MS DOS Command: TIME

Reference from Microsoft MS-DOS cmd help

Description

Displays the system time or sets your computer's internal clock.

MS-DOS uses time information to update the directory whenever you create or change a file.

Syntax

TIME [hours:[minutes[:seconds[.hundredths]]][A|P]]

To display the current time or to display a prompt by which you can change the current time, use the following syntax:

TIME

Parameters

hours	Specifies the hour. Valid values are in the range 0 through 23.
minutes	Specifies minutes. Valid values are in the range 0 through 59.
seconds	Specifies seconds. Valid values are in the range 0 through 59.
hundredths	Specifies hundredths of a second. Valid values are in the range 0 through 99.
A|P	Specifies A.M or P.M. for the 12-hour time format. If you type a valid 12-hour time but do not type A or P, TIME uses A (for A.M.).

Related Commands

For information about changing the current date, see the DATE command.

For information about changing the time format, see the COUNTRY command.

Remarks

Specifying an invalid TIME format

If you specify the time in an invalid format, MS-DOS displays the following message and then waits for you to specify the time:

Invalid time

Enter new time:_

Changing the TIME format

You can change the TIME format by changing the COUNTRY setting in your CONFIG.SYS file. For more information, see the COUNTRY command. Depending on the country code, MS-DOS will display the time in the 12-hour format or the 24-hour format. If you are setting the time in the 12-hour format, be sure to specify P for hours after noon.

Ensuring that MS-DOS prompts you for the time

If you want MS-DOS to prompt you for the current time whenever you start your system, you can add the TIME command to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. MS-DOS will automatically prompt you for the time and date if you do not have an AUTOEXEC.BAT file.

Examples

To set your computer's clock to 1:36 P.M., use either of the following commands:

TIME 13:36

TIME 1:36p