Add Internet time servers

Windows XP has a built-in time synchronization feature that's designed to automatically synchronize your computer's clock with an Internet time server on a regular basis. To access this feature, double-click the clock in the notification area of the taskbar. From the Date And Time Properties dialog box, select Internet Time. Make sure that the Automatically Synchronize With An Internet Time Server check box is selected.

The Server drop-down list contains two time servers: Microsoft's time server at time.windows.com and the U.S. government's atomic clock at time.nist.gov.

While you can manually type the name of any time server that uses the Simple Network Time Protocol (SNTP) in the Server text box, it's more convenient to add time servers to the list. Here's how:

1-Launch the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).

2-Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrent
VersionDateTimeServers.

3-Right-click the Servers key, and select New | String value.

4-Name the value 3, and press [Enter] twice to access the Edit String Value dialog box.

5-Type the address of the SNTP time server in the Value Data text box, and click OK.

6-Repeat Steps 3 through 5 for each additional SNTP time server you want to add, incrementing the value name each time: 4, 5, 6, and so on.

Close the Registry Editor.

Note: Editing the registry is risky, so be sure you have a verified backup before making any changes.