How To

How to Change Time and Date on Windows XP

Contributor
By eHow Contributing Writer
(4 Ratings)

Windows XP has lots of features that people tend to take for granted. The time and date features are on the screen, but most people don't take notice of how many times they check their clocks or the date. Windows XP makes it easy to change the time and date and even lets you account for leap years and daylight savings time.

Difficulty: Easy
Instructions

Things You'll Need:

  • Windows XP

    Change the Date and Time in Windows XP

  1. Step 1

    Start Windows XP normally. Make sure you are logged in as an administrator or as another user with privileges for changing settings.

  2. Step 2

    Click on the time that is displayed in the task bar. This will bring up the Date and Time Properties box. You can also right-click on the time by clicking on the "Adjust Date and Time" menu option.

  3. Step 3

    Highlight a portion of the time on the digital clock, beneath the graphic representation of the time (it looks like a traditional round-faced clock), to highlight it. Make sure you have highlighted the correct portion (hours for hours, minutes for minutes).

  4. Step 4

    Enter the time you wish to change and click "Apply."

  5. Step 5

    Click one of the drop-down menus in the "Date" section of the window. This will allow you to change the month and the year, either by typing them in or selecting them from the menu.

  6. Step 6

    Click on a particular day of the week to reset the calendar to that day.

  7. Step 7

    Remember to click "Apply" whenever you change a property or multiple properties. Your changes will not be confirmed until you do.

  8. Step 8

    Enable the daylight-savings time function in the "Time Zone" tab. This will automatically change the clock to conform with daylight-savings time.

Tips & Warnings
  • Your computer is set to automatically update the date and time via the Internet. If you don't want this option running, you can disable it using the MSCONFIG program from the "Run" option on the Start menu. This will free up resources and give your system a slight increase in performance.
  • Make sure you are using the correct time zone in the Date and Time Properties window. Check the second tab, marked "Time Zone," and click the appropriate time zone option.

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