DST discussion

[paulbeers]

Did you ever install the Windows XP DST patch? As long as you install the patch and update Java to 1.6_X then all should be well and the Windows XP DST patch you should be fine.

[pseudonym]

This spring I'm not so lucky. SageTV is behind one hour no matter what I do... I've tried all the tricks I tried in the fall, but no joy, so right now my favorites are not being recorded.

I am using Java 1.6.18 and according to Microsoft Update, the patch is already on my system. XP SP3 32-bit with all post hotifxes as delivered by Microsoft Update.

My SageTV time_zone property is time_zone= (nothing there after the = sign). Does anyone know what value I could use that would hard code it to PDT (pacific daylight time)? Then at least inbetween my attempts to figure out what is really wrong, and fix that, I could ensure my shows are recorded.

TIA for any help,
--pseudonym

[jprine01]

So the clocks jumped a hour ahead. On all 4 of my sagetv computers, windows updated perfectly.
For SageTv 2 clients and the server show the correct time in sagetv, (the server is recording the shows at the correct time).
... But somehow one of my sage cilents jumped 2!! hours ahead (1 extra hour ahead of what windows shows).
It has windows updates and its running the newest version of java.. I have restarted a few times since then.. still shows 1 hr ahead.
arghh! its always something, anyone have any ideas?

Time Sync with server is enabled on all my sage clients, but the one still shows 1 hour ahead.
I will try to uninstall java completely and reinstall.

I really don't see how it can jump 2 hours.. I mean i could see no jump at all but 2 hours!??

[pseudonym]

I found the following info in the SageTV manual:

time_zone
can be used to force a time zone setting; set to the ID for your TimeZone, either an abbreviation such as "PST", a full name such as "America/Los_Angeles", or a custom ID such as "GMT-8:00", without quotes.

I tried PDT and got almost 6am in the morning (it's almost midnight here). Then I tried: GMT-07:00 and now I have 09:47pm when it's 11:47pm. So it's now not one, but two hours behind.

Surely there's a way for SageTV to adopt whatever the windows clock is showing? I don't want to miss recording more shows :-(

--pseudonym

[paulbeers]

Try turning off Time Sync and reload Sage.

[pseudonym]

Hi Paul,

Thanks for that idea. However, I keep 'sync system clock with SageTV server' disabled normally (I'm assuming that's what you mean by 'time sync'? Please let me know if you're referring to a different setting). I only enabled this option to see if it would help -- it did not, so I disabled it again.

I've not only exited SageTV and relaunched (I use a tray icon, no service), I've also rebooted the PC. I've done these with and without 'sync system clock with SageTV server' enabled. No joy so far.

In the meantime, I've made use of the time_zone setting as mentioned in the manual. The one I coded that is working is nonsense, but SageTV's displayed time and date are correct, so at least I can record my shows while I'm searching for and trying out 'real' fixes for this issue.

Still open to ideas... keep 'em coming...

Thanks and regards,
--pseudonym

[nick_l]

In my experience, this means your windows time zone is set incorrectly. Your computer may show the right time, but the calculation made by other programs is based on what GMT time your computer acutally thinks it is. is it possible you picked gmt-8 baha california instead of the other option when you originally set your windows time?

[pseudonym]

Well I suppose anything is possible, but no I don't think that could be the case. I used the same time zone tools again that I used last fall (see my earlier posts) and from those I have nothing amiss.

I opened the XP systray clock and the first tab (date and time) shows the correct date and time for me (3/17/10, 8:02 pm ATM) and at the bottom there is a line, "Current time zone: Pacific Daylight Time".

On the second tab (time zone) the selected time zone at the top is "GMT-08:00 Pacific Time (US and Canada)" and at the bottom there is a checkbox which is marked, "Automatically adjust clock for daylight savings changes".

The XP system clock has always been set this way. So if something needs to be different now, I didn't get the memo

As far as I can determine so far, everything is in order.

