Seti Screensaver Deactivates after a Few Seconds

Questions and Answers : Macintosh : Seti Screensaver Deactivates after a Few Seconds
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Didge

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Message 425852 - Posted: 24 Sep 2006, 23:09:29 UTC

Seti has been working fine on my system for years.
Recently, the screen saver stopped working.
It no longer acivates automatically. When activated using hot corners, the screen goes blank for a few seconds, the SETI screen saver flashes on for about 1 second, then the screen returns to the normal Mac desktop.
I dont know what's changed - perhaps upgrading to OSX 10.4.7 ?
Running Boinc 5.4.9.
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Dotsch
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Message 426800 - Posted: 26 Sep 2006, 22:02:23 UTC - in response to Message 425852.  

I had sometimes some problems with the hot corners, too. But it was only sometimes. I had the impression, that it sometimes happens if the MacOS firewall was activated, the name resolving did not work proper, I have switched between different network profiles or the boinc client downloads new work and there is no network connection available. But after I have installed all available fixes, it only occurs very rare. Also I am not shure if this was a problem releated from the finder.
Do you have upgraded from 10.4.6 to 10.4.7 ? - Do you have installed all the available patches ?
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Didge

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Message 427066 - Posted: 27 Sep 2006, 11:49:26 UTC - in response to Message 426800.  

Yes - I am running 10.4.7 and have installed all available updates.

The problem does not just relate to the hot corners - these appear to be working correctly.
The issue is that the Boinc screensaver launches only briefly (whether activated by hot corners or automatically after the preset delay), but then switches back to the finder.



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Dotsch
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Message 427158 - Posted: 27 Sep 2006, 15:58:34 UTC - in response to Message 427066.  

Yes - I am running 10.4.7 and have installed all available updates.

The problem does not just relate to the hot corners - these appear to be working correctly.
The issue is that the Boinc screensaver launches only briefly (whether activated by hot corners or automatically after the preset delay), but then switches back to the finder.

Strange.
What is in your the screensaver preferences set ?
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Timothy E. Jordan

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Message 435907 - Posted: 14 Oct 2006, 2:57:11 UTC

I'm having the same problem, and have 10.4.8 OS X. Has the problem with hot corners and the idle-timed invocation of screen saver.
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ian

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Message 436152 - Posted: 14 Oct 2006, 16:46:09 UTC - in response to Message 435907.  

I'm having the same problem, and have 10.4.8 OS X. Has the problem with hot corners and the idle-timed invocation of screen saver.



same problem here macOS 10.4.8
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Mike Shanholtz

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Message 436811 - Posted: 15 Oct 2006, 15:04:54 UTC - in response to Message 425852.  

Same here. Flashes for a split second then returns to the normal desktop. What the heck is going on here?

10.4.8, will do this either by using hot corner OR by just letting the screen saver turn on normally (I have it set to launch after 10 minutes). Either way, it just flashes for a second then goes away.

Seems something is wrong here (obviously).

*sigh*
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Leonard M. Witzel

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Message 438221 - Posted: 17 Oct 2006, 1:34:44 UTC

I'm having the same issue.

I just recently returned to SETI after a few year hiatus, so this whole BOINC thing is new to me.


I'm using 10.4.8

and I have this issue with both intel and PPC G5 macs.

I wonder if anyone from SETI is aware of this problem and working on it?

its a totally different user experience to have BOINC run through a screensaver rather than having to launch the BOINC manager and conciously have the computer dedicated to crunching numbers.

I hope the screen saver function gets fixed soon.

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Andy

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Message 440164 - Posted: 19 Oct 2006, 21:27:30 UTC - in response to Message 438221.  
Last modified: 19 Oct 2006, 21:51:26 UTC

I agree.

I cannot get the screensaver to work. I figured that the screensaver was detected as processor activity and quit itself. It seems the days of just hitting the hotspot and walking away are gone.

Sorry to go off thread, but I have just had an automated message from SETI saying that I hadn't uploaded any data for 3 whole days. C'mon guys give me a break. I've been working for you for 6 years. I'm doing my best;-)
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Message 440171 - Posted: 19 Oct 2006, 21:47:41 UTC - in response to Message 440164.  

Could please anyone verify, if this is a problem in the screensaver settings. - I could this not
In the system preferences at the boinc screensaver are some settings, which should be verified before I can forward it to the SETI Mac Devs...
Please verify in the "BOINCSaver" when "Go to blank screen" is selected, the value "Minutes until going blank" is not set to "0".

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Andy

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Message 440174 - Posted: 19 Oct 2006, 21:54:25 UTC - in response to Message 440171.  
Last modified: 19 Oct 2006, 22:03:04 UTC

My screensaver is set to:

Start - never

Go blank after 1 min.

I just use the hotspot to start it.



