Error message when you run the "w32tm /resync" command to synchronize Windows Server 2003 or Windows SBS to an external time source: "The computer did not resync because no time data was available"

This article provides a solution to an error that occurs when you run the w32tm /resync command to synchronize Windows Server 2003 or Windows SBS to an external time source.

Applies to:   Windows Server 2003
Original KB number:   929276

Symptoms

When you run the w32tm /resync command to synchronize Microsoft Windows Server 2003 or Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 (Windows SBS) to an external time source, you receive the following error message:

The computer did not resync because no time data was available.

If you run the w32tm /config /syncfromflags:manual command or the w32tm /config /manualpeerlist:peerlist command to determine whether Windows is configured correctly, the commands complete successfully.

Cause

This problem occurs if a Group Policy object for a Windows Time Service object is configured incorrectly.

Resolution

To resolve this problem, examine the Group Policies that set the Windows Time Service Group Policy objects to their default values or to a value of Not Configured. Examine Group Policies on the computer and in the organization. Set these Windows Time Service Group Policy objects to use a value of Not Configured. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Open the container that contains the Group Policy object that you want to modify. To do this, follow these steps.

    For a domain object

    1. On a domain controller, click Start, click Run, type dsa.msc, and then click OK.

    2. In the Active Directory Users and Computers Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in, right-click the container that contains the Group Policy object, and then click Properties. For example, right-click the container that represents the domain or the organizational unit, and then click Properties.

      Note

      If the server that has this problem is a domain controller, examine the Group Policy objects in the Domain Controllers container.

    3. In the ContainerName Properties dialog box, click the Group Policy tab.

    4. Click the Group Policy object that you want to modify, and then click Edit. For example, if you are examining the Group Policy objects in the Domain Controllers container, click Default Domain Controllers Policy, and then click Edit.

    For a local computer object

    Click Start, click Run, type gpedit.msc, and then click OK.

  2. In the Group Policy Object Editor MMC snap-in, expand Computer Configuration, expand Administrative Templates, expand System, and then click Windows Time Service.

  3. In the right pane, right-click Global Configuration Settings, and then click Properties.

  4. In the Global Configuration Settings Properties dialog box, click Not Configured, and then click OK.

  5. Expand Windows Time Service, click Time Providers, and then set all the objects in this node to Not Configured. To do this, follow these steps:

    1. In the right pane, double-click Enable Windows NTP Client, click Not Configured, and then click OK.
    2. In the right pane, double-click Configure Windows NTP Client, click Not Configured, and then click OK.
    3. In the right pane, double-click Enable Windows NTP Server, click Not Configured, and then click OK.
  6. Exit Group Policy Object Editor, and then click OK to exit the ContainerName Properties dialog box.

  7. Update Group Policy on the server that has this problem. To do this, follow these steps:

    1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
    2. At the command prompt, type gpupdate /force , and then press ENTER.

More Information

For more information, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
816042 How to configure an authoritative time server in Windows Server 2003