Screensaver crashing computer

Author	Message
Peter Send message Joined: 25 Sep 05 Posts: 8 Credit: 14,834 RAC: 0	Message 4920 - Posted: 2 Dec 2005, 7:59:07 UTC I am suddenly getting a screensaver crash, is any one else? The symptoms are a) the screensaver comes up in at a lower resolution than it has previously and b) after some time the screen completly messes up and I cannot get back into the machine, which still appears to be running. I am the only one suffering, or is this a known problem? ID: 4920 · Rating: 0 · rate: / Reply Quote

Scribe Send message Joined: 2 Nov 05 Posts: 284 Credit: 157,359 RAC: 0	Message 4923 - Posted: 2 Dec 2005, 8:31:57 UTC One of the main problems is that I suspect most dedicated crunchers do not use the screensaver....it takes valuable CPU cycles away from the scientific tasks...... ID: 4923 · Rating: 0 · rate: / Reply Quote

FluffyChicken Send message Joined: 1 Nov 05 Posts: 1260 Credit: 369,635 RAC: 0	Message 4945 - Posted: 2 Dec 2005, 13:32:35 UTC - in response to Message 4920. I am suddenly getting a screensaver crash, is any one else? The symptoms are a) the screensaver comes up in at a lower resolution than it has previously and b) after some time the screen completly messes up and I cannot get back into the machine, which still appears to be running. I am the only one suffering, or is this a known problem? This only happens to me with CPDN at the moment when going into full screen mode (which I assume the screensaver uses). Are you using the latest BOINC client (you seem to be using 5.2.7, it is now at 5.2.13, they may have fixed it without mentioning it. Unfortunatly boinc doesn't grab your graphics card information (maybe it should for debugging purposes) anyways, it could be a graphics card problem. The ClimatePrediction.net (CPDN) computer is ATI Radeon graphics using drivers within the past few releases for me. Maybe it's a similar problem, unfortunatly CPDN job will be finished in march next year before I can test Rosetta graphics on it ;) Team mauisun.org ID: 4945 · Rating: 0 · rate: / Reply Quote

Fuzzy Hollynoodles Send message Joined: 7 Oct 05 Posts: 234 Credit: 15,020 RAC: 0	Message 4947 - Posted: 2 Dec 2005, 13:36:43 UTC - in response to Message 4923. One of the main problems is that I suspect most dedicated crunchers do not use the screensaver....it takes valuable CPU cycles away from the scientific tasks...... And I think you're right about that! I don't use any screensavers, if I, for some reason, want to look at the WU graphic, I'll click on the Show Graphics button! [b]"I'm trying to maintain a shred of dignity in this world." - Me[/b] ID: 4947 · Rating: 0 · rate: / Reply Quote

Vester Send message Joined: 2 Nov 05 Posts: 257 Credit: 3,287,316 RAC: 14,892	Message 4951 - Posted: 2 Dec 2005, 15:23:06 UTC Last modified: 2 Dec 2005, 15:23:58 UTC Peter, I haven't had any problems using the screensaver. I have Windows XP SP2 Home Edition with all updates and an nVidia GeForce3 video card with the latest drivers. My other computer displays properly and it only has onboard graphics (no video card). To ensure that it isn't your computer, get all of the updates from Windows Update and go to www.pcpitstop.com to run a full test. If it passes tests at PC Pitstop and you have all updates, then post again with more information about your computer. Belarc Advisor can help you describe your computer. ID: 4951 · Rating: 0 · rate: / Reply Quote

Peter Send message Joined: 25 Sep 05 Posts: 8 Credit: 14,834 RAC: 0	Message 4963 - Posted: 2 Dec 2005, 17:51:46 UTC I have a radeon x700 graphics card and have no other problems with it. It is only the rosetta screen saver that crashes, I am also running seti and climate predictor (and predictor at home (no graphics)) and they have given me no problems, which is why I suspect the rosetta graphics application. I keep all of these in memory and run the graphics screen saver for 1 hour before going to a blank screen. I have just updated BoINC to the latest version, as suggested. I run zone alarm for virus and spyware so reasonably confident in that area. Will keep every posted if this continues, however if I am the only one with the problems then ......... ahhh well.... Thanks Peter "I know the voices are imaginary, but they have such good ideas" ID: 4963 · Rating: 0 · rate: / Reply Quote

