System clock loosing time...

JaseP · 11-04-2004, 03:15 PM

I've noticed just recently that my system clock is loosing time on my laptop system,... a Dell C640. Just today, I noticed it was off by 30 minutes...

Could Opera be responsible for this (program trying to put back the time for clock cycles it's "stealing")??? It's the only program that I started using recently that is any different from my usual line-up.

Or is this indicative of something else???

Hiper · 11-04-2004, 04:31 PM

very weird!
sync the clock to another and leave it over the night to check if it only happens in opera

JaseP · 11-05-2004, 09:25 AM

I rebooted the system this morning and noticed it was about an hour off... I'm going to try to see if this also happens while the machine is on...

The machine is a laptop, and I'm thinking the CMOS battery might be going...
I dread having top replace it, as Laptop batterries are a pain to get at (why can't they just use the little nickel-sized ones that the desktop/tower machines use???).

vharishankar · 11-05-2004, 09:41 AM

Most likely it's the CMOS battery. Change it and see if the problem recurs.

JaseP · 11-05-2004, 09:44 AM

The CMOS battery for this laptop is like $15-25 US, and can only be obtained mail-order...

There is little chance I'll be able to scare one up any time soon...

My understanding is that the laptop CMOS batteries are rechargeable, like the battery that supplies power to the unit...

Perhaps I ought to try and let it drain completely, and then recharge it?!?!?

I've lost CMOS data on this thing once before...

Then it kind of self-corrected...

m00t00 · 11-05-2004, 04:00 PM

woah. I had this problem before on my laptop... (Toshiba Sattelite A15). Then I didnt. I can't remember what I did though. It was one of two things:

1) The software clock was the oddball, so I told it to stop syncing the clock at shutdown
OR
2) I called the tooth fairy and everything was OK again =]

edit: but, tbh, I dont think it was either... I think it just went away after some fuddling...