Computer doesn't keep time even though on and connected to Internet

Recently my Windows 8.1 computer has not been keeping time. At first I thought it was the CMOS battery but since my computer is always on and set to update with the internet it should be able to keep time.

If I go to Change Date and Time Settings --> Internet Time --> Change Settings --> and Update it will then display the right time. However, after an arbitrary amount of time it will change to a random time such as from 9:20AM to 1:05PM. Since the minutes are also off I think it is not a timezone problem. But what could the problem be?

UPDATE: Output of W32tm /query /configuration

EventLogFlags: 2 (Local)
AnnounceFlags: 10 (Local)
TimeJumpAuditOffset: 28800 (Local)
MinPollInterval: 10 (Local)
MaxPollInterval: 15 (Local)
MaxNegPhaseCorrection: 54000 (Local)
MaxPosPhaseCorrection: 54000 (Local)
MaxAllowedPhaseOffset: 1 (Local)

FrequencyCorrectRate: 4 (Local)
PollAdjustFactor: 5 (Local)
LargePhaseOffset: 50000000 (Local)
SpikeWatchPeriod: 900 (Local)
LocalClockDispersion: 10 (Local)
HoldPeriod: 5 (Local)
PhaseCorrectRate: 1 (Local)
UpdateInterval: 360000 (Local)


[TimeProviders]

NtpClient (Local)
DllName: C:\WINDOWS\system32\w32time.dll (Local)
Enabled: 1 (Local)
InputProvider: 1 (Local)
AllowNonstandardModeCombinations: 1 (Local)
ResolvePeerBackoffMinutes: 15 (Local)
ResolvePeerBackoffMaxTimes: 7 (Local)
CompatibilityFlags: 2147483648 (Local)
EventLogFlags: 1 (Local)
LargeSampleSkew: 3 (Local)
SpecialPollInterval: 604800 (Local)
Type: NTP (Local)
NtpServer: time.windows.com,0x9 (Local)

NtpServer (Local)
DllName: C:\WINDOWS\system32\w32time.dll (Local)
Enabled: 0 (Local)
InputProvider: 0 (Local)
VMICTimeProvider (Local)
DllName: C:\WINDOWS\System32\vmictimeprovider.dll (Local)
Enabled: 0 (Local)
InputProvider: 1 (Local)

UPDATE It turns out that replacing the CMOS/RTC battery was the solution but why the NTP servers could not keep the time correct? I guess the interval at which they update the time is not very frequent?

NULL

Posted 2016-11-08T14:23:52.447

Reputation: 121

Are you able to ping the NTP server your machine is configured to use? If you are have you considered, just changing it, to avoid what is clearly a communication problem to it? A list of the Simple Network Time Protocol (SNTP) time servers that are available on the Internet. By default the NTP time source is, time.windows.com, if you can't ping that address you have a firewall configuration problem.

– Ramhound – 2016-11-08T15:46:16.743

@Ramhound I tried pinging time.windows.com and got %100 percent loss. I tried time.nist.gov and got 50% packet loss. I guess this looks like a firewall issue...I looked in my firewall settings and I have w32tm.exe allowed. – NULL – 2016-11-08T21:59:18.137

See if anything changes if you chnage your DNS provider to something other your isps DNs – Ramhound – 2016-11-08T22:01:21.757

I changed DNS Server to FreeDNS at 2:18PM and at real time 2:30PM it suddenly said it was 2:05:PM...I guess that didn't work. – NULL – 2016-11-09T19:33:44.517

1Try turning off NTP. Systems shouldn't be regularly heavily affected by NTP (maybe off by a few seconds?), so after a successful sync, turning NTP off will help to confirm if you've got some other problems, which I suspect you have. Is this a laptop (or a virtual machine)? Does it go into suspend/hibernation mode? – TOOGAM – 2016-11-15T14:39:30.543

@TOOGAM This is a laptop...ASUS X551M and when I close the lid it sleeps...but the time changing I have been noticing is not after closing the lid but while I am using it and its on. – NULL – 2016-11-15T20:28:47.157

Answers

Okay, to narrow this down, go into BIOS setup. Set date/time. Turn system off for awhile - long enough that you think it would have reset. Start system, go to BIOS - did the RTC keep the time? That tells you if the RTC chip is going flaky or if the battery may have died. Try swapping the battery. Usually a 2032 watch battery.

