Clock drift

[SteveGrimm]

I run an NTP client to keep the clock set on my PC and I'm constantly amazed by how much correction needs to be applied every day. Why can't PC clocks keep time better than my microwave oven? It can't be that expensive to put a reasonably accurate clock on a motherboard, can it?

 

[jsbush]

Maybe your batterie is slowly dieing.

 

[jamarno]

#1 cause is a weak battery, but some 32768 Hz clock crystals (tiny silver cylinder, maybe near battery) can run unstable and require removing the battery and shorting its terminals (unplug computer first, and if you don't like a direct short, use a 1,000-ohm resistor). But many crystals aren't that accurate, and you have to try another. It's usually better to rip one out of a $1 digital watch than buy one separately because many of those crystals don't work well.

 

[Seeko]

Try replacing the CMOS battery.