Windows Time
Contents |
General Information
Automatically sets your clock by contacting a server (Microsoft’s server by default) on the internet. Great idea if your network connects to the internet 24/7. The Event Log fills up with “cannot find server” messages on a non-dedicated setup, though. After successful synchronizing, this service will not attempt to do it again for 7 days, meanwhile, taking up resources. You may also need Task Scheduler running. You may choose to set your clock manually on a dial up connection, but with a 24/7 broadband setup, this could keep you on time for work.
Take note: as mentioned, “time.windows.com” is the default server for synchronization. For those privacy conscious people that prefer to connect to a government site rather then Microsoft, use “time.nist.gov” or choose one from the server list.
Windows 8
Default Description
Maintains date and time synchronization on all clients and servers in the network. If this service is stopped, date and time synchronization will be unavailable. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
Additional Information
None at this time.
Default Startup Type
| OS | WDP |
|---|---|
| Windows 8 WDP | Manual (Started) |
Service Names
Service Name (registry): W32Time
Display Name: Windows Time
Default Path and Command Line Options
C:\Windows\system32\svchost.exe -k LocalService
Log On As
Account: Local Service
Dependencies
Note: No dependencies are listed for any service in the WDP build I used to draft this information.
Windows 7
Default Description
Maintains date and time synchronization on all clients and servers in the network. If this service is stopped, date and time synchronization will be unavailable. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
Additional Information
None at this time.
Default Startup Type
| OS | SP0 |
|---|---|
| Windows 7 Starter | Manual |
| Windows 7 Home Basic | Manual |
| Windows 7 Home Premium | Manual |
| Windows 7 Professional | Manual |
| Windows 7 Ultimate | Manual |
| Windows 7 Enterprise | Manual |
Service Names
Service Name (registry): W32Time
Display Name: Windows Time
Default Path and Command Line Options
C:\Windows\system32\svchost.exe -k LocalService
Log On As
Account: Local Service
Dependencies
What service Windows Time needs to function properly:
- None (S, HB, HP, P, U, E)
What other service require Windows Time to function properly:
- None (S, HB, HP, P, U, E)
Windows Vista
Default Description
Maintains date and time synchronization on all clients and servers in the network. If this service is stopped, date and time synchronization will be unavailable. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
Additional Information
None at this time.
Default Startup Type
| OS | SP0 | SP1 | SP2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vista Home Basic | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) |
| Vista Home Premium | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) |
| Vista Business | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) |
| Vista Ultimate | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) |
| Vista Enterprise | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) |
Service Names
Service Name (registry): W32Time
Display Name: Windows Time
Default Path and Command Line Options
C:\Windows\system32\svchost.exe -k LocalService
Log On As
Account: Local Service
Dependencies
What service Windows Time needs to function properly:
- None (HB, HP, B, U)
What other service require Windows Time to function properly:
- None (HB, HP, B, U)
Windows XP Pro x64
Default Description
Maintains date and time synchronization on all clients and servers in the network. If this service is stopped, date and time synchronization will be unavailable. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
Additional Information
None at this time.
Default Startup Type
| OS | SP0 | SP1 | SP2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| XP Pro x64 | ? | ? | Automatic |
Service Names
Service Name (registry): W32Time
Display Name: Windows Time
Default Path and Command Line Options
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe -k netsvcs
Log On As
Account: Local System Account
Dependencies
What service Windows Time needs to function properly:
- None
What other service require Windows Time to function properly:
- None
Windows XP
Default Description
Maintains date and time synchronization on all clients and servers in the network. If this service is stopped, date and time synchronization will be unavailable. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
Additional Information
None at this time.
Default Startup Type
| OS | SP0 | SP1 | SP2 | SP3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XP Home | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) |
| XP MCE 2005 | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) |
| XP Pro | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) |
| XP Tablet PC 2005 | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) |
Service Names
Service Name (registry): W32Time
Display Name: Windows Time
Default Path and Command Line Options
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe -k netsvcs
Log On As
Account: Local System Account
Dependencies
What service Windows Time needs to function properly:
- None (H, M, P, T)
What other service require Windows Time to function properly:
- None (H, M, P, T)
Additional Reading
- NTP: http://www.ntp.org/