Keeping your Computer's Clock Accurate

As you know, AccuTrack depends on your computer's clock when recording the sign-in and sign-out times. AccuTrack displays this date and time in the sign-in screen to make it easier for you to verify that the time is correct. If you need to fix this clock, simply change your computer's real-time clock through regular Windows controls.

Note that AccuTrack 8 can synchronize the local computer's time with the time on the computer that holds the AccuTrack database files. You can turn this capability on or off via the System Administration\Setup\Options screen - General page. If the option "Synchronize computer time with data server's date and time" on this page is checked, then AccuTrack will synchronize the time.

Windows XP makes keeping your clock accurate a lot easier. XP can automatically sync its clock with a time serer via the Internet. To check this, double click on the clock in your Windows task bar. You will see the "Date and Time Properties" box. Click on the "Internet Time" tab at the top. Make sure that the option "Automatically synchronize with an Internet time server" is checked. To synchronize immidately, click on the "Update time" button.

If you are using a Windows versions older than XP, you can find utilities that will do this synchronization for you. For example, there is a utility called WebTime. This is a free utility for Windows 95/NT that will synchronize your computer’s internal real time clock with any one of several atomic clocks maintained by the United States National Institute of Standards and Technology. Like Windows XP, WebTime utilizes your web connection for the synchronization, so the computer needs to be connected to the net. You can automate the process of synchronizing your clock by using the the command line switch "auto". With this you can run WebTime automatically and synchronize your clock every time you start Windows. To download a copy of WebTime, visit this web site: http://www.gregorybraun.com/WebTime.html