Properties / Changing the System Date and Time

PROPERTIES

Nearly every item you see in Windows has properties associated with it. Properties give you information about the item, and often enable you to change settings for the item. To understand why properties are useful, let’s take look at some. The following screen shows properties for a file.

You can find General Properties for Windows in Control Panel. All of the icons in Control Panel enable you to change your Windows settings, such as setting for your Mouse, your Desktop, and your Monitor.

CHANGING THE DATE AND TIME

The first thing to do is double click the clock on the taskbar,

you will be presented with the Windows XP Date and Time Properties box

In figure above you can see an example of a typical Windows XP Date and Time Properties box, the areas of interest are pointed out.

To adjust the date, use the monthly calendar (A) along with the month selector (B) and year selector (C)

To adjust the time, click on the part of the time you want to change (hour or minutes) D and then use the up and down arrows (E) to change it.

To adjust the timezone, click on the Timezone tab (F) and then select your timezone from the selection tool provided.

The Internet Time tab (G) allows you to synchronize you PC’s clock with an Internet server.

HOW TO SET A COMPUTER’S DATE AND TIME

REASONING:

Having the improper date may cause issues with software programs that rely on what year the computer is reporting.

METHOD 1

1.      Right click on the Time on the Task bar. This is commonly in the bottom right hand of your screen.

2.      Click the Adjust Date/Time menu item.

3.      This will open the Date/Time Properties window.

In this window you can adjust the time, date and time zone. If you wish to change how the computer handles daylight savings, click the Time Zone tab and check or uncheck the ‘Automatically adjust clock for daylight saving changes’ option.

4.      Once the proper date and/or time has been set, click Apply and then Ok.

Tip: You may also double-click the time or clock on the taskbar to open the Date/Time Properties Window.

METHOD 2

1.      Click on Start Menu

2.      Click on Control Panel

3.      Double-Click on Date and Time

4.      This will open the Date/Time Properties window. In this window you can adjust the time, date and time zone. If you wish to change how the computer handles daylight savings, click the Time Zone tab and check or uncheck the ‘Automatically adjust clock for daylight saving changes’ option.

5.      Once the proper date and/or time has been set, click Apply and then Ok.

NOTE: If your control panel is not on Classic View, switch from Category view to Classic View, or Click on Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options,  then click on Change the date and time; this will open the Date/Time properties window.