Vester Send message Joined: 2 Nov 05 Posts: 257 Credit: 3,287,316 RAC: 14,892	Message 4967 - Posted: 2 Dec 2005, 18:19:49 UTC I keep all of these in memory and run the graphics screen saver for 1 hour before going to a blank screen. And it runs each project for 60 minutes? This sounds like a Rosetta bug. I run only Rosetta and have only tested the screensaver for short periods. If you change your General Preferences to run each project for more than an hour will the screensaver run longer? (Trying to determine if Rosetta's screensaver won't let it change to the next project as it should.) Is Predictor always the next project in rotation? This will require the attention of someone from development. Help! ID: 4967 · Rating: 0 · rate: / Reply Quote

Jack Schonbrun Send message Joined: 1 Nov 05 Posts: 115 Credit: 5,954 RAC: 0	Message 4974 - Posted: 2 Dec 2005, 19:14:23 UTC Hi, As usual, the more details you can provide the better. Does this happen everytime rosetta runs? When exactly does the screen saver resolution change? I have not heard of this problem, but it sounds like something else might be trying to use your graphics card at the same time. There was a report of someone who had a game still resident in memory when the rosetta graphics started, and his computer got very slow. See this thread for details. Please do keep us informed. ID: 4974 · Rating: 0 · rate: / Reply Quote

Tern Send message Joined: 25 Oct 05 Posts: 575 Credit: 4,498,394 RAC: 909	Message 4979 - Posted: 2 Dec 2005, 19:45:15 UTC On my system, when a Rosetta result is completed, if "Show graphics" is running, it just exits cleanly. Haven't tried using it as a screensaver - is it possible that if the screensaver is running when a result completes, it doesn't properly fall back to BOINC Saver? ID: 4979 · Rating: 0 · rate: / Reply Quote

Peter Send message Joined: 25 Sep 05 Posts: 8 Credit: 14,834 RAC: 0	Message 4989 - Posted: 2 Dec 2005, 21:57:09 UTC Hi, just had another crash, this time it generated a crash report (through the ati graphics driver)which was sent automagically to ATI via email. The crash text seemed to suggest that the driver was no longer responding and some automatic process recovered it. Whatever is happening appears to be solidly linked to rosetta, but whether its an ati bug or a rossetta bug I do not know. Peter ID: 4989 · Rating: 0 · rate: / Reply Quote

Vester Send message Joined: 2 Nov 05 Posts: 257 Credit: 3,287,316 RAC: 14,892	Message 4994 - Posted: 2 Dec 2005, 23:26:31 UTC Last modified: 2 Dec 2005, 23:27:06 UTC If it gave you an error "through the ati graphics driver", then I suggest that you go to ati.com, click on Drivers and Software and get the drivers needed for your operating system. Read the instructions for installation. (Windows XP release notes) Be sure that you have .NET Framework 1.1 and its updates. I am running .NET Framework 2.0. Note that they suggest that you use the Catalyst Uninstaller: Download ID: 4994 · Rating: 0 · rate: / Reply Quote

surrealchereal Send message Joined: 6 Nov 05 Posts: 23 Credit: 243,559 RAC: 0	Message 5007 - Posted: 3 Dec 2005, 5:05:46 UTC - in response to Message 4967. I keep all of these in memory and run the graphics screen saver for 1 hour before going to a blank screen. And it runs each project for 60 minutes? This sounds like a Rosetta bug. I run only Rosetta and have only tested the screensaver for short periods. If you change your General Preferences to run each project for more than an hour will the screensaver run longer? (Trying to determine if Rosetta's screensaver won't let it change to the next project as it should.) Is Predictor always the next project in rotation? This will require the attention of someone from development. Help! I"m running it because I think it's great, and keeps me motivated to think about running more boxes :D It doesn't crash, but it was what alerted me to the compliation errors I had a few days ago. Come BOINC with me! USALUG !! ID: 5007 · Rating: 0 · rate: / Reply Quote

