Okay, did some digging. Try changing the service recovery options (accessible in the service/boinc properties page to 'Restart the Service' for all three types of failures, then you can at least observe which errors repeat in the event log(if any), to help identify the culprit... unfortunately it can be either a device driver problem, service corruption (hard drive or malware, already discussed), or hardware gone flaky (drive). [there are ways to attempt to revive an old hard drive gone flaky... 'boot 'nuke' then reinstall... formatting doesn't quite cut it]

---

"Living by the wisdom of computer science doesn't sound so bad after all. And unlike most advice, it's backed up by proofs." -- Algorithms to live by: The computer science of human decisions.

hmmm, which creates two questions: Are windows updates applied (there are many hotfixes due to unexpected service terminations [EventID 7034])?, and is the boinc executable damaged ?.

i'm pretty a-r about keep current on windows updates. i checked yesterday and there were none pending.

since i've done 6 complete uninistall/reinstalls with 2 different clients (5.10.13 and 5.10.17) and did new downloads each time, i would hope anything in Boinc, that might have been corrupted, would have been replaced.

I'll work through the other list of items when I get back to the workstation.

---

Okay, did some digging. Try changing the service recovery options (accessible in the service/boinc properties page to 'Restart the Service' for all three types of failures, then you can at least observe which errors repeat in the event log(if any), to help identify the culprit... unfortunately it can be either a device driver problem, service corruption (hard drive or malware, already discussed), or hardware gone flaky (drive). [there are ways to attempt to revive an old hard drive gone flaky... 'boot 'nuke' then reinstall... formatting doesn't quite cut it]

howzabout i try SpinRite. it does a non-destructive format along with testing each sector as it goes?

---

[quotecome to think of it I haven't asked if the page file has been flushed or the hard disk checked ...doh :D [In any case with service problems I'd be backing up data now ][/quote]
good point on the data backup. time to unlimber the external USB drive.

pardon me for being dense but i'm low on caffeine today. how do you flush the page file?

---

Can't hurt anything. I suppose if there was a weak cluster getting used in the pagefile or scratch space BOINC uses (if any) that could account for the seemingly random service crapouts.

A quicker test for that might be to move the pagefile and/or BOINC installation to a different partition if possible. If the problem stopped then you could SpinRite the original partition.

Alinator

Okay, did some digging. Try changing the service recovery options (accessible in the service/boinc properties page to 'Restart the Service' for all three types of failures, then you can at least observe which errors repeat in the event log(if any), to help identify the culprit... unfortunately it can be either a device driver problem, service corruption (hard drive or malware, already discussed), or hardware gone flaky (drive). [there are ways to attempt to revive an old hard drive gone flaky... 'boot 'nuke' then reinstall... formatting doesn't quite cut it]

howzabout i try SpinRite. it does a non-destructive format along with testing each sector as it goes?

Sure you can try spinrite, as it supposedly also refreshes the the platters without erasure... Effectively the same as a boot 'n nuke without needing the erase/reinstall part... in theory...[and of course isn't free]... haven't used spinrite for 10 years so I can't directly compare effectiveness of the refresh I'm afraid.

---

"Living by the wisdom of computer science doesn't sound so bad after all. And unlike most advice, it's backed up by proofs." -- Algorithms to live by: The computer science of human decisions.

how do you flush the page file?

Control panel|System|Advanced

Performance settings ('Virtual memory' is where you're headed)

Performance options|Advanced|Virtual memory - change

I think almost any change (click 'set' when you're done) deletes the old page file and makes a new one - but I could be wrong. May require a reboot.

how do you flush the page file?

Control panel|System|Advanced

Performance settings ('Virtual memory' is where you're headed)

Performance options|Advanced|Virtual memory - change

I think almost any change (click 'set' when you're done) deletes the old page file and makes a new one - but I could be wrong. May require a reboot.

Easiest is to start up in SAFE MODE [from memory F8 at startup?, haven't had to do it for quite a while...], then restart normally. [that's all...]

