I have a client that has a computer that mysteriously gets its date/time incorrectly set at "random". (Yes, I'm pretty sure he is doing it.)  It may be off by a few weeks. Since I plan on putting my EDB server & app on his computer and the records are time stamped, how do I solve this problem? This computer will be running 24/7.

1) Connect a Taser to the keyboard so if he goes near "Change date & time settings" he'll get zapped (I could lose a client though when he wakes up)

2) I will have my own Delphi service running on his machine in order to maintain and import files, so I could write a time sync rtn in this service that goes out to an internet time sync site every 15 minutes to check the date/time.

3) How can I detect within seconds, if he has changed the date and time manually? (Because I will need to set it back to the correct time.)

Any suggestions?

(I really don't want to have to try and fix the timestamps on the records *after* he's monkeyed around with the date/time on the computer. I need some preventative maintenance.)

TIA

Barry

P.S. Do they sell Tasers on e-bay?

3) I see I can monitor the WM_TIMECHANGE message and take the appropriate action in my service. That will solve most of the problem.

BTW, how do the rest of you guys handle someone monkeying around with the computer time?

Barry

I like option 1 the best, but for customer retention, your best bet is
probably option 2.  But everything since XP has internet time sync built in
as an option, so you shouldn't have to write it (unless it means you can
control it better).

Another idea is to keep your own clock running internally (spin off a thread
that increments its own DateTime variable right after the app starts).  Then
you could implement option 3.

--
David Cornelius
Cornelius Concepts

Barry


Just thinking about this and I would go for option 4 Its more complex but it may be a better idea. I coming at it from one of four viewpoints

1. it is the user for some reason altering the time and not realising they've done it
2. there is some other software on the system altering it for its own reasons
3. there is a hardware problem
4. the user is deliberately altering the time

If 4 is the reality then its their problem. Trying to fix it will probably end up making things worse

If 1, 2 or 3 is the problem then silently fixing it is a bad idea. I'd issue an error, suspend processing until an action is selected from:

Reset the time or
Leave as is and live with the wrong timestamp

If they want the problem sorting out permanently this may help. Whichever option they select log it and continue.

Roy Lambert