Windows 7: Can't set Internet Time

I have my system clock set to automatically synchronize with an internet time server. However, it never keeps accurate time. Every time I go to set it it says, "The Windows Time service is not running." OK. I click "Change settings" and "Update now" and all is well.

This time when I click "Change settings," however, I get a pop-up that says:

I'm thinking this is because of something I did while trying to fix the time service not running issue. I don't remember what I did exactly. Probably some copy/paste stupidity I found on line that had to do with running a terminal as admin and stopping/re-starting the time server.

Now it's borked. If I could just get some help being able to change Internet time settings like it was, I'd be happy.

System restore may not help you because the change probably happened too far back.

You could try creating a new standard account and trying from there.

If that does the trick, just set up the account with the same settings as your old one, and then delete the old account.

you could try running sfc/scannow from the command ,
heres the tutorial howto.
SFC /SCANNOW Command - System File Checker

Probably because I'm a pea brain I always start with sfc /scannow. If it passes I know I have a starting point. Then I right click on the time (lower right corner) and set to internet time and sync it. If for what ever reason the time doesn't stay correct I replace the cmos battery. I don't care how old it is because I have had bad new batteries. Most of every thing using the internet, updates ect. won't work correctly unless the time on your computer is correct. I have never had to go any farther because those steps have always solved my problem. In XP I had to go into the bios and set the time but with Windows 7 I have never had to do that. I don't know why.

Go to Start>All Programs>Admin Tools>Services, scroll to Windows Time. Make sure start up is set to Automatic or Automatic (Delayed start). Double click the entry if not set properly.

Just in passing, my own Windows Time service is set to "manual" and is currently NOT running. To keep my clock in sync via "atomic time" (every night at midnight, from tick.usno.navy.mil), I instead use an old 3rd-party product I've been using seemingly forever, named Clockwise.

I know, it's not free (but I paid for it once, many years ago with Win98, and I've been using it ever since) and it's been in this form and working perfectly for many years, and it doesn't need any change really. It does exactly what I need from it... which is a very nice clock/calendar display, a world time display showing a user-defined set of cities and their times, event/alarm mechanism, etc.

Here's the "expanded" presentation (which I don't normally use, because it's larger than I want), which allows for a "second time zone" value to also be displayed simultaneously, along with "primary time zone" and UTC:



and here's the "miniature" presentation (which is what I use, placed in a corner of my screen):



Note that with "miniature" there is a minor cosmetic problem using Aero desktop on Windows 7 along with "125% medium" font size. The title bar is supposed to display the day of the week, which it DOES do for WinXP and for Windows 7/Aero as long as you use "100% normal" font size. I miss it, but it's going to be fixed by the author in a new updated version that is planned.

There's also a "hidden" presentation version, where it is simply not onscreen at all but nevertheless is running all the time (for alarms and events, and also to update the system clock at midnight... or whatever time you set it to do that).

World time presentation (4x3 by default, but you can change the matrix size and can set the cities in each cell to your liking):

Thanks dsperber, I just set my default time server to tick.usno.navy.mil.

When I look in services, I see no such thing listed as "Windows Time." I bet I axed it when I was futzing around in Command Prompt. How do I get it back?

You can TRY system file checker SFC /scannow, but I'm not sure it will fix a missing sevice.

Hello Dave,

If you deleted the Windows Time sevice, then you could do a system restore using a restore point dated before you believe you deleted it. If that's not an available option to you, then I'm afraid that you may be looking at a repair install or clean reinstall of Windows 7.



Hope this helps,
Shawn