I want to set up a hotspot to check the atomic clock. My system clock has gone wonky (I probably need a new battery, but my motherboard isn't that old, so I don't know) and my clock stops keeping time at random intervals. Sometimes it'll be fine for a day or more, sometimes it doesn't make it an hour from the time I check the atomic clock.

Until I figure out what's causing it and hopefully fix it, I'd like to set up a hotspot to check the atomic clock. Except I can't figure out how to do that, if it's even currently possible. The only option I would think it would be under would be run internal command, except I can't find a check atomic clock internal command on the list of internal commands. But if I right-click on the WS clock, one of the menu items is "Check Atomic Clock".

There is no IC to sync the clock with the Internet Time Servers, but you can set the Clock Module to check it automatically every hour.

When you do a manual check, does the clock get reset to the correct time and date?

Jorge, I tried setting it to check every hour, but it's not. If I manually check, it updates the time, which is why I was hoping I could make a hotspot to do that. It appears to be getting stuck in a loop somehow. So I think the issue is somehow Windows related, rather than clock battery related. By that, an hour ago it said the time was 0900. The clock progressed through the hour, but at some point it didn't continue on to 10, so it now says 0900 again. I really think the issue is not Winstep related, I was just hoping for a quick bandaid until I can figure out what's going on and get it rectified.

Actually I would like to determine if it is Winstep related or not.

You can try disabling the Internet Time Check entirely to see if that fixes your system time going cuckoo.

If it was a clock battery problem, the system time would only be lost when you powered off.

I also don't quite understand what you mean by 'I tried setting it to check every hour, but it's not'. When you mouse over the clock module, the balloon tooltip tells you the time of the last check - do you mean this always stays the same?

You're still running the v15.12 beta, right?

Okay, I'll be happy to troubleshoot with you just to ensure that it's not Winstep at fault.

I can try that next. First I want to see what happens between now and when my clock should think it's 09:40:32.

So, in my Workshelf Clock settings, it is currently set to "Check every hour". When I mouse over the clock module, the tooltip says: "09:31:38, Friday, January 08, 2016 Atomic Time Servers Last Checked: 08:40:32, Friday, January 08, 2016 Clock was 30581 seconds behind."

Yes, I'm still running the v15.12 beta.

Okay, that was interesting, it got to 09:40:32 and reset itself to 08:40:32. I have now disabled atomic clock time checks and we will see what happens next. But if it's Winstep related, how come nobody else is having the same issue?

That sounds like a Daylight Savings Time issue. And given the exact time at which the clock was reset one hour back, it sounds like a 'Winstep vs. system' related issue too.

Jorge, is there a way to tell Workshelf not to mess with the system clock settings? I just got back home and it was 2 hours pretty much to the minute slow. I'd like to eliminate the possibility that it's Workshelf. If I close the clock module will that do it?

Update: I just turned off internet update in the Windows clock, too. We'll see if that makes any difference.

Okay, that didn't work, so I reenabled Workshelf checking once and hour while the system no longer updates at all.

Jorge, this problem was gone for a long time, but somehow the latest update brought it back. And I haven't updated anything else recently. Even more peculiar, I just had it check the atomic clock, it said it did, and it's slow by 15 minutes. Immediately after checking the clock it's slow.

Holy crap, and the DATE is off a day, too!

Paul, the clock module has a new security setting that won't let it automatically change the clock more than 15 hours in relation to the current system time without a warning and user confirmation.

Anyway, all you need to do to prevent the clock module from synchronizing the time with the Time Servers is to set the 'How often would you like to synchronize your clock?' setting in the Clock Settings dialog to 'Never'.

Jorge, for some reason it's failing to connect to the server.

Have you tried restarting Winstep Xtreme? Rebooting Windows?

Also, if you are having connection problems, there's a button in the Troubleshooting Options dialog (Preferences -> Advanced tab) to 'Check Internet Connection' from the POV of the Winstep application.

I clicked the button you speak of, and it passed that test. I just restarted Winstep, now it's checking but not being able to connect to the time server. It connected, but took quite a while (like over a minute) to do so. Strange.