Paul,
You are correct about the operation of the CMOS clock and the operating
system clock.
Remember back in the old days, there were PCs that did not have a CMOS clock
and that one needed to enter the time every time the PC was booted. Once
running, the OS maintained the time. All the CMOS clock did, when they
became available, was to tell the OS the time at bootup.
If your PC loses significant time while it's running, it seems to me that
you have some background application that is stealing "time". I've never
seen this problem with pure DOS - only when folks run in a window.
(The text you lifted via Google seems like an issue with a BIOS setting for
power management - nothing to do with the clock)
73 Mike N2MG
----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul Kirley" <pkirley@neonramp.com>
To: <trlog@contesting.com>
Sent: Sunday, November 10, 2002 1:01 PM
Subject: [TRLog] Computer clocks
> There have been several posts recently about PC clocks losing time when
running TRLog. The problem probably originates with the fact that the PC
CMOS hardware clock is not the same as the software clock. The former is as
accurate as a typical quartz clock, but the latter is notorious for
inaccuracy. I believe that I once read an article about the difference, but
I can't find it now. As I recall, the operating system consults the CMOS
hardware clock once, when it is started. It can also reset that CMOS
hardware clock, through DOS TIME or DATE or via Windows Control Panel, for
example. But software normally consults the software clock and not the
hardware clock.
>
> A Google search indicated that the clock problem with TRLog dates at least
to 1997, when a post complained:
> ***************************
> Here's a question for the computer experts: I exit WIN95 to DOS to run
TR.
> When I take a fairly long contest break my PC goes into an "energy saving"
> mode, which means it basically shuts down. I re-activate TR the same way
> that one exits a screen saver program, by hitting a key or moving the
mouse.
> The problem is that after the PC goes into the energy saving mode the
> contest clock time is incorrect. It appears that the clock stops when the
PC
> is in the energy saving mode. What can I do to prevent this from
happening?
> Possible solutions include: (1) Changing something (I don't know what) to
> prevent the PC from entering that mode; (2) Exiting the program and
shutting
> the PC off -- then restarting when the break ends. Is there a better
way?
> Thanks!
> ***************************
>
> Is there a reflector subscriber who knows enough about the difference
between the CMOS hardware clock and the DOS/Windows software clock that
he/she could explain possible things to check if a difference is
encountered?
>
> Fortunately, I don't have this problem with my current machine, but that
might not last forever, so I'd like to learn the answer to the time problem.
>
> 73, Paul W8TM
> _______________________________________________
> TRLog mailing list
> TRLog@contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/trlog
>
>
|