in message
how can i set an xp pro computer so that it updates its clock
continuously to a time server. i know that i have done it before,
but i can not remember how. thanks.
If you were to update *continuously*, most NTP servers would see you
as an abusive user and block any further updates from your current IP
address until some expiration allowed subsequent updates from that
same IP address. You do not update continuously. You update at
intervals, like once per day or once per hour.
You will need to get a time synchronization program. Windows includes
its own time service but that only syncs occasionally with several
days between (the exact interval is not defined by Microsoft but I've
seen it take more than a week). Windows Time Service lets you enter
only a couple NTP (network time protocol) servers. You end up using
same ones that the vast majority of Windows are using. Those NTP
servers can become too busy to handle any requests so yours gets
discarded. This is especially seen around during the daylight savings
change. There is a way to add more NTP servers by editing the
registry
(HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\DateTime\Servers).
I use SocketWatch but it isn't free. It has a long list of NTP
servers (which you can change by editing the server.dat file). It
picks the fastest responding one to get an update. Being physically
close does not guarantee the fastest response since that server may be
busy, its network or host is slow, or the route that you get to that
host has lots of traffic. Some are free. Some are junk, some are
okay.
Visit various file download sites, like download.com or softpedia.com,
to search for "atomic time" or "atomic clock".
