Fw: [CQ-Contest] Computer clock losing time

[Mike Gilmer, N2MG]

No, it's not the battery.

The battery only runs the CMOS real-time clock - this is
a device that runs all the time that maintains time when the PC is off.
(In the good ol' days of PCs, this device was not necessarily installed and
one needed to enter the time at boot up.  Remember that?) The time gets
read from this device once at boot-up, and is maintained by the OS
afterwards.  It's important to realize that the OS maintains this time, NOT
the CMOS device.  The CMOS device only gets talked to again when you
reboot or you enter a time change.  A good test (to
prove me right or wrong) would be to turn the machine off (after it's been
running a while - say an hour - with a noticeable - you say 5 mins - time
error) then turn it back on.  If the time is still in error, then I'm all
wet.
But if it operates as I suspect, the time will be correct; then it is clear
that something ELSE is the trouble.

So with that out of the way, are you running NA in a DOS window behind
Windows?  There's probably some Windows application running that screws
up the clock.  Maybe something recently installed (even without your
knowing...)
Check the task manager, system tray, etc. for stuff running.

Another good reason to NOT run in a window...

Mike N2MG

----- Original Message -----
> From: "John Geiger" <johngeig at yahoo.com>
> To: <cq-contest at contesting.com>; <contest at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Friday, November 01, 2002 11:41 PM
> Subject: [CQ-Contest] Computer clock losing time
>
>
> > Have a problem 1 day before sweepstakes.  All of a
> > sudden the logging computer in the shack has started
> > losing time very quickly.  Like getting 5 minutes
> > behind every hour.  This is not good for the NA
> > logging.  Haven't opened up the computer yet, but does
> > this sound like a problem with the lithum battery?
> > the computer has been plugged in and running the
> > entire time this has been happening.  Any help would
> > be appreciated.
> >
> > 73s John NE0P