WR Consulting

ZoneTick Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Note: ZoneTick World Time Zone Clock has been renamed Anuko World Clock. However, your copy of the product may still use ZoneTick name.

If you can't find an answer to your question please try using the Search function on the Anuko Software site. Alternatively, submit your question to us using Anuko World Clock Feedback form.

Install / Reinstall / Uninstall Questions

I bought ZoneTick before. How do I reinstall it on another system?

Use ZoneTick / Anuko World Clock CD or your download link to reinstall on another system.

All retail versions are sold with a CD inside. If you bought online you were given a temporary download link and an option to order ZoneTick / Anuko World Clock CD or Extended Download Service for one year. If you did not order your CD or Extended Download Service at that time you can still do it now at http://www.anuko.com/content/buy.htm

We recommend ordering a CD. It protects you in emergencies. To order ZoneTick / Anuko World Clock CD, without paying for the product again, use this link: http://www.anuko.com/content/buy2.htm?product=1&lic=54

All CD-only orders are accompanied by a complimentary instant download link, which is valid for 14 days. It allows you to reinstall immediately while waiting for your CD to arrive.

Your other options are:

Buy an annual product update subscription at http://www.anuko.com/content/buy2.htm?product=1&lic=42 page. It is a recurring event, charged annually to your credit card. You can cancel your subscription at any time.
Buy a one-time update (not an annual subscription) at 50% of the current product retail price at http://www.anuko.com/content/buy2.htm?product=1&lic=49 page.

All other product licensing options are available at http://www.anuko.com/content/buy.htm

Is there a way to silently install ZoneTick?

Yes, you can silently install ZoneTick World Time Zone Clock by using the "/S" command-line switch when running the installer. Notice that it is a capital S. For example:

zonetick_full.exe /S

How do I uninstall ZoneTick and get the system clock back?

As with most programs for Windows you can uninstall ZoneTick from Control Panel - Add or Remove Programs. Here is how:

Click on the Start Button. It is usually located in the lower-left corner of your screen.
Select Control Panel.
When in Control Panel - double-click "Add or Remove Programs".
In the list of installed programs in the "Add or Remove Programs" scroll down to the bottom and find ZoneTick World Time Zone Clock.
Select it and remove it.

Note: Click here for a MORE DETAILED description how to uninstall ZoneTick.

Configuration Questions

How do I add a new clock, timer, or stopwatch?

To add a new clock, right-click an existing clock and select "Add clock", "Add timer", or "Add stopwatch". Then configure it in the right pane of the Preferences window and apply your changes by pressing the OK or Apply button.

How do I configure my clocks, timers, and stopwatches?

To configure any clock double-click on it or right-click and select Options – Clock or timer settings to open its settings and change clock options as desired. For example, to change time zone or location click on the Change... button to the right of the Location field and select a new city or time zone. Apply your changes when done by clicking on the OK or Apply buttons.

How do I configure my ZoneTick to display GMT (UTC, Zulu) time?

By default ZoneTick shows three clocks after installation: local time (the time zone your computer is set to) on the desktop, London, and local time in taskbar. London uses a time zone with daylight saving on, which is not equal to GMT during the summer. One option to have a GMT clock is to unmark the "Adjust for daylight saving time" option for your London clock and change its label from London to GMT. Another option is to select a city which is on true GMT time, such as Casablanca. The third option is to use a true GMT time zone (not a city). This time zone is usually called (GMT) Casablanca, Monrovia. Double-click your clock or right-click it and select Options – Clock or timer settings to open its settings. Then click on the Change... button to the right of the Location field. Select the Time Zones option on top of the city list (to the right of the globe), chose Casablanca time zone and apply your change. Do not forget to label your clock appropriately.

How do I resize clocks on desktop?

All analog (mechanical) clock skins and some digital skins are resizable on desktop. The following digital skins can be resized: Standard System Clock, Classic ZoneTick Style, and Plain. Others are not resizable because they are drawn this way (digits are drawn into a bitmap). Just select (click on) your desktop clock and use your mouse wheel or PgUp / PgDn keys to change clock size. When skin is resizable a click on the desktop clock will display a mouse wheel icon on top of it as a reminder that you can use mouse wheel to change skin size. If you resize a digital skin make sure to turn on skin background while resizing - the task will become much easier (otherwise click exactly on the digits because clicks on a transparent background do not count). If you don't want a background then you can disable it after resizing.

