Like the title says, when I unplug my laptop (so it's only running on batteries), SETI is still crunching at full speed, although I answered "no" to "Do work while computer is running on batteries?" as my default setting and as the setting for the profile I'm using for this computer.

Hope this helps and that it's fixed soon.


Details: WinXP Pro SP1, BOINC 3.19, SETI@home 3.08, Pentium 4 Mobile 2.0 GHz, Dell Inspiron 8200

Did you update your settings after making that change online?

To update go to the programs (or projects??? the first) tab, right click SETI and a mini-menu comes up, select "update" (I had trouble finding it earlier).

... Heh... we have almost the same computer...

I love all these people who post saying that the program has bugs in it without even checking if the error is on their end first.


~~
When I was a child, I caught a Fleeting Glimpse.

> I love all these people who post saying that the program has bugs in it
> without even checking if the error is on their end first.


I love the people who just like to assume everyone else besides them is an idiot. You couldn't be farther away from the truth...
Oh no! It couldn't possibly be a _real_ bug??



Anyway, I did "check if the error is on my end first" and yes, I did use update.

AMC...

That function works on my laptop...

Win2k, SP 3, HP n5190...

When I pull the PS plug, BOINC reports...

--- - 2004-06-25 20:36:22 - Suspending computation and network activity - on batteries

So... it could be a 'bug' with the install on 'XP'... but it could also be a problem with your rig...

Can anyone else with a laptop/XP confirm this???


Regards

<FONT FACE='ARIAL'>chip
w3range.net</FONT>
<BR>
[img]http://www.boinc.dk/auto.php?user=658&project=astropulse&input=1070650319 - 280_70_jiw_1&layout=1071498753 - 280_70_jiw_2.jpg[/img]
[/url]

> So... it could be a 'bug' with the install on 'XP'... but it could also be a
> problem with your rig...

Right.

In any case, everything should be set up right BOINCwise (config, installation). So it's either something conflicting with my OS, my software, hardware(?).

Which means that this more or less is a something they should look into, ergo: Bug, runtime error, "program not behaving as it should", whatever you'd like to call it.

> Can anyone else with a laptop/XP confirm this???

I'd like to know that too, some constructive input here would be appriciated.

The client checks a windows flag, this flag is the same on all windows since win95. This flag has three states: 0 means that the computer runs on anything than on AC adapter, 1 means it runs on AC adapter and 255 means windows couldn't find an actual power state. So the only reason the boinc client can have problems may be that windows tells it the wrong state, boinc can not verify, or doesn't even know the state, boinc can only guess here. So you may decide what is buggy now, boinc or your laptop.

---

KEINE PANIK

> Like the title says, when I unplug my laptop (so it's only running on
> batteries), SETI is still crunching at full speed, although I answered "no" to
> "Do work while computer is running on batteries?" as my default setting and as
> the setting for the profile I'm using for this computer.
>
> Hope this helps and that it's fixed soon.
>
>
> Details: WinXP Pro SP1, BOINC 3.19, SETI@home 3.08, Pentium 4 Mobile 2.0 GHz,
> Dell Inspiron 8200
>

I can unplug my laptop from the mains and it stops any number crunching that it's doing. I've had no issues with this at all.

Details: WinXP Pro SP2 (beta), BOINC 3.19, SETI@home 3.08, Intel Celeron 2.2Ghz, IBM ThinkPad R40e

> The client checks a windows flag, this flag is the same on all windows since
> win95. This flag has three states: 0 means that the computer runs on anything
> than on AC adapter, 1 means it runs on AC adapter and 255 means windows
> couldn't find an actual power state. So the only reason the boinc client can
> have problems may be that windows tells it the wrong state, boinc can not
> verify, or doesn't even know the state, boinc can only guess here.

Windows does detect the power state correctly. When I unplug my laptop, I get the battery icon in the tray notification area.

So while what you are saying, does sound pretty in theory, it doesn't really help. It's definitely not an OS related problem.


> So you may decide what is buggy now, boinc or your laptop.


"Laptop" is a very general term. As I said before, it could be conflicting software I have installed, it could be a runtime error in BOINC.

No one has yet mentioned anything that could be causing the problem that I haven't checked, so I might as well assume the most plausible thing, that it's a bug in BOINC.

Other programs I have installed detect power state changes correctly.



Anyway, I didn't want to unleash all this diehard zealotry when I mentioned the word "bug", but it now seems closer to it than anything. If it makes you all sleep better, think of it as a "known issue" or a "rare incident".

All I wanted, was to report this strange behaviour and hope that someone has a solution, or that the developers look into it. I did _not_ want to unleash a religious battle over whether BOINC is good or bad. It's obviously a new program and could very well still have some issues to be resolved and I fully accept that this problem could be related to something I have installed or misconfigured in my system, if anyone gives me an example of something I haven't checked yet.

Remember, it's still a bug, if a program doesn't function correctly/has conflicts with other software.

I think there is a more general problem with the preferences. I just attempted to change my home preferences to only run while idle. After and update it still runs all the time. I double checked and reset the location for the computer, just to be sure. I even deleted and readded the home preference section. Please do not reply with the steps to take, I know how to do it, it is broken on Windows XP at least. The log indicates that it noticed the new preferences, it just doesn't use them:

SETI@home - 2004-06-27 22:20:05 - General preferences have been updated
--- - 2004-06-27 22:20:05 - General prefs: from SETI@home (last modified 2004-06-27 22:17:55)
--- - 2004-06-27 22:20:05 - General prefs: using separate prefs for home

I did two final tests. First, changing the idle preferences in the general section also has no effect on the computer with the home location (this makes sense, I was just making sure). As the last test, I changed the location of the computer to work, for which I do not have any special preferences. When I did this, it now properly stops processing when the computer is in use.

Bottom line, I do not thing the special work/home/school preferences are working at all. I would suggest using only the general preferences. Someone please pass this on to the dev team and/or double check it.

Sorry
haven't seen this thread earlier and made a new one in Problems and questions.
You can find it here: http://setiweb.ssl.berkeley.edu/forum_thread.php?id=1499
Maybe you should just vote for 'I have the same problem' to get it solved sooner ;)