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General discussion

Time & Date

Feb 15, 2004 5:19PM PST

I noticed this morning that my time was wrong and the date had changed back to Sept 2001. I corrected it. Just curious as to what caused this to happen.

Discussion is locked

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Re:Time & Date
Feb 17, 2004 10:39AM PST

Your CMOS battery may be dying.

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Re:Re:Time & Date
Feb 17, 2004 5:52PM PST

This is a desktop computer. Didn't realize that it had a battery.Sad

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Re:Re:Re:Time & Date
Feb 17, 2004 11:15PM PST

1. Computers keep the time on their internal clocks, which allows them to perform any function that requires the date or time. For scheduling purposes, the clocks should be set to the correct date and time synchronized other clocks in a network when applicable. Otherwise, the date and time must be set manually. If your computer is not a member of a domain/workgroup, configure the date and time manually and don't worry about it.

2. A computer actually maintains three separate clocks:

a. The Real Time Clock (RTC) is physically located on the system board (motherboard) and powered by the CMOS battery so it is consistently updated even if the system is not receiving AC power.

c. The CMOS Clock is a logical clock stored in the BIOS chip on the system board. Its settings are maintained (but not updated) in non-volatile RAM while the system is powered off.

d. The Operating System (OS) Clock is a logical clock/"time set" in system memory when the system is powered on. When a computer is turned on, the CMOS clock synchronizes with the RTC during the POST (Power On Self Test) operation. When the operating system boots, it reads the current time from the CMOS clock and maintains its own independent time keeping piece. The OS clock does not synchronize again with the CMOS clock unless the OS clock is manually changed (at which time both the CMOS clock and RTC are set to the time stored in the OS clock), or the system is rebooted.

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Batteries easy to replace...
Feb 18, 2004 12:53AM PST

Auggie, the desktop batteries are easy to replace. If your computer has some age then its worth checking. Open the case and locate the batteries. They can be anything from AA batteries to the round flat nickle shaped ones. Mine is located attached to the motherboard.

Good luck!... and stay on time.

Happy

Glenn