Assuming the time kept correctly...

Boot to safe mode with nothing loaded (no network drivers). Set date/time, leave system on for awhile - see if time keeps. If so, something like a driver or possibly malware is resetting your clock.

Blackbeagle

Posted 2016-11-08T14:23:52.447

Reputation: 6 424

So, I went into the BIOS and set the time to 14:32:00...the correct time when I was doing it. I then powered off and waited until 14:40. When I powered the laptop back on and went into the BIOS it still said 14:32. So does that mean RTC chip or battery issue? And if its battery why does my computer not keep time since it always has the internet to update via NTP – NULL – 2016-11-15T20:21:09.543

Okay, laptop. Not sure now if your system uses a separate battery or just pulls from the main battery, I've seen both. Check the manufacturer's website to see if there is a replaceable coin cell. Meanwhile, boot, go to safe mode with no networking. Bring up the clock and see if it keeps time cleanly - watch the second hand sweep. – Blackbeagle – 2016-11-15T20:30:23.487

It uses a separate battery...it is like sixty layers down though...not an easy replacement. Will try the safemode thing. – NULL – 2016-11-15T20:34:01.717

Separate battery - usually if you turn the system over and look for an plate or panel - like to upgrade RAM or maybe modem/wireless/LTE card, normally the battery is accessible through there. What is the make/model? – Blackbeagle – 2016-11-15T20:42:21.690

Its a ASUS X551M...according to ASUS repair website you have to take keyboard, harddrive, cd drive whole 9 yards out before accessible. – NULL – 2016-11-15T20:46:06.157

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Asus+X551CA+CMOS+Battery+Replacement/24938 – NULL – 2016-11-15T20:52:05.520

So, you were right about the battery, it keeps time now...but why did the NTP servers not keep the time correct? The interval of updating is big or something? – NULL – 2016-11-18T21:51:47.943

Windows NTP time services runs WEEKLY. If your clock is drifting, you can expect it to be correct only once a week. – Blackbeagle – 2016-11-18T22:13:44.243

Two scenarios:

Hardware problem

Your motherboard might have an issue and will need to be checked. Even if your motherboard is new the battery might be old and they are usually cheap. Try changing the battery and see if that fixes the problem. Also, try updating the BIOS or checking the BIOS time and wait a while to see if that is in sync. CMOS battery.

Software problem

Okay I see you tried pining the NTP servers to sync the time. Try running a anti-malware program. For some reason that might be the problem. I had this problem when my PC kept changing time zones because I had some malware.

Try this in cmd: w32tm /resync If you get a "The computer did not resync because no time data was available error", then you should be able to try again until successful.

One more small thing. Try connecting to another hotspot or internet access. Try using your phone as a hotspot and see how the NTP servers respond.

MichaelMMeskhi

Posted 2016-11-08T14:23:52.447

Reputation: 141

Try first using another time server and see if the problem returns. Run also sfc /scannow to check system integrity.

You could also in Control Panel / Administrative tools / Services, set the Windows Time service Startup to Automatic, then start it, if not yet started.

If the problem occurs again, run a Command Prompt (cmd) as Administrator, and post the results of the command W32tm /query /configuration. In case of need, the command to force a clock resynchronization is W32tm /resync.

Verify the Internet Time update interval, by starting regedit and navigating to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\W32Time\TimeProviders\NtpClient and consulting the value of SpecialPollInterval, which contains the polling time in seconds. The default is 604800 seconds, which means 7 days, and you could change this to every few hours, if required. The free utility Internet Time Update can simplify this task (run as Administrator).

[EDIT}

I compared your posted W32tm configuration with mine, and find that it is largely identical, except that you have one more time provider than me : VMICTimeProvider.

VMICTimeProvider is the Hyper-V time provider. This provider is charged with syncing the host time toward the guest and is normally installed in the virtual machine. I find it puzzling that you have this installed, unless your Windows 8.1 is running inside a virtual machine. Is this the case?

On the theory that it is this time provider that causes the problem, and if this is a physical computer, I would suggest to Disable Hyper-V in Windows 8, even as just a temporary test of this theory.

