When the screensaver comes up all I see is the BOINC logo with some text under it about that progress of the current packet. My computer at home shows the grid with the sound waves that are being processed and all the statistics.

I have looked though all the options, settings, and preferences, both on the BOINC Manager and on this website.

How do I get the cool screensaver display?

Thank you in advance,

Ken

Seconded. Works on my home computer, not at work. this topic is getting more posts recently so I'm sure people are working on it but I haven't seen a final answer yet.
Matt

Your computers at work are probably password protected (they are in most businesses). If the screen saver is password protected, the SETI@Home screen saver will not show. Most companies have a security rule that all workstations get locked when not in use (typically by using the screen saver password option), so there may not be any choice here.

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Your computers at work are probably password protected (they are in most businesses). If the screen saver is password protected, the SETI@Home screen saver will not show. Most companies have a security rule that all workstations get locked when not in use (typically by using the screen saver password option), so there may not be any choice here.

Here is the status on that. I am one of the few privileged employees who has administrative rights. I tried your suggestion of turning the screensaver password off. That gave me the BOINC logo with the text under it, "BOINC is currently suspended." When I enable the password it goes back to the logo with the process status under it. I thought that was really weird!

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Ok... me three! My SETI screensaver was working a couple of days ago, but now all I get is the BOINC screensaver with the SETI progress info. I want my snazzy SETI back!!!

OH... no system changes except adding a Samsung DVD burner with NERO stuff. Don't think that's the problem. Also, My system has been passworded at the BIOS and System level since day one so perhaps we should look in another direction?

Your computers at work are probably password protected (they are in most businesses). If the screen saver is password protected, the SETI@Home screen saver will not show. Most companies have a security rule that all workstations get locked when not in use (typically by using the screen saver password option), so there may not be any choice here.

Here is the status on that. I am one of the few privileged employees who has administrative rights. I tried your suggestion of turning the screensaver password off. That gave me the BOINC logo with the text under it, "BOINC is currently suspended." When I enable the password it goes back to the logo with the process status under it. I thought that was really weird!

When you get "BOINC is suspended" messages, try setting BOINC to Run Always instead of Run Based on Preferences.

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Nooo... BOIC has taken over the SETI screensaver with its own. I also "upgraded" to the new BOINC when I needed to rebuild my system from the ground up. There's no option for the classic SETI screensaver any longer.

Just who's running this madhouse anyway?

Nooo... BOIC has taken over the SETI screensaver with its own. I also "upgraded" to the new BOINC when I needed to rebuild my system from the ground up. There's no option for the classic SETI screensaver any longer.

When you select BOINC as your screen saver, BOINC is supposed to use the screen saver provided by whatever science app is running (i.e. if SETI@Home is running, the SETI screen saver appears. When Rosetta is running, the Rosetta screen saver appears. If running multiple projects at the same time via dual core CPUs, BOINC will switch between the screen savers provided by both apps). If BOINC cannot find a screen saver, then BOINC will display it's built-in default screen saver, which is simply the BOINC logo and a progress display.

There are various other reasons why BOINC won't display a project's screen saver, such as BOINC will not display it if you install as a service (though there's a trick to making it do so), or having a password protected screen saver. Having updated graphics drivers to ensure the most up to date OpenGL support is a good idea too. Installing an optimized science application without a built-in screen saver will also cause BOINC to display it's default screen saver.

BOINC may also not display your screen saver based upon certain preferences, such as the preference "Suspend work while computer is in use" set to "yes", which prevents any science application from running while you are using the computer, but launching the screen saver can also be misunderstood by the system as 'user activity', thus causing the science to be suspended while displaying the screen saver (this is when you get the "BOINC is suspended" messages).

The fun part is figuring out exactly what is causing the screen saver to not work.

Just who's running this madhouse anyway?

The same people who brought you SETI@Home Classic.

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So how to get the graphics back?

