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September 11th, 2006 05:00

my clock is fast

i have a brand new inspiron E1505...windows xp and the clock is running about 3 to 4 minutes fast
ive reset it a few times but it keeps speeding up
what can i do to fix this

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422 Posts

September 11th, 2006 06:00

I'm not sure anyone can fix that.
 
I have never seen or heard of someones clock running fast.You could check the Microsoft website.

9 Posts

September 11th, 2006 06:00

ive googled and found lots of people with the same problem
just cant find the fix

8 Posts

September 14th, 2006 03:00

I see that you have Windows XP.  This OS has an itty, bitty fairie living inside and it is his weekly duty to automatically synchronize the clock in your computer with a time server on the Internet.  However, if you are not connected to the Internet, the fairie cannot carry out his duty.  Also, if you are connected to a network, and the network uses a firewall in an attempt to prevent unauthorized access, then the itty, bitty fairie may not be able to perform synchronization.    

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2.2K Posts

September 14th, 2006 13:00

bethm,

Comedy aside, marguerita is correct. When you connect to a network (and the internet is just a really big, open network), your system will attempt to synchronize the clock. If your non-computer clocks are 3 minutes behind the network clock and you reset your system to your non-computer clocks, then when you connect to the network, the system clock will change.

This is relatively easy to test, especially if you use your system unconnected for relatively long periods. When you disconnect from the network (or internet), reset your clock. Use the system disconnected and watch for the time to change. If the time changes while you are not connected to a network, then you may have a problem with the internal clock on the system. If the system clock is running fast, it should not jump the time forward once, like 3-4 minutes, but simply run fast, or slow, like 1 minute fast per hour. This should be obvious after a few hours disconnected. Remember that the system can even be turned off during the test.

If the time does not change while disconnected, then try connecting up to the network (or internet) and wait and see if the time changes. If it only changes when connected, then your non-computer clocks and the network clocks are simply set differently. I know of no way to keep the system from synchronizing itself with the network clock.

Personally, I changed all my non-computer clocks to match the time on my computer, which is connected to the internet.

So, while marguerita may have chosen a funny way to describe the situation, she is essentially correct. Your system is synchronizing with an network clock, as it is designed to do. At least that is the most likely explanation.

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