You could also do the hack that in a virtual machine is supposed to disable the Hyper-V time synchronization provider in the Windows time synchronization infrastructure while still leaving the service running and enabled under Hyper-V.

To do this, open regedit and position to the key HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\TimeProviders\VMICTimeProvider. Find the DWORD item named Enabled and set it to 0, then reboot.

This stops W32Time from using the Hyper-V time synchronization integration service for moment-to-moment synchronization. I don't know if it will have any effect on the host computer, but may be worth trying.

harrymc

Posted 2016-11-08T14:23:52.447

Reputation: 306 093

Thank you! I posted the output of W32tm /query /configuration above. The resync command works perfectly as a temporary solution. I have tried three different servers with the same problem. In services, W32time was set to manual trigger start and so I set it to automatic...have yet to see if that will work as it was running when I changed it. But am I correct in saying, that the time should stay correct regardless of the battery state because it is being updated by the time server, and unless my computer RTC chip itself can't count seconds then I should always have the correct time? – NULL – 2016-11-16T21:45:18.597

See my comment above about your W32tm configuration. – harrymc – 2016-11-17T08:34:25.643

I couldn't find Hyper V in the features and I ran the command in the tutorial dism.exe /Online /Disable-Feature:Microsoft-Hyper-V-All just to make sure and it said feature unknown. I think it might be because I have windows 8 standard, and that feature is only in Pro and Enterprise. The regedit command is only for virtual machines or also for physical laptops? Because the system in question is a laptop, ASUS X155M – NULL – 2016-11-18T18:58:09.993

Since this is a physical machine, I really have no idea how you picked up VMICTimeProvider which is for guest VM. It's clear that something is wrong (but you know that already). I suggest to do first the registry trick which is also for VM, hoping that it might control this time provider, then reboot. Otherwise you could try to go into C:\Windows\System32 and rename vmictimeprovider.dll, booting in Safe mode if required, then reboot. If successful, W32tm /query /configuration should not show it. – harrymc – 2016-11-18T20:24:16.967

@harrymc...really weird or sort of...I changed the RTC battery in the motherboard, and it works! The time keeps perfectly and I haven't been having any problems. But I am still confused why the NTP servers didn't auto correct the time since it was always supposed to be updating using them – NULL – 2016-11-18T21:47:21.030

So this was after all the oldest problem of them all - I thought from your post that it wasn't a battery problem. A bad motherboard battery can make the clock go weird, which is what happened. I still am puzzled by your VMICTimeProvider, but it might only be some harmless Windows weirdness. – harrymc – 2016-11-18T22:32:01.203

Yes, sorry for the confusion, i'm sort of embarrassed but these answers should be helpful to someone else with a different problem. The reason I was confused was because I thought NTP time updates happened every 1 or 2 seconds but apparently its weekly in which isnt very useful with a dead battery. – NULL – 2016-11-18T22:50:51.403

Windows Time service usually logs two events in the even log:

when the clock was adjusted
when the source providing the time has changed

Searching for these events with Event Viewer should reveal the cause (provided it's software related). Note that if your clock is manipulated by malware, it may be smart enough to hide its activity from the log.

Dmitry Grigoryev

Posted 2016-11-08T14:23:52.447

Reputation: 7 505

There are around 20 that I could find each have a different time that the event occured but the strange thing is it always says that it changed the time from 22:42 to 21:42 even though the events happened no where near that time and did not happen near each other either. One of the log entries dated at 4:42:03PM says it changed the time from 22:42 to 21:42 and for reason it says "syncing with the hardware clock". – NULL – 2016-11-16T19:01:11.770

First go to the bios and check to see if the tie there is set correctly. If it is change it then save and exit and re-enter bios and change it back.

Boot back into windows and see if the time is now set correctly. If it is great if not take down the current incorrect time and set the clock in windows to the correct time. Let it run till it messes up again and compare this new incorrect time to your old incorrect time. Is the new incorrect time the correct time if you had left the original alone? For example it starts at 1:00pm you set it to the correct time of 2:00pm after 5 hours it should read 7:00 but instead it reads 6:00. The last bit is a bit confusing let me know if it needs clarifying.

Cc Dd

Posted 2016-11-08T14:23:52.447

Reputation: 119