The first of the following copied and pasted "Time Provider NtpClient" errors from "W32Time" began to appear in the System Event Viewer on my computer on 10/2/2007 at 6:56:40 AM, and have been issued at random intervals ever since then:

Event Type: Error
Event Source: W32Time
Event Category: None
Event ID: 17
Date: 10/2/2007
Time: 6:56:40 AM
User: N/A
Computer: MYCOMPUTER
Description:
Time Provider NtpClient: An error occurred during DNS lookup of the manually configured peer 'tick.usno.navy.mil,0x1'. NtpClient will try the DNS lookup again in 15 minutes. The error was: A socket operation was attempted to an unreachable host. (0x80072751)

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

Event Type: Error
Event Source: W32Time
Event Category: None
Event ID: 29
Date: 10/2/2007
Time: 6:56:40 AM
User: N/A
Computer: MYCOMPUTER
Description:
The time provider NtpClient is configured to acquire time from one or more time sources, however none of the sources are currently accessible. No attempt to contact a source will be made for 14 minutes. NtpClient has no source of accurate time.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

The intervals at which these messages appear does not have any correlation with Windows XP SP2 automatic time synchronization, which is supposed to occur only at weekly intervals. I did a manual "Internet Time" synchronization yesterday, which worked OK. The next automatic time synchronization is not scheduled until a week later, and yet these same error messages are being issued less than a day later. I could understand these messages if they corresponded with the regularly scheduled Windows XP SP2 automatic time synchronization at weekly intervals, but there is no such time correlation. This is almost like two separate clocks have suddenly appeared on my computer.

Can anyone tell me why the above messages first began to be issued back on 10/2/2007, and have been issued at random intervals ever since then?

Richard A. Landkamer

Just a guess, but 'tick.usno.navy.mil,0x1' doesn't look like a valid address
to me.

Try 'tick.usno.navy.mil'

Take a look a the command "net time /?"

"Richard A. Landkamer" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:%(E-Mail Removed)...
The first of the following copied and pasted "Time Provider NtpClient"
errors from "W32Time" began to appear in the System Event Viewer on my
computer on 10/2/2007 at 6:56:40 AM, and have been issued at random
intervals ever since then:

Event Type: Error
Event Source: W32Time
Event Category: None
Event ID: 17
Date: 10/2/2007
Time: 6:56:40 AM
User: N/A
Computer: MYCOMPUTER
Description:
Time Provider NtpClient: An error occurred during DNS lookup of the manually
configured peer 'tick.usno.navy.mil,0x1'. NtpClient will try the DNS lookup
again in 15 minutes. The error was: A socket operation was attempted to an
unreachable host. (0x80072751)

For more information, see Help and Support Center at
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

Event Type: Error
Event Source: W32Time
Event Category: None
Event ID: 29
Date: 10/2/2007
Time: 6:56:40 AM
User: N/A
Computer: MYCOMPUTER
Description:
The time provider NtpClient is configured to acquire time from one or more
time sources, however none of the sources are currently accessible. No
attempt to contact a source will be made for 14 minutes. NtpClient has no
source of accurate time.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

The intervals at which these messages appear does not have any correlation
with Windows XP SP2 automatic time synchronization, which is supposed to
occur only at weekly intervals. I did a manual "Internet Time"
synchronization yesterday, which worked OK. The next automatic time
synchronization is not scheduled until a week later, and yet these same
error messages are being issued less than a day later. I could understand
these messages if they corresponded with the regularly scheduled Windows XP
SP2 automatic time synchronization at weekly intervals, but there is no such
time correlation. This is almost like two separate clocks have suddenly
appeared on my computer.

Can anyone tell me why the above messages first began to be issued back on
10/2/2007, and have been issued at random intervals ever since then?

Richard A. Landkamer

The W32Time service was unable to translate the host name,
tick.usno.navy.mil to an IP address. This could be because the IP address
changed and the DNS (Domain Name Server) information hadn't propogated
through, or it could be that your ISP's (or user specified) DNS Server had
an issue and this record was missing.

