Home → Troubleshooting → @RISK with Projects → Dates in Project Simulations Are Wrong by 100 Years
Applies to: @RISK 6x/7.x, Professional and Industrial Editions
I have a project that is scheduled for years ahead. I noticed that the dates are okay up to 2029, but I have tasks starting in 2029 and finishing in 1930 instead of 2030, and so on. Later years have a similar problem.
The issue here is what Windows does with two-digit year numbers. By default, years 00–29 are treated as 2000–2029, and years 30–99 are treated as 1930–1999. If you have Project operating with two-digit dates, 2030 will be set back by a century to 1930, and similarly for later years. To resolve this, you may need to do one or more of these:
In Project, click File » Options » General, and look in the right-hand panel for Date format. Select a format with a four-digit year. (It's best to do this before you import the project to @RISK.)
In Control Panel, in the Region applet, on the Formats tab, set the short date format to one that involves a four-digit year.
In Control Panel, in the Region applet, click Additional settings near the bottom. On the Customize Format dialog that appears, select the Date tab. At the bottom, "When a two-digit year is entered, interpret it as a year between" will say 1930 (grayed out) and 2029. Change 2029 to 2049, and the 1930 will change to 1950. (There's nothing special about the year 2049—any year will work if it's comfortably past the latest possible end date for your projects. Remember that a simulation will generate dates both earlier and later than the static dates you see when a simulation isn't running, and choose your "year between" range accordingly.)
Last edited: 2018-05-04