Bloody 'ell

[Airborne Hamster]

I find it bloody incredible that after having recently bought a computer,with all it's complexity and clever innovations,the bl*edin' clock of top right corner fame is running fast!!!!

How can this be.My watch is OK(within reason),my video is OK.Even the P2 clock is accurate to within a few seconds(assuming some new gizza hasn't been experimenting with the buttons).

Does anyone have any ideas how I can alter the accuracy of the Windows clock?I know how to set the thing but not how to alter the rate.

Thanks in antip. A H

[Squiddley]

AH

The only way I know of is to download and use an atomic clock program. It links to one of the same via the internet whenever you connect, and makes its adjustments automatically.

Don't know of a way to correct the time automatically without using such a program. I have the same problem here too, and supect the CMOS battery. Even though the PC might be new, the board may have been sitting around for a while...? Having said that, one PC I bought back in the drak ages of '96 is still ticking away, so who knows ? :)

RGDS

[Icarus]

I use TARDIS which is shareware.
You can download it free from here:

http://tucows.tierranet.com/adnload/1081_30336.html

[fobotcso]

I've been using "About Time" for so long I could hardly remember where I got it, it's;

http://www.arachnoid.com

and its written by Paul Lutus who calls it "Careware". Nice guy.

Its a tiny process running in the background which synchronises the windows clock to an Observatory clock of your choosing when you're on-line. The Bios clock is synchronised in turn and the system remembers the time on shut-down. It works on a network, too, as you can specify the workstations to synchronise with a Server or master station, even when off-line.

Having said that, if your PC clock is more than about 1 second out in a month, there is something wrong. You might complain under the warranty.

[Edited to fix the link]



[This message has been edited by fobotcso (edited 13 February 2001).]

[ExSimGuy]

The basic problem is with the original PC (as in 8086 :) ) hardware, which was designed to use a couple of floopies (no HDD, no battery-backed clock, and before WinDoze was invented!) and to be switched on every day under DOS. DOS brought up a prompt asking you to enter time and date, and kept a reasonably accurate update throughout the day. (calculated by dividing the system clock by a fixed number which was "accurate enough" in those days)

Now that our computers are often switched on all the time, or at least the CMOS keeps the clock running all the time, we notice the errors that have always been present (a couple of minutes a week I think) and it mounts up over a long time period.

When I connect my GPS receiver (to download track/waypoint data) I have the chance to sync the PC with a sub-second accuracy clock. As mentioned above you can also use AtomTime or similar utility to sync with someone's atomic clock - or you can just put it correct to the BBC every day or three. depends on the accuracy that you need ;)

Sorry, but if it's an error in the order of a minute or so every few days, it's a "legacy" (lagacy?) problem that you have to "work around" with one of the solutions above - not a hardware problem with your particular PC :mad:

------------------
What Goes Around . . . . .
. . often makes a better landing

[This message has been edited by ExSimGuy (edited 12 February 2001).]

[Airborne Hamster]

Many thanks for your helpful answers and links guys.
Look forward to giving them a try!

Cheers, AH