If all else fails, try a different time server like time.windows.com or
time-b.nist.gov

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows Media Center\Windows Powered Smart
Display\Security
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Per user Group Policy Restrictions for XP Home and XP Pro
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_securityconsole.htm
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Richard A. Landkamer" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:%(E-Mail Removed)...
The first of the following copied and pasted "Time Provider NtpClient"
errors from "W32Time" began to appear in the System Event Viewer on my
computer on 10/2/2007 at 6:56:40 AM, and have been issued at random
intervals ever since then:

Event Type: Error
Event Source: W32Time
Event Category: None
Event ID: 17
Date: 10/2/2007
Time: 6:56:40 AM
User: N/A
Computer: MYCOMPUTER
Description:
Time Provider NtpClient: An error occurred during DNS lookup of the manually
configured peer 'tick.usno.navy.mil,0x1'. NtpClient will try the DNS lookup
again in 15 minutes. The error was: A socket operation was attempted to an
unreachable host. (0x80072751)

For more information, see Help and Support Center at
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

Event Type: Error
Event Source: W32Time
Event Category: None
Event ID: 29
Date: 10/2/2007
Time: 6:56:40 AM
User: N/A
Computer: MYCOMPUTER
Description:
The time provider NtpClient is configured to acquire time from one or more
time sources, however none of the sources are currently accessible. No
attempt to contact a source will be made for 14 minutes. NtpClient has no
source of accurate time.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

The intervals at which these messages appear does not have any correlation
with Windows XP SP2 automatic time synchronization, which is supposed to
occur only at weekly intervals. I did a manual "Internet Time"
synchronization yesterday, which worked OK. The next automatic time
synchronization is not scheduled until a week later, and yet these same
error messages are being issued less than a day later. I could understand
these messages if they corresponded with the regularly scheduled Windows XP
SP2 automatic time synchronization at weekly intervals, but there is no such
time correlation. This is almost like two separate clocks have suddenly
appeared on my computer.

Can anyone tell me why the above messages first began to be issued back on
10/2/2007, and have been issued at random intervals ever since then?

Richard A. Landkamer

Tick.usno.navy.mil is incorrect --it should be tock.usno.navy.mil TOCK not TICK
"Richard A. Landkamer" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message news:%(E-Mail Removed)...
The first of the following copied and pasted "Time Provider NtpClient" errors from "W32Time" began to appear in the System Event Viewer on my computer on 10/2/2007 at 6:56:40 AM, and have been issued at random intervals ever since then:

Event Type: Error
Event Source: W32Time
Event Category: None
Event ID: 17
Date: 10/2/2007
Time: 6:56:40 AM
User: N/A
Computer: MYCOMPUTER
Description:
Time Provider NtpClient: An error occurred during DNS lookup of the manually configured peer 'tick.usno.navy.mil,0x1'. NtpClient will try the DNS lookup again in 15 minutes. The error was: A socket operation was attempted to an unreachable host. (0x80072751)

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

Event Type: Error
Event Source: W32Time
Event Category: None
Event ID: 29
Date: 10/2/2007
Time: 6:56:40 AM
User: N/A
Computer: MYCOMPUTER
Description:
The time provider NtpClient is configured to acquire time from one or more time sources, however none of the sources are currently accessible. No attempt to contact a source will be made for 14 minutes. NtpClient has no source of accurate time.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

The intervals at which these messages appear does not have any correlation with Windows XP SP2 automatic time synchronization, which is supposed to occur only at weekly intervals. I did a manual "Internet Time" synchronization yesterday, which worked OK. The next automatic time synchronization is not scheduled until a week later, and yet these same error messages are being issued less than a day later. I could understand these messages if they corresponded with the regularly scheduled Windows XP SP2 automatic time synchronization at weekly intervals, but there is no such time correlation. This is almost like two separate clocks have suddenly appeared on my computer.

Can anyone tell me why the above messages first began to be issued back on 10/2/2007, and have been issued at random intervals ever since then?

