I just installed Linux Mint 21 on a new computer, did all the updates, and downloaded the BOINC programs from the repository. All looks perfectly normal - like it has for all the many previous Linux Mint computers I've set up before. But when I click to start the program from the launcher, nothing happens.

I've tried reinstalling in terminal mode, with the Software Manager, and with the Synaptic Package Manager - all to no avail. What can I do to get BOINC to run as it should?

Any message in terminal when you try and start from there?

Start in terminal to install or to run? Using what command?
Thanks so much for your help.

To start the client,

 sudo systemctl start boinc-client 

to run the client.

That command does nothing for me. Just produces a blank line. No feedback. No activation of client.

If it works and starts the client, there isn't any feedback in the terminal. if you run top afterwards, you should see boinc as one of the programs running.
Edit: I would expect a line saying what the problem is if it didn't work.

Just ran command again after a reboot. Produced the same no-response in terminal. Then checked with System Monitor, and it does not show the process running - nor any jump in CPU resources.

After

sudo systemctl start boinc-client

run

sudo systemctl status boinc-client

sudo systemctl status boinc-client
<font color="#8AE234"><b>●</b></font> boinc-client.service - Berkeley Open Infrastructure Network Computing Client
Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/boinc-client.service; disabled; vendor<span style="background-color:#FFFFFF"><font color="#3F3F3F">&gt;</font></span>
Active: <font color="#8AE234"><b>active (running)</b></font> since Wed 2023-06-28 10:15:44 CDT; 2h 17min ago
Docs: man:boinc(1)
Main PID: 1953 (boinc)
Tasks: 2 (limit: 18860)
Memory: 12.3M
CPU: 17.268s
CGroup: /system.slice/boinc-client.service
└─1953 /usr/bin/boinc

Jun 28 10:15:45 OptiPlex-5050 boinc[1953]: 28-Jun-2023 10:15:45 [---] don&apos;t <span style="background-color:#FFFFFF"><font color="#3F3F3F">&gt;</font></span>
Jun 28 10:15:45 OptiPlex-5050 boinc[1953]: 28-Jun-2023 10:15:45 [---] suspen<span style="background-color:#FFFFFF"><font color="#3F3F3F">&gt;</font></span>
Jun 28 10:15:45 OptiPlex-5050 boinc[1953]: 28-Jun-2023 10:15:45 [---] (to ch<span style="background-color:#FFFFFF"><font color="#3F3F3F">&gt;</font></span>
Jun 28 10:15:45 OptiPlex-5050 boinc[1953]: 28-Jun-2023 10:15:45 [---] Setting u<span style="background-color:#FFFFFF"><font color="#3F3F3F">&gt;</font></span>
Jun 28 10:15:45 OptiPlex-5050 boinc[1953]: 28-Jun-2023 10:15:45 [---] Checking <span style="background-color:#FFFFFF"><font color="#3F3F3F">&gt;</font></span>
Jun 28 10:15:45 OptiPlex-5050 boinc[1953]: 28-Jun-2023 10:15:45 [---] Setting u<span style="background-color:#FFFFFF"><font color="#3F3F3F">&gt;</font></span>
Jun 28 10:15:45 OptiPlex-5050 boinc[1953]: 28-Jun-2023 10:15:45 [---] Warning: <span style="background-color:#FFFFFF"><font color="#3F3F3F">&gt;</font></span>
Jun 28 10:15:45 OptiPlex-5050 boinc[1953]: 28-Jun-2023 10:15:45 [---] Checking <span style="background-color:#FFFFFF"><font color="#3F3F3F">&gt;</font></span>
Jun 28 10:15:45 OptiPlex-5050 boinc[1953]: 28-Jun-2023 10:15:45 [---] This comp<span style="background-color:#FFFFFF"><font color="#3F3F3F">&gt;</font></span>
Jun 28 10:15:45 OptiPlex-5050 boinc[1953]: 28-Jun-2023 10:15:45 Initialization <span style="background-color:#FFFFFF"><font color="#3F3F3F">&gt;</font></span>

Program is still not running.

Interesting. Output for me when client not running is.

 boinc-client.service - Berkeley Open Infrastructure Network Computing Clie>
     Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/boinc-client.service; disabled; pre>
     Active: inactive (dead)
       Docs: man:boinc(1)

Thanks for the valiant effort.

Program is still not running.

The BOINC service is running.
So, which 'program' do you mean? The BOINC manager (GUI)?

As suggested in a thread nearby you may need to ensure your own user account is a member of the boinc group.
Run:

sudo usermod -aG boinc your_own_username

Then log out -> log in (or reboot)


Be aware that the current settings don't automatically start the BOINC service when you reboot.
To configure this run once (before the next reboot):

sudo systemctl enable boinc-client

Between all the HTML coding, I see:

/lib/systemd/system/boinc-client.service; disabled;

But also wonder. When you start BOINC Manager, it does not start the client, right? That's what you started with.
I wonder, did it ever do that? I know it will under Windows, but am wondering if it does under Linux. AFAIK you always had to start the client separately, maybe via a script.

Else, check in BOINC Manager -> Options -> Is in the General tab "Run the client?" checked?
Is that option even there? I seem to remember some BOINC package maintainers removed it.

sudo systemctl enable boinc-client

is the way out of this particular snafu.

I do the converse:

sudo systemctl disable boinc-client

before major system upgrades, like new kernels. That gives time to check that nothing has gone wrong - and also time for the GPU drivers to load before BOINC queries them.

I suspect that the BOINC Manager wasn't given any revised 'enable client' code when systemd was introduced - and probably couldn't be, if it needs elevated privileges like 'sudo'. That would be a nice exercise for someone.

EUREKA! I discovered the source of my problem!

When I recently purchased this refurbished Windows 10 machine, I first booted and updated it in Windows. Wanting to stress test it before I replaced Windows with the Linux Mint OS, I loaded and ran Boinc-WCG for a few days in Windows. Then I installed Linux Mint, setting the process to do a "clean install" - i.e., erase all the previous systems before installing the Linux. Then it was after this new system install that I could not get Boinc to load and posted here for advice. Fast forward to this morning when I noticed that my World Community Grid project had continued recording work done the new computer, even after I deleted Windows to install the LM and couldn't get the Boinc to load.

My conclusion... Windows loaded Boinc as a service that ended up still operating on computer, even after doing the installation of LM. So that the already running Boinc service from Windows blocked starting the program in Linux. Now at least I can keep the new computer running 24/7 to crank out the Boinc work units. I guess I only miss having the control of boinc-manager, mainly to work on more than one project at a time. I'd really like to be rid of the root service so I could run client and manager both in Linux. But that's a task I know nothing about.

Actually I was extremely surprised that the recent Dark Mode Manager artifact had control over the client reinstalled. One main reason I have stuck with an older Manager was the ability to start and stop the client.

I really hated all the latest distro supplied Managers having that control removed.