System clock

The clock on my computer keeps getting off sync. I'll set it to the right time and then the next morning it's 5 hours slow. This has been going on for a few days. Does anyone know what the problem could be?

Do you switch the computer off during this period, i.e. it doesn't get slow if you leave it on overnight?

If it happens with the machine on, try this thread :p Might be some new virus/spyware thing going on in that case, for all I know :p

If it's only when the machine is off, then it might be time to think about replacing the battery on the motherboard that the computer uses to keep track of time when it has no mains power :p

The great thing about having a slow computer clock is that Shareware can potentially last forever. :D

My system clock is reset every time I turn off my computer. So I auto-sync it with a time server at boot time and run a daemon to auto-sync it again every couple minutes (or seconds, I don't even know). Windows probably has something similar. It's ntpd in Linux.

I'll go with Farah on this one. It might be the CMOS backup battery that's dead.
Windows does have an auto-synch feature, but I do not know whether or not you can set how frequent it synchs.

You should be able to set sync frequency, and if not with Windows, at least with some CS major's freeware project. You can guess if your CMOS battery is weak based on how old your box is. Older - more likely. If it's close to brand spanking new, it may be software based - the whole spyware/omgtehvrius gig.

I hate Windows's own time sync thing, it sucked and never worked for me, even if I specified my own server :p

I used to run it manually every other month or so. It was never off by more than a second, so I didn't see any point in it.

I think it's the battery. How do I change it or even know what it looks like? I don't know much about computer guts.

Pretty sure it looks like a gigantic watch battery. That's what it was in my old computer, but I haven't looked in my new one, so they may have changed since then. The battery will likely have a number written on it with which to identify it.

Yep, quicksilver batteries. They're about the same size as coins. Can't say they're particulary smaller nowadays than before, they've got a diametre on about 1,5 cm.
It should be placed somewhere on your mainboard/motherboard. That means you'll have to open up the case :p. You should turn off the power and disconnect the power cord before replacing it.

Um, what does the motherboard look like?

Well, when you open the PC, it's basically the largest circuit board you can see, usually with other smaller ones plugged into it, plus several cables :p Although to be honest, if you know what a watch or calculator battery looks like, you can't miss finding the battery, since it's the same but larger, and there should only be one of those in there :p

All motherboards are going to be laid out differently, of course, but they look similar. I think I circled the right thing. I've never had a battery problem.

This happens to me, too. I did a spyware check and it came clean, but what strangely happens is I had to re-download AIM and it came with weatherbug. I uninstaled and deleted it and it still comes up on my system each time I turn it on.