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Author Topic: pc's date/time clock will not stay correct for over five minutes  (Read 3183 times)

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myming

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    hello all,

    my Dell Optiflex 790 will not stay accurate after five minutes of running after resetting.

    i uploaded/dated my BIOS and put in new CMOS battery, but it still won't work.

    please help ?

    thank you.
    ask questions to get answers.

    Geek-9pm


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    Re: pc's date/time clock will not stay correct for over five minutes
    « Reply #1 on: January 04, 2018, 10:23:14 PM »
    Th t problem is common to many computers that use a small battery to keep the clock running.  The clock uses very little power.

    My PC is a Dell 755 and today I had to replace the small coin cell used to keep the clock going. Using a volt meter I found the voltage had gone down to 2 volts. Normally a new cell is 3 volts.

    You need to open the cover and locate the cell and pop it out with a small tool. Be careful er and do not scratch the circuit board.

    This little thing is called the CMOS Battery.
    https://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000239.htm

    The part number is CR2032 an dis sold in drug stores and in camera stores.

    After you replace it, you still need to set the clock to the right date and time.  :)



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    Re: pc's date/time clock will not stay correct for over five minutes
    « Reply #2 on: January 04, 2018, 11:56:35 PM »
    Did you do all tgaht and yhou still lose time?

    You may have to addjust the date and time in the BIOS setup.
    Did you do that?

    Esotreic problem test. Geti nto the BIOSand find the placewhere yhou can change the date and time. Make a noteof the time, imnclude the seconds. Nnext, look at another screen in the bios. anything. NOW GO BACK TO THE SCREEN TGAHT HAS THE TIME SETTINGS.  Does the clockadvance the time?

    If the clockdoes not advance thesettings, yhou have a rare problem. The clock is broke!  :o

    There is documentation for this issue, but it is rather rare. Once in awhile the chip or related components have failed. It does happen.

    The most common issue is users damage the battery holder. But there are a few other things taht arepopsible. Just very rare and almost never happen.

    VintronNZ



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      Re: pc's date/time clock will not stay correct for over five minutes
      « Reply #3 on: January 10, 2018, 11:00:16 PM »
      Hi

      As you have checked for the hardware problems that cause this. Next check that windows time service is running if it is stopped, you can restart it also check your location settings are correct.
      There is instructions on the web on how to do this and lots of information of time problems with windows 10 if this is the windows you are running.
      This forum post might help
      https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-other_settings-winpc/how-to-force-windows-10-time-to-synch-with-a-time/20f3b546-af38-42fb-a2d0-d4df13cc8f43

      DaveLembke



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      Re: pc's date/time clock will not stay correct for over five minutes
      « Reply #4 on: January 12, 2018, 07:17:05 AM »
      If jumper is on for the reset mode of bios then it wont matter if good battery or not. Seen this before where someone accidentally left jumper on and system would work but not hold settings or date/time on reboot.

      If the button cell battery holder is corroded or damaged the battery might not make a good connection.

      Not likely your issue but have also seen twice in 30 years working on computers where a system was built and some metal object under the motherboard was resting against a leg of battery holder and shorting the battery to chassis ground causing bios to reset on reset. This was in custom built or reuse of name brand case where an extra stand off wasnt removed or too many added to where brass stand off didnt smoke the board but shorted the battery. Seen others that smoked boards by this mishap when something more critical shorted to chassis which smokes traces and chips.

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      Re: pc's date/time clock will not stay correct for over five minutes
      « Reply #5 on: January 12, 2018, 09:35:24 PM »
      Thongs to look for. The CMOS cell is not needed when the computer has power.
      That means that if the clock is gaining or losing time while the power is on, it can not be the fault of a dead battery. The clock works without the battery.
      So, that  would lead to one of these conclusions:
      1. The clock crystal somehow got way off frequency. Quartz crustal oscillators  have accrual or better that 100 parts per million. So, it would lose  maybe 7  seconds in about 24 hours. Maybe. How much time does it lose?
      2. There is some kind of software that is getting into the clock registers. Now that would be near  impossible for an 'accident'. Do you have a prankster in the house?
      3. There is a small creature, maybe a mouse or insect, that l;icks the pads of the clock chip and make it reset the time.
      4.You are losing ;your mind.
       
      Oh, there is another one. If the machine been dropped it may have fractured the quartz crystal. When that happens, the circuit may go into a 'parasitic' mode where the clock is much faster than normal. That is so rare nobody will believe you.
      If you have a freq meter, check and see of the crystal is running at 32,768 Hertz.
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real-time_clock
      Quote
      the oscillator's frequency is 32.768 kHz.[7] This is the same frequency used in quartz clocks and watches, and for the same reasons, namely that the frequency is exactly 215 cycles per second, is a convenient rate to use with simple binary counter circuits.

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      Re: pc's date/time clock will not stay correct for over five minutes
      « Reply #6 on: January 12, 2018, 11:14:10 PM »
      Really there is documentation about failure  in Real Time Clocks lake the one used in most personal computers.

      http://www.avrfreaks.net/forum/detecting-rtc-clock-failure-sleep-mode
      He sites a data sheet which says the manufacture has a diagnostic for that very thing.
      I have never had to do that. I would just replace the crystal.  Take one off of a scrap motherboard.  Or get one on eBay for about $2.