One of the nice features of Windows XP is the ability to synchronize your system clock with a timeserver. This is a feature which was not provided in earlier versions of Windows, and helps your system clock stay close to 'exact time'.

However, it only syncs once every few days to a week at a time. If you have a bad battery, bad system clock or just like to be precise like me, that isn't always a great solution. So the question is, how do you change the interval in which the Windows Time Service syncs with a Timeserver? Easy.

First, Go to the Start Menu --> Run. Type in regedit.

The registry editor will appear. You will want to Navigate to the following Key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\W32Time\TimeProviders\NtpClient

First off, you will want to delete the SpecialPollTimeRemaining key as that contains the information about the last sync and next sync. Second you will want to change the value of SpecialPollInterval. You will want to double click that key, and then choose 'Decimal' and then enter the amount of time between pollings in seconds. 3600 seconds is 1 hour (which is what I have it set to).

After you changed that key, you will need to go to Start --> Settings --> Control Panel --> Administrative Tools --> Services.

The services window will pop up. Scroll to the Bottom and highlight "Windows Time". Click the Square & Arrow button to Restart the Time service.

Now double click the clock in the bottom right. Click the 'Internet Time' tab, and then 'Update Now'. It should synchronize with the timeserver of your choice, and should show that the next update time is however many seconds away that you specified in the SpecialPollInterval key.

That's it! Just close out the rest, and your computer will update on your schedule instead of Windows schedule.