Several separate installs of Boinc on different computers have been similarly unsuccessful.

The scenario:

Clean install of Boinc on a PC that has never had Boinc previously installed.

Fire up Boinc. Should see challenge for project and key. Don't. Instead see message about wrong password. Curious - I didn't enter anything.

Search menu. Try "Project" | "Attach to project".

Asked for project URL (but not the key). Enter

http://setiathome.berkeley.edu

and click "Next". "Communicating with project. Please wait." is shown. A few seconds later a screen asking for "Proxy configuration" is shown.

I have no proxy, so I leave it blank and click "Next". Again, "Communicating with project". Then back to the "Proxy configuration" screen.

No amount of clicking "Next" gets me any further than the "Proxy configuration" screen.

What is wrong?

---

In frustration, I closed the Boinc client and then used REGEDIT to totally delete the registry settings for Boinc (right back to the key immediately below Software) under the HKCU.

When I restarted the Boinc client, it now did ask me for the project URL, and everything worked. I still had to go to the web SETI site to set my password, but everything now worked.

I have shutdown my old SETI client, so my 70% complete unit I guess will just have to be abandoned. No great loss, I hope.

---

I wanted to confirm that this definitely appears to be the cause (and solution) of the problem, and also to add the important note that this problem relates specifically to the Windows Boinc client.

The problem:

Unable to connect to the SETI site after initially setting up Boinc.

The cause:

Wrong / problemmatic registry settings stored under the HKCU/Software key.

The solution:

1. After installing Boinc!, start it. (I am not sure this is needed, but I did it with each computer that went wrong and that was fixed using this method. In any case, you shouldn't be trying this method if you haven't tried using Boinc the normal way!)
2. Close Boinc! and exit the resident part (ie. right click on the Boinc! icon in the system tray and select "Exit").
3. Open REGEDIT. If you don't know what I am talking about at this point, don't continue. REGEDIT is dynamite - useful if used skilfully, lethal if used by the inexperienced.
4. Expand the HKEY_CURRENT_USER key.
5. Expand the Software key.
6. Select the "Space Sciences Laboratory, U.C. Berkeley" key.
7. Press the "Delete" key on your keyboard.
8. Click "Yes" on the confirmation dialog.
9. Close REGEDIT.
10. Start Boinc! again.

You will now be challenged to enter the project URL. Continue as per the standard instructions.

Note: It is critically important that you have set your password on the SETI site before you attempt to connect - the project key method of logging in does not work properly due to a server error that they are working to fix.

---

I wanted to confirm that this definitely appears to be the cause (and solution) of the problem, and also to add the important note that this problem relates specifically to the Windows Boinc client.

The problem:

Unable to connect to the SETI site after initially setting up Boinc.

The cause:

Wrong / problemmatic registry settings stored under the HKCU/Software key.

The solution:

1. After installing Boinc!, start it. (I am not sure this is needed, but I did it with each computer that went wrong and that was fixed using this method. In any case, you shouldn't be trying this method if you haven't tried using Boinc the normal way!)
2. Close Boinc! and exit the resident part (ie. right click on the Boinc! icon in the system tray and select "Exit").
3. Open REGEDIT. If you don't know what I am talking about at this point, don't continue. REGEDIT is dynamite - useful if used skilfully, lethal if used by the inexperienced.
4. Expand the HKEY_CURRENT_USER key.
5. Expand the Software key.
6. Select the "Space Sciences Laboratory, U.C. Berkeley" key.
7. Press the "Delete" key on your keyboard.
8. Click "Yes" on the confirmation dialog.
9. Close REGEDIT.
10. Start Boinc! again.

You will now be challenged to enter the project URL. Continue as per the standard instructions.

Note: It is critically important that you have set your password on the SETI site before you attempt to connect - the project key method of logging in does not work properly due to a server error that they are working to fix.

Paul, maybe you noticed that all of us who try to help people getting on have been quite reluctant in answering the 'proxy-issue-questions'.

Obviously none of us had a good solution.
If yours really works, YOU ARE OUR HERO!

Oh - please send your solution to Paul D. Buck (p.d.buck at comcast.net). I guess he would dearly like to test it and integrate it into the BOINC-Wiki.

:-)= Greybeard

---

All about BOINC: BOINC-Wiki (by Paul D. Buck)