I have just tried setting it to 100 min. Same scenario.
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Didge

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Message 440267 - Posted: 20 Oct 2006, 0:47:08 UTC

On my system, I have 'Go to Blank Screen' DEselected.
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dlwasley

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Message 440300 - Posted: 20 Oct 2006, 3:14:32 UTC

I have the same problem. The screen saver starts by saying it is "connecting to the application" (which has been running in the background, of course). Then the first graphic screen flashes momentarily, and then the 'wake up' screen comes on (I have a password on wake up so I see the 'enter password' box).

I don't know if this is related but -none- of the functions that require a browser to be launched, e.g. "Help", work. The status bar flashes "launching browser" but nothing ever happens. I discovered this when I tried to get help with the screen saver malfunction!

Whatever is going on here is extremely disappointing! The "old" seti@home code ran just fine for many years. 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it.'

FWIW: I'm running MacOS 10.4.8 on a PowerPC G4 with 1GB RAM.



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Message 440485 - Posted: 20 Oct 2006, 11:08:26 UTC - in response to Message 440300.  

I don't know if this is related but -none- of the functions that require a browser to be launched, e.g. "Help", work. The status bar flashes "launching browser" but nothing ever happens.

Have you set a default browser? Does clicking links in other apps (e.g. TextEdit or Mail) launch a browser? If not, open your preferred browser and look for a Preference setting that makes it the default.
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dlwasley

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Message 440598 - Posted: 20 Oct 2006, 16:46:35 UTC - in response to Message 440485.  

I don't know if this is related but -none- of the functions that require a browser to be launched, e.g. "Help", work. The status bar flashes "launching browser" but nothing ever happens.

Have you set a default browser? Does clicking links in other apps (e.g. TextEdit or Mail) launch a browser? If not, open your preferred browser and look for a Preference setting that makes it the default.


Yes. All other apps work fine in this regard. I have 4 browsers installed (I test them against sites that behave strangely). Firefox (1.5.0.7) is my 'default' and has been for a long time. I also have Safari, Netscape and IE6.


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Vanth SpiritWalker

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Message 441201 - Posted: 21 Oct 2006, 13:35:25 UTC

Running OSX 10.4.8 and having the very same problem: the screensaver launches and then quits in a second. Have tried both with the "Go to blank" option on and off, and with a value different from 0, still the problem remains. Has so far anyone found a solution to this?
Vanth
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Dotsch
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Message 441236 - Posted: 21 Oct 2006, 14:10:05 UTC

I will forward this problem to the SETI devs.
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miguel

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Message 441369 - Posted: 21 Oct 2006, 19:05:34 UTC - in response to Message 425852.  

With OSX 10.4.8 I have a problem that is slightly different. With hot corners I get a error message saying screensaver failed to find "SETI@home Screensaver" which is the old seti screensaver no longer on my HD! Moreover I cannot switch to another screensaver!
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Message 441732 - Posted: 22 Oct 2006, 12:07:57 UTC - in response to Message 440164.  
Last modified: 22 Oct 2006, 12:42:19 UTC

I cannot get the screensaver to work.


I have spent a little more time investigating what is happening on my machine, and with Bionic - commands set to "run always", the screensaver set to go blank after 3 min and Boinc - preferences (set via the web) to "Do work only after computer is idle for 1 min". The screensaver cannot connect to Boinc and quits.

However on changing the Boinc - commands to "Run based on prefences" a different set of events followed:


The screensaver started up and the message "Conecting to Boinc application" scrolled across the screen. Then the message "Boinc is currently suspended" scrolled across the screen. This seems logical as my preferences say wait 1 min before doing anything.

The minute passed and another message scrolled across warning that "Boinc is not executing any applications with graphics" and 0.00% was in there some where. This happened quite quickly. Then the screensaver flashed on for a brief period and the scrolling mesage then went back to "Boinc is currently suspended".

This cycle continued for about 3 mins, which is the time the scrensaver is set to go blank. Then as requested the screensaver went to a black screen. I then left the black screen for about 15 mins, having first noted how much work had been done, and tried to quit the screensaver by moving the mouse, nothing happened. I then tried the keyboard, again no response. It appears my machine had been put into deep sleep (another thread) and the only way I could get control back of my computer was to hold the power button in until the machine shutdown.

I then started up again, checked how much work had been done and it had increased. So work was being processed but in doing so another problem has manifested itself.

My energy setting are both set to never sleep. So you could argue that Boinc is hijacking my computer.

Surely this is unacceptable behaviour for a bona fide organisation such as SETI@home?


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Dotsch
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Message 442681 - Posted: 23 Oct 2006, 22:25:53 UTC - in response to Message 441732.  
Last modified: 23 Oct 2006, 22:26:32 UTC

Andy, the hangs could be happens, if the BOINC client try to connect to the servers for up- or download work. I had this problem with 10.4.6 often, but after upgrading to 10.4.7 it is gone now.
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Questions and Answers : Macintosh : Seti Screensaver Deactivates after a Few Seconds


 
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