My BIOS clock and date keep going out of sync. I changed the battery but still have the same problem. Can anyone help?
Syncing your Hardware Clock
About Hardware Clocks
Computers are built with internal clocks integrated in the hard drive that can run on battery power even when the rest of the computer is without power. The internal hardware clock runs on a CMOS battery and can be set and adjusted from the BIOS setup screen. When you boot up your computer the operating system draws the time from the BIOS clock for the software clock that is displayed on your desktop.
Change the CMOS Battery
Usually when the hardware time and date won’t sync it is a battery issue so you were definitely right to start by changing it. Since this hasn’t resolved the issue, the problem might be in the BIOS itself. The steps and procedures to sync the hardware time and date will vary between computers and operating systems.
Adjust your Hardware and Software Clocks for Time Zone
Most of the time, problems with hardware clocks going out of sync are related to an incorrect time zone setting that the software clock is adjusting to reflect. Unlike Mac based computers, Windows systems are not always set to GMT - a universal time - on the hardware, so the whole system is unsure of what time zone it is in. Mac systems are programmed to run on GMT on the hardware clock and then adjust the software clock to different time zones. If you are running a Windows operating system, then you should set your software clock to local time to sync it with the hardware clock. Make sure that your time zone is correct and the two should sync.
Another possible reason why your hardware clock can’t stay synced is if you are missing any relevant drivers. Browse online and find your computer manufacturer’s website and look for drivers. If you have other hardware devices connected to your system, check for these drivers as well. Some users with problems similar to yours have reported success with the removal of the Vista Service Pack 1, yet other users report that downloading the Service Pack resolved there problems. You might try removing the Service Pack, if you have it, or downloading it if you don’t.
Information for Linux Systems
There is quite a lot of information online about setting and syncing system and hardware clocks in Linux, especially when compared with the relative shortage of information about hardware clocks and synchronization on Windows based machines. If you are running Ubuntu or another Linux based system, you might be interested in the information here.
Kate Dubensky | January 26th, 2009
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thank’s for your suggestion’s for clock fix,i have sorted it and what i was doing wrong was after setting date/time in bios i forgot to save it f10,duh!hey i am still learning and pc’s are very new on me but thanx for your reply.