How do I show the seconds hand on an analog desktop clock?

On the "Time and date display options" page in ZoneTick Preferences for your desktop clock tick the "Show seconds hand" box. It will only be enabled when analog skin is used for your clock. If your skin is digital select a time format with "ss" in it.

How do I make my desktop clock "Always on top"?

To make your desktop clock "Always on top" right-click on it and select the "Always on top" option.

Can I have my desktop clocks grouped together?

You can arrange your desktop clocks in any order, e.g. in a vertical or horizontal line, and even overlay them one on top of another, and then pin them together so that they become one object. This is easily accomplished by right-clicking and selecting the "Pin to clock group" option for any of your desktop clocks. Clock grouping is convenient for dragging all clocks as one item, rather than each one independently.

Can I configure ZoneTick to display dates on separate lines?

Absolutely. To display date on a separate line add "\n" in the date formatting where you wish to place the line break. Just type it in. For example, instead of "d MMM" type in "\nd MMM". The "\n" represents a new line. It should work in situations where there is enough room for multiple lines of text. It will not work in a single-row taskbar.

How can I configure "w" and "ww" date formatters to display week numbers in ISO-8061 format?

Change the iso_weeks parameter in your zonetick.ini (which will be in C:\Program Files\ZoneTick by default) to equal 1. If you don't have this parameter, add the following line in the main section of zonetick.ini:

iso_weeks=1

Restart ZoneTick.

Note: ZoneTick calendar is a standard Windows control and it does not support ISO-8061 week numbers, so week numbers are disabled in the calendar when the "iso_weeks" option is set.

How do you choose a program or URL to launch on double-click of a certain clock?

In each clock setting in the Preferences menu, under "Action on double-click" select the "Go to URL or launch program" option. Then, input your desired URL into the box provided. If you wish to launch a program, simply type in the file path to that program or click the "..." button to the right. Now double-clicking on the clock to which you made these changes should have the desired effect.

How do I set up an alarm for a timezone that I do not want to see as a clock?

Alarms can be set on hidden clocks. Remove the check from the box next to the clock in the tree to hide it. Alarms will still function for hidden clocks unless the alarm is disabled. Note that you can disable all alarms for a certain clock by unmarking the Alarms node or disable some alarms individually.

How do I configure my ZoneTick to display military time in 24-hour format?

Any ZoneTick clock can be configured to display time in a custom format including military. To make things more convenient, we provide a mechanism for individual selection of time and date formats for each clock. This enables you, for example, to display local time in 12-hour am/pm format and GMT time in 24-hour military format.

You can select a desired time format on the "Time and date display options" page in ZoneTick Preferences. The format you need is either "24 hours", "HH:mm:ss" or "HH:mm". You can also type in your own time format if a list of pre-defined time formats does not provide the one you need.

How do I change ZoneTick's appearance?

ZoneTick comes with several digital and analog skins. All taskbar clocks use one skin, which is set in the "Appearance in taskbar" page in ZoneTick Preferences. Desktop clock skins are configured individually for each clock, which gives you total flexibility. Set desktop skin in the "Appearance on desktop" page for each clock. How do you access these pages? Double-click on a clock and navigate to them in the clock tree in ZoneTick Preferences or right-click and select Options - Appearance.

How do I disable automatic updates in ZoneTick?

To permanently disable automatic updates in ZoneTick World Time Zone Clock create the following DWORD registry value:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\WR Consulting\ZoneTick\no_updates

Set it to 1 to disable updates or to 0 to enable them. If you want to prohibit your users from manually changing this and other settings protect the HKLM\SOFTWARE\WR Consulting\ZoneTick\ registry key.

Restart ZoneTick for your change to take effect.

How do I disable cloud map downloads in ZoneTick?

To remove the cloud map feature from ZoneTick World Time Zone Clock create the following DWORD registry value:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\WR Consulting\ZoneTick\no_cloud_map

Set it to 1 to remove the cloud map and its downloads or to 0 to keep it. If you want to prohibit your users from manually changing this and other settings protect the HKLM\SOFTWARE\WR Consulting\ZoneTick\ registry key.