Jack Schonbrun Send message Joined: 1 Nov 05 Posts: 115 Credit: 5,954 RAC: 0	Message 5015 - Posted: 3 Dec 2005, 6:28:14 UTC I know that I have heard reports of general problems with boinc graphics on ATI Radeon cards. I will try to find out more details. ID: 5015 · Rating: 0 · rate: / Reply Quote

Peter Send message Joined: 25 Sep 05 Posts: 8 Credit: 14,834 RAC: 0	Message 5025 - Posted: 3 Dec 2005, 10:06:24 UTC Yesterday I went to the ati site and downloaded the new drivers as suggested by Vester.... (this board was installed in sept so its not that old...); so far no crashes, will keep you informed of any developments. Thanks to everyone for the suggestions and support Peter ID: 5025 · Rating: 0 · rate: / Reply Quote

Vester Send message Joined: 2 Nov 05 Posts: 257 Credit: 3,287,316 RAC: 14,892	Message 5028 - Posted: 3 Dec 2005, 13:09:09 UTC Thanks for posting again, Peter. Many times people don't post again and I wonder if the problem was fixed or if they gave up. I looked at the performance of your computer, and I would like for you to compare your faster Intel P4 processor's performance to my Intel P4 2.0 GHz. I am not running an optimized client, and here are my benchmarks Measured floating point speed 1012.66 million ops/sec Measured integer speed 2066.42 million ops/sec Open the BOINC Manager > click on Commands (upper left) > Run Benchmarks. You don't have to suspend work, and the benchmark takes just one minute. It is advisable to run the benchmark when you are not running a virus scan, printing, burning a CD or DVD, etc. Your "Measured integer speed" (Dhrystone benchmark) should be higher. Here are some recommendations that may help you. System Properties. (Start > My Computer > System > Advanced tab) and click on Settings in the Performance section. * On the Visual Effects tab I run "Adjust for best performance." * Click on the Advanced Tab and put a dot by Programs in both Processor scheduling and Memory usage. * Under Virtual memory, click on Change to see how you are running. I suggest running "System managed size" although I have run "no paging file." (I have 512MB of RAM and watch my available memory.) I have seen recommendations to run the paging file in a Backup partition, but Microsoft flatly state(s) that paging files should not be run in this manner. My results at PC PitStop indicate that my data transfer to the backup file is faster, so I don't know who to believe. It is a fact that if you have a second hard drive, that you should run the virtual memory on that drive, the one which does not have the operating system on it, to improve performance. A reference: Virtual Memory in Windows XP. Power Options. (Start > Control Panel > Power Options) * If you are running a laptop, set your Power Options to Home/Office Desk. I know that a Dell Inspiron 8100 with Intel 1GHz processor will only run at about 775MHz if not run as a desktop. * I run "Always On," Never, Never, and Never. You may desire to turn off your monitor, but going into standby will stop the running of Find-a-Drug. * Click on the Hibernate tab and ensure that hibernation is not enabled. If you have an UPS, check your settings on the UPS tab. Screen Saver. Go to Display Properties (right click Desktop > Properties) and click on the Screen Saver tab. * I run Blank because it does not consume CPU cycles as others do. I do not recommend running None with any display, although some people do, especially LCD. * While we are here, click on the Settings tab and click on the Advanced button. Click on the Monitor tab. Put a check mark in the "Hide modes that this monitor cannot display" block. If you have a flicker in your display, run a Screen refresh rate of something other than the frequency of your electricity supply, usually 50 or 60 HZ. I am running 75Hz, but if you have migraines, you may want to try 85 or 100Hz. Network connection. Go to Start > Connect to > Show all connections (or Start > Control Panel > Network Connections). * Right click on the connection to your ISP (the one you are using) and click on Properties. Click on the Options tab. * Do these two things: Check "redial if line is dropped" and from the drop down menu of "Idle time before hanging up:" be aware of your choice. I have DSL and can use "never". I highly recommend running full tests at PC Pitstop. They not only test, they recommend solutions. There's no need to buy anything just because they have advertisers. There are some snake oil salesmen in the world. (I hope my BBCode is good. We need a preview feature.) ID: 5028 · Rating: 0 · rate: / Reply Quote

