The manufacturers of your computer hardware should also be able to tell you about the Year 2000 compliance status of their products. Any non-compliant equipment or hardware should be repaired or replaced as soon as possible. Remember, as more organizations make their Year 2000 risk analyses and corrections, stocks of replacement parts will be depleted and service personnel will become much busier. Equipment and hardware compliance is rather straightforward. It either is compliant, or it's not, and it is relatively easy for manufacturers to make the determination.
Software is much more complicated.
COTS software includes operating systems, database management products, word processors, etc. Custom software, programs written specifically for one company, include manufacturing control systems, databases, and even spreadsheet macros. The most effective methods use a combination of both approaches to certify software. You can make a quick assessment by simply looking at the screen as your program is running. If, when entering a date, the software only allows you to enter two digits for the year, or if the date is displayed in reports with only a two digit year, the system may not be Year 2000 compliant.