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Control Panel - Clock, Language, and Region
The majority of users pay absolutely no attention to this
category, and really there is no reason to be concerned with
it unless there is an unusual event that necessitates
adjusting the date and time settings or installing a
different or additional system language. Those events don't
happen often as most users set the date and time when Vista
is first installed or during the setup phase of a newly
acquired system.
Figure 01
Date and Time - A category you aren't
likely to visit very often, but bear in mind every operation
you perform on the system is dated and time stamped. It is
important to keep the time set accurately.
Figure 02 |
Date and Time
Tab - The only thing
different from previous versions of Windows is
you now need administrative privileges to change
the date and time. If
you happen to forget when Daylight Saving Time
is scheduled to begin, look here and the
information is available. |
Figure 03 |
Additional
Clocks - If you do business with other parts
of the country and world, constantly having to
do a quick mental calculation to convert their
time to your time can become annoying, not to
mention prone to errors.
Vista allows you to add two
additional clocks that are visible when you
hover the mouse over the time display in the
taskbar notification area. Very handy. |
Figure 04 |
Internet Time
- By default the system connects to
time.windows.com to synchronize the system clock
to an internet time server.
Use the [Change Settings] button
if you'd like to select a different time server
or if you want to discontinue automatic
synchronization. You can also synchronize
manually if desired.
The system does have to be
online at the time the connection is attempted
for auto synchronization to be successful. |
Regional and Language Options -
Here's another category the majority of users will never
visit, but if you do have a need to change the language
or regional options this is where they are hidden away.
At first blush there may not appear to be a lot here,
but go through the tabs and the other screens hiding
behind the [Customize This Format] button and you'll be
amazed at the number of ways date, time, and currency
options can be displayed.
Figure 05
Home
Up
Control Panel - Additional Options
Control Panel - Appearance and Personalization
Control Panel - Clock, Language, and Region
Control Panel - Ease of Access
Control Panel - Hardware and Sound
Control Panel - Mobile PC
Control Panel - Network and Internet
Control Panel - Programs
Control Panel - Security
Control Panel - System and Maintenance
Control Panel - User Accounts and Family Safety
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