click on “System.”

3. Click the “General” tab. The name of the current version of Windows will be displayed in this tab. Computers running Windows Vista have already been updated.

For detailed instructions and patch information, visit Microsoft’s Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/gp/dst_homeuser#affected

FOR MAC USERS:

1. Click on the apple at the top left of the screen and select “About This Mac.” A pop-up will display the version of your OS. The new DST is already accounted for in Mac OSX 10.4.5 or later versions.

For detailed instructions and patch info, visit Apple’s Web site:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=305056

FOR BLACKBERRY USERS:

visit www.blackberry.com/select/dst2007/ — LARA HERTEL