Restart ZoneTick for your change to take effect.

How do I remove the RSS News feature from ZoneTick?

To remove the RSS News feature from ZoneTick World Time Zone Clock create the following DWORD registry value:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\WR Consulting\ZoneTick\no_news

Set it to 1 to remove the news or to 0 to keep it. If you want to prohibit your users from manually changing this and other settings protect the HKLM\SOFTWARE\WR Consulting\ZoneTick\ registry key.

Restart ZoneTick for your change to take effect.

How do I remove the "View city photos" option from the right-click menu in ZoneTick?

To remove the "View city photos" option from the right-click menu in ZoneTick create the following DWORD registry value:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\WR Consulting\ZoneTick\no_city_photos

Set it to 1 to remove the option or to 0 to keep it. If you want to prohibit your users from manually changing this and other settings protect the HKLM\SOFTWARE\WR Consulting\ZoneTick\ registry key.

Restart ZoneTick for your change to take effect.

Can I prohibit my users to change their clock settings?

To prohibit users to change their clock settings create the following DWORD registry value:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\WR Consulting\ZoneTick\no_preferences

Set it to 1 to prohibit any clock changes or to 1 to allow them. If you want to prohibit your users from manually changing this and other settings protect the HKLM\SOFTWARE\WR Consulting\ZoneTick\ registry key.

Restart ZoneTick for your change to take effect.

When no_preferences option is set the following applies.

Double-click action invokes system calendar.
Clock settings for all users are read from the default.ini file.
Right-click menu options are reduced to Calendar, Time Converter, Time Table, About ZoneTick, and Exit.

I'd like to see the calendar when I double-click on clocks. How do I configure this?

The following options are available for double-click action for each clock:

Show calendar.
Open URL or launch program.
Show clock settings.
Show time converter.
Adjust system Date/Time.
Copy to clipboard.
Show time table.

You can select the one you need in the "Action on double-click" control on clock settings page in ZoneTick Preferences. The "Show calendar" will show ZoneTick Calendar. The "Adjust system Date/Time" option will show the native system calendar.

Troubleshooting Questions

I can't see the world map or change time zones. What's wrong?

Starting with v2.7 ZoneTick uses OpenGL advanced graphics to display interactive world map. This works smoothly for most users. If you see a problem with city map please check the following:

The most important step is to make sure you have installed the latest manufacturer’s driver for your video adapter. Check Desktop Properties - Settings - Advanced - Adapter - Properties - Driver to see the currently installed driver. Video drivers are often problematic, and installing the latest driver from your hardware manufacturer may help. We have seen many problems resolved instantly after simply installing the new driver. Note: you will need the latest driver made by your video card manufacturer, rather than a default Windows driver provided by Microsoft. The driver made by the hardware manufacturer will fully utilize the capabilities of the video card.
Is your video mode set to 32-bit (TRUECOLOR)? Right-click on your desktop and select Properties - Settings - Color quality, and make sure it is set to 32-bit.
Is your hardware acceleration set to full? Right-click on your desktop and select Properties - Settings - Advanced - Troubleshoot - Hardware Acceleration and make sure it is set to Full.

If the above does not help you may have a card that does not support OpenGL at all. In this case we can provide you with ZoneTick v2.6.8, which is the latest version without advanced graphics.

Alternatively, consider removing the file called mapgl.dll from the ZoneTick installation directory (C:\Program Files\ZoneTick\ by default). This will cause the software to function without the interactive world map. You will still be able to select different cities for your clocks using the city database. Note that when you delete the map any software update will recover it. Consider either disabling checking for updates in ZoneTick in such case or re-deleting the map file after each update.

After installing the new driver for your video card and a rebooting your computer, please make sure to REINSTALL ZoneTick to see if the world map starts working. Please contact you hardware manufacturer for assistance and directions on where to download latest video drivers.

I don't see any clocks in my taskbar. What's wrong?

Windows may have been configured to not show the system clock. Right-click on any free area in taskbar, select Properties and make sure the "Show the clock" option is checked.

Activation and Registration Questions

I no longer see the "Activate" option in trial ZoneTick. How can I activate my ZoneTick?

