Diagnosing Computer Problems Using Your Computer Clock

A lot of computer users see the computer clock as something that, well, can tell the date and the time. Not known to many, you can actually diagnose some computer problems using the system or the computer clock. You can even pinpoint if there's problem with certain software or a specific hardware.

One of the most obvious symptoms that you could have is when the system time isn't consistent. Let's say you set your clock to 5:00 PM. When you turn off your computer and then turn it back on after a few hours, the time is still the same when you turned it off. Or, if you notice that your system clock is erratic. Sometimes it's too late or sometimes it's too advanced and the discrepancy changes a lot.

Something could be wrong with your computer. First of all, check if it is software related. The system clock that you see on your taskbar is almost always the same as your main system clock. It is quite rare for them to be different. In order to check the system clock, just click on start, run, and then type in "cmd" without the quotes. When the new window appears, type in the word "time" without the quotes. The time should be exactly the same. If not, something might be wrong with your windows. It could be a virus or software that malfunctioned but again, it's very rare that this will happen.

Now, the most common problems that arise if your system clock is inconsistent would be hardware problems. As a lot of you may know, your motherboard has a battery. It keeps the most important data stored even if you turn off your computer. This includes BIOS settings, CMOS information, and of course, the system clock. If the battery is almost out or has run out, the time will be inconsistent. You may need to replace the battery.

Don't worry though. It is a common problem in a lot of motherboards and it isn't really hard to replace. Motherboard batteries cost around $1 each and can be found on most computer hardware stores.

If you replace the battery and still your system clock isn't working properly, the problem must lie somewhere else. It could now be the motherboard itself or its non-volatile memory which keeps the real time clock. You may want to have your motherboard replaced. The computer clock is important for a lot of applications as it is where they base the synchronization of some their processes.

Computer clock inconsistencies do not happen often and most of the time, it can easily be fixed with replacing some parts of your computer. Sometimes, you won't even notice that your computer clock isn't consistent. Just narrow it down to either being related to software or hardware then go from there.

Source:
Wikipedia - Real-time clock
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real-time_clock