The manual method. Complex but works everywhere. Here is the simplified formula:
: The most straightforward solution is to upgrade to Windows 8 or a later version, where GetSystemTimePreciseAsFileTime is available.
Capture the QueryPerformanceCounter value at that same moment. getsystemtimepreciseasfiletime windows 7
If your timestamps appear to go backwards, you may need to force Windows 7 to use the HPET (High Precision Event Timer):
However, a strange thing happened. Some Windows 7 systems (specifically those with certain updates or Platform Update for Windows 7) do have this function sitting in kernel32.dll . But relying on it is dangerous. The manual method
wmic datafile where name="C:\\Windows\\System32\\kernel32.dll" get Version
Then came a quiet hero: .
GetSystemTimePreciseAsFileTime does one beautiful thing: It reads the from the underlying hardware (HPET or TSC) and converts it to UTC. On supported systems, it offers microsecond-level precision (though not necessarily accuracy—that’s a topic for another day).