In order to simplify maintenance for ZoneTick World Time Zone Clock users, and especially our large enterprise customers, we removed activation functionality from the product. Paying customers now receive a download link to the full version, which does not require activation at all. If you are an existing customer and need to reinstall ZoneTick on another system please check the answer to this question: I bought ZoneTick before. How do I reinstall it on another system?

Affiliation Questions

How can I make money with ZoneTick?

ZoneTick World Time Zone Clock is a great productivity tool for enterprises and individuals. If you have a web site you can help us distribute trial versions. Each sale generated with your help will earn you 40% sales commission. All you have to do is the following.

Open an affiliate account with RegNow free of charge.
Find our product by searching for product name "ZoneTick" or id "12892-1".
Generate sales links and put them on your web site together with promotional graphics of your choice.

Everything else is handled by RegNow automatically. They will instantly provide you with a custom installer where all BUY links embed your affiliate ID. Potential clients download and try it. When they decide to buy, your affiliate ID is passed along to the online shop and you get paid by RegNow.

Operating Systems Questions

Will ZoneTick work on Windows Vista?

The latest ZoneTick fully supports and runs on Windows Vista. If you run ZoneTick on Vista it is critical that you have installed a proper, most recent driver for your video adapter.

What operating systems does the product support?

The latest ZoneTick version works on Windows Vista, XP, 2003, and 2000. Versions 2.7 and prior have been tested on Windows 95 (OSR2 with IE 5 installed), 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, and 2003. Skins require 65536 or more display colors (High Color - 16 bit, or better).

Note: some older video adapters may not support OpenGL mode, which is required for interaction with the world map. Check this for more details. If you run ZoneTick on Windows Vista it is critical that you have installed a proper, most recent driver for your video adapter.

Note for Mac OS users: We have partnered with MaBaSoft to provide World Clock Bundle for Windows and Mac OS X to customers who need support for both operating systems. The bundle allows you to purchase 2 products for one low price, ZoneTick World Time Zone Clock for Windows and World Clock Deluxe for Mac OS X. Write to info at wrconsulting.com for additional information. You can buy the bundle at this link. Note: the bundle consists of two separate products developed by different companies. It is normal to see some differences in functionality.

Does ZoneTick work on Mac OS?

ZoneTick World Time Zone Clock does not support Mac OS. MaBaSoft provides an excellent world clock for Macs. We have partnered with MaBaSoft to provide World Clock Bundle for Windows and Mac OS X to customers who need support for both operating systems. The bundle allows you to purchase 2 products for one low price, ZoneTick World Time Zone Clock for Windows and World Clock Deluxe for Mac OS X. Write to info at wrconsulting.com for additional information. You can buy the bundle at this link. Note: the bundle consists of two separate products developed by different companies. It is normal to see some differences in functionality.

Licensing and Pricing Questions

We are an enterprise customer looking to install ZoneTick for hundreds of users. Do you offer a site or a corporate license?

Yes we do. Purchasing a site license allows you to install ZoneTick World Time Zone Clock on any number of computers at one "site", which is one geographical location in an organization, such as one company office in one city, a university campus, one cruise ship, etc. Another option is unlimited worldwide organizational license, which is simply an extension of one site license to unlimited number of sites within one organization. This works best for large worldwide companies. All ZoneTick purchasing options are outlined on this page. Join the growing list of global companies who know that tracking work time in remote offices is just as important as tracking your own time. Productivity matters. Productivity across borders is paramount to make any cross-border project to complete successfully. Trust us on this - we do all our work in distributed teams. Communication, "speaking the same language", "being on the same page", and daily meetings are necessary. Using ZoneTick is a part of successful communication. We can't afford to work without it.

I am a licensed user of an older ZoneTick version. Do I need to pay for an updated product?

Each licensed ZoneTick World Time Zone Clock user is eligible for free product updates for 1 full year after the original purchase. Starting with v3.2 automatic updates are built into the product so that you don't have to worry about it. If you configured your copy to automatically update it will take care of it.

