Anyone know a way to set timer resolution in XP using a registry key or similar?

Currently I use a timer program that needs to be open/active to maintain the desired time, but I was looking for a permanent timer change.

 

If it were possible to fix it in the registry, they would have done so instead of creating a program. No, in XP, you cannot set a timer without third-party programs.

2 hours ago, ED_Sln said:

If it were possible to fix it in the registry, they would have done so instead of creating a program. No, in XP, you cannot set a timer without third-party programs.

You are true. Lets talk about some of these tools working on XP to set the timer resolution.

Currently Im using this one

https://timerresolution.net/#download

anymore? (better without .Net requirements)

I use this: https://yadi.sk/d/KpTGDPITsNWn7w the program itself is in the Timer_Fix folder. 

Brief description: Timer_Fix program with source code written in Visual Studio 6.0. The program has no interface; after launch, it will set the system timer to a period of 1 ms and leave it unchanged. The program will remain in the processes until the OS is rebooted. For convenience, it is best to place this program in “Startup” and completely forget about the problem of time passing. No issues have been found with using this method.

Edited October 2, 2025Oct 2 by ED_Sln

Million thanks!!! It was the program that I was looking for. Just a little tool to load at startup without interface!.

Thanks for sharing pal!! It will run by default in all my XP machines since now

Edited October 2, 2025Oct 2 by Kmuland

I'm not seeing the "advantage".  What am I missing?  Before/After comparison?

you cannot "see". Its a feeling.

Its similar to CRT times and setting monitor from 60hz to higher refresh rate. Some people didnt notice nothing.... other felt the screen more pleasant in that way

12 hours ago, NotHereToPlayGames said:

I'm not seeing the "advantage".  What am I missing?  Before/After comparison?

This manifests itself in the fact that the time on the computer starts to rush. This occurs when working with relatively new versions of Chrome-based browsers, such as 360, Chromium 87, and Supermium. They constantly switch the timer mode from 1 to 16 ms, which causes the time to run ahead. This program switches the timer to continuous operation in 1 ms mode, so the time is correct.

Edited October 3, 2025Oct 3 by ED_Sln

On 10/3/2025 at 8:04 AM, ED_Sln said:

 This program switches the timer to continuous operation in 1 ms mode, so the time is correct.

Could be posible lower the timer with this tool? some command line to enter the desired timer? I wanted to test below 1ms

Edited October 4, 2025Oct 4 by Kmuland

1 hour ago, Kmuland said:

Could be posible lower the timer with this tool? some command line to enter the desired timer? I wanted to test below 1ms

No, you cannot set a different value. As far as I know, these values are hard-coded into the OS kernel, and you cannot set a value lower than 1 ms.

Is this the same issue that the XP HAL timer patch addresses?

 

Edited October 4, 2025Oct 4 by Damnation

4 hours ago, Damnation said:

Is this the same issue that the XP HAL timer patch addresses?

I'm not sure if that's it. It mentions an ACPI timer, but this thread is about HPET, which doesn't depend on the processor frequency and is measured in milliseconds rather than megahertz.

I use this https://github.com/temerkhanov/SetTimerService on XP guests in VMware that has distorted audio on modern CPUs.  Noticed it when i upgraded to Ryzen (Zen2).  Host XP was fine, but got audio distortion when running XP as guest VM.  I for sure was not using the "frequency divider fix" at the time.  I can't remember if "HAL_acpitimer_fix" was being used.

My XP ISO that i use for VMs has SetTimerService set up to run by default now, so I never did do a proper test.  If someone wants to try it:

XP host + VM Workstation 10 + XP guest on Ryzen using pure XP ISO should get the audio distortion issue.  Then try the hal with timer+frequency fix and see if it stops distortion by itself.  If it doesn't, then SetTimerService is still needed for XP VMs.

 

 

On 10/4/2025 at 9:21 AM, Damnation said:

Is this the same issue that the XP HAL timer patch addresses?

 

7 hours ago, pappyN4v2 said:

I use this https://github.com/temerkhanov/SetTimerService on XP guests in VMware that has distorted audio on modern CPUs.

It also works, but after launching it sets the timer to 2 ms, after launching the browser it switches to 1 ms, and after closing the program it remains at 1 ms.