I have stopped using BOINC. After much diagnosis I have discovered that BOINC is the culprit that is powering off my computer. It is not shutting my computer down. The computer is just suddenly powering down to a dead stop, instant off. I hear the drive heads parking and then it turns off. This can happen several times a day, usually when I am not touching the computer, but at least once when I was looking right at it. I used MSCONFIG to determine it is a software problem, and much trial and error to narrow it down to BOINC. System stats follow for anyone wishing to pursue this.
DFI LANParty DK 790FX
AMD Phenom II 940 x4 3GHz
Geil matched pc6400 RAM x4 8GB
Gigabyte dual Radeon HD 4800
Samsung 300GB C: drive SATA 2 + 3 Hitachi various sizes

And when was the last time you checked for dust-bunnies inside it?
Have you ever cleaned out any dust?
Did you check the temperature of the CPU (cores) while the system was under load? How high were they?
Have you checked that the fan is still spinning?


Powering off can be a safe-guard by the CPU for when it overheats. Especially on A<D processors, as these tend to overheat and just burn out, instead of clock down and continue as its Intel counterpart will do.

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I've been using computers for 33 years and have been in IT for over 20. The computer is not overheating. I used MSCONFIG through a process of elimination over many days to determine that the computer only shuts off when it is running BOINC. BOINC is set for stand-by, so it is not running when I am actively using something in the computer. The computer only shuts off when I am not directly using it, after BOINC activates itself. The computer does not shut off during other equally CPU intensive tasks such as video editing and compilation, and gaming.

DFI LANParty DK 790FX
AMD Phenom II 940 x4 3GHz
Geil matched pc6400 RAM x4 8GB
Gigabyte dual Radeon HD 4800
Samsung 300GB C: drive SATA 2 + 3 Hitachi various sizes

Boinc is just the managing program, it is the project applications that stress your CPU and GPU, not Boinc, and for reliable operation the CPU and GPU require a good PSU, the very thing you haven't mentioned, so what PSU do you have?

Claggy

The computer does not shut off during other equally CPU intensive tasks such as video editing and compilation, and gaming.

Those activities are not as intensive as BOINC and that is why the computer does not shutdown until BOINC runs. It's probably overheating due to inadequate cooling or being plugged up with dust.

Take a look around here. If BOINC does as you claim then why are there not a thousand other users here with the same complaint as you? The fact is you are the ONLY ONE complaining of this problem. Obviously it is a problem with your computer and not with BOINC.

The computer does not shut off during other equally CPU intensive tasks such as video editing and compilation, and gaming.

Those activities are not as intensive as BOINC and that is why the computer does not shutdown until BOINC runs. It's probably overheating due to inadequate cooling or being plugged up with dust.

Take a look around here. If BOINC does as you claim then why are there not a thousand other users here with the same complaint as you? The fact is you are the ONLY ONE complaining of this problem. Obviously it is a problem with your computer and not with BOINC.

Gee, the high probability of being called an idiot and a whiner makes me feel good about posting here, but here goes...

I've just installed BOINC, so I figure my issue is more one of configuration than anything else. I wasn't going to post just yet, but I'm having a similar issue.

I stream WCPT alot, as well as other sites. No prob before BOINC, but now the comp is put into hibernation after 5 min if I let it run. This morning, I woke up, and my comp was shut down.

I'm curious about why my comp shut down more than anything else.

Stock ASUS K52F laptop, nothing fancy. Dual core 2ghz intel.

The computer does not shut off during other equally CPU intensive tasks such as video editing and compilation, and gaming.

Those activities are not as intensive as BOINC and that is why the computer does not shutdown until BOINC runs. It's probably overheating due to inadequate cooling or being plugged up with dust.

Take a look around here. If BOINC does as you claim then why are there not a thousand other users here with the same complaint as you? The fact is you are the ONLY ONE complaining of this problem. Obviously it is a problem with your computer and not with BOINC.

Gee, the high probability of being called an idiot and a whiner makes me feel good about posting here,

Sometimes the problem the user is having is due to him/her being an idiot and a whiner. I know because I've been an idiot and whiner on many occasions and after the problem I'm having is resolved I often (but not always) think back and realize "Wow! How could I have been so stupid? And why was I whining like a child instead of taking some sensible kind of action?". It's human nature. We all do it. We get over it.

In many forums idiot-whiners just get ignored because everybody knows that the only way to actually help the poor sod is to address his/her idiot-whiner behavior/logic so anything helpful you say is going to imply he's an idiot-whiner. Other than say "Hello, good luck with your problem." you're gonna look like the bad guy if you make any genuine effort to help. Like the idiot who goes to the doctor and says "Doc, my eye hurts whenever I do this" and the doc says "Stop poking your eye with that stick" and the guy turns around and says "You think I'm too stupid to know that?"

