computers system clock is running fast, why?
Sunday, November 23, 2003 by feline | Discussion: WinCustomize Talk
i am starting to worry about my brand new computer, and this is not good.
does anyone know why the computers system clock would run fast? i have been noticing this effect for a little while now, and have installed beatnik and set it to sync my system clock every 120 minutes, and as soon as i first connect.
having a dial up connection, beatnik can only sync my PC when i am connected.
i was connected last night, so beatnik should have been keeping the PC clock synced OK. i turned it off for the night, and turned it on again this evening. when i did this the clock seemed to be about right. about 2 - 3 hours later i went on line, and as soon as i connected the system time jumped backwards by 40 seconds!
so, in less than 24 hours the system clock has drifted by 40 seconds
i have never had this problem before with any of my machines. anti-virus isn't reporting anything, and i am not aware of running any odd programs that would be causing this.
OS is winXP pro, and the machine is about 4 weeks old, bought brand new.
i need to see if the clock drifts when the machine is turned off, or if it only drifts when the machine is turned on. anyone got any ideas of what might be causing this?
does anyone know why the computers system clock would run fast? i have been noticing this effect for a little while now, and have installed beatnik and set it to sync my system clock every 120 minutes, and as soon as i first connect.
having a dial up connection, beatnik can only sync my PC when i am connected.
i was connected last night, so beatnik should have been keeping the PC clock synced OK. i turned it off for the night, and turned it on again this evening. when i did this the clock seemed to be about right. about 2 - 3 hours later i went on line, and as soon as i connected the system time jumped backwards by 40 seconds!
so, in less than 24 hours the system clock has drifted by 40 seconds
i have never had this problem before with any of my machines. anti-virus isn't reporting anything, and i am not aware of running any odd programs that would be causing this.
OS is winXP pro, and the machine is about 4 weeks old, bought brand new.
i need to see if the clock drifts when the machine is turned off, or if it only drifts when the machine is turned on. anyone got any ideas of what might be causing this?
digital_trucker
Reply #2 Sunday, November 23, 2003 5:57 PM
Reply #2 Sunday, November 23, 2003 5:57 PM
A lot of onboard clocks don't keep very good time. Yours might be a bit excessive, but it's probably nothing to worry about.
bordfryr
Reply #3 Sunday, November 23, 2003 7:17 PM
Reply #3 Sunday, November 23, 2003 7:17 PM
You might try something like Atomic Clock. Free, and you can configure it to run on startup. 
digital_trucker
Reply #4 Sunday, November 23, 2003 7:25 PM
Reply #4 Sunday, November 23, 2003 7:25 PM
Beware of the USNO server though. Every time I used it, I would get port scanned by it shortly after.
IPlural
Reply #5 Sunday, November 23, 2003 9:06 PM
Reply #5 Sunday, November 23, 2003 9:06 PM
If what yrag doesn't work, I'd suggest going into the BIOS and making sure that it is set to default so nothing is shadowing hardware ROMBIOS addresses into upper memory or caching it. This can cause issues like this and other oddities from time to time...
paxx
Reply #6 Monday, November 24, 2003 5:32 AM
Reply #6 Monday, November 24, 2003 5:32 AM
I used to have this problem, but I don't remember what exactly was causing it. It was related to Norton's Anti-virus, I think. It was a known issue and they probably fixed that problem by now (that was probably two years ago or so). I also read that Norton's Cleansweap could make your clock lose time.
wombat_1
Reply #7 Monday, November 24, 2003 6:34 AM
Reply #7 Monday, November 24, 2003 6:34 AM
Simple answer .... as you get older time passes faster.
I set my system to synch the time at startup with Sysmetrix.
I haven't noticed any problems but it is a good idea to check your BIOS as well.
It might be a remote chance that onboard battery is a bit suss as well ... very remote but it does happen.
I set my system to synch the time at startup with Sysmetrix.
I haven't noticed any problems but it is a good idea to check your BIOS as well.
It might be a remote chance that onboard battery is a bit suss as well ... very remote but it does happen.
Please login to comment and/or vote for this skin.
Welcome Guest! Please take the time to register with us.
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:
- Richer content, access to many features that are disabled for guests like commenting on the forums and downloading skins.
- Access to a great community, with a massive database of many, many areas of interest.
- Access to contests & subscription offers like exclusive emails.
- It's simple, and FREE!
Reply #1 Sunday, November 23, 2003 5:56 PM