dumb question????

M

marcD

I know this is not an issue of great importance. But it is something that has always kind of confused me.

I can buy a digital watch for less than $10. And the time it keeps will general be very accurate. Most cases better than a mechanical Rolex that may cost more than my car.

But my computer (every computer I have ever had) can't keep accurate time.

I rarely download free stuff. Afraid of viruses. But I downloaded something called "precision time"...on a whim.

http://www.precision-time.com/help/index.html?LOCID=PT&C=HIC_L90DT&V=2.0.0.2

Looked like a safe and legitimate site. And if the site is accurate, then my computer clock is even more innacurate than I thought. I know it isn't crucial to have the right time on the tray, but why not have it?

I do get accurate time on my trading platform....syncronized to the exchanges I think. I just use the "symbol" TIME. (should go long TIME every day at the open and sell at 11:59...Then short at noon and cover at 1 pm:) )

So my question is why are computer clocks so inaccurate? And also, I remember my old XT having a battery to run the clock when the power was off. Do the newer computers have batteries also? So much stuff jammed in there, it is hard to tell for me just by looking. I am not a tech guy, and I have 3 daughters who and a wife that know less than me. The girl's boyfriends are always volunteering to "fix" my computer problems. Seems they see things wrong that I am not even aware of. Maybe this is how today's teenage boys impress today's teenage girls?

Thanks,
MarcD
 
marcD, I would immediately uninstall Precision Time. From the Web (link intentionally omitted - it may also be spyware) :

"You are browsing the web. Suddenly something pops up in the middle of your screen. Annoyed you hurriedly check for a Cancel button. There is no Cancel button, and the wording seems to indicate that the popup popped up as a result of something you did, something you wanted, so you click OK, again in a hurry. You’ve been "got". Through one of their clever popup ads The Gator Corporation have managed to trick you into installing Date Manager, Precision Time, and their adware (in this context we call "adware" software which communicates back to an advertising server and pops up advertisements as you are browsing the Internet). From now on your browsing experience becomes an absolute nightmare of endless advertising popup windows.

Recommendation :
Date Manager is actually a nifty piece of software – a well designed System Tray calendar with a reminder facility. However, we object to end-users being tricked into installing software without realising that that is what is happening. And when that software also installs adware, then it becomes totally unacceptable. Worse still, programs randomly stop responding temporarily with this software installed, and then start working again. This is software we hate! De-install "Date Manager" and "Precision Time" from the "Add/Remove Program" icon in the Control Panel, then download SpyBot Search & Destroy from our Downloads section and run it to get rid of the Gator adware."
 
Thanks for the info. I will do as you suggested.

Do you work with one of these firms? I saw your mention of "we".

Oh, what about the battery question?

And where do i find the "spybot" software? (in english. tried google and found it in german).

Thanks,

MarcD
 
Quote from marcD:

Do you work with one of these firms? I saw your mention of "we".
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No decent firm would have anything to do with me - it was just a cut-and-paste job from the internet.

Oh, what about the battery question?
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I presume there is some sort of battery supply in the post-XT/AT machine.

And where do i find the "spybot" software? (in english. tried google and found it in german).
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That's because the guy who wrote it is German. Try these at your own risk :

http://spybot.eon.net.au/

http://www.worldtimeserver.com/atomic-clock (for time)
 
If yer running WinXP (maybe the pro version only, not sure) then you can synch up every morning with MS (which is what I do). Just right click on the clock (default spot is the lower right hand of your screen), select Adjust Date & Time, select the Internet Time tab, and click on the Update Now button.

While it does have an automatic update function, it only seems to work weekly.
 
Yes, computers have a small battery that keeps the a quartz crystal clock running 7x24. If your computer starts acting strangely and losing or resetting the time, then it suggests that this little battery has died.

The reason that computers keep such poor time is because they use low-quality quartz crystals. Low quality crystals are more sensitive to temperature and tend to run just slightly off their official cock rate. It also wouldn't surprise me if the extremely nasty RFI/EMI environment inside a PC didn't contribute to the problem.

Happy timing (of trades),
Traden4Alpha
 
Quote from marcD:

I know this is not an issue of great importance. But it is something that has always kind of confused me.

I can buy a digital watch for less than $10. And the time it keeps will general be very accurate. Most cases better than a mechanical Rolex that may cost more than my car.

But my computer (every computer I have ever had) can't keep accurate time.

....

Thanks,
MarcD
More...

There is a simple solution: use the network time protocol. In windows 2000 - provided you have unfiltered network access for the time protocol - you can synchronize your computers time to the atomic clock at boulder colorado or other network time servers available around the world. This can be done fairly easily in UNIX as well. In Windows 2000 this is out of the box functionality which requires about 2 minutes and 3 commands to configure.
 
Quote from TGregg:

If yer running WinXP (maybe the pro version only, not sure) then you can synch up every morning with MS (which is what I do). Just right click on the clock (default spot is the lower right hand of your screen), select Adjust Date & Time, select the Internet Time tab, and click on the Update Now button.

While it does have an automatic update function, it only seems to work weekly.
More...

TGregg, I'm running XP and that's what I've been doing. My clock usually shows 1 hr. off, and it happens mybe 2 or 3 times a month. It only takes a sec. to adjust.
 
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