I haven't run SETI@home for some time. So, I get my new PC, decide to rejoin the thing, and hooooley cow! WHAT is all this? SETI@home used to be a simple, straightforward thing.

Now, I find myself just overwhelmed by the instructions. I downloaded the latest version of SETI@home, installed it on my WinXP sp2 PC, and began attempting to set it up. I just don't know where to begin. Given how most people online are so quick to tell people politely asking for help they're idiots and call them even less polite names, I'll save you the effort. I AM an idiot, at least I'm left to feel like it by this thing. I just don't understand what I'm supposed to do to get this program working. Then, of course, I attempted to RTFM repeatedly. The more I read, the more confoozled I feel. Geeze louise, I see that there's a LOT of others who're baffled too. What the heck happened to that nice, simple program SETI@home used to be? Whose bright idea was all this extra c**p?

I, for one, would like to ask whoever decides this stuff if we might return to the way it was? Otherwise, can you just make a proper auto-install proggy that'll save me from having to learn programming just to make this mess work? Please? I'm willing to devote a LOT of my computer's time to SETI@home, but that depends on getting it to work. I'm NOT a fool, I have a college degree, for pete sake, but this, this is just nuts.

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I read the q+a quite often as I`m no expert myself and nowhere have I found anyone call anyone an idiot, just helpful advice. Someone will be along shortly to point you in the right direction.

Start BOINC.exe, got to the Projects menu, choose Attach to Project, in the Project URL text field, type http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/, and enter your username and password after you choose 'Existing account'. I hope you have a password. Thats it.
Regards,

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Someone will be along shortly to point you in the right direction.

Heh. 38 seconds.

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For more questions, use the 10 step manual.

As for attaching, the above option may look easy, but it isn't for everyone.
So I'll add my bits:

Install BOINC, let it start up.
- If your firewall asks if Boinc.exe and Boincmgr.exe are allowed to play outside, let them.
- If you want to connect to the Seti project, go to Your Account.
- Change your password, type it in twice and hit the Change Password button.
Start Boinc Manager if it isn't open yet.
At the top menu bar, you see Projects (not the tab, but the menu bar), press it.
Select Attach to project.
- Type in, or copy & paste: http://setiathome.berkeley.edu
- Press Next.
- Press the radio button before "Use existing account"
- Fill in your email address (top of the page) and the password you just set at the Seti page.
- Press Next.

That should attach you to Seti.

If it does not, go to the Messages tab in Boinc Manager and copy the messages from there, then post them here for one of us to look over.

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