---

"Living by the wisdom of computer science doesn't sound so bad after all. And unlike most advice, it's backed up by proofs." -- Algorithms to live by: The computer science of human decisions.

Can't hurt anything. I suppose if there was a weak cluster getting used in the pagefile or scratch space BOINC uses (if any) that could account for the seemingly random service crapouts.

A quicker test for that might be to move the pagefile and/or BOINC installation to a different partition if possible. If the problem stopped then you could SpinRite the original partition.

Alinator

different partitions on the same drive? how quaint! :-)

actually, SpinRite continues to be a really amazing program packing into an even more amazingly small file size. Ya have to admire those old school developers who still insist on using a good development environment while striving for optimized code (instead of throwing memory and disk space at their problems).

anyway, where was i? oh yeah! got back to my home machine, stopped the Boinc client, started the Boinc service (as a service and with access to the desktop) and watched it for at least 5 minutes. it continued to stay started. when things looked encouraging enough, i restarted the client and kept an eye on the service for another 10 minutes. it now seems that the service has stopped stopping; staying started as it ought ta!

i'll go ahead with the page file and SpinRite efforts since they probably ought to be done just for grins and giggles. at least now i know the sequence to follow if the service acts up again.

oh those whacky windows developers. maybe they ought to hire steve gibson as a development consultant.

to everyone who helped with ideas: THANK YOU!

to the Boinc developers, with at least 2 of us running into this same problem and solution, perhaps this thread might help some in tracking down what's up with what.

---

different partitions on the same drive? how quaint! :-)

<snip>
to everyone who helped with ideas: THANK YOU!

to the Boinc developers, with at least 2 of us running into this same problem and solution, perhaps this thread might help some in tracking down what's up with what.

LOL...

Quaint, maybe, but still a good idea even today! ;-)

Only trouble is it still leaves the reason why a mystery. I don't know about you, but I hate computer mysteries. :-)

Anyway it's working for now and that's at least some progress.

Alinator

LOL...

Quaint, maybe, but still a good idea even today! ;-)

Only trouble is it still leaves the reason why a mystery. I don't know about you, but I hate computer mysteries. :-)

Anyway it's working for now and that's at least some progress.

Alinator

ahh well, we've all had 'em at one time. Five years down the road you go to reuse a salvaged part from the machine, that's been sitting at the back of the shed for two years, and find:
- flaky hard drive that won't format properly,
- one dodgy stick of ram
- dodgy device drivers that have just now been updated to work
- cable with a hole in it
....

---

"Living by the wisdom of computer science doesn't sound so bad after all. And unlike most advice, it's backed up by proofs." -- Algorithms to live by: The computer science of human decisions.

ahh well, we've all had 'em at one time. Five years down the road you go to reuse a salvaged part from the machine, that's been sitting at the back of the shed for two years, and find:
- flaky hard drive that won't format properly,
- one dodgy stick of ram
- dodgy device drivers that have just now been updated to work
- cable with a hole in it
....

A cable with a hole in it? I hate it when the electrons leak out!

---

Boinc Button Abuser In Training >My Shrubbers<

A cable with a hole in it? I hate it when the electrons leak out!

Yeah, If you're lucky the cable is just broken inside, but when the cable shorts to the case or mobo you let the magic smoke out :D

---

"Living by the wisdom of computer science doesn't sound so bad after all. And unlike most advice, it's backed up by proofs." -- Algorithms to live by: The computer science of human decisions.

ahh well, we've all had 'em at one time. Five years down the road you go to reuse a salvaged part from the machine, that's been sitting at the back of the shed for two years, and find:
- flaky hard drive that won't format properly,
- one dodgy stick of ram
- dodgy device drivers that have just now been updated to work
- cable with a hole in it
....

A cable with a hole in it? I hate it when the electrons leak out!

LOL...

I wonder if they make a 'Swiffer' for those kinds of messes. :-)

Alinator