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Your computers at work are probably password protected (they are in most businesses). If the screen saver is password protected, the SETI@Home screen saver will not show. Most companies have a security rule that all workstations get locked when not in use (typically by using the screen saver password option), so there may not be any choice here.

Yes, shutting down the password helped. But why is it so? Before it could be password-enabled without any problem?

Can it be tweaked somehow with admin rights or so?

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Your computers at work are probably password protected (they are in most businesses). If the screen saver is password protected, the SETI@Home screen saver will not show. Most companies have a security rule that all workstations get locked when not in use (typically by using the screen saver password option), so there may not be any choice here.

Yes, shutting down the password helped. But why is it so? Before it could be password-enabled without any problem?

Can it be tweaked somehow with admin rights or so?

There was a change in the latest release of BOINC that mandated the user have a non-password protected screen saver in order to see the science app screen saver. There is no way around this except to downgrade to an earlier version before this change.

I could be wrong, but I think the change was implemented to prepare for Vista compatibility.

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I just dont see the logic.

1. Ok, there is a screen saver (any screen saver)

2. It is password-protected, meaning tyou cant cancel it without password.

3. Both are Windows features, supporting external screen-savers as applications.

4. Now we have an external application which rejects the existing OS feature.

Why?

I could understand if it was Windows which was not utilising some feature of some program, but vice versa????

Fail to see the reason.

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I just dont see the logic.

1. Ok, there is a screen saver (any screen saver)

Yes. This is the SETI screen saver that millions of us have used for years.

2. It is password-protected, meaning you cant cancel it without password.

It is not a matter of canceling the screensaver or the password. As stated above, in a previous post, it had a cool SETI display of noise from space. It showed the processing of that noise. It displayed a lot of additional info about the noise packet and your status. It did this regardless of the password protection being on or not. Now it does NOT display that cool screensaver. It shows a decal that says, "BOINC" with text below it that only says what percentage you have completed of the current packet of noise. It still does this regardless of password protection.

3. Both are Windows features, supporting external screen-savers as applications.

It is supported. What does that have to do with what the screensaver is displaying?

4. Now we have an external application which rejects the existing OS feature.

Why?

No. This is the SETI screen saver that millions of us have used for years. I personaly started using it on windoze 98. I have used it through 2000, XP, and XP64. I am on XP now and it does not display the cool stuff it used to. This is NOT, "an external application which rejects the existing OS feature."

I could understand if it was Windows which was not utilising some feature of some program, but vice versa????

Fail to see the reason.

Read carefully. Do you see the reason now?

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OzzFan, you are correct. I'm too lazy to make the change to a previous version of BOINC at the moment, but, your evaluation of the problem and resolution are accurate. Turning off the screensaver password does the trick.

Maybe BOINC will modify this option in the future. It doesn't seem to be that big of a thing to be able to toggle the security option to allow a passworded screensaver to operate either the BOIC or application version.

Problem solved for now. I can toggle it at the system level, but it'll leave my system vulnerable if I forget to switch when going out on errands.

Thanx

2 Arawn

You could be right if not for 1 thing. I DO have cool graphics of SETI screensaver NOW, instead of plain BOINC logo. I just need to switch off the password protection.

If I turn it back on - I lose the graphic and see the BOINC logo only.

So problem is not with 'another kind of screensave", as you describe, but with the screensaver being affected by toggling password protection.

So yr logic is flawed. Hope you agree.

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I just dont see the logic.

1. Ok, there is a screen saver (any screen saver)

2. It is password-protected, meaning tyou cant cancel it without password.

3. Both are Windows features, supporting external screen-savers as applications.

4. Now we have an external application which rejects the existing OS feature.

Why?

I could understand if it was Windows which was not utilising some feature of some program, but vice versa????

Fail to see the reason.

I cannot find an answer for you, even after hours of searching the BOINC Changelog. This is actually a BOINC program issue and not related to SETI@Home (two separate development teams). I can only assume it was changed because it was causing problems elsewhere for other users, though I cannot confirm my suspicion.

If you're really that curious, you can always ask your question on the BOINC message boards. They are better equipped to answer BOINC related questions than we are.

