[time-nuts] Setting Windows XP clock.

[Chris Albertson]

For years I have used a program from the National Institute of Standards
> and Technology, NISTime:
>
> http://www.nist.gov/pml/div688/grp40/its.cfm


This quote from a highlighted section on the above page:
 ...users are strongly encouraged to switch to the Network Time Protocol
(NTP), which is more robust and provides greater accuracy. We eventually
intend to phase out support for the TIME....

Yes you can still use NISTime but even it's authors strongly encourage you
not to.

NTP works fine on Windows XP.  There is not reason for it suddenly to have
stopped working.    Possibly a fire wall has disallowed access via the port
used by NTP or your system was configured to use one specific NTP server
that just went off line.   The best practice is to use three to five NTP
"pool" servers.  Pool servers are randomly assigned from those that are
operational so as servers go offline and others are put on line you stay up
to date automatically.    If you configure several of these then NTP can
compare them and detect problems and select the "best" of them in real
time.  Windows XP shipped with "SNTP" a simplified NTP.

Likely the only problem is that something is misconfigured at YOUR END.

NISTime also has a problem in that it "jumps" the time periodically.  So
every so often you end up with a second that is very long or very short or
even worst the time jumps forward or back several seconds.  NTP never does
this (after it starts up).  It always adjusts the RATE of the clock.    NTP
assures you that time always goes in the forward direction and is mover
discontinuous.  SNTP and NISTime do not make this assurance.