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January 1, 2000
Web posted at: 1:50 p.m. EST (1850 GMT)

(CNN) -- As the midnight hour passed around the world, no major computer glitches surfaced to spoil the global celebration.

And associated fears of computer virus outbreaks -- and mass attacks by hackers -- went largely unfulfilled.

But there were a few minor Y2K-related problems at power plants. In Japan, a computer system designed to monitor the performance of a nuclear plant failed.

In the U.S., at least five utilities reported problems due to the time change.

VIDEO A worldwide review of Y2K events, from CNN's Marsha Walton. (January 1) Windows Media 28K 80K     ALSO Y2K sites around the world     ALSO For more ITN millennium coverage, visit ITN on line.

"Some clocks just jumped ahead and printed out the wrong day, that sort of thing. So then they reset their clock and everything went back fine. There were no system problems and no electrical problems. It was just a clock synchronization issue that happened on New Year's Eve," says Phil Harris, CEO of PJM Interconnection, the company responsible for operation of the largest electric system in North America.

At least three nuclear power plants in the U.S. - in Georgia, Pennsylvania and North Carolina -- had problems, but they had nothing to do with Y2K, according to officials at the plants.

But when the clocks struck midnight in England, many vital worldwide computer systems keyed to Greenwich Mean Time didn't miss a beat -- air traffic control, among others, kept on ticking.

"It's a situation that nobody would have predicted in the transition," said John Koskinen , chairman of the President's Council on Y2K Conversion.

Malicious users did deface some Web sites, but no more or less than usual according to Attrition.org, which logs Web defacements. British Rail customers briefly noticed the railway's popular Web site saying all trains were canceled due to Y2K concerns. British Rail repaired the site almost immediately.

No Y2K related electrical problems reported worldwide

The National Y2K Center of Japan survived an unsuccessful attempt by hackers to break into its computer system.

The U.S. government spent $8.5 billion making its computers Y2K compliant -- the private sector about $100 billion. So far, it looks like money well spent.

"The reason we're in the position we're in is because we spent that money. Had we not spent this money, we would be facing worldwide calamity," said Matt Hotle, vice president of the technology consulting firm Gartner Group.

But Y2K watchdogs caution the Y2K glitch isn't necessarily zapped yet. Some problems may show up as financial markets and businesses open over the next three days, while other problems may not be found for months.

Among other Y2K-related glitches:

Taxi meters broke down in a China province.

Several hundred slot machines shut down at a Delaware horse track