Member Avatar for Zappaboss

Has anyone here experienced their time clock changeing itself to military time---as in
4:08p.m. becomes 16:08p.m. End off August mine did this-and twice in September. STRANGE or just a time server thing?????? :-O

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Short answer: this is almost always a display-format problem, not a time-server sync. noted repeated, spontaneous switches and hinted at a user-set option — both are useful clues. A time service can set the system clock value (the number of hours), but it does not change the format string that tells Windows whether to show AM/PM or 24-hour time. When a 24-hour hour code (HH) is combined with an AM/PM designator (tt) you get results like "16:08 p.m." — a misconfigured format string.

Practical steps to resolve:

  • Open Control Panel -> Regional and Language Options -> Formats -> Customize (Time) and check the Short time and Long time fields. For 12-hour use values like h:mm tt or hh:mm tt; for 24-hour use HH:mm or HH:mm:ss. Correct the entries and log off/on.
  • If the problem comes back, check Task Scheduler, startup apps and recently installed updates for anything that might reset Regional settings.

Registry-level fix and backup advice:

  • The per-user format is stored at HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\International (values sShortTime and sTimeFormat). Back up the registry or create a restore point before editing.
  • Example commands (run from an elevated command prompt) to set 12-hour display:
reg add "HKCU\Control Panel\International" /v sShortTime /t REG_SZ /d "h:mm tt" /f
reg add "HKCU\Control Panel\International" /v sTimeFormat /t REG_SZ /d "hh:mm:ss tt" /f

If it recurs: test with a fresh user account (to rule out a corrupted profile), scan for malware, review Update History and Event Viewer around the timestamps when the switch happened, and consider a small logon script that enforces the preferred format until the root cause is found.

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Member Avatar for The Dude

Very strange!!

I think you have the option of setting it to 24hr time.. I dont think a time server can do that im not sure.......

Member Avatar for Zappaboss

I remember when I was young, my mother would always say "Its them danm astronauts" whenever there was something strange like a hurricane or earthquake. NOW,today and having Vista, I say "Its them danm windows updates". :@ Got one in today 9-24-08 for Windows Defender and had to reconfigure my microphone and recording settings. SP1 I'm pretty sure wiped out my WinMediaPlayer enhancements and visualizations. Now I'm so sure I have win updates notify me of when there's a new update available. I can check out my system then install the update. THEN search for what has goofed up. Its Microsoft technical way of teaching people to trou:@ bleshoot their new Vista operating system.

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