VPC 2004 setting guest clock away from host

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Jim - 28 Sep 2004 00:43 GMT

I am running VPC 2004 on a machine with Win2k pro. The guest OS is Win98SE.
I have PC Additions uninstalled so that the clocks are not synchronized.
Supposedly, they only sync-up when the VPC is started this way. I have set
the date forward to 2005. I find that when I leave the machine unattended
for a while, the date on the guest OS re-synchronizes with the host.

Jim

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Ben Armstrong [MSFT] - 28 Sep 2004 01:10 GMT

This is possible - we always keep the Real Time Clock (RTC) in the
virtual machine synchronized with the host OS. Most operating systems
never check the RTC - but it is possible that Windows 98 checks it
periodically (with a wide interval). However I do not know this for
certain.

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Benjamin Armstrong
======================
Virtual PC Program Manager

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> I am running VPC 2004 on a machine with Win2k pro. The guest OS is Win98SE.
> I have PC Additions uninstalled so that the clocks are not synchronized.
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>
> Jim

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Jim - 28 Sep 2004 22:09 GMT

For anyone interested, I found the following info on Windows synchronization
to the RTC. This is probably what is changing the clock in my VPC, which I
don't want. Appartently, there is nothing that can be done.

I found the following at:
http://www.experts-exchange.com/Operating_Systems/Q_20574493.html
(Yes, the upgradingandrepairingpcs link was in front of the response at
experts-exchange as it is shown below.)

============================================================
http://www.upgradingandrepairingpcs.com/faqs/Bios/bios_A_16.asp

"When Windows loads, it directly accesses the RTC's (Real Time Clock's)
memory and uses the date and time values to set the system date and time.
Timer interrupts maintain the system time while Windows is running. A time
subroutine in Windows runs approximately once each hour after the operating
system is started, comparing the operating system time with the time in the
RTC. If the two times are more than one minute apart, Windows updates the
operating system time and date to be consistent with the RTC. The one-hour
interval is hard-coded and cannot be modified. Windows runs in the
processor's protected mode, which prohibits applications from directly
accessing the RTC/BIOS combination. Application programs obtain date
information from the Windows system clock instead. If Windows displays
incorrect time or date information after it's been on for an hour or so, you
might need to install a new battery on the motherboard."
============================================================

> I am running VPC 2004 on a machine with Win2k pro. The guest OS is Win98SE.
> I have PC Additions uninstalled so that the clocks are not synchronized.
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>
> Jim

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Nathan Lewis - 30 Sep 2004 05:41 GMT

As a workaround you could always install a separate time-keeping application
like abouttime and sync it with a separate, real box that is set to the time
you desire. Of course, there'd be a small timespan when Windows set the time
before the other application could ping a server and notice it.

> For anyone interested, I found the following info on Windows synchronization
> to the RTC. This is probably what is changing the clock in my VPC, which I
[quoted text clipped - 31 lines]
> >
> > Jim

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Jim - 30 Sep 2004 16:32 GMT

That's not a bad idea. I will have to look into what it will take to make
that work, but it is something I hadn't thought of. Win98 might set the time
once an hour (so an article I read says). However, the time keeper
application would reset back from an external source pretty quickly. It may
even be that the interval for the time keeper is adjustable. I have not
worked with a utility like that before, but I will check it out.

> As a workaround you could always install a separate time-keeping application
> like abouttime and sync it with a separate, real box that is set to the time
[quoted text clipped - 36 lines]
> > >
> > > Jim

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Scott Baker - 30 Sep 2004 17:18 GMT

Dimension4 is small, free, and configurable.

Scott

>-----Original Message-----
>That's not a bad idea. I will have to look into what it will take to make
[quoted text clipped - 22 lines]
>> > (Yes, the upgradingandrepairingpcs link was in front of the response at
>> > experts-exchange as it is shown below.)

==========================================================
==

http://www.upgradingandrepairingpcs.com/faqs/Bios/bios_A_1
6.asp

>> > "When Windows loads, it directly accesses the RTC's (Real Time Clock's)
>> > memory and uses the date and time values to set the system date and
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
>you
>> > might need to install a new battery on the motherboard."

==========================================================
==

>> > > I am running VPC 2004 on a machine with Win2k pro. The guest OS is
>> > Win98SE.
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
>.

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