My windows clock is always 3 minutes late!

[aakerman]

I've been having this problem for some time on my company laptop. Matter of fact, it's always been that way.

It's a Dell D420 - and the windows clock keeps running 3 minutes late. I can correct it, but invariably it's back to running 3 minutes late some time after - sometimes after as little as an hour.

I've tried to correct the clock in the BIOS too, but to no avail.

Possible explanations could be that I'm connected via VPN to the company network, or the MS Exchange server I use for mails.

I know I could install "Atomic Clock Sync", but I'd really rather avoid that app.

 

[Gneisenau]

It's syncing it's clock to the server's and it's the server that is 3 min late. Computer clocks can't drift 3 min then stop drifting. Plus they pretty much drift at a constant rate (Within reason) It woudn't drift 3 min in an hour one day and then 3 min in one day the next without something external causing a time change.

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

What time are you comparing it to? I would either try a different time server for Windows to sync to, or change the other clocks. 🙂

 

[aakerman]

I'm comparing to various internet "clock sites", like klokken.dk (local Danish time). Also the radio news broadcasts 🙂

How do I change time servers ?

 

[Brazen]

You can manually change time servers, but you really do not want to do that. By default it is set up to synchronize with your company's domain controller. It is necessary for workstations and servers to by in sync with each other for security reasons and some software will even fail to work without this time sync. Even if they are synced to the wrong time, being in sync with each other is what is important.

Unfortunately, the only thing you can do about this is to tell your system administrator that the time on the domain controller is off by 3 minutes. I keep our domain controller synced to the ntp.org pool ( us.pool.ntp.org for the United States ).

 

[RebateMonger]

Time settings typically come from three sources:

1) No time synch signal. You can set your own clock and it'll slowly drift. This isn't what is happening in your case.

2) Local time synch to an Internet time server. In XP, you can see what time server you are synching too by right-clicking on the clock. I use time-a.nist.gov. The Windows Time Server isn't very reliable

3) Synching to a Domain controller on your network. If this is happening, you won't be able to change your time source by right-clicking on the clock. In this case, you need to tell your Domain administrator to pay attention to his time sources.

Exchange Server has nothing to do with time synchronization.

 

[aakerman]

Thanks! Very informative.

I don't get any time server info by right-clicking on the clock, so I guess I'm with the third option. Which means I'll try to find out whoever is in charge of my domain in our organization - it certainly isn't anyone in my country.