Troubleshooting and Fixing Time-Synchronization Problems in Windows

Here are some tips on how to use Windows' W32tm.exe utility to troubleshoot and fix time-synchronization problems.

Jan De Clercq

November 21, 2013

1 Min Read
red background with white letters QA

Q: We noticed some W32time error messages in the System event log on one of our domain controllers (DCs). Can you give us some hints on how we can troubleshoot Windows time-synchronizationproblems?

A:Windows includes a utility named W32tm.exe for troubleshooting and fixing time-synchronization problems. But before you begin W32tm.exe-based troubleshooting, you need to make sure that the Windows Time service is up and running on your computers. You also need to make sure that the service is set to start automatically. If the Windows Time service isn't running, all logon attempts will fail.

Here are some interesting W32tm.exe options to help you troubleshoot your Windows time-synchronization problems:

  • To view the current time client configuration on a Windows computer, run the command

W32tm /query /configuration

  • To force a clock resynchronization on the local computer, use the command

W32tm /resync

  • To list the time skew on each DC in the domain named Research, use the command

W32tm /monitor /domain:Research

  • To force a DC to synchronize time using the default domain time server hierarchy scheme, run the command

W32tm /config /syncfromflags:DomHier

You can find the complete W32tm.exe syntax as well as more information about the Windows Time service in the TechNet articles "W32tm" and "Windows Time Service Tools and Settings," respectively.

About the Author

Jan De Clercq

Jan De Clercq

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