Location of FAQ for new users and should I join?

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Profile Jord
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Message 1970970 - Posted: 18 Dec 2018, 23:30:06 UTC - in response to Message 1970962.  

Most people volunteering one or more systems to the search for extraterrestrials aren't busy in science. Your computer will do all the searching, you don't have to. So in essence, you don't really need a science background to be able to help out here.

This old Seti Classic write up is still valid for an explanation of what we're doing here: http://seticlassic.ssl.berkeley.edu/about_seti/about_seti_at_home_1.html
Any questions you have you can ask and any of the volunteers passing by with knowledge to answer them, will.

Welcome to the nut house. :)
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Message 1971173 - Posted: 20 Dec 2018, 10:01:00 UTC - in response to Message 1971168.  
Last modified: 20 Dec 2018, 10:01:19 UTC

Ok. I was looking for an email notification of replies but not seeing any only recently returned . I'll read the cited document.

Click on the "subscribe" button at the top of the thread to get an email when there is a reply.
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Message 1971194 - Posted: 20 Dec 2018, 12:51:44 UTC - in response to Message 1971173.  

Well, sort off. Also best check the status of How should we notify you of new private messages, friend requests, posts in subscribed threads, and other events? in the forum preferences. It should be set to either Immediately, by email or In a single daily email. Default is, if I am not mistaken, On my Account page (no email).
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Message 1971239 - Posted: 20 Dec 2018, 19:08:01 UTC

Your description of the process is correct - very simple.
One thing to think about is that some of the SETI applications don't have a graphical output, one has to rely on the BOINC GUI to see what is going on and that isn't as "nice" as the old screensaver.
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Message 1971323 - Posted: 21 Dec 2018, 8:29:27 UTC

No special hardware or software requirements - just a computer running one of the supported operating systems (basically just about any fairly recent version of Windows, Mac, Linux, Android). If you go to the download page you will see the supported list.
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Message 1972214 - Posted: 28 Dec 2018, 0:18:30 UTC

Don't see any computer on your account. But the website can be slow to show changes in the account status.

Are you sure you don't have a power setting to shut off the computer after so many minutes of inactivity?

The other possibility is that the computer is overheating from the science application running and the computer is protecting itself by turning off.

Is the computer a laptop by chanced?
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Message 1972226 - Posted: 28 Dec 2018, 1:01:02 UTC - in response to Message 1972220.  

Your host should show up here on your account page. https://setiathome.berkeley.edu/show_user.php?userid=10783529

You get to that from the View link on your account page.

It doesn't look like you've added the Seti project to your BOINC account. You need to Add the Seti project to the Manager. Just click on the Menu option to Add project to the Manager. In the picklist select Seti@home and follow the instructions. The Manager will download the science applications for the project and send you one cpu task and if you have a gpu one gpu task. As soon as you finish a task and it is validated, the project will send you more work.
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Message 1972231 - Posted: 28 Dec 2018, 1:12:42 UTC - in response to Message 1972228.  

Unless you need to run one of the projects that requires Virtual Box, you should just run the basic BOINC software. No necessity to struggle with the Virtual Box setup. I've never setup or run Virtual Box before so I am no help.

I would suggest going back to the BOINC download page and just downloading the basic software without Virtual Box.

Download BOINC

https://boinc.berkeley.edu/dl/boinc_7.14.2_windows_x86_64.exe
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Message 1972232 - Posted: 28 Dec 2018, 1:15:02 UTC - in response to Message 1972228.  

Still shutting down but this time through I established a name called Lons VB in Virtual Box and selected all the defaults for 2048 size on this 4 Gb setup.

At system in Windows I do not see where the disk allocation is-- just C: drive. The HD size is 320Gb.

I'll have to come back to this a bit later. My inirial thought is
it's not a over heat problem, just something timing out.

That time accumulation on the job displayed is still showing
after these restarts.

You aren't actually running any work since you haven't joined any project yet. I assume the timer you are seeing is some sort of Virtual Box timer. It probably shows the Virtual Box session. Again I would suggest uninstalling the Virtual Box version and just getting the Basic version.