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Taxi Don,

OzzFan, you are correct. I'm too lazy to make the change to a previous version of BOINC at the moment, but, your evaluation of the problem and resolution are accurate. Turning off the screensaver password does the trick.

Maybe BOINC will modify this option in the future. It doesn't seem to be that big of a thing to be able to toggle the security option to allow a passworded screensaver to operate either the BOIC or application version.

Problem solved for now. I can toggle it at the system level, but it'll leave my system vulnerable if I forget to switch when going out on errands.

Thanx

It seems like you were posting the same time I was. Why did that work for you and not me?

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Anders,

2 Arawn

You could be right if not for 1 thing. I DO have cool graphics of SETI screensaver NOW, instead of plain BOINC logo. I just need to switch off the password protection.

If I turn it back on - I lose the graphic and see the BOINC logo only.

So problem is not with 'another kind of screensave", as you describe, but with the screensaver being affected by toggling password protection.

So yr logic is flawed. Hope you agree.

When did I say ANYTHING about "another kind of screensave?"

You are STILL failing to read carefully. I have said before,

Here is the status on that. I am one of the few privileged employees who has administrative rights. I tried your suggestion [in response to OzzFan's reply] of turning the screensaver password off. That gave me the BOINC logo with the text under it, "BOINC is currently suspended." When I enable the password it goes back to the logo with the process status under it. I thought that was really weird!

It does NOT make a difference if my screensaver password is on or off. If it is ON I do not get the cool SETI screensaver. I get the BOINC logo with percentage completion. If it is OFF I do not get the cool SETI screensaver. I get the BOINC logo with text saying progress is suspended.

No, I do not agree. MY logic is NOT flawed. YOU NEED to read carefully.

Did you notice mattbianconi said,

Seconded. Works on my home computer, not at work.

Did you read my very first post were I said,

When the screensaver comes up all I see is the BOINC logo with some text under it about that progress of the current packet. My computer at home shows the grid with the sound waves that are being processed and all the statistics.

Read VERY carefully. Pay VERY close attention. It does >NOT< make a difference if my screensaver password is ON or if my screensaver password OFF! Either way I do NOT get the cool SETI screensaver.

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Arawn:

Here is my response to you when you said you already tried turning off the password protection:

Your computers at work are probably password protected (they are in most businesses). If the screen saver is password protected, the SETI@Home screen saver will not show. Most companies have a security rule that all workstations get locked when not in use (typically by using the screen saver password option), so there may not be any choice here.

Here is the status on that. I am one of the few privileged employees who has administrative rights. I tried your suggestion of turning the screensaver password off. That gave me the BOINC logo with the text under it, "BOINC is currently suspended." When I enable the password it goes back to the logo with the process status under it. I thought that was really weird!

When you get "BOINC is suspended" messages, try setting BOINC to Run Always instead of Run Based on Preferences.

It seems we have two different issues going on in this thread with everyone trying to use the same solutions.

Can you get the SETI screen saver working by choosing "Run always" instead of "Run based on preferences"?

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OzzFan,

I cannot find an answer for you, even after hours of searching the BOINC Changelog. This is actually a BOINC program issue and not related to SETI@Home (two separate development teams). I can only assume it was changed because it was causing problems elsewhere for other users, though I cannot confirm my suspicion.

If you're really that curious, you can always ask your question on the BOINC message boards . They are better equipped to answer BOINC related questions than we are.

Thank you for reading and actually offering useful advice!
I took your advice and read the BOINC message boards and reviewed the BOINC Changelog. I updated the video driver and DirectX here at work. I also updated BOINC from version 5.10.28 to version 5.10.30.

It's still not perfect, but it has improved. When I turn the screensaver password off it gives me the BOINC logo with the text under it, "BOINC is currently suspended." Then after a couple minutes it goes to the cool SETI screensaver. When I enable the password it goes to the BOINC logo with the process status under it.

Maybe I'll email the version I have at home to myself.

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