The projectors are gray, have a projection stage that is 11.5 inches square, have the company name on the front cover and have the company name and model number on the dated nameplate located on the bottom of the machine. 3M sold the overhead projectors to schools and office supply stores nationwide from April 1994 to November 1995. 3M will send consumers a retrofit kit for installation, or instruct them on where to return projectors for installation of the retrofit kit free of charge. Consumers will also receive a free projection lamp when the projector is repaired. The method computers use to keep track of dates could pose a potential problem for DOD in the year 2000.
Most computers use only the last two digits when processing the year portion of a date.
Emmett Paige Jr., assistant Secretary of Defense for Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence, told the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee that DOD has started a campaign to find and fix problems in weapon systems and automated business information systems. Paige said the first emphasis within the department is on weapon systems. Nevertheless, we still have to check all weapon systems for the problem. When we are dealing with weapons and their delivery systems, we must leave nothing to chance. Paige said the Defense Finance and Accounting Service started combating the year 2000 problem in 1991.