Why Does My PC Clock Lose About 30 Minutes Per Day?

[arwalden]

It's an "e-Machine" that has operated perfectly in every other way... no problems AT ALL (amazingly) except for the annoying clock problem.

Any ideas what might be wrong or what I can do to solve it? I'm running XP with an Athlon processor.

-- Allen

[lil-petunia]

1. work faster. Type smoother, take no coffee breaks

The problem is not your internal clock, the problem is in your view of reality.

[bbernardini]

2. Baby Jesus is doing it because you're voting for Kerry.

[Oreo]

3. Does it lose time when it's turned off?

Your battery may be dying. There's a nickel sized battery inside the PC that may need to be replaced

[Philostopher]

8. That would be my guess, too.

I've had the problem before, replacing the battery usually helps. Keeping the clock current is pretty much what it's there for.

[arwalden]

14. Nope... I leave it on all the time...

the monitor goes into power-saving hibernation mode after an hour... the screen saver kicks in after 15 minutes, but it's just a black screen.

-- Allen

[Finbar]

4. do you power it off at all during the day?

[kick-ass-bob]

5. your battery is dying

there is a battery that runs as a backup (at least computers used to have these) to the small things.
You need a new one. I know nothing about eMachines, so I don;t know where it is located.

[trotsky]

9. Yes

In all likelihood it's one of those nickel-sized batteries. You'll need to open the case and look on the motherboard for it - then go buy the proper replacement. Replace it (with the machine off, obviously) and your clock shouldn't drift nearly as much.

[short bus president]

10. It'll be on yer motherboard

likely a little "watch battery" kind of thing. If you have the mobo manual, it should tell you where to find the battery. Finding a replacement battery might not be so easy, though.

Oh, and ground yourself AND UNPLUG THE MACHINE before you touch the motherboard, Allen. ;-)

[arwalden]

21. Okay... I Found The Battery...Powered Down The PC And Removed The Battery

so that I could test it with my digital multimeter... and it's 3.1 volts... so it's operating at full power.

I guess it's just a crappy timekeeping circuit. I suppose I'll have to schedule a program to silently go out and ping some time server every hour to compensate for the loss.

-- Allen

[7th_Sephiroth]

6. i see your problem

reformat your comp, drop xp and ger 2,000

[amber dog democrat]

7. Keep Rebooting and reinstalling Windows

This is why I only use Macs - unless my evil masters of employment command otherwise.

[wtmusic]

11. *snarf*

ain't it the truth!

[lil-petunia]

12. I curse you with the blue screen of death!

I just saw that G-5 wow. what a machine!
Still love my G-4 powerbook, though. good enough for me for now.

[Torgo Johnson]

13. Do you turn off your PC when it is not being used ?

If so, it might be a problem with your BIOS battery that keeps time while the power is off.


In the meantime download Atomic Clock Sync at
http://www.worldtimeserver.com/atomic-clock/

You can start it with Windows and you can sync it either manually or automatic daily.

[Goldom]

17. those programs are even more useless than ever

Win XP automatically updates to the atomic clock. Well, to the Microsoft clock, but you can specify a different time server if you want, so it could if you told it to.

[BootinUp]

15. Try replacing the battery, but

It is probably just an inaccurate crystal/clock circuity on the motherboard.

[aden_nak]

16. -= It's an "e-Machine" =- is your answer.

They use shit-as-cheap parts. Odds are your internal battery is dying, or else the motherboard itself is quite whack. That you are only losing 30 minutes should be considered a miracle of herculean proportions.

[NicRic]

18. Coin battery on M.B.

That battery not only keeps the PC clock percise , it also hold your CMOS settings for you when the PC is off. You need to open the BIOS (Basic Input Output System) which hold the settings for your H.W and the boot sequence,etc. ! When you bootup a screen quickly flashes past you ,at the bottom of that screen it will tell you what key or combination of keys to press, to access the BIOS. On my PC its the delete button ,on some systems its F2. My BIOS is AWARD ver6.0 , your manual for your M.B. should tell you what BIOS is used. I've been told if you change the coin battery quickly ,you will retain your CMOS settings !
Good Luck Nick

[Hand]

19. Insh'Allah... nt

:evilgrin:

[Dookus]

20. bad feng shui...

you need to turn your computer around and put a mirror behind you.

[arwalden]

22. Here's A Motherboard That Incorporates Feng Shui!!!

... complete with a yin-yang chip!



http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=111x28953