I'm running Win XP Pro SP2. I just re-installed Boinc (5.8.15) with SETI, Einstein and Rosetta. I'm using the very latest Direct X. My screen is set to 1024x768, 32 bit 70Hz. I've also tried 16 bit/60Hz but it makes no difference. The problem is that the project screensavers don't work properly: they flash, there's virtually no colour, text is unreadable etc.

Now, from having run SETI/Boinc before I know this isn't normal. Can you shed any light, please?

Harold Fuchs
London, England

And what kind of video card do you use?
Please look through this thread for pointers.

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And what kind of video card do you use?
Please look through this thread for pointers.

The machine is a Sony Vaio laptop. It has 512MB main memory. It runs XP Pro and I can watch DVDs, streamed video from the BBC and other movie-type files, like Quicktime.

Here's what dxdiag says:
---------------
Display Devices
---------------
Card name: Mobility Radeon
Manufacturer: ATI Technologies Inc.
Chip type: M6 (LY)
DAC type: Internal DAC (350Mhz)
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4C59&SUBSYS_80E7104D&REV_00
Display Memory: 16.0 MB
Current Mode: 1024 x 768 (32 bit) (70Hz)
Monitor: Sony Notebook LCD (1400x1050)
Monitor Max Res: 1400,1050
Driver Name: ati2dvag.dll
Driver Version: 6.13.3265.0000 (English)
DDI Version: 8
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Driver Date/Size: 8/29/2001 00:12:20, 222080 bytes
WHQL Logo'd: No
WHQL Date Stamp: None
VDD: n/a
Mini VDD: ati2mtag.sys
Mini VDD Date: 8/29/2001 00:09:20, 338560 bytes
Device Identifier: {D7B71EE2-0F19-11CF-FD73-26ACA2C2CB35}
Vendor ID: 0x1002
Device ID: 0x4C59
SubSys ID: 0x80E7104D
Revision ID: 0x0000
Revision ID: 0x0000
Video Accel: ModeMPEG2_C ModeMPEG2_D
Deinterlace Caps: n/a
Registry: OK
DDraw Status: Enabled
D3D Status: Enabled
AGP Status: Enabled
==============
Sorry if that was more detail than you wanted ...

I found a file at the ATI web site, linked from the site you pointed me at - thank you. Unfortunatley, when I ran it, it said "INF Error, Video driver not found".

It then said "Setup was unable to complete the installation. Try to setup your display adapter with a standard VGA driver before running setup." I don't know how to do that.

I tried "update driver" from within the Windows hardware/device manager subsystem but it said it couldn't find anything.

Can you help?

I have to say I'm puzzled. The system I'm running can, as I've said, display quite decent graphics as well as streamed video etc. Why should Boinc cause it such problems?

Regards, Harold

Well, the thing is, the graphics used by the projects are OpenGL, not Direct 3D. If your video card (or in your case, video chip) is inadequate, it can cause lots of problems. If you lack the correct drivers that allow OpenGL to work, it won't show good either.

Then again, running a screen saver on a laptop, isn't that overkill?
If you want to look at the graphics once in a while, use the Show Graphics option in Boinc Manager. You will have to select a running result first. Plus not all projects have graphics, so if the button stays grayed out, then that project doesn't do graphics. (Although all three of your projects should have graphics, if you aren't using an optimized science application)

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Thank you for that but, please:
a) How do I (try to) install OpenGL?
b) Why is running a screen saver on a laptop overkill?

Regards, Harold

Thank you but unfortunately it doesn't help. The ATI site listed (http://support.atitech.ca/) requires a username and password which I don't have.

I suppose I'll just have to junk BOINC. Shame really.

Unless someone knows where to get OpenGL drivers without a password. The name includes the word "open". Doesn't seem like it ...

me having the same problem but when using the graphics available or screensaver it causes a blue screen reboot ouch not sure why there is not an option to use directdraw 3D ? and not opengl my computer: pcchips p23g v3.0 using almost the latest VIA chipset OS: MS XP Pro 64 bit opengl driver icd vtic64.dll 6.14.10.6003 which is up to date tested using other graphics programs no reboots just with BOINC 5.8.11 ? grrr and please dont chase us newbies away from using BOINC ps this is what event viewer showed if it makes any difference


Error code 000000000000003b, parameter1 00000000c0000005, parameter2 fffff97fff4b3a69, parameter3 fffffadfea1de760, parameter4 0000000000000000.

