silly Windows clock problem

private joker · #1 12-19-2005, 10:21 PM

This is bizarre. I have a PC with Windows XP. The system clock in the lower right corner of the taskbar is running slow. When I reset it to the correct time, within 2 days it is almost 5 minutes behind. After a week it will be 10-15 minutes behind.

Has anyone encountered this random problem and is there a quick solution?

#2 12-19-2005, 10:47 PM

Easy fix. Right click the clock, choose "Adjust Date/Time", click the tab that says "Internet Time" and change the server to another time server.

Or just turn off internet time.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

mattw · #3 12-19-2005, 11:08 PM

the computer's internal battery may be dying. how old is cpu?

BluffTHIS! · #4 12-20-2005, 02:50 AM

[ QUOTE ]
the computer's internal battery may be dying. how old is cpu?

[/ QUOTE ]

This is what you need to be concerned about, and before it totally goes in the middle of something. But the computer normally would have to be 4-5+ years old before it would happen in my experience, which is replacing batteries a couple times over the years.

smoore · #5 12-20-2005, 04:04 AM

clock doesn't matter for our purposes of reliability. (unless you're running a datamiming group)

if it's REALLY bad, have it sync the clock with an internet time server every 5 minutes... if it's just a little bad then every hour should be fine.

private joker · #6 12-21-2005, 03:01 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Easy fix. Right click the clock, choose "Adjust Date/Time", click the tab that says "Internet Time" and change the server to another time server.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, this didn't work. I waited a couple days to make sure. After I did this (shortly after the post), I left it alone until now, when I just reset it -- it was 3 minutes slow by now.

Someone asked how old the CPU is -- it's almost 2 years old. Could it be the battery already?

smoore · #7 12-21-2005, 03:34 PM

AFAIK, the battery doesn't do anything while the computer is powered on. I've had machines with completely dead CMOS batteries that worked fine as long as power was never removed.

cgwahl · #8 12-21-2005, 10:39 PM

Windows only updates its clock once a week if you have it checked off.

If its really a concern then just do a search for a windows clock updater.

Or go here...this place has a free one: http://www.worldtimeserver.com/atomic-clock/

Or here: http://www.hsinlin.com/software/time_sync.html