Computer Clock

ecstasy · Post by **ecstasy** » July 24th, 2008, 11:21 pm

Why is the computer clock in the bottom right corner complete sh*t? I have XP SP2 and it just gets slower and slower as time goes on. Any way to fix this?

Drkpwn3r · Post by **Drkpwn3r** » July 24th, 2008, 11:45 pm

I believe what's happening is your CMOS battery is dying -- try replacing the CMOS battery (the only battery on your motherboard), the clock's slowing down as time goes on because that's dying (as all batteries do).

To remove it (safely, that is), shut your computer down completely (remove all power sources from it & press the power button to discharge any remaining charge in the motherboard/power supply), then gently push against the metal on the side of the battery (least in my case it's plastic on 1 side, metal on the other -- it flexes & allows the battery to just pop out) with either your finger nail, or I suggest a small flat-head screwdriver that won't magnetize.

To put a new one in, put the one side of the battery under the metal, and then push down on the side with the plastic (the metal again will flex to allow the battery in, the plastic will keep it properly aligned).

Just to make sure you don't panic, though -- that battery keeps track of your computer's time, clocks (if you have overclocking capabilities), etc. So chances are when you replace the battery it'll give you an error in BIOS before loading the OS.

Post by **fl00d3d** » July 25th, 2008, 11:54 am

Yeah, I agree: dying CMOS battery. If its an older computer, that's almost certainly what the problem is. Newer PCs shouldnt have dying batteries quite yet.

This is also a way to reset your BIOS (which is what Pwn3r was talking about at the end of his post). So removing the battery and hitting the power switch serves a few purposes. Most modern motherboards also have a jumper that you can change which resets it for you, so that you don't have to take the battery out.

Be very carefuly when removing and replacing the battery. You don't want to damage the motherboard in any way. So be gentle. And when you've replaced it, IMMEDIATELY go into BIOS and redo all of your settings before you bother loading back into XP. You'll have to do the system clock again anyway, since it will be reset, but other things will be reset as well. So you might as well take care of it all at once.

danpaul88 · Post by **danpaul88** » July 25th, 2008, 3:30 pm

Alternatively if you don't feel like messing around with the physical battery, you could enable the Time service in XP / Vista, which will automatically update your clock time at regular intervals to match the time specified by it's online server. While it won't keep your clock right 100% of the time, it will reset it to the correct time regularly so it shouldn't fall too far behind.

From what your describing, your saying the clock gets slower while the PC is fully powered up, yes? If so it's unlikely to be a battery problem, because while the PC is powered on the battery will continually be charged from the PSU, so it's unlikely to be able to cause problems. If the time loss is occurring when the PC is turned OFF, then it probably is a battery issue.

Drkpwn3r · Post by **Drkpwn3r** » July 25th, 2008, 4:30 pm

danpaul88 wrote:From what your describing, your saying the clock gets slower while the PC is fully powered up, yes? If so it's unlikely to be a battery problem, because while the PC is powered on the battery will continually be charged from the PSU, so it's unlikely to be able to cause problems. If the time loss is occurring when the PC is turned OFF, then it probably is a battery issue.

It's been proven that the battery, even if the computer is fully powered, still affects how well the BIOS keeps track of time (for some people it would lose 30 minutes every 24 hours while the computer idles the entire time).
Just thought I'd go ahead & mention that.

ecstasy · Post by **ecstasy** » July 25th, 2008, 5:30 pm

I'm not sure when it gets behind, it just slowly gets more and more off over time. It's three minutes behind right now, and it will probably be four by the end of Sunday. I realize that it's not that big of a deal, but sometimes I rely on it too much and then I end up late for work.

Post by **fl00d3d** » July 25th, 2008, 7:19 pm

If the battery is weak, then every time he starts up his PC the time will be behind a little more and more. Which is what I understood the problem to be.

The CMOS and battery store the system time, and then Windows grabs its time from that during install ... and continues from that point on. So if it's slowing down, it could be a variety of problems - but every single time that I've had to deal with a clock issue it was related to power (specifically the battery).

danpaul88 · Post by **danpaul88** » July 26th, 2008, 3:05 am

Drkpwn3r wrote: It's been proven that the battery, even if the computer is fully powered, still affects how well the BIOS keeps track of time (for some people it would lose 30 minutes every 24 hours while the computer idles the entire time).
Just thought I'd go ahead & mention that.

Interesting, I have never heard of that before. My understanding was that as long as the battery was being pumped full of power from the PSU it couldn't affect the system time, but I suppose if the battery is completely knackered and not letting through enough of that power it would still affect it.

If your only seeing a few minutes loss per day, then what I said about the Windows Time service would probably work fine, as it would automatically fix the time itself on a regular basis.

Post by **fl00d3d** » July 26th, 2008, 12:18 pm

The CMOS battery has no electrical connection to the output of the PSU. It's a completely separate circuit. (ie. there is no charging of the battery, or sustaining of electrical charge by the PSU once the system is turned back on). It's a lithium battery like the ones you find in watches, and is designed for low voltage high-endurance situations. But it's not rechargeable or anything. Typically 1 or 2 are needed in the life of a PC. One usually suffices.

my44mag · Post by **my44mag** » July 26th, 2008, 12:43 pm

OH..dont forget to ground your self before touching and electronics
Put your hand on the Pc metal case..then touch a earth ground..something metal the enters the earth ..the round hole in a wall plug or "water pipe for say"
I fryed my asus board installing ram chip one time before...I heard a static shock clik..and it was all over!
Junk!! another 200 bucks!

STEREODOG · Post by **STEREODOG** » July 26th, 2008, 1:18 pm

Do what I do = build another super computer.
problem solved. Works everytime!!!!

ecstasy · Post by **ecstasy** » July 26th, 2008, 7:07 pm

my44mag wrote:OH..dont forget to ground your self before touching and electronics
Put your hand on the Pc metal case..then touch a earth ground..something metal the enters the earth ..the round hole in a wall plug or "water pipe for say"
I fryed my asus board installing ram chip one time before...I heard a static shock clik..and it was all over!
Junk!! another 200 bucks!

Thanks for the worthless advice.

NoTMoFiR3 · Post by **NoTMoFiR3** » July 26th, 2008, 8:14 pm

STEREODOG wrote:Do what I do = build another super computer.
problem solved. Works everytime!!!!

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

my44mag · Post by **my44mag** » July 27th, 2008, 9:43 am

You real little b*tch ecstacy.

NoTMoFiR3 · Post by **NoTMoFiR3** » July 27th, 2008, 11:09 am

Hes better than you dude, he can spell

Tsunami Gaming

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