My PC's clock was running off, sometimes ahead, sometimes behind. Sometimes off by a half-hour in a day. I'd re-sync it, and it would be far off the time in less than an hour.
This might seem like a mild irritation, but a clock is a very basic, low-level computer function. It's also essential. Inside the computer, the clock directs traffic. If it's going wrong it could cause all kinds of trouble with higher-level programs. Plus, it might on its own be a symptom of other problems, like the motherboard firmware (BIOS) having gone peculiar.
First I had to determine if Windows was having the issue. Or if it was happening at a level below Windows.
So, I restarted, hit the delete key to boot into the BIOS. The BIOS time was wrong. I knew this meant that it was either a firmware or a hardware problem. If it was hardware, it would be the CMOS clock.
I knew the first step would likely be to update (flash) the BIOS. I'm not very confident about anything, much less on technical matters. I hadn't updated my BIOS since I got this computer, and there's a reason: the process itself wouldn't be complicated. But the consequences of doing it wrong would be a permanently slagged motherboard.
If flashing the BIOS didn't remedy the issue, then I would have to try removing and reinserting the CMOS battery. If that didn't work, it was time to take it to the shop.
Of course, I Googled the problem (actually, I quacked it, with DuckDuckGo.) I found a video on how to flash the BIOS. It turned out, my motherboard manufacturer (who will remain nameless) had a built-in utility that took all the guess work out of it. I didn't have to download and make sure I got the BIOS that matched my motherboard. I just had to know where to find it in the BIOS menu. I had looked for one of those before, but totally missed it. My ADHD makes me terrible at the simple task of picking out items in a list.
Anyway, I found it, followed the instructions, and brought my firmware up-to-date. The clock problem looks to be solved. But the next two days will tell.
It's a miracle to live in an age where a simple search can take you from dummy to computer whiz by answering one or a few questions.
This might seem like a mild irritation, but a clock is a very basic, low-level computer function. It's also essential. Inside the computer, the clock directs traffic. If it's going wrong it could cause all kinds of trouble with higher-level programs. Plus, it might on its own be a symptom of other problems, like the motherboard firmware (BIOS) having gone peculiar.
First I had to determine if Windows was having the issue. Or if it was happening at a level below Windows.
So, I restarted, hit the delete key to boot into the BIOS. The BIOS time was wrong. I knew this meant that it was either a firmware or a hardware problem. If it was hardware, it would be the CMOS clock.
I knew the first step would likely be to update (flash) the BIOS. I'm not very confident about anything, much less on technical matters. I hadn't updated my BIOS since I got this computer, and there's a reason: the process itself wouldn't be complicated. But the consequences of doing it wrong would be a permanently slagged motherboard.
If flashing the BIOS didn't remedy the issue, then I would have to try removing and reinserting the CMOS battery. If that didn't work, it was time to take it to the shop.
Of course, I Googled the problem (actually, I quacked it, with DuckDuckGo.) I found a video on how to flash the BIOS. It turned out, my motherboard manufacturer (who will remain nameless) had a built-in utility that took all the guess work out of it. I didn't have to download and make sure I got the BIOS that matched my motherboard. I just had to know where to find it in the BIOS menu. I had looked for one of those before, but totally missed it. My ADHD makes me terrible at the simple task of picking out items in a list.
Anyway, I found it, followed the instructions, and brought my firmware up-to-date. The clock problem looks to be solved. But the next two days will tell.
It's a miracle to live in an age where a simple search can take you from dummy to computer whiz by answering one or a few questions.
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