2007-2010 Time Zone Changes
In the spring of 2007, daylight saving time (DST) start and end dates for the United States transitioned to comply with the Energy Policy Act of 2005. DST dates in the United States start three weeks earlier (2:00 A.M. on the second Sunday in March) and end one week later (2:00 A.M. on the first Sunday in November).
There have also been other related DST changes, time zone behavior, and settings for other parts of the world, some taking effect in 2007, while others went into effect after some versions of Microsoft operating systems went end-of-life. In August 2007 and December 2010, Microsoft also published minor groups of changes, which have been incorporated in our 2010 TZ Updater utility.
These changes affect operations of DCS and Maestro systems, as well as some dcsTools.com products.
Affected Products and Time Zone Update Solutions
| Product | OS | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| DCS | DOS | Users of DCS who are currently automatically transitioning to and from DST will need to disable this feature and perform the time update manually. Disable DCS DST Instructions |
| Maestro | Windows NT 4 Windows 2000 |
If Maestro is used in a mixed DCS environment, it is likely that automatic transition to DST is disabled. If this is the case and will continue to be the case, there is nothing that must be done. If Maestro is observing DST, the time zone tables can be updated with our free 2007 Time Zone Updater. |
| Maestro | Windows XP | Microsoft Windows Update offers an optional download that updates the time zone information. Run Windows Update and make sure the time zone update is selected. |
| Audio Central Plus (ACP) | Novell Netware 3.x | Automatic transition to and from DST needs to be disabled and the time update performed manually. Disable Novell DST Instructions |
| Audio Central Plus (ACP) | Windows NT4 Server Windows 2000 Server |
It is likely that automatic transition to DST is disabled. If this is the case and will continue to be the case, there is nothing that must be done. If the Maestro system is observing DST, the time zone tables can be updated with our free 2007 Time Zone Updater. |
| ezAudit | Windows 9x Windows NT 4 Windows 2000 |
See Audit Report Notes The time zone tables can be updated with our free 2007 Time Zone Updater. |
| ezAudit | Windows XP Windows Vista Windows 7 |
See Audit Report Notes Microsoft Windows Update offers an optional download that updates the time zone information. Run Windows Update and make sure the time zone update is selected. |
| ezSuite | Windows 9x Windows NT 4 Windows 2000 |
See Audit Report Notes The time zone tables can be updated with our free 2007 Time Zone Updater. |
| ezSuite | Windows XP Windows Vista Windows 7 |
See Audit Report Notes Microsoft Windows Update offers an optional download that updates the time zone information. Run Windows Update and make sure the time zone update is selected. |
| ReeLogger | Windows 9x Windows NT 4 Windows 2000 |
The time zone tables can be updated with our free 2007 Time Zone Updater. |
| ReeLogger | Windows XP Windows 7 |
Microsoft Windows Update offers an optional download that updates the time zone information. Run Windows Update and make sure the time zone update is selected. |
| RL2000 | Windows 9x Windows NT 4 Windows 2000 |
The time zone tables can be updated with our free 2007 Time Zone Updater. |
| RL2000 | Windows XP Windows 7 |
Microsoft Windows Update offers an optional download that updates the time zone information. Run Windows Update and make sure the time zone update is selected. |
| XStudio | Windows NT 4 Windows 2000 |
The time zone tables can be updated with our free 2007 Time Zone Updater. |
| XStudio | Windows XP Windows Vista Windows 7 |
Microsoft Windows Update offers an optional download that updates the time zone information. Run Windows Update and make sure the time zone update is selected. |
Notes on Audit Reports
Regardless of the audit reporting tool you are using, the PC on which you generate audit reports must be "in sync" with the DCS, Maestro or XStudio system that is creating the audit data or your audit reports will not produce the expected results.
By "in sync", we mean three things:
-
If you are not observing DST with your on-air delivery system, the audit report PC must also reflect that - in the case of dcsTools products ezAudit and ezSuite, that means setting the "Observe DST" flag off for a station.
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If you are observing DST, then both the on-air delivery system PC and the one generating the audit reports must be using the same time zone information for the time zone in which the on-air system is operating. This means that if you update time zone settings on your on-air system PC, you must also ensure the audit reporting PC's time zone information has been updated.
-
When generating audit reports, the audit report PC needs to take into account the time zone in which the on-air system that generated the data is operating. With dcsTools' ezAudit and ezSuite, it's a matter of selecting the time zone when configuring a station for reporting.
Additional Time Zone Change Information
For additional information regarding time zone changes and the effects on Microsoft products, here are some links to get you started:
Microsoft Main DST Page
How to Configure DST for the US
in 2007
Important Outlook Information
Disclaimer
The information provided on this page and other pages relating to the 2007 and 2010 time zone changes is provided as a service. A reasonable effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information presented, but not all scenarios may be covered.
Use of this information and/or the 2010 Time Zone Updater software is at your own risk.
Updated Dec 16 2010