Seti@home does not require Virtual Box.
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Message 1972240 - Posted: 28 Dec 2018, 1:47:37 UTC - in response to Message 1972238.  

You shouldn't need to reinstall Windows. I would just remove the BOINC Virtual Box software by using Windows normal uninstall procedure from Control Panel.

Then download the Basic Window BOINC software I linked. It is only 9MB in size and not the 92MB size download that the Virtual Box version is. The VB version is too complicated for a beginner.
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Message 1972241 - Posted: 28 Dec 2018, 1:51:05 UTC - in response to Message 1972240.  

The basic installer should present you the choice to run BOINC automatically. You should deselect that during installation. You can then choose to run BOINC manually by clicking its icon on the Desktop. That way it won't autoload.
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Message 1972248 - Posted: 28 Dec 2018, 2:27:45 UTC - in response to Message 1972243.  
Last modified: 28 Dec 2018, 2:28:53 UTC

I would have hoped that Jord would have jumped back on this thread. I haven't run Windows in a couple of years and have forgotten what the application screens look like. I can't come up with a checklist because I don't remember what is necessary to make one. I don't remember ever needing one. I just downloaded the BOINC installer, installed the software, and added the project as prompted by the installer menus and help screens. The basic installer is automatic and requires very little interaction. About the only thing I would do is not let it load the client and manager automatically since I would want to use the computer normally for my everyday functions and only launch BOINC when I am not using the computer. Can't help with the screensaver other than know you select the BOINC screensaver from Windows normal screensaver selection menu. The BOINC screensaver only works for the stock cpu application. I never ran the stock applications so the screensaver was never available to me in the first place. My screensaver just blanks the screen after 2 minutes.

Sorry I can't be of further help.
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Message 1972280 - Posted: 28 Dec 2018, 5:42:52 UTC - in response to Message 1972248.  

I would have hoped that Jord would have jumped back on this thread. I haven't run Windows in a couple of years and have forgotten what the application screens look like. I can't come up with a checklist because I don't remember what is necessary to make one. I don't remember ever needing one. I just downloaded the BOINC installer, installed the software, and added the project as prompted by the installer menus and help screens. The basic installer is automatic and requires very little interaction. About the only thing I would do is not let it load the client and manager automatically since I would want to use the computer normally for my everyday functions and only launch BOINC when I am not using the computer. Can't help with the screensaver other than know you select the BOINC screensaver from Windows normal screensaver selection menu. The BOINC screensaver only works for the stock cpu application. I never ran the stock applications so the screensaver was never available to me in the first place. My screensaver just blanks the screen after 2 minutes.

Sorry I can't be of further help.


It's understandable. Perhps noobs don't show up often. I decided to do a bit more in the quiet of late evening. I put on Revo Uninstaller which finds everything Windows related. But that does not see Virtual Box
and I'll just leave it alone. I do know it's location or can find it.

Revo Doesn't see BOINC vb since I deleted that with the usual Windows Uninstall.

I downloaded BOINC plain from the helpful link you provided. I also noted that in loninappleton account,
nothing shows up in the view so no host must be loaded.

After I run the BOINC plain vanilla, I'll check on the screen saver. I _did_ see the custom screen saver
when I opened the Windows metrics area earlier. What I don't or haven't seen is that GPU
graphic in your signature. Is that part of the user Identification?

I'll get back on it tomorrow. That shutting down constantly was frustrating.
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Message 1972295 - Posted: 28 Dec 2018, 6:57:13 UTC - in response to Message 1972280.  

I see you successfully added the project and it is processing tasks. So progress. You don't have a gpu showing so I don't know what you are using to drive your display. Either you don't have any drivers loaded for the card, doubtful, or you set your project preferences to not use the gpu. I see the host you have attached to the project.

https://setiathome.berkeley.edu/hosts_user.php?userid=10785651

But no coprocessor listed.

https://setiathome.berkeley.edu/show_host_detail.php?hostid=8642602

If you could post the first 30 lines of the Event Log after first BOINC startup I can see whether any graphics drivers are loaded and any error messages that BOINC is throwing for why the gpu is not being used. Event Log is on the Menu somewhere. But it is only visible in the Advanced View of the Manager and not in the Simple View. You need to change to the Advanced View to find it in the menus. Shift-Ctrl-A probably changes to Advanced View from Simple View. It moves around in the various BOINC versions so I don't know where it is in the latest version you are running. I run much older BOINC versions. I would just click on the menus until you find it.

