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6: System Preferences - Date & Time

The Date & Time preferences has three different sections relative to setting the system's time and different options for configuring the clock.

To manually set the date and time

Click on the "Date & Time" tab.

Make sure to uncheck the" Set Date and Time automatically"

To change the date you can either click on the day in the calendar

Or select the part of the date you wish to change and click on the either the up or down arrows.

To change the time, click the part of the time that you wish to change and click on either the up or down arrow.

You cannot manually change the time if you check "Set Date & Time automatically". This requires an internet connection and will connect to the server you chose to synchronize your computer with the correct time.

To set the time zone

Click on the "Time Zone" tab.

Click on your approximate location in the map. In the drop down box below select your area. You should set your time zone appropriately, as this information is used when your computer connects to a time server if you set your computer to automatically set the date & time.

To set the clock options

Click on "Clock" tab.

To show the time, click on the "Show the date and time" check box.
Select a view in

Menu Bar puts the clock in the menu bar.
Window puts the clock in a floating window.

Select a view as

Digital displays the date and time as numbers and letters.
Analog displays the date and time as it would appear on an analog clock.

To customize the clock:
Please note that these features only work if you have the view set to digital.
Display time with seconds.
Show AM/PM after the time.
Show the day of the week.
Flash the time separators.
Use a 24 hour clock.

If you chose to view the clock in a window, you can set the transperancy.

You can also have the computer announce the time at certain intervals if you wish. First you must turn on the "Announce the time" check box, and then chose a frequency from the pop up box.

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6: System Preferences - Date & Time

To manually set the date and time

To set the time zone

To set the clock options

Read more articles about System Preferences