Jocelyn Larouche Send message Joined: 17 Sep 05 Posts: 8 Credit: 17,772 RAC: 0	Message 5029 - Posted: 3 Dec 2005, 13:58:22 UTC - in response to Message 4920. I am suddenly getting a screensaver crash, is any one else? The symptoms are a) the screensaver comes up in at a lower resolution than it has previously and b) after some time the screen completly messes up and I cannot get back into the machine, which still appears to be running. I am the only one suffering, or is this a known problem? for the first time it happened to one of my box with an intel 82865G it went to low resolution graphics and stop responding. I had to manually shut it down. It was ok after reboot. Error code says devicevideo0 got stuck in an infinite loop. ID: 5029 · Rating: 0 · rate: / Reply Quote

Vester Send message Joined: 2 Nov 05 Posts: 257 Credit: 3,287,316 RAC: 14,892	Message 5030 - Posted: 3 Dec 2005, 14:16:19 UTC A Google search for "/Device/Video0 infinite loop" led me to this information at EventID.net. The driver ati2dvag for the display device DeviceVideo0 got stuck in an infinite loop. This usually indicates a problem with the device itself or with the device driver programming the hardware incorrectly. Please check with your hardware device vendor for any driver updates. ID: 5030 · Rating: 0 · rate: / Reply Quote

genes Send message Joined: 8 Oct 05 Posts: 60 Credit: 533,551 RAC: 1,474	Message 5079 - Posted: 4 Dec 2005, 3:18:57 UTC Here's a link to the ATI thread over at Seti: http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/forum_thread.php?id=12948 and another one: http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/forum_thread.php?id=20285 There may be some suggestions there that can help... ID: 5079 · Rating: 0 · rate: / Reply Quote

KSMarksPsych Send message Joined: 15 Oct 05 Posts: 199 Credit: 22,337 RAC: 0	Message 5086 - Posted: 4 Dec 2005, 5:16:52 UTC - in response to Message 5015. I know that I have heard reports of general problems with boinc graphics on ATI Radeon cards. I will try to find out more details. ATI cards are nortorious for trashing WUs over on Einstein. This may be due to the outdated science app. The fix over there is either to not run the graphics (which is the option I choose because there the graphics eat up major CPU cycles) or to run their "beta" science app (which is basically beta in name only). Hope this is of some help. Kathryn Kathryn :o) The BOINC FAQ Service The Unofficial BOINC Wiki The Trac System More BOINC information than you can shake a stick of RAM at. ID: 5086 · Rating: 0 · rate: / Reply Quote

Vester Send message Joined: 2 Nov 05 Posts: 257 Credit: 3,287,316 RAC: 14,892	Message 5091 - Posted: 4 Dec 2005, 6:16:36 UTC Last modified: 4 Dec 2005, 6:27:02 UTC ATI cards are nortorious for trashing WUs over on Einstein. This may be due to the outdated science app. It tells me that there are lots of people running computers which need a tune-up! :-D Running distributed computing projects, such as Rosetta, helped me to get my computer right. When I started in January 2002, my BIOS was not compatible with Windows XP (caused by a Dell upgrade CD for my three week old computer), my video and audio drivers were outdated and not compatible with Windows XP, Roxio Easy CD Creator 5.0 crashed the computer when the CPU was fully utilized, and there were issues with SP1 in April-June of 2002. DirectX, .Net Passport, and OpenGL have had issues and caused problems. I don't have a Raedon video card in either of my computers, but my son does. I am neither for nor against Raedon, but I don't blame Raedon for corrupted or obsolete drivers being run in computers, either. Computer owners need to at least go to Microsoft Update once a month. Microsoft's signed drivers aren't on the bleeding edge, but they are adequate. Don't let me get started about spyware and fragmented hard drives... My point is that when we have issues, we should all look at the variable that we control: Our computer. Once we update and tune-up, then we can point fingers at the distributed applications that we run. I ran Prime95 just before starting Rosetta. ID: 5091 · Rating: 0 · rate: / Reply Quote