My BOINC screensaver keeps shutting off the picture to my monitor after about five minutes of showing the project. I'm on dial-up, and I hope that's not the problem. I've already texted an expert, but they haven't responded in a week. Any help?

Let's not wait a week with some questions back:
1. Which operating system?
2. Which BOINC version?
3. On which project or projects does this happen?
4. Check your power options, that your monitor isn't set to power off after 5 minutes.

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5. check

Suspend work if no mouse/keyboard activity in last  --- minutes 
(Needed to enter low-power mode on some computers) 
Enforced by version 5.10.14+

in your preferences.

1. Which operating system?

Windows XP.

2. Which BOINC version?

6.2.14

3. On which project or projects does this happen?

I only run SETI@home.

4. Check your power options, that your monitor isn't set to power off after 5 minutes.

I never had that option set before I ran BOINC, and never changed it, unless you're referring to BOINC power options, which I never even viewed, and this problem never occurred before a week ago. Where do I find these power options?

I don't have much in the way of computer skills, so please keep that in mind if you help me.

The BOINCscreensaver has a blanking feature too.... is there a default time frame?

It is set to go to a blank screen after 5 minutes.

So Trekmaster, what is your setting for the BOINC screen saver at properties of the desktop->screen saver->BOINC->Settings ?? Is "Go to blank screen" checked?

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So Trekmaster, what is your setting for the BOINC screen saver at properties of the desktop->screen saver->BOINC->Settings ?? Is "Go to blank screen" checked?

No.

It started doing this with BOINC 6.2.14?
How did you install 6.2.14? With the default options, or did you install it as a not-protected install (not a service)?
Do you have CPU throttling on?
Did you check the preference that Gundolf pointed to?

Project specific question: Is it with Seti-Enhanced or with Astropulse tasks?
If Seti_Enhanced, are you quite sure you saw the screen saver?

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It started doing this with BOINC 6.2.14?
How did you install 6.2.14? With the default options, or did you install it as a not-protected install (not a service)?

The Messages section of the BOINC manager gave me a URL to download the latest version, and I did.

Do you have CPU throttling on?

I have no idea what that is.

Did you check the preference that Gundolf pointed to?

Yes, and there is no number in that preference.

Project specific question: Is it with Seti-Enhanced or with Astropulse tasks?
If Seti_Enhanced, are you quite sure you saw the screen saver?

I don't know what you're talking about.

Again, PLEASE note that I'm not very computer literate.

It started doing this with BOINC 6.2.14?
How did you install 6.2.14? With the default options, or did you install it as a not-protected install (not a service)?

The Messages section of the BOINC manager gave me a URL to download the latest version, and I did.

OK... when you had it downloaded, you started the installer.
it showed you the screens as shown in this FAQ. Did you change anything?

Do you have CPU throttling on?

I have no idea what that is.

BOINC has an option to throttle the use of the CPU so it doesn't overheat. It's regulated by the option in your preferences called "Use at most x percent of CPU time"
What is it set to?

Project specific question: Is it with Seti-Enhanced or with Astropulse tasks?
If Seti_Enhanced, are you quite sure you saw the screen saver?

I don't know what you're talking about.

Seti, the project that you run, has two applications out at the moment.
One is the Seti_Enhanced version 5.27, the other is the Astropulse version 4.35

When you open BOINC Manager->Advanced view->Tasks tab, select any of the running tasks, then widen the column showing the application name, what does it say there?

Also, can you please stop BOINC from running and restart it, then copy and post the startup messages (all of them) from the Messages tab in BOINC Manager?
To stop BOINC, it depends on how you installed it... which is what I asked earlier, remember? ;-)

Option 1: When installed as a service...
BOINC Manager->File->Exit.
Now go Start->Run, type net stop boinc and click OK.
Then go Start->Programs->BOINC->BOINC Manager. This will restart the service if it is installed as a service.

Option 2: When not installed as a service...
BOINC Manager->File->Exit.
Then go Start->Programs->BOINC->BOINC Manager.

Then to copy the messages, go BOINC Manager->(Advanced view->)Messages tab, use the "Copy all messages" button. Open an answer window in this thread, make sure the cursor is blinking in the window and use CTRL + V to paste the messages. Then Post Reply.

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OK... when you had it downloaded, you started the installer.
it showed you the screens as shown in this FAQ. Did you change anything?

I don't remember what I did, I downloaded it so long ago. I updated to the latest version two days ago.

BOINC has an option to throttle the use of the CPU so it doesn't overheat. It's regulated by the option in your preferences called "Use at most x percent of CPU time"
What is it set to?

100% of CPU time.

When you open BOINC Manager->Advanced view->Tasks tab, select any of the running tasks, then widen the column showing the application name, what does it say there?

