Why does the clock in my computer continually lose time?

1-03--02 | Self

[Max Monroe]

The time in the tool bar of my computer continually loses time. Right now it is about 6:32 and my computer clock says 6:14. I reset it this morning. Since the darn thing is always plugged in, why would it lose time? An inquiring mind wants to know.

[Nephi]

Hmmm, I expected to see some "Get a Mac..." type comments. Could it be that they lose time, too???!!!!

[RightWhale]

I might set my computer outdoors next time it gets cold, like 30 below zero, and see if the clock gets slower or faster. Would it be seconds in a day, or soemthing more significant?

[Bogey78O]

That reminds me of a story of a pilot who noted to the mechanic on duty that engine 2 was running too high. He found a note the next day saying engined 1,3,and 4 were running too low.

[jlogajan]

Here's a demonstration you can do.

Set your clock. Then let it drift for a while until it is significant enought to be sure it has drifted.

Now reboot the computer but don't touch the clock beforehand and see if the time is CORRECT again after the reboot.

I believe the battery backup clock on your motherboard is probably keeping better time than the SOFTWARE clock that shows in the tray. The software clock is based off the system processor and a counter/divider circuit. This either may be misconfigured at the BIOS level or they just picked an approximate divide ratio that was "close enough."

[jlogajan]

Oh, I forgot to mention that the SOFTWARE clock is updated at bootup time from the battery backup clock, but then free runs from there.

[jrewingjr]

You could change your screen name to Baby's Butt. When people ask why, you can say, "'Cause I'm a little behind.

Seriously, I have the same problem; I'll have to race you for that new screen name. I'm running Windows 95 (since it doesn't have as many Big Brother features) and my clock is now 6 minutes slow since I reformatted and reinstalled in August.

[backhoe]

Thanks for looking- I tried it & it seems to work... and it's free. My PC keeps weird, erratic time; almost always 5-10 minutes off.

[CounterCounterCulture]

TIME WARP from The Rocky Horror Picture Show

It's astounding; 
Time is fleeting; 
Madness takes its toll. 
But listen closely... 
Not for very much longer. 
I've got to keep control. 

I remember doing the time-warp 
Drinking those moments when 
The Blackness would hit me 
And the void would be calling... 

Let's do the time-warp again. 
Let's do the time-warp again. 

It's just a jump to the left. 
And then a step to the right. 
With your hands on your hips. 
You bring your knees in tight. 
But it's the pelvic thrust 
That really drives you insane.
 
Let's do the time-warp again. 
Let's do the time-warp again. 

It's so dreamy, oh fantasy free me. 
So you can't see me, no, not at all. 
In another dimension, with voyeuristic intention, 
Well secluded, I see all. 

With a bit of a mind flip 
You're into the time slip. 
And nothing can ever be the same. 
You're spaced out on sensation. 
LIKE YOU'RE UNDER SEDATION

Let's do the time-warp again. 
Let's do the time-warp again. 

Well I was walking down the street just a-having a think 
When a snake of a guy gave me an evil wink. 
He shook-a me up, he took me by surprise. 
He had a pickup truck, and the devil's eyes. 
He stared at me and I felt a change. 
Time meant nothing, never would again. 

Let's do the time-warp again. 
Let's do the time-warp again. 

It's just a jump to the left. 
And then a step to the right. 
With your hands on your hips. 
You bring your knees in tight. 
But it's the pelvic thrust 
That really drives you insane. 
Let's do the time-warp again. 
Let's do the time-warp again. 

[RightOnline]

Yeah................good point.

[tubebender]

Some geriatric hacked your pooter and is stealing your time. It happened to me a while back. Woke up one morning to find out I was suddenly 68.

[auggy]

My computer is almost 2 years old and has continually lost time, since , the day I bought it. I keep it on time by a program called , Ascentive.com.

[TC Rider]

Look under your computer, There is a hole that it's running out.... Bettr go catch it, before it's gone for ever.

You're supposed to keep the bit bucket under that hole, to collect the bits from when you delete something.

[Bill Rice]

"I have a celeron chip and a HP computer...what pieces of junk!"

Hey, watch it there- You'll smoke turds in hell if you say bad things about Celerons!

I have 2 300 Celerons that I've had running at 450 for 3 or 4 years now.

[LostTribe]

It's your computers way of saying "Install a new motherboard. You got your moneys worth out of it and it's time to update to todays technology."

Or, you could just replace the battery.

[Rustynailww]

anybody on Local Apparent Sidereal Time?

[tubebender]

Hmmm, I expected to see some "Get a Mac..." type comments. Could it be that they lose time, too???!!!!

NOPE...

[wienerdog.com]

True, but if it's a leaky cable (which seems to be the case more often than not) the bits will leach out all along the length of the cable. What I do is I wind all the excess cable into a coil. That way, when the bits leak out, they are often absorbed back into the cable. You can lose synchronization this way if you are moving data at high speeds, but I have found the risk to be more than worth it. Those Internet time servers are often inaccurate because of the high incidence of cable leaks all the way here from Boulder, Colorado. Maybe a satellite uplink would help, but then you have latency issues to contend with. I would use an atomic oscillator to compensate, but that's JMHO. Hope this helps.

[wienerdog.com]

True, but if it's a leaky cable (which seems to be the case more often than not) the bits will leach out all along the length of the cable. What I do is I wind all the excess cable into a coil. That way, when the bits leak out, they are often absorbed back into the cable. You can lose synchronization this way if you are moving data at high speeds, but I have found the risk to be more than worth it. Those Internet time servers are often inaccurate because of the high incidence of cable leaks all the way here from Boulder, Colorado. Maybe a satellite uplink would help, but then you have latency issues to contend with. I would use an atomic oscillator to compensate, but that's JMHO. Hope this helps.

[UCANSEE2]

YOU ARE ALL WRONG !

The problem is this....

The planet Earth rate of spin is increasing, making the days look shorter !

[ken in texas]

Does anyone really know what time it is?

Are you logged on?

More seriously though ... when you reboot does the time reset? Are you running some games that might interfere with the OS's time measurements?...

You might have a motherboard going bad but there are other things that can contribute to it. How old is the machine?