AOpen AX45-8X Max User Manual download pdf (Page 103)

Windows, Networking and Software

FAQ, Tips, Hints, and Wisdom for Windows 98x/XP

David Gok 103

Startup Disks for XP – Creating

Home:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?releaseid=33290

Pro:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?releaseid=33291

Time Synchronization

The computer clock will gradually get out of line with reality since it's not a very accurate beast. Some

software can check the time with an outside source on the network or Internet and regularly adjust your

computer by a few seconds so it never drifts so far off that you would notice.

The following works for Home or Professional versions.

I can hear some of you already: "This is the 21st century, this should all be done automatically and easily".

You'd be absolutely right but the majority of computers in the world run Microsoft Windows where nothing

is ever done properly of completely the first time around.

Worse still, you actually have to use a DOS command prompt to change the time synchronization settings!

Talk about primitive.

If your computer is part of a domain (eg large business network) then Windows XP should set itself up

automatically to update from a domain controller. You should not need to do anything.

But for everyone else you must do the following.

To automatically update your computer time you need to run a background program all the time in

Windows XP – these special programs are called Services and you already have many running on your

computer. Time synchronization is done using a service called W32TM or Windows Time.

This is the part we find amazingly arcane, given all Microsoft's talk about making computing easy and

accessible, to do this you have to use the DOS prompt and even poke around in the registry. Don't worry,

it's not difficult at all but if you think it's ridiculously obtuse then get in line.

Click on the Start button then Programs, Accessories and then Command Prompt. This opens a

DOS like black box the likes of which you'd thought were long buried.

Then type in the following line

W32tm /config /syncfromflags:MANUAL /manualpeerlist:<server list, separated by commas>

A good one to use for California/Nevada would be:

W32tm /config /syncfromflags:MANUAL /manualpeerlist:time.windows.com,clock.isc.org,

clock.via.net,timekeeper.isi.edu, cuckoo.nevada.edu

(If you need more, go to the NetTime program on the downloads CD and look at the servers.ini file.)

tick.usno.navy.mil and tock.usno.navy.mil are examples of public time servers that you can put in the

manualpeerlist. These are special computers on the Internet that keep very exact time by various means.

Your computer can check time settings against one or more of these computers and gradually adjust

accordingly. Normally you list several servers in case one is unavailable at any time.

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AOpen AX45-8X Max User Manual Page 103