SETI Enhanced 5.27

Also, can you please stop BOINC from running and restart it, then copy and post the startup messages (all of them) from the Messages tab in BOINC Manager?
To stop BOINC, it depends on how you installed it... which is what I asked earlier, remember? ;-)

I don't remember how I installed it. Please, I can't understand what you're talking about. I've lived for 30 years without personal computers and have only owned them in the last 10. I use them for e-mail, music, web surfing, writing and the occasional game and DVD. I am the furthest thing from a computer techie, short of being Amish. I know how to explore BOINC preferences, I have a slight knowledge of navigating BOINC manager; beyond that, you're going to have to put the kid gloves on. Honestly, if I knew helping search for aliens was going to be this frustrating, I never would have downloaded the stupid thing.

Here are the messages:

8/7/2008 5:33:52 PM||Starting BOINC client version 6.2.14 for windows_intelx86
8/7/2008 5:33:52 PM||log flags: task, file_xfer, sched_ops
8/7/2008 5:33:52 PM||Libraries: libcurl/7.18.0 OpenSSL/0.9.8e zlib/1.2.3
8/7/2008 5:33:52 PM||Data directory: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\BOINC
8/7/2008 5:33:52 PM||Running under account Scott
8/7/2008 5:33:52 PM||Processor: 1 GenuineIntel Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU 2.50GHz [x86 Family 15 Model 2 Stepping 9]
8/7/2008 5:33:52 PM||Processor features: fpu tsc sse sse2 mmx
8/7/2008 5:33:52 PM||OS: Microsoft Windows XP: Home Edition, Service Pack 2, (05.01.2600.00)
8/7/2008 5:33:52 PM||Memory: 503.52 MB physical, 1.20 GB virtual
8/7/2008 5:33:52 PM||Disk: 74.55 GB total, 58.36 GB free
8/7/2008 5:33:52 PM||Local time is UTC -6 hours
8/7/2008 5:33:52 PM||No coprocessors
8/7/2008 5:33:52 PM|SETI@home|URL: http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/; Computer ID: 4504512; location: home; project prefs: default
8/7/2008 5:33:52 PM||General prefs: from SETI@home (last modified 29-Jul-2008 20:04:24)
8/7/2008 5:33:52 PM||Computer location: home
8/7/2008 5:33:52 PM||General prefs: no separate prefs for home; using your defaults
8/7/2008 5:33:52 PM||Reading preferences override file
8/7/2008 5:33:52 PM||Preferences limit memory usage when active to 251.76MB
8/7/2008 5:33:52 PM||Preferences limit memory usage when idle to 453.17MB
8/7/2008 5:33:52 PM||Preferences limit disk usage to 18.64GB
8/7/2008 5:33:56 PM|SETI@home|Restarting task 17jn08ad.14140.3346.12.8.190_0 using setiathome_enhanced version 527

OK, two key pieces of information for me.

SETI Enhanced 5.27

and

8/7/2008 5:33:52 PM||Running under account Scott

At least this show me that you did not install BOINC as a service.
And that therefore you should be able to see the Seti_Enhanced screen saver.

Without going too technical, if you had installed BOINC as a service, the user name would be different and you wouldn't at all be able to see the Seti screen saver, until Seti updates their applications. Just believe me on my word. :-)

OK then, what else could be causing this?

Unless someone else comes up with another perfectly possible solution, I'm thinking heat. How long have you had this computer? Has it ever been opened and cleaned out? Dust accumulates on the inside as it is being sucked in by all the fans that suck in cool air to cool the innards of the computer. Since these fans don't have filters, they suck in dust, (animal) hairs and such in as well which accumulates on the fans and heat sinks of the video card and CPU. If this isn't cleaned off once in a while, the hardware will heat up enormously and you can get weird things like this.

Since you aren't computer savvy, do you know someone (friends, family, neighbors) who can take a look inside the computer? I wouldn't want you to spend lots of money on it though.

And perhaps the easiest thing is to not use the screen saver for now. You can disable the screen saver by right clicking the mouse on an empty space on your desktop, properties, screen saver tab, instead of BOINC select None from the drop-down list and click Apply. Then click OK.

You can now still look at the graphics from BOINC Manager. In the Tasks tab select any of the running tasks and click the Show graphics button. Clicking the X on the graphics window that opens, will close this window again.

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I don't know how getting a computer expert here will solve the problem. Sure I know computer experts, but I'm the only person I know around here who uses BOINC. I'm probably the expert, relatively speaking. I've had this pooter about three or four years and sent it into the shop two months ago to fix a glitch. I don't know if they cleaned it out. I don't want to switch BOINC off if it's only blanking my screen. I've been with SETI off and on for the last four years.

I just meant to say that you don't need to use the screen saver to be able to run BOINC (and thus crunch for Seti). The program will run just fine without having the screen saver option chosen.

Does moving the mouse or pressing a key on the keyboard wake up the monitor again?

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