undesireable Motherboard config changes to time and fan settings

GlennW · 2022-05-12 00:05:48

Hi, I have this recurring problem when I boot up my computer.

The time is usually wrong (+/-10hrs).

I have a ASUS ROG STRIX X470-F Gaming Motherboard.

All the other settings, like drive order, memory and cpu settings remain as I have set them but the time/date changes it seems at whim,

And sometimes the fans turn off and the PC shuts down due to over heating. Sometimes this coincides with torrent downloads, playing downloaded videos, playing Graphics Accelerated games (Openttd, Counterstrike-Source).

I have conky setup to show fan speeds, temps and network useage but only sometimes do I see the read-out and reboot before the computer shuts down automagically.

I run Plasma desktop... and when I correct the time with the "adjust date and time" applet (from the task-bar) It seems to change the motherboard time as well (expeleted deleted!).

I use iPhone tethering for my network conections so I have, and to try and get around the time and date settings being incorrect I have removed ntp-client/server.

I'm not really sure if this is the cause of the motherboard changes, so I ask here for your assistance and guidence.

I am aware of hwclock command... Some examples I keep close...

Set the Hardware Clock to the current System Time.

# hwclock --systohc

Set the System Time from the Hardware Clock.

# hwclock --hctosys

# hwclock --set --date="8:20:05"

but, idealy I wish I didn't have this problem to begin with.

Thank you for any questions and guidence, regards Glenn

ps, I live on a border of daylight-saving time changes (nsw/queensland, Australia). I try to set it to a constant, rather than changing it every 6 months. ;-)

Last edited by GlennW (2022-05-12 00:06:08)

rolfie · 2022-05-12 07:46:22

The first thing that comes to my mind is the bios battery. Maybe that is borderline?

GlennW · 2022-05-12 11:52:05

Hi Rolfie, thank you for the reply.

I have had experience with bios batteries in the past, usually the time and date resets to the earliest available.

I haven't physically changed the battery, mostly because of my past experience.

The time issue is a pain but nowhere near the fear induced from overheating. Thankfully, the Mobo is robust enough, and quick to shutdown.

Another point... I don't use any power saving schemes either in bios or desktop.

I have a few batteries here for my snark guitar tuner that are the same type, so I will give it a change tomorrow and report back.

Thank you.

hevidevi · 2022-05-12 12:38:47

Have you tried tzdata?

sudo dpkg-reconfigure tzdata

Head_on_a_Stick · 2022-05-12 14:07:52

GlennW wrote:

I use iPhone tethering for my network conections so I have, and to try and get around the time and date settings being incorrect I have removed ntp-client/server.

Can you explain further why you had to remove ntp? If your motherboard CMOS battery is dead or dying then you will need ntp to set the time correctly at boot.

chris2be8 · 2022-05-12 16:52:00

How old is it? I assume it's a desktop, not a laptop.

My first step would be to open the case and vacuum dust, fluff, etc out of it (especially round the CPU cooler). That might stop it over heating. Then check for stuck fans etc. And anything that would obstruct airflow. I had one PC with a decorative grill over the fan inlet, removing the grill cooled the CPU several degrees.

GlennW · 2022-05-13 10:00:52

Thank you for the replies.

The motherboard battery is fine, except time and date all the other config changes remain.

To add more info to the time problem...

it seems when I correct the time in bios the system time increments (or decrements) by the amount of change, not the actual time.

So even though this has been bugging me for quite a long time, since I've been using my iPhone as a modem (2 1/2 years)

I figured... change the time on the desktop, the logout and log in, then run

hwclock --systohc

It seems to stick, so far, since I posted this query.

Head_on_a_Stick, I pulled out ntp as a knee-jerk reaction while I was trying to figure it out.

There is no network untill I connect or reconnect the iPhone, and restart squid (proxy firewall, mostly for add blocking and reduced bandwidth usage when reloading static info from recently viewed webpages)... so at boot the service fails

I might put it back, but I'm not sure I need it, now.

chris2be8, As far as the dust in the fans, I do a regular clean, usually 2 times a year, and have had no other problems of over heating, unless the fans are suddenly stopped. I have a fan in the psw, 2 front fans blowing over the drive stack, 1 fan in the rear, one fan in the top (Fractal case) , the cpu has a noctua dual fan heatsink, and the gpu has a fan that rarely spins (except for very hot days under a heavy load (game, music, web browser and system activities) It's not the fans, although I can see it's ready for that next cleanup.

I get suss at times and I think it maybe poisoned media files... but I don't know for sure.

I try to keep control of open ports, especially for apps I don't use and I turn off services I (feel I) don't require.

The torrents are generally week old motorsports, motogp, F1.

I remember buying a new music cd, in the late 90's and 2k's that poisoned the computer when inserted into the cd tray to play through my PC entertainment system(s) and maybe that type of think is recurring... any thoughts on that?

The battery could be borderline, but surely it would have failed totally by now, I remember changing it once.

