open a shell, then :
set the date with
> date DD-MMM-YY
> date HH:MM:SS
after that store the time with
> setclock save
to try your settings set the date to any time you want, ie:
> date 12:12:12
> date
output : Tuesday 15-jul-03 12:12:14
then
> setclock load
> date
output : the right date
if this doesn´t work, your problem might be a hw prob.