dumb question????

[igsi]

Quote from marcD:

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.

You are mistaken. Undamaged and properly adjusted high quality mechanical watches are much more accurate than cheap quartz ones.

So my question is why are computer clocks so inaccurate?

Actually, they are. A weak battery is most likely the reason the computer is losing time. I've never encountered computer clock that was too fast. Did you? I am not saying it's impossible because it is. It's just a lot less likely that the clock is too slow than it's too fast.

Besides batteries there are other things which may affect you computer time. Some applications are known to mess up the clock, with Norton Antivirus being one of those. There are known issues with software/drivers for some peripherals (printers, scanners etc).

Also, there are known time problems with some Dell models. Perhaps there were so many complains, they posted an article titled "Why does my computer lose time or not properly update its clock, and how do I correct this problem?" which offers fairly good troubleshooting procedures for track down hardware and software related problems.
http://support.dell.com/us/en/kb/document.asp?DN=1016518
Here is one of the fixes for Dells running WinXP:
http://support.dell.com/us/en/filelib/download/index.asp?fileid=r40111

And also, I remember my old XT having a battery to run the clock when the power was off.

Almost correct. PC/XTs did have battery. They did not have the clock, though.

 

[Magna]

Quote from Mr Subliminal:

No decent firm would have anything to do with me - it was just a cut-and-paste job from the internet.

Heh, heh, can't imagine why. Maybe Mr. Tampa would be so kind as to explain....

Regarding batteries, all computers have them to maintain time (however innacurate) and the CMOS data (i.e., the info that's stored and displayed in your computer's Setup screen when it first boots). For the last number of years they are shiny, about 3/4" round, and about 1/8" thick. If you look on your motherboard you will see it somewhere.

 

[kenokabe]

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.

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

Hi MarcD,

Totally agree. This issue has been one of my biggest mystery about PC. My SONY notebook is a highend machine which cost me $3000 and has lots of fancy features. However, as you say, the quartz is really poor like I can see the delay in a min!
Simply doesn't make sense to me they don't use a quartz at least one used in $10 watch for $3000 machine.
I use some internet synclonizing application that runs as service background, but I can't find what it is now. Sorry.

 

[rs7]

Quote from igsi:



You are mistaken. Undamaged and properly adjusted high quality mechanical watches are much more accurate than cheap quartz ones.

Almost correct. PC/XTs did have battery. They did not have the clock, though.

What were the batteries for? I remember having a little clock program running as a TSR on an XT. I thought the battery kept it "accurate" when the power was off

I wouldn't think he was too mistaken about mechanical watches (expensive or otherwise) being inaccurate compared to quartz watches (expensive or otherwise). The physics of a quartz watch would seem to dictate a high degree of accuracy.

Even the very best mechanical watches will succumb to friction and wear. It is really an unfair comparison. Maybe a $10 quartz watch is somehow different from a $200 quartz watch, but how much different other than the case and band? In any event, I would believe that certainly a decent Seiko watch would be more accurate than any mechanical watch.

Peace,
Rs7

 

[alanack]

I noticed this battery just the other day for the first time. How often should it be replaced?

 

[Magna]

Quote from rs7:

What were the batteries for?

As I mentioned earlier, they are mainly to store the CMOS info. When your computer boots it runs a quick series of hardware checkups (called POST which stands for Power On Self-Test). Your memory, hard-drive(s), CD-ROM, floppy drive, mouse, keyboard, SCSI (if you have it), etc. If there were no battery you would need to set those each and every time you start your computer, a royal pain. BTW, you can see this info (and I don't mean the small list of items which usually flashes by on the screen), by hitting the Del key right when your computer first starts and entering Setup (on some computers it's the F1 or F2 key, on old computers it was the Ctrl-Esc key combination, etc.). As a side benefit the battery also keeps the computer's internal time, which as many have noted is often inaccurate. As to replacement, the batteries are usually good for somewhere between 3-5 years, if you notice your clock running dramatically slower it might be time....

 

[maxpi]

You can download atomtime at www.atomtime.com and use it to synch up your clock to the atomic clocks at the National bureau of Standards every so often. Very easy to use.

Max