A gpu is a much more powerful processing device compared to a cpu.

The graphic you see in my signature is from one of the two stats aggregation websites that is listed on your Computers >> View page. Notice the little icons for BoincStats and Free-DC under your host ID marked cross-project stats. If you click on the BoincStats once you have some validated credits, the website will show you your host and on the main page will be a link for a "signature" that you can copy and then paste into your Community Preferences page for you signature.

But they aren't working right now for some reason. I bet it has something to do with the new Euro GDPR privacy laws or something. Don't worry about that yet. As I stated until you have some credit those links won't work for you.
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Message 1972314 - Posted: 28 Dec 2018, 15:14:28 UTC - in response to Message 1972248.  

Sorry, haven't been available since 8pm last night, only just got in and am catching up.

BOINC Manual: https://boinc.berkeley.edu/wiki/Main_Page
Seti@Home doesn't need Virtual Box, you can uninstall it from the normal Add/Remove Programs page in Windows. It'll be called Oracle Virtual Box, only that needs uninstalled. You can leave BOINC as is.
To be able to use a GPU you need:
- not have BOINC installed as a service.
- have installed drivers from the manufacturer's website, not installed by Windows. That's ATI/AMD, Intel(*) and Nvidia. Always do a clean install.
(*) you cannot use the Intel drivers as Intel GPUs are primarily built into the Intel CPUs. You have an AMD CPU.
- the GPU needs to be able to do General Purpose GPU activities, so needs to be an ATI Radeon HD 5000 series or above, or an Nvidia GTX 8800 or above.
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Message 1972323 - Posted: 28 Dec 2018, 17:40:51 UTC

it seems you have 2 userid

one with no computer attached to seti project 10783529

another one not linked with your actual board account , creator of this subject 10785651 but your last answer .
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Message 1972327 - Posted: 28 Dec 2018, 18:29:15 UTC - in response to Message 1972323.  

I think the first attempt with Virtual Box download screwed things up. At least one account successfully joined the project and created a host ID.
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Message 1972366 - Posted: 28 Dec 2018, 22:38:17 UTC
Last modified: 28 Dec 2018, 22:40:47 UTC

It would be less confusing if you would login to this account https://setiathome.berkeley.edu/show_user.php?userid=10783529 and delete it with the instructions from this post.

https://setiathome.berkeley.edu/forum_thread.php?id=83528#1964284

And then login to your only active account https://setiathome.berkeley.edu/show_user.php?userid=10785651 and use that one from now on. It is difficult to follow along with you using two different accounts with the same apparent user name.

To use the gpu you will need to install the graphics card manufacturer provided drivers and not Microsoft's drivers. If you just provide the card mfr and device name we can provide the link to the appropriate device drivers download for the card.

You don't have built-in graphics as your cpu does not have any integrated graphics onboard. You must have a standalone graphics card installed.
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Message 1973891 - Posted: 6 Jan 2019, 22:00:33 UTC

I was off for a while with a hardware problem.
I had asked a question within this thread that I never saw an answer to but that can wait.

Accurate account information is my problem. I have only one email address I use.
All the cancellations and whatnot just circle back to the fact that "that user or
email address is in use.'

You will see I am now listed as "deleted." Or was.

I have a new User name and with the one mail address plus a new password which
is all working.

The account is 1078595 and I print screened it along with
a print screen of the right password. It's easy to screw all this up.

I see no way for me to delete old accounts without running into email address in use etc.
You can delete any accounts previous to today.

I have since run my graphics driver for this PC which is a Radeon 4250 on board graphics.

That brings anything I can contribute up to date.
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