has anyone heard of a way to run seti from cd-rom w/no harddisk

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Message 462820 - Posted: 21 Nov 2006, 5:54:31 UTC
Last modified: 21 Nov 2006, 5:56:21 UTC


in a windows platform?
i have found it in a mini linux platform but.......
I KNOW NOTHING! Col.Klink about linux!
the mini linux has complete instructions and once running uses floppy disk to transfer files to another seti@home computer for reporting. i have a built in nic in a mobo w/k-7 1400+ and video, all i need is either a harddisk or a way to run without hardisk, the hard disk i have is recognized by bios and by windows but will not boot and in win setup will not format, are there any programs out there that will fix that? i have not been able to find any.
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Message 462821 - Posted: 21 Nov 2006, 5:58:42 UTC - in response to Message 462820.  

I think that Terrorhertz would be the authority on this. I'll email him. :)
me@rescam.org
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Message 462872 - Posted: 21 Nov 2006, 12:12:09 UTC - in response to Message 462820.  


in a windows platform?
i have found it in a mini linux platform but.......
I KNOW NOTHING! Col.Klink about linux!
the mini linux has complete instructions and once running uses floppy disk to transfer files to another seti@home computer for reporting. i have a built in nic in a mobo w/k-7 1400+ and video, all i need is either a harddisk or a way to run without hardisk, the hard disk i have is recognized by bios and by windows but will not boot and in win setup will not format, are there any programs out there that will fix that? i have not been able to find any.

Transferring files to another computer to report them back to Berkeley is not a simple process and is not currently designed into Boinc. It is actually discouraged by Berkeley, but there are ways to get it done. There are Linux diskless setups discussed here http://forums.teamphoenixrising.net/showthread.php?t=32394

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Message 462891 - Posted: 21 Nov 2006, 13:21:33 UTC

You could try using something like BartPE. I've not tried it for BOINC, but the only time I did use it, it worked for what I wanted it to do (rescue files off an installed, but non-bootable, HDD, and transfer them over a network to a working machine).

So the networking support is there, and hence internet for direct communication with BOINC projects if you're behind a suitable router: I wouldn't try to include antivirus in a PE build!

So all you would have to do (!) is find a way to install and auto-run BOINC - presumably with account credentials already supplied - and copy it all to a RAMdisk or flashdrive so BOINC has somewhere writable to store its bits and pieces.

Not a job for the faint-hearted, but I'd be interested to hear if you get it running.
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Message 463162 - Posted: 22 Nov 2006, 0:55:49 UTC - in response to Message 462891.  

You could try using something like BartPE. I've not tried it for BOINC, but the only time I did use it, it worked for what I wanted it to do (rescue files off an installed, but non-bootable, HDD, and transfer them over a network to a working machine).

So the networking support is there, and hence internet for direct communication with BOINC projects if you're behind a suitable router: I wouldn't try to include antivirus in a PE build!

So all you would have to do (!) is find a way to install and auto-run BOINC - presumably with account credentials already supplied - and copy it all to a RAMdisk or flashdrive so BOINC has somewhere writable to store its bits and pieces.

Not a job for the faint-hearted, but I'd be interested to hear if you get it running.


you may have just hit on something, would it be possible to use a usb thumbdrive as a working harddisk? you know load windows and boinc on thumbdrive and crunch away.

bart pe, you said is capable of recovering files from a nonbootable harddisk? i have a harddisk that i think will work , windows recognizes it, sytem bios recognizes it , it spins, it makes lots of noises that sound normal , it just won't boot, if bart pe can access harddisks and recover data, would also be able attempt a format afterwards?

man, i'm just full of questions tonight, bet your sorry you replied to this one!
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Message 463612 - Posted: 22 Nov 2006, 17:54:04 UTC - in response to Message 463162.  

you may have just hit on something, would it be possible to use a usb thumbdrive as a working harddisk? you know load windows and boinc on thumbdrive and crunch away.

It is absolutely possible. You'll need a motherboard that will boot off of a USB flash, and you'll need a USB flash that emulates either a USB hard drive or a USB zip drive.
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Message 463617 - Posted: 22 Nov 2006, 18:13:12 UTC - in response to Message 463162.  

... bart pe, you said is capable of recovering files from a nonbootable harddisk? i have a harddisk that i think will work , windows recognizes it, sytem bios recognizes it , it spins, it makes lots of noises that sound normal , it just won't boot, if bart pe can access harddisks and recover data, would also be able attempt a format afterwards?

man, i'm just full of questions tonight, bet your sorry you replied to this one!

That's all right, I know how these questions can lead on to other things... Sorry I didn't reply earlier, it's a time-zone thing.

