Computer Clock Out

[oldrover]

I've just noticed that the clock on my computer is eight minutes fast, I thought that this wasn't possibly with a digital clock like this, how can that happen?

 

[Naughty_Felid]

You can manually change it. might have happened by accident

 

[rynner2]

I wonder what happened in your 8 minutes of missing time?! (That's assuming your computer has synchronised itself to your personal time.)

[It probably doesn't pay to think about that too much! ]

 

[Mythopoeika]

Computers on a network usually synch themselves up automatically with Internet Time Synchronisation - if that setting has been set.
If ITS is not set, the clock on the motherboard will wander a bit because it depends to some extent on the CPU's clock cycles - which vary from PC to PC because of different CPU clocking speeds. When the PC is off, the clock is maintained solely by the little disc-shaped button battery stuck on the motherboard. It's fairly inaccurate. Dunno why they make them so sub-par.

 

[oldrover]

Thanks for the replies. Maybe it's to do with my internet going the other day. And I wouldn't risk trying to change it myself, plus, those eight minutes (internet outage) were possibly the most amazing of my entire life, so I'll keep the discrepancy as a token of that time.

 

[Naughty_Felid]

Thanks for the replies. Maybe it's to do with my internet going the other day. And I wouldn't risk trying to change it myself, plus, those eight minutes (internet outage) were possibly the most amazing of my entire life, so I'll keep the discrepancy as a token of that time.

???

 

[Analogue Boy]

Thanks for the replies. Maybe it's to do with my internet going the other day. And I wouldn't risk trying to change it myself, plus, those eight minutes (internet outage) were possibly the most amazing of my entire life, so I'll keep the discrepancy as a token of that time.

As is usual with this sort of thing, make sure you check for evidence of anal probing.

 

[rynner2]

Just reset your clock, and deal with any other problems in the future.

 

[Analogue Boy]

Just reset your clock, and deal with any other problems in the future.

Good advice. It's easier to reset your clock than your anus. Always check the clock first.

 

[Ulalume]

Beware, an old computer of ours started to do this when the battery was beginning to wear out. Messages started appearing occasionally saying the time and date did not match a particular website. Then the thing just up and died.

You may want to check on your battery power, just to be safe.

 

[Coastaljames]

I've just noticed that the clock on my computer is eight minutes fast, I thought that this wasn't possibly with a digital clock like this, how can that happen?

My phone does this, which I never understand...

 

[rynner2]

This may help:

If your computer is losing its time or date settings, or you are receiving a message CMOS Read Error, CMOS Checksum Error, or CMOS Battery Failure, the CMOS battery needs to be replaced. To do this, follow the steps below.

http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000239.htm

 

[CarlosTheDJ]

Computers, phones, consoles.... you can switch-off the auto sync, which means that it won't automatically check on boot.

 

[oldrover]

Good advice. It's easier to reset your clock than your anus. Always check the clock first.

Actually, I'm fine and qualified to go round checking anuses, but computers are something else. Anus first.

This may help:

If your computer is losing its time or date settings, or you are receiving a message CMOS Read Error, CMOS Checksum Error, or CMOS Battery Failure, the CMOS battery needs to be replaced. To do this, follow the steps below.

http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000239.htm

Tank you Rynner, Ulalume and all, I'll try the link.

 

[Cochise]

There isn't a clock as such in a computer, there's a timer. The clock software uses the timer to 'tick' on from a starting point which either you type in or is obtained from a time server. If some other piece of software makes excessive use of the timer, the clock can lose time. I know this because my old DOS software used the timer to do time outs on network requests, and under certain conditions it could overload the timer.

I have an old BBC Master computer which I dug out of the loft a few months ago - when first booted and even after replacing the batteries it lost time for the first month or so but now its accurate after being left powered up for a long time. I wonder how many computers bought today will still work in 30 years time?

Gaining time is a bit more unusual, but as suggested above your clock may have been reset by a time server elsewhere, especially if it gained all the time in one bite, as it were.