Richard A. Landkamer

Doug:

From the responses that I received, obviously I was not explicit enough
in formulating my original question, so I will rephrase my question.

I use a Dial Up connection, so I am not always connected to the Internet.
These particular error messages are "normal" when I am not connected
to the Internet. What is not normal is the frequency of these now almost
continuous error messages.

Prior to 10/2/2007, I never saw these error messages less than a week
apart, since Windows XP SP2 automatic time synchronization is only
supposed to occur at weekly intervals. But on 10/2/2007 something
changed to cause this automatic time synchronization to occur on an
almost continuous basis. After I connect to the Internet, I get a message
like the following:

Event Type: Information
Event Source: WMPNetworkSvc
Event Category: None
Event ID: 14204
Date: 10/15/2007
Time: 12:32:43 AM
User: N/A
Computer: MYCOMPUTER
Description:
Service 'WMPNetworkSvc' started.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

The original error messages now seem to start appearing only a few hours
after the last time synchronization. So can anyone tell me what caused
Windows XP to suddenly attempt to do automatic time synchronization
on an almost continuous basis, starting about October 2, 2007? This
appears to me to be a waste of resources.

In answer to another question, I was using "tick.usno.navy.mil" with no
problem. However, when I ran a test, "tock.usno.navy.mil" also worked
OK. So both of these are valid.

Richard A. Landkamer


"Doug Knox - [MS-MVP]" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message news:01A2032F-B0A4-49D2-B96E-(E-Mail Removed)...
> The W32Time service was unable to translate the host name, tick.usno.navy.mil to an IP address. This could be because the IP
> address changed and the DNS (Domain Name Server) information hadn't propogated through, or it could be that your ISP's (or user
> specified) DNS Server had an issue and this record was missing.
>
> If all else fails, try a different time server like time.windows.com or time-b.nist.gov
>
> --
> Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows Media Center\Windows Powered Smart Display\Security
> Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
> http://www.dougknox.com
> --------------------------------
> Per user Group Policy Restrictions for XP Home and XP Pro
> http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_securityconsole.htm
> --------------------------------
> Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
> Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.
>
> "Richard A. Landkamer" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message news:%(E-Mail Removed)...
> The first of the following copied and pasted "Time Provider NtpClient" errors from "W32Time" began to appear in the System Event
> Viewer on my computer on 10/2/2007 at 6:56:40 AM, and have been issued at random intervals ever since then:
>
> Event Type: Error
> Event Source: W32Time
> Event Category: None
> Event ID: 17
> Date: 10/2/2007
> Time: 6:56:40 AM
> User: N/A
> Computer: MYCOMPUTER
> Description:
> Time Provider NtpClient: An error occurred during DNS lookup of the manually configured peer 'tick.usno.navy.mil,0x1'. NtpClient
> will try the DNS lookup again in 15 minutes. The error was: A socket operation was attempted to an unreachable host. (0x80072751)
>
> For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
>
> Event Type: Error
> Event Source: W32Time
> Event Category: None
> Event ID: 29
> Date: 10/2/2007
> Time: 6:56:40 AM
> User: N/A
> Computer: MYCOMPUTER
> Description:
> The time provider NtpClient is configured to acquire time from one or more time sources, however none of the sources are currently
> accessible. No attempt to contact a source will be made for 14 minutes. NtpClient has no source of accurate time.
>
> For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
>
> The intervals at which these messages appear does not have any correlation with Windows XP SP2 automatic time synchronization,
> which is supposed to occur only at weekly intervals. I did a manual "Internet Time" synchronization yesterday, which worked OK.
> The next automatic time synchronization is not scheduled until a week later, and yet these same error messages are being issued
> less than a day later. I could understand these messages if they corresponded with the regularly scheduled Windows XP SP2
> automatic time synchronization at weekly intervals, but there is no such time correlation. This is almost like two separate
> clocks have suddenly appeared on my computer.
>
> Can anyone tell me why the above messages first began to be issued back on 10/2/2007, and have been issued at random intervals
> ever since then?
>
> Richard A. Landkamer