There are several ways to obtain a physical copy of an updated product if you are still within 1 year after your purchase:

If you purchased Extended Download Service (EDS) use your download link to get the new version. Save the file because the download link will eventually expire.
If you have not purchased EDS or lost your download link you may buy it at http://www.anuko.com/content/buy2.htm?product=1&lic=54
Order ZoneTick / Anuko World Clock CD, without paying for the product itself, from http://www.anuko.com/content/buy2.htm?product=1&lic=54

If you are beyond your 1 year free updates eligibility period the following discount update options are available to you:

Buy an annual product update subscription at http://www.anuko.com/content/buy2.htm?product=1&lic=42 page. It is a recurring event, charged annually to your credit card. You can cancel your subscription at any time.
Buy a one-time update (not an annual subscription) at 50% of the current product retail price at http://www.anuko.com/content/buy2.htm?product=1&lic=49 page.

All other product licensing options are available at http://www.anuko.com/content/buy.htm

Do you offer any academic pricing options?

Yes, academic pricing options are available for single user license, department (max 10 users) license, site (university campus), and worldwide organizational (unlimited worldwide use within an organization) levels. Please request your quote by using ZoneTick Feedback form.

Do you offer anything for OEMs?

Yes, we do. ZoneTick World Time Zone Clock, preinstalled into your hardware systems, will make them more attractive to buyers and may lead to increased sales. We are interested in talking to companies about possible deals. Check this link for more information: details of WR Consulting OEM offering.

Backup / Restore Questions

How do I backup and restore ZoneTick World Time Zone Clock configuration?

ZoneTick stores user clock settings in a file called zonetick.ini. You can find it in the product installation directory. Settings specific to any user are stored in sections of this file named after user's Windows logon name. For example:

[nik:main]
[nik:clock1]

There are many sections like this for each clock, alarm, RSS feed, and other options. If you'd like to save your configuration for emergencies backup this file.

To restore your configuration on another computer:

Exit ZoneTick.
Replace zonetick.ini file with the one from backup.
If your Windows logon name is different on another computer rename titles of corresponding user sections in zonetick.ini to reflect your new logon name. For example, if your older logon name was nik and on the new system you are nicholas then instead of the example above you would have the following:

[nicholas:main]
[nicholas:clock1]

After modifying zonetick.ini file restart your ZoneTick.

Time Synchronization Questions

How do I synchronize computer time with another time server that is not on the list?

To synchronize computer time with another time server that is not in the list of pre-determined time servers in ZoneTick World Time Zone Clock, type its name or IP address in the Server field on Time synchronization page in ZoneTick Preferences.

Time synchronization does not work for me. What do I need to check?

Your time server must support time synchronization over NTP protocol using UDP port 123. Make sure that UDP traffic on port 123 is allowed between your machine and your time server.

If you use a firewall make sure that the timesync.exe process is allowed to communicate over NTP protocol to external systems. Timesync.exe is a component of ZoneTick, which runs as a Windows service and sets the computer time.

Customization Questions

I'd like to sponsor developing a feature I need in ZoneTick. How can I do so?

If you are an enterprise customer and wish to sponsor developing a feature, which is not yet available in the product, here is how to proceed:

Request a quote by submitting ZoneTick Customization Request form.
Be ready to order either a worldwide or a site license of the product if customization cost is acceptable to you.
Generate a purchase order, which will include customization work and your purchase of the product.

Note 1: Quotes for sponsors are done at cost to us with a condition that either a worldwide or a site license is included in the purchase order.
Note 2: Copyright and ownership stay with us. The feature can be made available to other customers without any compensation to you.

Free World Clock Version Questions

Is there a free version of ZoneTick World Time Zone Clock?

Yes, we also offer a free version of ZoneTick World Time Zone Clock. You can download it from the link below.

http://wrconsulting.com/downloads/zonetick_free.exe

Is free version of ZoneTick World Time Zone Clock really free?

Yes, the free version of ZoneTick World Time Zone Clock is really free. It does not expire. There are no "Buy now" reminders. Features that are only available in the full version, are simply disabled.

What is the difference between the full and free versions of ZoneTick?

Free version of ZoneTick World Time Zone Clock has some functionality limitations.

Clocks can not be placed on desktop.
Only one clock in the taskbar is allowed. All other clocks can be seen in tooltip when mouse hovers over.
Alarms are not supported.
Control over notifications in RSS reader is disabled.
Dynamic highlights of clock faces are disabled.
Time table, time converter, calendar, and world map links in the right-click menu are disabled.