It's something, of course, but I'll be darned if I know what it is. Keep 'em coming, maybe we'll find it...

Thanks and regards,
--pseudonym

[GKusnick]

Originally Posted by pseudonym

I opened the XP systray clock and the first tab (date and time) shows the correct date and time for me (3/17/10, 8:02 pm ATM) and at the bottom there is a line, "Current time zone: Pacific Daylight Time".

On the second tab (time zone) the selected time zone at the top is "GMT-08:00 Pacific Time (US and Canada)" and at the bottom there is a checkbox which is marked, "Automatically adjust clock for daylight savings changes".

That and an up-to-date Java runtime should be sufficient (assuming you actually live on the West Coast). No additional time zone tools, tricks, or settings should be necessary.

So my advice would be to undo any time zone hacks you may have done (now or last fall), remove Java completely from your machine, including any older versions that may still be hanging around, and then reinstall a fresh copy of the current Java runtime (version 1.6.0_18). Hopefully that will erase whatever dubious history of time zone tweaks is causing your Sage clock to diverge from your Windows clock and get you back to a stock Java time zone configuration.

[pseudonym]

Hi Greg thanks for helping out.

up-to-date Java runtime should be sufficient (assuming you actually live on the West Coast

As I posted above, I'm using 1.6.18 java (I should have notated that as 1.6.0_18). But I should have stated it's the Sun Java SE JRE.

PDT time zone is correct for me at present, you're safe assuming that

So my advice would be to undo any time zone hacks you may have done (now or last fall),

I've none to undo. I have not applied anything optional to the system, all that has been installed is via Microsoft Update. I have seen optional patches released from time to time, to address specific time zone issues, I've not applied or tried to apply them as they've not been applicable.

remove Java completely from your machine, including any older versions that may still be hanging around, and then reinstall a fresh copy of the current Java runtime (version 1.6.0_18).

As noted above, I'm using Sun Java SE JRE 1.6.0_18 so I'm good to go on that one.

I did not post this earlier, sorry, I have gone through these steps already.

Just FYI, as a matter of practice, I don't keep older java releases on my system. I'm not developing in java and don't have any products (so far) that require I maintain multiple versions. (knock on wood) So that complication should be out of the way.

When a new java release comes out, or I want to reinstall the current release, I:

1. Stop/disable anything on the system that appears to be using java
2. Uninstall (with their installer) the version on the system
3. Reboot
4. Use various tools I've collected over time to clean/delete registry, disk files and folders, windows environment variables, services, startup entries, activex controls, browser helpers, etc. All that I know to look for. The list grows as I discover new things throughout the year, such as the Java Quickstarter thingy they deploy now.
5. Reboot
6. (re)Install the desired JRE

So far, after following this procedure, a (re)install of java JRE appears to behave like it is a brand new first-time install. I'm not claiming there is nothing left behind after I follow this procedure, only that so far whatever may be left behind doesn't seem to be causing me any issues.

Hopefully that will erase whatever dubious history of time zone tweaks is causing your Sage clock to diverge from your Windows clock and get you back to a stock Java time zone configuration.

No joy so far... still looking for the culprit.

Something else worth mentioning. This is a "fresh install" of SageTV (at least, as "fresh" as I can make it by following similar practice to clean my system before reinstalling SageTV).

I did not port anything from my old SageTV, it is starting fresh. New wiz.bin, new sage.properties, everything.

After SageTV (re)install, the only customization I have added in is the STVI for Comskip Playback. I re-keyed in my favorites, and 'tweaks' (with one exception) that are done only from within the SageTV GUI. The exception: A registry tweak to set JVM heap at 512. That setting stays put except when I've cleaned the registry and reinstalled java, then it is set to 0 and I set it again to 512.

