Laptop clock is suddenly 10 minutes off....???

GJW · Jan 31, 2005

Ok, this is weird.
My 4-month old eMachines laptop (WinXP-SP2) is suddenly losing 10 minutes a day.
Not a slow loss.... I'll just look down at the clock and see that it's exactly 10 minutes slow.
I'll do an Internet time update and it will adjust but 24 hours later it will again be exactly 10 minutes off.

Has anyone seen anything like this?

Hookd_On_Photons · Jan 31, 2005

It could be due to: 1) bad battery 2) bad crystal 3) bad OS.

http://reviews.cnet.com/5208-6130-0.html?forumID=7&threadID=38612&messageID=452595

http://www.pcguide.com/vb/archive/index.php/t-34314.html

Zelandeth · Jan 31, 2005

No idea about this one, but my laptop does the same thing if I put it on standby (does so automatically when I close the screen) - it freezes everything, the clock included. If I actually use the standby button it doesn't halt the clock though. Wierd. This is an old Zenith Z-Note 1000 running Win98SE.

I had a problem like that with my old Amiga A1200 last year as well (though it was the date that used to jump rather than the clock), and that was due to a bad motherboard battery.

Samoan · Jan 31, 2005

I'm reaching here....

XP has a built in clock synch. Is it possible your ISP is off by those 10 minutes (check time stamps on test emails).

When you force a time synch with another source you're then getting the correct time?

-F

Minjin · Jan 31, 2005

The clock on my home PC has been keeping horrible time recently too. Every time I do an internet update (once a week), it pulls the time down by about 3 minutes. I guess it could be a failing battery but the mobo is less than years old.

Mark

GJW · Feb 2, 2005

Well believe it or not I believe I've narrowed it down to the screensaver I was using.
I'd changed it to one of them 3D Aquarium ones (my new son LOVES it -- Prozac for babies) and that's right when I noticed the problem start.
I switched it back to a different one and the problem seems to have disappeared.
Who woulda thunk it?

eluminator · Feb 2, 2005

Some of those screen savers will run the CPU at 100%. Maybe that has something to do with it.

turbodog · Feb 2, 2005

The wobbling pin is likely bent.

Hookd_On_Photons · Feb 2, 2005

Which aquarium screen saver are you using?

I've got Marine Aquarium 2.0 (from SereneScreen.Com ) and I haven't noticed any problems.

My kids also like Insaniquarium Deluxe.

eluminator · Feb 2, 2005

Maybe you're feeding the fish too much?

GJW · Feb 2, 2005

I've got Marine Aquarium as well as LifeGlobe's Goldfish Aquarium 1.0 and Sharks: Terrors of the Deep 1.0.

The culprit was (apparently) the Goldfish.
Weird because my wife is running it without incident on her laptop.

Laptop clock is suddenly 10 minutes off....???

GJW

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