A table of comparison between the free and full versions is available at this page.

Miscellaneous Questions

Can I swap computer time zones in ZoneTick?

Definitely. To see the additional option "Make clock local" in right-click menu just add the following line into the main section of your zonetick.ini file.

setlocalinmenu=1

Restart ZoneTick after introducing changes in the file.

Can I highlight the local system clock differently?

To see highlighting of the local system clock add the following line to the main section in zonetick.ini

localzonehighlight=1, 00:00-00:00, FF0000, 40, 0123456, Local clock

The parameters here are as follows.

1 - sets the profile to be active.
00:00-00:00 - time range in 24 hour format for the profile to be active. In this case the entire day is allocated.
FF0000 - RGB values for the highlight. Red (FF) in this case.
40 - strength of your highlight.
0123456 - days of week for the profile to apply. The entire week is active in this case.
Local clock - optional comment for placement in tooltips.

Restart ZoneTick after introducing changes in the file.

Can I make my own skins for ZoneTick?

Yes. Making your own ZoneTick skins requires no more than an image editing program of your choice, and some creativity on your part. A detailed guide on how to do this is available here. Please check this page also for some user-supplied skins and a downloadable skin pack.

How do I pre-configure ZoneTick for multiple users?

You can pre-configure your deployment of ZoneTick if you have the full version of the program. Default settings for ZoneTick are stored in the default.ini file in the program's directory (usually C:\Program Files\ZoneTick\). You can overwrite the default.ini file with your own during installation. Here is how to do it.

Provide your own file with default clock settings. Name it enterprise.ini. Put it into the same directory where your installer is. The installer will check for existence of this file and, if found, rewrite default.ini with your content.

Although many settings are pre-defined here in default.ini, the most important are the following, as defined in clock2.

timezone=(GMT) Greenwich Mean Time : Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, London
usedaylight=1
zone=GMT Standard Time
location=London, United Kingdom
prefix="London"

To find out what needs to be placed in your default.ini first set your clocks exactly as you want them. Then, copy the content of all [username:clockN] sections from your section of zonetick.ini to enterprise.ini. N here stands for clock number. In your zonetick.ini file these sections will have different titles, derived from your Windows logon name. For example, if your logon name is john then the sections will be titled as below.

[john:clock1]
[john:clock2]
[john:clock3]
and so on, for all clocks

Make sure to test everything before deploying for many users.

Note: clock settings for users are stored in zonetick.ini file. Changing the default.ini file will not have any effect if user has already used the product on a particular computer. To change clock settings for existing and not just new users you need to delete zonetick.ini file before installing or updating the product.

How can I configure dynamic color change on clocks?

In v2.5 and newer it's very easy to do by assigning time-sensitive highlights to your clocks. Use the Highlights sub-node of any clock in the clock tree in ZoneTick Preferences to introduce or configure highlights as you like. In earlier versions the procedure is manual and requires editing the zonetick.ini file. For example, to make clock greenish during work hours between 9 and 5 Monday through Friday add the following line to each individual clock section in your zonetick.ini:

[username:clock1] 
profile1=09:00-17:00, 00FF00, 50, 12345, Open for business

Greenish color indicates that local office is open.

Values here are: profile1 - name of prioritized profile. You can have many profiles. The lowest applicable always wins. 09:00-17:00 - time range in military time format when this profile is active. 00FF00 - RGB color to mix clock face with. In this case we are adding green (FF value for Green, zero for Red and Blue). 50 - strength of mixing. Allowed range is between 00 and FF. 12345 - days of week the profile is active, 0 = Sunday, 1 = Monday, and so on. Open for business - optional text string to add to tooltip when profile is active. Here is another example to use greenish color during office hours and reddish color otherwise:

profile1=09:00-17:00, 00FF00, 50, 12345, Open for business 
profile2=00:00-24:00, FF0000, 50, 0123456, Office closed

Reddish color indicates that Tokyo office is still closed.

Note: you'll need to either restart ZoneTick or reapply settings after introducing profiles.

Free Live Chat Software

News
context sensitive news

ZoneTick World Time Zone Clock 4.3 released

ZoneTick World Time Zone Clock 4.0 released!

ZoneTick for OEM

ZoneTick World Time Zone v3.7.3 released!