The Mobo is about 4 years in my possession, but it was the generation older (X470-F) than the newest release (X570-F) at the time. (which was much cheaper and more than likely to run with GNU/Linux)

I certainly feel that if the fans were failing there would be some kind of residue... like fans not working at all.

Thank you for the replies, but I'm still searching. It's a long journey, but I am enjoying the ride. :-)

GlennW · 2022-05-16 00:24:37

I had a couple of stress free days, but last night I put Openttd on pause and went to watch TV, When I came back the fans were off, except one case fan.

Now I figure the graphics card/driver, nVidia gtx1060 (6Gb) or Openttd has power saving abitities I'm not in control of.

nVidia has an Adaptive power mode, and I have not had any luck setting it to be "on" all the time.

I haven't noticed a power setting mode for any games I use.

Last edited by GlennW (2022-05-16 11:43:35)

GlennW · 2022-05-17 22:36:28

Update.

Yesterday I removed the CPU heatsink and all the fans (except the TruePower powersupply fan) and cleaned them.

Surprisingly the Noctua Heatsink cleaned up really well with soapy dishwater and a bit of vinegar.

Changed the CMOS battery with a new button and reset the bios.

Back to normal, fingers crossed.

I did this to rule-out any possibility they may be the cause. (I am still skeptical)

I'll report back here at a later date if the fans start randomly turning off. Thank you all for your interest and any comments.

Regards Glenn

GlennW · 2022-05-19 16:42:40

Fans went off again earlier tonight...

Since then I have set the fans to run at full speed from bios.

Disapointing.

The time has also advanced 10 hours.

Any clues? TIA

ralph.ronnquist · 2022-05-19 20:18:13

Somehow it seems your machine has a disagreement about whether the hardware clock is UTC or localtime, perhaps between the bios and the kernel. Maybe that it ticks in localtime and your kernel believes that to be UTC, so it applies TZ distance "again".

GlennW · 2022-05-19 22:50:52

Thank you for your attention, Ralph.

The time zone is set in kde/plasma settings.

I have reinstalled ntp, and last night an update was available for ntpdate. I upgraded that and it removed ntp and ntpsec.

The time sticks in the linux system, but the bios time is out.

I'm not sure what to do about it.

I may have removed or turned something off when I shouldn't have.

I have plenty of free time this weekend, so I may (do a clean) reinstall the latest chimarea (? spelling)

and that should correct any hacks I've committed.

The fans are my greatest concern $$$, the time is just a pain for internet pages and logs, etc.

Thank you regards Glenn

ps, "tzdata is already the newest version (2021a-1+deb11u3)."

alphalpha · 2022-05-20 20:14:18

Now this is not a fix for the cause, but it could fix the fan problem if it is an option for you...
I once had a problem with a pc that the cpu fan would always run at 100% speed,
this was a problem with coreboot and had nothing to do with linux or the system time,
but i could fix the fan issue with a cheap fan controller board that measures temperatur and powers the fan, independent from the system.
Its not pretty, it does not fix the cause, but the fan works how it should.

GlennW · 2022-05-21 22:02:33

Thank you for your interest alphalpha.

I do have something like that, it came with my Fractal Case. It doesn't have a digital readout, but has a pot for setting the speed.

This system is less than 4 years old. Memory (ram) I bought at the same time is dated 2019.

That maybe a way to guarentee cooling is constant.

The bios I updated a few months ago is ver. 6024 12/3/2022 from asus. I will check if there is a newer version, maybe it's a bug.

I don't O.C. but i Do try to get it to run on spec, and that's hard enough for me. :-)

The officially official Devuan Forum!

#1 2022-05-12 00:05:48

undesireable Motherboard config changes to time and fan settings

#2 2022-05-12 07:46:22

Re: undesireable Motherboard config changes to time and fan settings

#3 2022-05-12 11:52:05

Re: undesireable Motherboard config changes to time and fan settings

#4 2022-05-12 12:38:47

Re: undesireable Motherboard config changes to time and fan settings

#5 2022-05-12 14:07:52

Re: undesireable Motherboard config changes to time and fan settings

#6 2022-05-12 16:52:00

Re: undesireable Motherboard config changes to time and fan settings

#7 2022-05-13 10:00:52

Re: undesireable Motherboard config changes to time and fan settings

#8 2022-05-16 00:24:37

Re: undesireable Motherboard config changes to time and fan settings

#9 2022-05-17 22:36:28

Re: undesireable Motherboard config changes to time and fan settings

#10 2022-05-19 16:42:40

Re: undesireable Motherboard config changes to time and fan settings

#11 2022-05-19 20:18:13

Re: undesireable Motherboard config changes to time and fan settings

#12 2022-05-19 22:50:52

Re: undesireable Motherboard config changes to time and fan settings

#13 2022-05-20 20:14:18

Re: undesireable Motherboard config changes to time and fan settings

#14 2022-05-21 22:02:33

Re: undesireable Motherboard config changes to time and fan settings

Board footer