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geekhack Community => Other Geeky Stuff => Topic started by: fohat.digs on Thu, 07 May 2015, 19:53:24

Title: Why does my computer keep re-setting its time?
Post by: fohat.digs on Thu, 07 May 2015, 19:53:24
Recently, my computer (a fairly current ASRock AM3+ with 8GB and strong accessories) will sometimes return to GMT even though it knows that I am in US Eastern time zone (GMT +5 or +4 depending on Daylight Savings Time).

I occasionally dual-boot (via BIOS) to Ubuntu 14.04 and Windows 7 but it happens under both OSs.

Am I confusing it when I switch back and forth?
Title: Re: Why does my computer keep re-setting its time?
Post by: user 18 on Thu, 07 May 2015, 20:23:01
I have the same issue when switching back and forth between operating systems. I believe Linux expects the system clock to be set to UTC, and Windows expects the system clock to be set to local time, but I could have that backward. Updating the clock in either OS will affect the system clock, and mess things up for the next reboot. I believe there's a setting in Ubuntu somewhere to change its expectation for the system clock, but I don't know where as I haven't used Ubuntu in a few years and don't have a machine running that OS anymore.

E: https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/system-administrator/ch-sysadmin-time.html might help

E2: Looks like that's old information, take a look here: http://askubuntu.com/questions/521171/time-keeps-changing-between-bios-windows-7-ubuntu-14-04
Title: Re: Why does my computer keep re-setting its time?
Post by: smknjoe on Thu, 07 May 2015, 20:55:49
user 18's suggestion should fix it for you.

What was the deal with your networking problem fohat?
Title: Re: Why does my computer keep re-setting its time?
Post by: tp4tissue on Thu, 07 May 2015, 21:01:39
Am3+.  Well there's ur problem...
Title: Re: Why does my computer keep re-setting its time?
Post by: Snowdog993 on Thu, 07 May 2015, 21:06:27
Your CMOS battery may need to be replaced. 
Title: Re: Why does my computer keep re-setting its time?
Post by: user 18 on Thu, 07 May 2015, 21:15:36
Your CMOS battery may need to be replaced.

If that were the issue, we would more than likely have issues with the year as well, rather than just the +/- 4 hours switching back and forth. This is a known issue with dual boot windows/linux systems due to different handling of the BIOS clock.
Title: Re: Why does my computer keep re-setting its time?
Post by: Snowdog993 on Thu, 07 May 2015, 21:37:02
Your CMOS battery may need to be replaced.

If that were the issue, we would more than likely have issues with the year as well, rather than just the +/- 4 hours switching back and forth. This is a known issue with dual boot windows/linux systems due to different handling of the BIOS clock.

??  I've never encountered that issue.  I was just guessing that it could be that.
Title: Re: Why does my computer keep re-setting its time?
Post by: mason on Fri, 08 May 2015, 15:38:16
If that were the issue, we would more than likely have issues with the year as well, rather than just the +/- 4 hours switching back and forth. This is a known issue with dual boot windows/linux systems due to different handling of the BIOS clock.

I dual boot OSX and Windows 8.1 and the clock in Windows is always behind 4 hours.
Title: Re: Why does my computer keep re-setting its time?
Post by: user 18 on Fri, 08 May 2015, 16:02:18
If that were the issue, we would more than likely have issues with the year as well, rather than just the +/- 4 hours switching back and forth. This is a known issue with dual boot windows/linux systems due to different handling of the BIOS clock.

I dual boot OSX and Windows 8.1 and the clock in Windows is always behind 4 hours.

OSX is unix based (BSD I believe), and so also assumes the BIOS clock is in UTC. I don't know anything at all about OSX, but it's likely you can adjust settings to similar effect.

Alternately, this is apparently a way to make windows use UTC (I haven't tested this myself): http://askubuntu.com/questions/169376/clock-time-is-off-on-dual-boot
Title: Re: Why does my computer keep re-setting its time?
Post by: Snowdog993 on Sat, 09 May 2015, 00:19:46
One other thing you can do, is go to the clock on Windows 7.  Open up the Date and Time settings.  Click on the Internet Time tab, and click Change Settings...
Make sure that Synchronize with an Internet Time Server is checked, select Time.Nist.Gov.
Then click OK.

That re-synchs the clock to your correct time.  I hope this helps you Fohat.

Edit: Make sure you are in the correct Time Zone on the first tab too.
Title: Re: Why does my computer keep re-setting its time?
Post by: user 18 on Sat, 09 May 2015, 09:28:39
That will synchronize the Windows clock, but it will also synchronize the BIOS clock, and it will no longer be how Ubuntu is expecting it.
Title: Re: Why does my computer keep re-setting its time?
Post by: Snowdog993 on Sat, 09 May 2015, 12:18:52
Hello.
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UbuntuTime

You can synch Ubuntu too.
(Or vice-versa, if you prefer)
Title: Re: Why does my computer keep re-setting its time?
Post by: user 18 on Sat, 09 May 2015, 18:15:46
Yes, that's true. However, at boot time, the clock will still be wrong, and you'll need to either sync manually or wait for the scheduled sync to occur. Further down that same page, there's documentation regarding how to adjust Windows to expect a hardware clock using UTC, or to adjust Ubuntu to expect a hardware clock using local time. I would prefer the latter solution, as it is permanent and solves the time issue even without an active internet connection.