Managing Your System Date and Time

Your computer has an internal clock that keeps track of the date and time, even when it is turned off. By default, Windows Vista displays the system time in the notification area at the right end of the taskbar. When you point to the time, the system date is displayed as a ScreenTip. The system time controls a number of behind-the-scenes settings and is also used by Windows and your programs to maintain an accurate record of happenings on your computer.

Tip

If you prefer to not display the time, right-click a blank area of the taskbar, click Properties, click the Notification Area tab, and then clear the Clock check box in the System Icons area of the Taskbar And Start Menu Properties dialog box.

You can set the system date, system time, and time zone manually, or, if your computer is connected to the Internet, you can synchronize your system date and time with an Internet-based time server. If you have a continuous Internet connection, you can program your computer to synchronize itself on a regular schedule. If your computer is on a domain, the time is centrally controlled from the domain server and you can change it only temporarily (until the next time the server synchronizes the domain clock).

In this exercise, you will manually reset your system time and then connect to an Internet time server for an automatic update. There are no practice files for this exercise.

Troubleshooting

If your computer is on a domain, you will not be able to complete Steps 8 through 10 of this exercise.

BE SURE TO have an active Internet connection available before beginning this exercise.

1.	Close any open programs to display the Windows desktop. The notification area displays the current system time. Tip If your taskbar is vertical, or is more than one row high, the notification area displays the time and the date. For information about changing the taskbar, see "Using and Modifying the Taskbar" in Chapter 2, "Working Efficiently in Windows Vista."
2.	Point to the clock to display the current system date as a ScreenTip. Then click the clock to display the date, a calendar, and the time in both analog and digital formats.
3.	Click Change date and time settings. The Date And Time dialog box opens, displaying the Date And Time tab. This tab displays your current system date, time, and time zone. The system time appears in both analog and digital formats, with both clocks changing in one-second increments. Tip If you want to keep track of the time in a different time zone, you can activate up to two additional clocks. On the Additional Clocks tab of the Date And Time dialog box, select a Show This Clock check box, select the time zone, enter a display name, and click OK. The additional clock is displayed in the ScreenTip that appears when you point to the clock in the notification area.
4.	Click Change date and time. In the User Account Control dialog box, if you are logged on as an administrator, click Continue. Otherwise, enter an administrator password, and then click OK.
5.	In the Date and Time Settings dialog box, position the insertion point in the hours (or drag the mouse pointer over the hour displayed in the digital clock to select it), and then click the up arrow to the right of the clock once, to change the hour. The analog clock reflects your change, and both clocks stop advancing. You can also use this technique to change the minutes, seconds, and AM/PM setting.
6.	In the Date and Time Settings dialog box, click OK. The clock on the taskbar changes to reflect the new time.
7.	In the Date and Time dialog box, click the Internet Time tab. Troubleshooting If the contents of the tab are dimmed, the Internet Time Synchronization feature is not currently available, and you are done with this exercise.
8.	Click Change settings. In the User Account Control dialog box, if you are logged on as an administrator, click Continue. Otherwise, enter an administrator password, and then click OK. The Internet Time Settings dialog box opens.
9.	With the Synchronize with an Internet time server check box selected, click the Server arrow. In the list, click the server you want to use, and then click Update now. Tip The four servers in the list with nist in their names are maintained by the National Institute of Standards and Technology at various locations around the U.S. The time.nist.gov server is at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado; time-nw.nist.gov is at Microsoft in Redmond, Washington; and time-a.nist.gov and time-b.nist.gov are at NIST in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Your computer connects to the selected time server via the Internet, and updates your system time.

CLOSE the Internet Time Settings dialog box and the Date And Time dialog box.