# Such a thing as an auto PC time-setter? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 6, 2004, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/such-a-thing-as-an-auto-pc-time-setter/238589 "2004-04-06T18:02:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/such-a-thing-as-an-auto-pc-time-setter/238589/1 "2004-04-06T18:02:02Z")
My PC clock is driving me batty. It gains a couple minutes a week, and since it’s one of the clocks I rely on to tell the time, this irks me. Yes, I can reset it continually, but I always forget. Is there such a thing as a program that would query some server somewhere once a day and reset the clock? ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/such-a-thing-as-an-auto-pc-time-setter/238589/2 "2004-04-06T18:05:12Z")
I’ve seen one listed before on [www.download.com](http://www.download.com) FWIW, Windows XP does this automatically ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/such-a-thing-as-an-auto-pc-time-setter/238589/3 "2004-04-06T18:09:32Z")
You can set your time straight off the official NIST time servers by downloading one of the programs here: [http://www.boulder.nist.gov/timefreq/service/its.htm](http://www.boulder.nist.gov/timefreq/service/its.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Anachronism](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@Anachronism](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anachronism)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/such-a-thing-as-an-auto-pc-time-setter/238589/4 "2004-04-06T18:28:49Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > My PC clock is driving me batty. It gains a couple minutes a week, and since it’s one of the clocks I rely on to tell the time, this irks me. Yes, I can reset it continually, but I always forget. Is there such a thing as a program that would query some server somewhere once a day and reset the clock? I reset my Laptop clock yesterday and it is now off by 29 Min :mad: It was off by a day and 1/2 before I reset it yesterday. I’ll have to try that program. Any one know why my computer clock is so screwed up? ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rex_fenestrarum/32/7265_2.png) [@Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Fenestrarum)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/such-a-thing-as-an-auto-pc-time-setter/238589/5 "2004-04-06T18:31:45Z")
I’m really fond of [AboutTime](http://www.arachnoid.com/abouttime) because it’s free and it also acts as a server as well. So if you have a network in your home, you can get the time on one of your PCs from an external server and have your remaining PCs get the time from that PC. I have a copy of the official NIST client on my [website](http://www.jimcofer.com/nist.exe). It’s free and you might wanna use it - after all your tax dollars paid for it. Right now I’m using [ZoneTick](http://www.zonetick.com). The main draw with this app is that it can display multiple clocks in your system tray. It too has a synchronization feature. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/such-a-thing-as-an-auto-pc-time-setter/238589/6 "2004-04-06T18:48:10Z")
> [@Rex Fenestrarum](#): > > I have a copy of the official NIST client on my [website](http://www.jimcofer.com/nist.exe). It’s free and you might wanna use it - after all your tax dollars paid for it. Your tax dollars, maybe, but not mine. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/such-a-thing-as-an-auto-pc-time-setter/238589/7 "2004-04-06T18:53:42Z")
I use the Beatnik Internet Clock [http://somedec.com/downloads/](http://somedec.com/downloads/) ---
**Author:** ![av8rmike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/edb3f5/32.png) [@av8rmike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/av8rmike)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/such-a-thing-as-an-auto-pc-time-setter/238589/8 "2004-04-06T19:33:41Z")
I use [Dimension 4](http://www.thinkman.com/dimension4/index.htm), available free from Thinking Man Software. ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/such-a-thing-as-an-auto-pc-time-setter/238589/9 "2004-04-06T19:43:33Z")
As **GorillaMan** mentioned, Windows XP will automatically synchronize its clock with Internet servers. Windows 2000 can also be configured to do this without any additional software. Set the Windows Time service to Automatic and run the following command: **net time \%computername% /setsntp:time.nist.gov** 2000 and XP machines which are members of a domain will sync up with their domain controller by default. ---
**Author:** ![robcaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@robcaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robcaro)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/such-a-thing-as-an-auto-pc-time-setter/238589/10 "2004-04-06T19:50:38Z")
I have Windows XP Prof. Go to Control Panel, Date and Time, Internet Time, Check Automatically synchronize with Internet Time Server. Click on Update Now and then exit. Time will be automatically be updated every 7 days. Enough for most computers. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/such-a-thing-as-an-auto-pc-time-setter/238589/11 "2004-04-06T23:22:27Z")
> [@Anachronism](#): > > I reset my Laptop clock yesterday and it is now off by 29 Min :mad: It was off by a day and 1/2 before I reset it yesterday. I’ll have to try that program. > > Any one know why my computer clock is so screwed up? It’s probably that the little internal lithium battery is running low. This is separate from the battery which powers the laptop. They usually last several years and range from really easy to replace, to really hard. ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rex_fenestrarum/32/7265_2.png) [@Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Fenestrarum)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/such-a-thing-as-an-auto-pc-time-setter/238589/12 "2004-04-07T03:20:27Z")
> [@Eleusis](#): > > It’s probably that the little internal lithium battery is running low. This is separate from the battery which powers the laptop. They usually last several years and range from really easy to replace, to really hard. Yeah, it’s usually just a CR-2032 battery. As Eleusis sais, it can be as simple as removing a screw on the bottom of the laptop and swapping out the cell to taking the whole damn thing apart. Your OEM should have documents on their website for how to do this. > [@](#): > > Time will be automatically be updated every 7 days. Enough for most computers. Not really. Computers are notoriously **lousy** timekeepers. My PC loses about a quarter second a day, which is abolsutely unacceptable to me - that’s why I have ZoneTick get the time from my DC every 8 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/such-a-thing-as-an-auto-pc-time-setter/238589/13 "2004-04-07T11:19:37Z")
> [@Rex Fenestrarum](#): > > My PC loses about a quarter second a day, which is abolsutely unacceptable to me… Wound just a little tight, are we? 😃