I actually did both java and SageTV "fresh" installs at the same time. I removed the current java and SageTV, did my cleanup process on both, then "fresh" installed java, followed by "fresh" install of SageTV. I always check afterward to ensure another java was not introduced by the SageTV installer (that used to happen to me many versions ago). I has not happened in a long time but I still check.


If I can get the time (no pun intended!) one of the troubleshooting steps I'm going to try, is to restore various disk partition images I have made of this system over time, such as when windows was freshly installed and updated, but no java and no SageTV was installed yet, or after those were installed but nothing else, etc.

I'll then bring the restored OS current with Microsoft Updates, SageTV, java, and anything else I think should be updated, and check the SageTV clock. I expect to find at least one image where SageTV's clock remains correct, and maybe I can work forward from there to locate the culprit in the system today.

That will be a bit time intensive, but I've not other ideas at the moment still left to be tried.

And I could just say "forget it" and stick with the hard-coded setting in sage.properties. And make a note on my calendar to go back through this stuff again in the fall. I'd really rather find the root cause, but maybe it's not worth the extra effort at this point since I have a workaround.

I mentioned in an earlier post my system is XP SP3 32-bit with all post-hotfixes as delivered by Microsoft Update. I forgot to add this is Pro, not Home, OS.

And just for the record, the hardware is home assembled from separately purchased components, it's not a 'branded' system with its own OS recovery media. I installed this OS from a hologram CD I purchased directly from Microsoft. It's the full retail version of XP Pro *SP2* 32-bit, which I then bring current after install.

I believe the last time I formatted the OS partition and fresh installed XP on this system, was about 11 months ago. I do this every 9 months to 2 years as a matter of routine even if there is no specific reason to do it. I've also the habit of rebooting my machines every night as a matter of routine.

I'm not claiming these habits are necessary. But I've done these for years, and I also experience almost no issues with any of my systems, they don't 'bog down' over time, get slower, etc. They just run fast and smooth, and the windows event logs are empty or nearly empty of warnings or errors, etc. When I do have the occasional issue, it can usually be pinned down and resolved fairly easily and quickly. Rightly or wrongly, I attribute my good fortune to these habits.

I really do attempt to be as relentless and throrough as I can when troubleshooting. So this timezone thing really has me stumped. (Obviously!)

--pseudonym

[aflat]

Maybe your system clock is off? Some things get their time from the system clock instead of the windows clock. Boot to the bios and see what the system clock time is.

[pseudonym]

That's a good thought, and I thought of that too :-)

The bios in this system is supposed to pick up the date and time from XP, and it has. It's correct. Also, the bios does not have any time zone settings, just a date and time.

Thanks for the idea! And I really wish that was it :-/

--pseudonym

[jmeeks]

I was having some time trouble too... (But, not exactly the same as you describe....)

Are you running SageTV as a Service? If so, I think you need to Exit SageTV and stop the SageTV service utilizing the SageTVServiceControl (Reference Page 16 in the User's Guide).

I think you have to change both the Sage.properties and the SageClient.properties files after Exiting and stopping the SageTV service for the time_zone property...I used CST as the setting....Should you use PST instead of PDT?

I did also use the program linked in this thread (Post #24) to verify the correct TimeZone for me (Central Standard Time) and Daylight Savings feature was set. And the Second Sunday of March and First Sunday of November was set for the Start and End Dates respectively....

I restarted SageTV, Verified the settings SageTV was using by going to the SetUp Help Meune and verifying the SageTV System Information Screen (page 208 of the User Guide) stated my Time Zone was CST....

Everything's fine on mine now....I hope this helps.

[pseudonym]

Thanks Paul for the idea, but no, as posted above I'm only using the tray icon and not the service.

And I use task manager to verify there is no orphaned SageTV process still running after the tray icon disappears. I don't believe I've ever seen an orphaned process for SageTV. But it's a habit I've had for a good long while due to experience with other recalcitrant programs that refuse to die, like Outlook.exe :-)

--pseudonym