How about you tell us all what YOU would say to him/her?

but here goes...

I've just installed BOINC, so I figure my issue is more one of configuration than anything else. I wasn't going to post just yet, but I'm having a similar issue.

I stream WCPT alot, as well as other sites. No prob before BOINC, but now the comp is put into hibernation after 5 min if I let it run. This morning, I woke up, and my comp was shut down.

I'm curious about why my comp shut down more than anything else.

Stock ASUS K52F laptop, nothing fancy. Dual core 2ghz intel.

There that's how ya do it, no whining, just state the facts. Except you forgot to tell us which OS it runs on and which version of BOINC you installed. Please the actual version number not just "the latest" as that means different things to different people.

I have this vague recollection of someone having the same problem and IIRC it turned out he chose to install and use the BOINC screensaver and somehow it "fixed" his power management settings and made the host shutdown after X minutes of inactivity. Have you checked to see if those settings are still OK?

The computer is not overheating. <snip> The computer does not shut off during other equally CPU intensive tasks such as video editing and compilation, and gaming.

How have you deteermined that the computer isn't overheating?

If you're not using a utility program to see what the actual CPU temperatures are, I would suggest that as the next troubleshooting step to find out what's going on.

As far as your comment about equally CPU intensive tasks: have you actully measured CPU load with BOINC active and compared it to those other tasks?

If allowed to run at full speed, BOINC and its applications can easily push a CPU to 100% load and keep it there. Most 'normal' applications may hit 100% CPU load intermittently, but they usualy won't stay there continuously.

So I suggest monitoring the actual CPU loading and temperature with BOINC running to see if that's the problem: the CPU overheating due to BOINC running it with a very high load.

If it is overheating when BOINC is running, in addition to dusting the computer you can use BOINC's settings and/or the Tthrottle program to reduce the load BOINC puts on your CPU.

I've just installed BOINC, so I figure my issue is more one of configuration than anything else. I wasn't going to post just yet, but I'm having a similar issue.

I stream WCPT alot, as well as other sites. No prob before BOINC, but now the comp is put into hibernation after 5 min if I let it run. This morning, I woke up, and my comp was shut down.

I'm curious about why my comp shut down more than anything else.

Stock ASUS K52F laptop, nothing fancy. Dual core 2ghz intel.

Window's power setting are set to put computers to sleep after about half an hour, check that you're on a plan that doesn't put the computer to sleep,
note: shutting the lid on a laptop will probably also put it to sleep too, you'll need to go into 'change plan settings' if you want to stop that.

Claggy

I have a similar problem with Boinc shutting down my computer. The only way Boinc will run is if I don’t have my network cable connected. Yes my machine is clean, yes I have a water cooler on my CPU yea I am running Tthrottle. If the network cable is attached the computer will shut down as soon as Boinc connects to the client. This has just started.

I have a similar problem with Boinc shutting down my computer. The only way Boinc will run is if I don’t have my network cable connected. Yes my machine is clean, yes I have a water cooler on my CPU yea I am running Tthrottle. If the network cable is attached the computer will shut down as soon as Boinc connects to the client. This has just started.

That definitely doesn't sound like a temperature/cooling related problem to me so I would never have mentioned cleaning, cooling or throttling as the place to start looking.

I doubt this is BOINC's fault. Indeed it happens only when BOINC runs but that doesn't mean BOINC is breaking a rule and doing something it should not. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, it needs more investigation to determine who the culprit is. Furthermore, even if BOINC is doing something it should not the OS should be sufficiently robust to not crash. Linux wouldn't and it's just a frivolous piece of freeware junk that cannot possibly be any good because people won't produce anything of any quality unless they're paid. If Linux can bear up and not crash then Windows should be able to as well since the money thing automatically makes it better.

I wager 30,000 credits that the culprit turns out to be Windows, not BOINC. I am confident it's Windows throwing a typical Windows hissy fit and refusing to play. No matter what they teach you in lemming school it's still just a DOS hack, never forget it.

If I'm wrong and it's a bug in BOINC I will attach my host, via the weak account key, to the account of the first person to accept the wager and crunch 30,000 credits for them. Any project you choose except SETI or MilkyWay, I won't crunch for either of them for any reason. If you accept my wager and loose then you will attach to my choice of project on my account and crunch 30,000 credits for me. (Finally we have a use for credits)

I won't participate in the investigation.