Recovery of data: depends what I've got handy, how urgent it is etc. Usually it's easiest to take the HDD out of the case, and fit it in (either) a working computer (or) an external enclosure (USB 2.0 or similar). If you're lucky, the new host OS will be able to mount it and you can copy important files directly. If the HDD is too badly damaged/scrambled, I use GetDataBack from Runtime Software. It's only when there were physical problems swapping out the faulty HDD that I resorted to Bart PE.

When you're copying files, the important maxim is "Look, but don't touch" - in other words, avoid making any changes to the faulty HDD which could make the problems even worse. It shouldn't make any difference to what you can or can't do with the HDD afterwards.

In your case, you said that Windows Setup wouldn't format the disk. Assuming you've done the obvious things like using fdisk to delete/remake the existing partition(s), I think you should assume that this HDD is fatally damaged and shouldn't be trusted, even for a BOINC-only cruncher. Better to get a replacement HDD (for simplicity), or carry on exploring the flash/live CD routes.
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Message 464110 - Posted: 23 Nov 2006, 10:02:20 UTC

Thanx for the heads up Misfit,

Swmpthing,
I have succefully made bootable Linux CD with Boinc on it about a year ago. I ran then nonstop for about 6 months with equal performance as Linux on an HD. It can also easyly be put on a USB. I put it on a 512MB key and had plenty of room left to store extra WU. Installing to USB and other devices are also built into the CD so it makes it easier for people new to Linux.
I made it useing Puppy Linux .
They have since changed Puppy to use Vector Linux and I haven't updated to it but My old versions still work and you can DL the latest BOINC to the CD very easily with out recompileing a new ISO from source.
Puppy is a very small bootable linux CD that runs totally uncompressed in RAM with 256MB recommended RAM. Most other bootable linux CD run from compressed files so they are very slow. Puppy and SETI/Puppy(my version run as fast as your RAM and CPU will allow.
Another great feature that made me choose Puppy was the ability to save your files and work BACK to the CD if you have a burner or straight to the USB key.. With this feature all of your websites that you bookmark are automatically saved to the disk along with all files that you DLed dureing your session..and it will all be there for you the next time you boot off the CD or USB. Most bootable CDs do not allow their users to save their session and files back to the disk. This allows you to save the WUs that you where working on and then restart later from them the next time you reboot in the exact same place as when you exited Puppy Linux. You do not have to start at the beginning of the WU again and waste presious time. When you exit Puppy or SETI/Puppy is will ask you if you want to save your session..just hit "Y" and it will.
I gave up on the project some time ago because nobody showed interest in it. If I can find my ISOs I would be happy to put them online for everyone.
In the meantime you can DL puppy linux from the URL above and try it out and see if it detects all your hardware. Also check out the site for instructions on running Puppy the 1st time before you try it out.. It will instruct you on how to set up Puppy the 1st time.
The folks at Puppy where very entusiastic when I told them I wanted to make a version of puppy for distributed/grid computeing. They jumped on board and helped me with how to compile the CD from source with what ever programs that I wanted to add and with every problem that I ran into along the way . So don't be shy in going to their forum and asking for help. they are very helpful and polite.
Once on their site you will see that it can also be installed on other media but I haven't tried them yet. I look forward doing a network install to try a totally diskless sytem.
on some of my sytems I set up Puppy linux with a burner to create the 1st running copy then I swapped the burner for a cd/ROM and put the burner in another PC and did the same. This way I didn't have to buy a burner for every PC. It saved money but they would have to start all over on WUs everytime those PC rebooted. PCs with a burn do not have to start over from the beginning of a WU.
If you are interested then I'll help you all I can.


On my own version that I made from source code of Puppy I add the BOINC program and scripts to set it up to automatically run Boinc on boot so once you set it up the 1st time it is set for life. you don't have to do anything but pop the CD or USB key in and boot.

P.S. I think Overclockers where working on a similar disk back then. They may have gotten farther along than me since then.
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Message 464211 - Posted: 23 Nov 2006, 16:14:46 UTC

There is a small linux load called DSL, Damn Small Linux. It is about 50mbs and boots from a cd without an HD. It has a really good GUI. I used it on an old 400mhz AMD and 400MHZ P2 - for seti. The linux load creates a RAM drive that you can download and install linux on. I ran it for 60 days on both computers and got 1000 credit from both. The only problem was a power outage, since there was do HD I lost those copies of Seti. Now if I had an HD in the computer I could have booted from the DSL Cdrom and then put seti on the HD.

Chris.
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Message boards : Number crunching : has anyone heard of a way to run seti from cd-rom w/no harddisk


 
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