# Clock \*constantly\* changing times in Windows 7

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clock-constantly-changing-times-in-windows-7/528941>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 14, 2010, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clock-constantly-changing-times-in-windows-7/528941 "2010-02-14T07:30:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\
**Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clock-constantly-changing-times-in-windows-7/528941/1 "2010-02-14T07:30:10Z")

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I recently installed Windows 7 and now have been bedeviled by an incredibly annoying problem with the clock. It is always going back a few hours. Sometimes one, sometimes two, sometimes three. It just changed randomly from 2:29 AM to 11:29 AM. I had to go into the settings to change it to the proper time.

What can I do about this? Or should I just adjust my life’s schedule to conform to the computer’s schizophrenic clock?

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**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\
**Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clock-constantly-changing-times-in-windows-7/528941/2 "2010-02-14T07:36:07Z")

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Are you on a desktop or laptop? If desktop, maybe your CMOS battery is dying out. Replace it.

Alternatively, you can set the clock to synchronize automatically over the Internet:

Click on the time in the system tray, change date and time settings, Internet time, change settings, Synchronize with an Internet time server.

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**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\
**Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clock-constantly-changing-times-in-windows-7/528941/3 "2010-02-14T08:44:13Z")

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Is it changing at a rate of approximately once every second?

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**Author:** ![Waffle\_Decider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/77aa72/32.png) [@Waffle\_Decider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waffle_Decider)\
**Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clock-constantly-changing-times-in-windows-7/528941/4 "2010-02-14T12:54:10Z")

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Is it only the hour that always changes, but the minute is always correct? If so, make sure your time zone is set correctly. Your computer automatically synchronizes itself with a network time server, which operates in UTC. Your computer needs to know your time zone to translate that correctly to your local time. As long as the computer has Internet access, you shouldn’t need to manually adjust the time yourself.

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**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\
**Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clock-constantly-changing-times-in-windows-7/528941/5 "2010-02-14T13:49:00Z")

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If the time zone is right, maybe change it, save it, then change it back?