Thank you but unfortunately it doesn't help. The ATI site listed (http://support.atitech.ca/) requires a username and password which I don't have.

I suppose I'll just have to junk BOINC. Shame really.

Unless someone knows where to get OpenGL drivers without a password. The name includes the word "open". Doesn't seem like it ...

ATI drivers can be found here...

http://ati.amd.com/support/driver.html


I've pointed people here before and they were able to download updated drivers.

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Kathryn :o)

me having the same problem but when using the graphics available or screensaver it causes a blue screen reboot ouch not sure why there is not an option to use directdraw 3D ? and not opengl my computer: pcchips p23g v3.0 using almost the latest VIA chipset OS: MS XP Pro 64 bit opengl driver icd vtic64.dll 6.14.10.6003 which is up to date tested using other graphics programs no reboots just with BOINC 5.8.11 ? grrr and please dont chase us newbies away from using BOINC ps this is what event viewer showed if it makes any difference


Error code 000000000000003b, parameter1 00000000c0000005, parameter2 fffff97fff4b3a69, parameter3 fffffadfea1de760, parameter4 0000000000000000.

I'm guessing (and I don't know this for sure because I haven't asked Dr. A or Rom Walton about it) but the reason BOINC uses opengl is because direct draw is part of Microsoft's API. My guess is that it's not cross platform, which BOINC is.

Wiki article comparing the two take it for what it's worth...

And I'd also like to add that BOINC runs fine without graphics. If you need a screen saver, you can just use one of the built in ones. Personally I set my monitor to blank because I have crappy onboard graphics (and screensavers drive me nuts). The CPU time that goes to drawing those pretty pictures is better used for science, IMO.

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Kathryn :o)

<snip>
ATI drivers can be found here...

http://ati.amd.com/support/driver.html


I've pointed people here before and they were able to download updated drivers.
[/quote]
Been there, tried that. This is the site I mentioned in one of my previous posts. As said, I found a "driver" but when I tried to install it I got error messages.

The exact quote from my previous post was:
========== begin quote ========
I found a file at the ATI web site, linked from the site you pointed me at - thank you. Unfortunatley, when I ran it, it said "INF Error, Video driver not found".

It then said "Setup was unable to complete the installation. Try to setup your display adapter with a standard VGA driver before running setup." I don't know how to do that.
=========== end quote ==========

Please ...

me having the same problem but when using the graphics available or screensaver it causes a blue screen reboot ouch not sure why there is not an option to use directdraw 3D ? and not opengl my computer: pcchips p23g v3.0 using almost the latest VIA chipset OS: MS XP Pro 64 bit opengl driver icd vtic64.dll 6.14.10.6003 which is up to date tested using other graphics programs no reboots just with BOINC 5.8.11 ? grrr and please dont chase us newbies away from using BOINC ps this is what event viewer showed if it makes any difference


Error code 000000000000003b, parameter1 00000000c0000005, parameter2 fffff97fff4b3a69, parameter3 fffffadfea1de760, parameter4 0000000000000000.

I'm guessing (and I don't know this for sure because I haven't asked Dr. A or Rom Walton about it) but the reason BOINC uses opengl is because direct draw is part of Microsoft's API. My guess is that it's not cross platform, which BOINC is.

Wiki article comparing the two take it for what it's worth...

And I'd also like to add that BOINC runs fine without graphics. If you need a screen saver, you can just use one of the built in ones. Personally I set my monitor to blank because I have crappy onboard graphics (and screensavers drive me nuts). The CPU time that goes to drawing those pretty pictures is better used for science, IMO.

thanks a bunch for the linked info. The BOINC graphics worked fine when I had a 32bit OS before i replaced it with the 64bit so sure thinks its the 64bit dll from VIA :-) so I sent them more detailed info on this problem. I dont use the BOINC screensave at all just the one under simple view to watch it :-) mega thanks

On my Acer notebook with ATI Mobility Radeon 9000, the projects' graphics mainly worked (I did only rarely look at, maybe few minutes in a month or two), but WUs I was looking at often used to crash some time later. I do not know why. I've had also occasional graphics compatibility problems and crashes with few games.

