Vista Tutorial - Time synchronization on Vista through Internet?

My Vista (Home Premium) is configured to synchronize the time
with time.windows.com server. However, it is done only on Sat
at 9pm. There seems to be no way to change the automatic
schedule. There is a button to sync it *manually* on demand.

Does it mean that all Vista installations sync *automatically*
exactly at the same moment?

Is the sync operation precise? I checked last Sat and it was
precise. But as far as I know the protocol used is rather
primitive and does not take into account network delays,
i.e. even though the server sends precise time the
receiving PC does not know how much time the update
packet spent in the network before it reached the PC.

I found this reply I wrote on 10/28/2001. It is still applicable to, and
works just fine with Vista. I have added what may help for Vista:


"Windows XP, as loaded, automatically updates the system time every 7 days
from one of two time (more choices available in Vista) servers. This
interval can be changed as follows:

Go to Start. Type regedit in the search box.

Highlight regedit in the top pane and open the program.

Using regedit, search (press ctrl/F) for "specialpollinterval" without the
quotes.

Double click on the key in the right screen.

Click on decimal.

You will see that the decimal value is 604800, the number of seconds in 7
days.

Highlight the number to edit this decimal value to any value you desire,
remembering that there are 86400 seconds in one day, 3600 seconds in an
hour.

Click OK

Press F3 to find the next instance of the same key

Do the above for each instance of the value "specialpollinterval".

When you get to the end of the registry, close the regedit window.

Reboot system.

You have now changed the polling interval of when your computer will update
it's internal clock with that of the internet time server.

Cheers!!!"


--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

<maruk2@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1179159124.223950.191390@u30g2000hsc.googlegroups.com...
> My Vista (Home Premium) is configured to synchronize the time
> with time.windows.com server. However, it is done only on Sat
> at 9pm. There seems to be no way to change the automatic
> schedule. There is a button to sync it *manually* on demand.
>
> Does it mean that all Vista installations sync *automatically*
> exactly at the same moment?
>
> Is the sync operation precise? I checked last Sat and it was
> precise. But as far as I know the protocol used is rather
> primitive and does not take into account network delays,
> i.e. even though the server sends precise time the
> receiving PC does not know how much time the update
> packet spent in the network before it reached the PC.
>

I was having some major issues with Vista syncing the time. I found <a href="http://www.my-pc-help.com/Articles/KnowledgeBase/tabid/147/topic/Windows+Vista+Time+Issues/Default.aspx">this article</a> and finally solved the problem.

EggHeadCafe - .NET Developer Portal of Choice
http://www.eggheadcafe.com

<Mike Murray> wrote in message news:2007940346mike@xxxxxx
You should have asked here while you were having your issues Mike. Those
are the same fixes that I tell people to do. The default NTP servers must
be completely overloaded.

ss.

Mike Murray wrote:I use pool.ntp.org they distribute their time servers