SCARMAGNO, Italy, 29th December, 1997 – Olivetti EuroComputers today announced that the National Software Testing Laboratory (NSTL), the world’s leading independent testing organisation for the computer industry, has verified that all of its current professional and consumer PCs comply with their NSTL Year 2000 Hardware Compliance Program.

As part of its corporate strategy of being among the first to offer customers and partners the latest technology, Olivetti EuroComputers is the first European PC vendor to comply with NSTL Year 2000 Hardware Compliance Program. All Olivetti EuroComputers PCs also comply with the Microsoft PC 97 standard for Year 2000. Every Olivetti-branded PC manufactured since 1994 will continue to function without millennium-related problems on January 1, 2000 and beyond. Older Olivetti-branded computers are easily upgradeable by manually setting the correct date the first time the computer is switched on in the year 2000.

"In recognition that our customers and users have concerns about potential Year 2000 problems with their PCs, Olivetti EuroComputers has taken the extra step to have all our current systems independently tested for Year 2000 compatibility by NSTL," said Bernhard Auer, chief executive officer of Olivetti EuroComputers’s international sales and marketing operation. "Our dedication is to delivering our customers Year 2000 compliant PCs, and in providing them with the information they need to feel comfortable and be assured that their PC will function on and beyond the 1^st of January 2000."

In order to provide information and help alleviate any customer anxiety, Olivetti EuroComputers has established a special section on its website dedicated to the Year 2000 solution with details of it NSTL compliance and certification. Located at http://www.ocwi.com/catalog/Y2000/Y2000.htm, the website page contains useful information and Year 2000 tools, BIOS revisions and answers to frequently asked questions

All Olivetti EuroComputers product packaging will carry the NSTL Tested Year 2000 Hardware Compliance logo. This logo certifies that the computer equipment has passed NSTL’s YMARK2000 test, which involves independent testing of the PC for hassle-free transition to the next century.

About NSTL

NSTL is the leading independent testing facility for the computer industry. Founded in 1983, NSTL pioneered the use of objective, comparative testing of PC and LAN hardware and software. In addition to developing and administrating logo programmes, NSTL offers custom compatibility, performance, usability, BIOS and comparison testing services to hardware developers, software publishers, government agencies and corporations throughout the world. NSTL is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, and is a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies. Further information on NSTL’s services can be found on its website at http://www.nstl.com

Headquartered in Scarmagno, Italy, Olivetti EuroComputers is a leading European manufacturer of personal computers. Owned by the investment holding company, Piedmont International, Olivetti EuroComputers boasts a leading PC research and development laboratory based in central Europe, and a history which includes pioneering the first PC in Europe back in 1984. Today, Olivetti EuroComputers develops, manufactures, markets, distributes and services a full range of high-quality PCs - from Echos and Echos Pro notebooks, professional NetStrada servers and Modulo desktop computers, to the Xana line of consumer PCs for the home.