Over 3 years, I tried multiple times to update the ATI drivers (4.3, 5.10, 6.5), but the Mobility ones each time refused to install on my NB (telling me that I have to obtain the install pack from my NB's producer, but Acer did never update the drivers for my NB since the production start) and the desktop ones were refusing the installation too.

Some 3/4 year ago I was pointed on the DH Mod tool V3 page (now http://www.driverheaven.net/modtool/), which claimed being able to "modify certain files from the normal desktop Catalyst driver set so you can install the latest Catalyst set on your laptop". It worked. Now I'm able to use Catalyst 6.5 and never had any graphics problems since (Boinc apps and some games). I've not done any benchmarking before and after, but subjectively (games flow) the graphics got a bit faster. Maybe 15-25%. Possibly no wonder after throwing obsolete drivers.

Peter

Using Direct3D instead of OpenGL needs a rewrite of the graphics code on the project applications, and nobody sees any need for it.

this is what event viewer showed if it makes any difference


Error code 000000000000003b, parameter1 00000000c0000005, parameter2 fffff97fff4b3a69, parameter3 fffffadfea1de760, parameter4 0000000000000000.

Next time, please also add the event ID. Without it the event is useless.
So just post the whole event from event viewer and just XXXXX out your computer name if you want to. (Not that we can do anything with it anyway, but if you want privacy...)

And please use punctuation, instead of a continuous sentence with the odd question mark in your next post. That makes your question more legible.

Since you've been helped already, it's just a reminder.

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The exact quote from my previous post was:
========== begin quote ========
I found a file at the ATI web site, linked from the site you pointed me at - thank you. Unfortunatley, when I ran it, it said "INF Error, Video driver not found".

It then said "Setup was unable to complete the installation. Try to setup your display adapter with a standard VGA driver before running setup." I don't know how to do that.
=========== end quote ==========

Please ...

Go to Add/Remove Programs and uninstall the ATI driver.
Reboot.
Install the new driver.

If after the reboot your Windows says you don't have a driver installed for your videocard and it wants to install its own driver, try to cancel as much as possible. If it doesn't allow you to cancel but auto installs its own driver again, uninstall the driver, then reboot and boot into Safe Mode (Press F8 repeatedly before Windows starts up, choose Safe Mode from the menu.)

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If after the reboot your Windows says you don't have a driver installed for your videocard and it wants to install its own driver, try to cancel as much as possible. If it doesn't allow you to cancel but auto installs its own driver again, uninstall the driver, then reboot and boot into Safe Mode (Press F8 repeatedly before Windows starts up, choose Safe Mode from the menu.)

Hmmm. Sorry if this is a dumb question but I really don't understand ...

If I uninstall the ATI driver, how can I see what's happening on my screen when I reboot?

If after the reboot your Windows says you don't have a driver installed for your videocard and it wants to install its own driver, try to cancel as much as possible. If it doesn't allow you to cancel but auto installs its own driver again, uninstall the driver, then reboot and boot into Safe Mode (Press F8 repeatedly before Windows starts up, choose Safe Mode from the menu.)

Hmmm. Sorry if this is a dumb question but I really don't understand ...

If I uninstall the ATI driver, how can I see what's happening on my screen when I reboot?

There is a generic driver that will be used until a real driver is installed.

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BOINC WIKI

BOINCing since 2002/12/8

Well, I followed the instructions and got the same error messages as before *but* when I looked in the Advanced section of the Settings menu for my display I suddenly found a whole subsection devoted to OpenGL settings. So I tried the SETI/Einstein/Rosetta screen savers and they all seem to work.

Thank you all very much.

Harold Fuchs,
London, England

Well, I followed the instructions and got the same error messages as before *but* when I looked in the Advanced section of the Settings menu for my display I suddenly found a whole subsection devoted to OpenGL settings. So I tried the SETI/Einstein/Rosetta screen savers and they all seem to work.

Thank you all very much.

Harold Fuchs,
London, England

I now give up. I *hibernated* my machine last night with BOINC displaying its project screen savers perfectly. When I woke it up this morning, the same problem was back. Obviously nothing had changed overnight.

Clearly BOINC is far too "sophisticated" for my simple machine. I have withdrawn my labour and uninstalled the software. Perhaps I'll check back in a year or so.

Hibernate is not recommended with Boinc. I've never had much luck with hibernate in any context (not talking about Boinc here), usually shutting down and rebooting instead works much better.

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