Donnie Ashworth

Q: Computer time right, applications 4 hours fast

Hi,

 

This one has been boggling me for awhile.

 

System prefs show correct time, including time zone. But my email client, Postbox, has all mail stamped four hours into the future. In addition my Fitbit dashboard in Chrome and Safari think it's four hours later.

 

In searching for a solution, I've run across this page: If the wrong date or time is displayed in some apps on your Mac - Apple Support  which suggests the problem may result from a custom time format setting. However, I have no custom settings.

 

I've also tried resetting the NVRAM, though I doubted this would work, as the computer time is correct.

MacBook Air, Mac OS X (10.6.8), Newer Ministack External HD's

Posted on Mar 8, 2015 10:29 AM

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Q: Computer time right, applications 4 hours fast

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  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Mar 8, 2015 12:42 PM in response to Donnie Ashworth
    Level 10 (207,973 points)
    Applications
    Mar 8, 2015 12:42 PM in response to Donnie Ashworth
  • by Donnie Ashworth,

    Donnie Ashworth Donnie Ashworth Mar 8, 2015 1:18 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 3 (884 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 8, 2015 1:18 PM in response to Linc Davis

    Hi Linc,

     

    Yes, as I mentioned above, I had run across this link and tried it, but it didn't help. I found the information on that page a little confusing, but I'm gathering that if a user has certain customized date or time settings, it can cause this problem. But unless I'm missing something, my settings are default, and I have no customizations to get rid of, so the directions don't help.

     

    Here is screenshot of my date and time format tab settings. The region is (and was) already set to United States. I'm using Snow Leopard on this Air, as it is an older machine.

     

    (Sorry I'm not too good at linking images; maybe this will work.)

     

    http://i623.photobucket.com/albums/tt320/_dash/Screen%20shot%202015-03-08%20at%2 03.48.35%20PM_zpsdemwssiv.png


  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Mar 8, 2015 1:22 PM in response to Donnie Ashworth
    Level 10 (207,973 points)
    Applications
    Mar 8, 2015 1:22 PM in response to Donnie Ashworth

    Please change to a different region, then change back. Test.

  • by Donnie Ashworth,

    Donnie Ashworth Donnie Ashworth Mar 8, 2015 1:30 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 3 (884 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 8, 2015 1:30 PM in response to Linc Davis

    No good. I tried it a couple of times—quit the applications, toggled to another region, and restarted them—still 4 hours fast.

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Mar 8, 2015 1:33 PM in response to Donnie Ashworth
    Level 10 (207,973 points)
    Applications
    Mar 8, 2015 1:33 PM in response to Donnie Ashworth

    How do you know Safari has the time wrong?

  • by Donnie Ashworth,

    Donnie Ashworth Donnie Ashworth Mar 8, 2015 1:39 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 3 (884 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 8, 2015 1:39 PM in response to Linc Davis

    I have a page I go to which reports on the syncing of my Fitbit fitness tracker. It reports the last sync as four hours after it actually happened. In other words, if the device synced at 10:08 pm, it will say it synced at 2:08 am. And in Postbox, all mail is marked as arriving four hours after it actually did. All this happens only on this Macbook Air, not on my desktop.

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Mar 8, 2015 2:27 PM in response to Donnie Ashworth
    Level 10 (207,973 points)
    Applications
    Mar 8, 2015 2:27 PM in response to Donnie Ashworth

    So on the other computer, you load the same web page at the same time, and the time is correct?

  • by Donnie Ashworth,

    Donnie Ashworth Donnie Ashworth Mar 8, 2015 2:37 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 3 (884 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 8, 2015 2:37 PM in response to Linc Davis

    Well, I'm loading the same page on the two different machines, but not at exactly the same time, of course. It's just that when a certain incident happened at a certain time, the Air always shows it four hours fast.

     

    Examples:

     

    - Last night I got an email from a person a little after 9. I remember the approximate time. The mail client on my mini has the message dated at 9:08 PM. The same email client on the Air has the message dated 1:08 AM.

     

    - My Fitbit synced today at 1:20 PM. The Fitbit dashboard page in the browser on the Air shows it having synced at 5:20 PM.

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Mar 8, 2015 3:59 PM in response to Donnie Ashworth
    Level 10 (207,973 points)
    Applications
    Mar 8, 2015 3:59 PM in response to Donnie Ashworth

    Please read this whole message before doing anything.

    This procedure is a test, not a solution. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.

    Step 1

    The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is localized to your user account.

    Enable guest logins* and log in as Guest. Don't use the Safari-only “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac.”

    While logged in as Guest, you won’t have access to any of your documents or settings. Applications will behave as if you were running them for the first time. Don’t be alarmed by this behavior; it’s normal. If you need any passwords or other personal data in order to complete the test, memorize, print, or write them down before you begin.

    Test while logged in as Guest. Same problem?

    After testing, log out of the guest account and, in your own account, disable it if you wish. Any files you created in the guest account will be deleted automatically when you log out of it.

    *Note: If you’ve activated “Find My Mac” or FileVault, then you can’t enable the Guest account. The “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac” is not the same. Create a new account in which to test, and delete it, including its home folder, after testing.

    Step 2

    The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party system modifications that load automatically at startup or login, by a peripheral device, by a font conflict, or by corruption of the file system or of certain system caches.

    Please take this step regardless of the results of Step 1.

    Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards, if applicable. Start up in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem. You must hold down the shift key twice: once when you turn on the computer, and again when you log in.

    Note: If FileVault is enabled in OS X 10.9 or earlier, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.

    Safe mode is much slower to start up and run than normal, with limited graphics performance, and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and Wi-Fi on certain models. The next normal startup may also be somewhat slow.

    The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.

    Test while in safe mode. Same problem?

    After testing, restart as usual (not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of Steps 1 and 2.

  • by Donnie Ashworth,

    Donnie Ashworth Donnie Ashworth Mar 9, 2015 6:50 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 3 (884 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 9, 2015 6:50 AM in response to Linc Davis

    Thanks, Linc. I followed your instructions to the letter. Results: the problem still appears in the Guest account, and also in Safe Boot Mode. I verified it is still there when logging back in normally—no change in behavior.

  • by Linc Davis,Solvedanswer

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Mar 9, 2015 7:11 AM in response to Donnie Ashworth
    Level 10 (207,973 points)
    Applications
    Mar 9, 2015 7:11 AM in response to Donnie Ashworth

    If you don't already have a current backup, back up all data, then reinstall the OS.* You don't need to erase the startup volume, and you won't need the backup unless something goes wrong. If the system was upgraded from an older version of OS X, you may need the Apple ID and password you used.

    There are ways to back up a computer that isn't fully functional. Ask if you need guidance.

    If you installed the Java runtime distributed by Apple and still need it, you'll have to reinstall it. The same goes for Xcode. All other data will be preserved.

    *The linked support article refers to OS X 10.10 ("Yosemite"), but the procedure is the same for OS X 10.7 ("Lion") and later.

  • by Donnie Ashworth,

    Donnie Ashworth Donnie Ashworth Mar 10, 2015 12:32 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 3 (884 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 10, 2015 12:32 PM in response to Linc Davis

    Problem solved. After re-installing the OS, all times are back to normal. Thanks very much for your expertise and help. Any idea as to what was causing this?