On my Sony Vaio laptop, if I run in Based On Preferences mode, Boinc never runs as it says "User active." The only way I can run Boinc on this laptop is to have Boinc in run in Run Always mode.

I did not have this problem on other PCs. I've upgraded to the latest client, it makes no difference.

What is going on?

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Preferences, is what is going on.

Either you set in the computation preferences of whatever project you are attached to that you only want to do work when the computer is idle, or you used the Advanced GUI->Advanced->Preferences, with the same setting under the CPU usage tab and saved that with OK. These local preferences will override the preferences on the web-site, for this one computer only.

So to get rid of that go Advanced->Preferences and click Clear. BOINC should then use the web based preferences immediately, unless of course you have those set for only do computations when the computer is idle... then you have to change the preference that says "Suspend work while computer is in use?" to No.

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I have a similar problem.

Running BOINC 5.10.45 under PCLOS 2007, controlled over a LAN using VNC and BoincView 1.4.2.

The BOINC client thinks that the PC is permanently "in use", so the only way BOINC will run is to set "run when in use" in the preferences. The web based preference is "run when idle for 1 minute"... but this box never does. I've no idea where to start, or even how to find out if it's a BOINC or PCLOS problem. Any ideas, anyone?

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Ageless / Jord

I'm not sure that you understood my question, or if you did, that I understood your reply. My problem is that I would like BOINC to run only when my computer is idle. However, if I set my preferences to this (Idle after 7 minutes) then BOINC thinks the computer is constantly in use. I can leave the computer alone for a number of days with no application running, and BOINC thinks it is in use and performs no work. The only way I can get BOINC to process is to override the settings and use Activity / Run Always. I tried setting "run whilst on batteries" just in case this was causing the problem, it makes no difference.

It looks like elkomog, the user who posted after your reply, has exactly the same problem.

I've only have this problem since I had my Sony Vaio Laptop, on other computers before then I had no problem.

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Do you have Suspend work if no mouse/keyboard activity in last set to ---, which appears to be the default for "no"?
Having a number here will mean that BOINC waits for mouse/keyboard activity before running.

steve, post os, boinc client, which is probably .36 and grab the messages log and post that....

Do you have Suspend work if no mouse/keyboard activity in last set to ---, which appears to be the default for "no"?
Having a number here will mean that BOINC waits for mouse/keyboard activity before running.

Having a number there means that BOINC will suspend work when it detects there is no keyboard or mouse activity. This setting is used for when you want to let the OS go in hibernation mode.

The one you described is just above it:
Suspend work while computer is in use? Yes/No
'In use' means mouse/keyboard activity in last xx minutes.

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Do you have Suspend work if no mouse/keyboard activity in last set to ---, which appears to be the default for "no"?

Yes. All the preferences that I can find are as I want them. This is the web version :-

Processor usage

Suspend work while computer is on battery power?
(matters only for portable computers) yes

Suspend work while computer is in use? yes
'In use' means mouse/keyboard activity in last 1 minutes

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

Do work only between the hours of (no restriction)
Leave applications in memory while suspended?
(suspended applications will consume swap space if 'yes') yes

Switch between applications every
(recommended: 60 minutes) 60 minutes

On multiprocessors, use at most
Enforced by version 5.10 and earlier 2 processors

On multiprocessors, use at most
Enforced by version 6.1+ 100 % of the processors

Use at most
(Can be used to reduce CPU heat)
Enforced by version 5.6+ 100 percent of CPU time


The preferences files at the client end agree with this, as far as I can see, it's just that BOINC behaves as if the user is always active. Is there a flag somewhere that I can check?

Thanks for the comments so far, but still puzzled...

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Go to your BOINC Data directory.
Check in it if you have a global_prefs_override.xml file. If you do, you are using BOINC Manager's local preferences which means you can change the web-preferences until the sun goes down, but BOINC won't use them. The local preferences (Advanced view->Advanced->Preferences) override the web preferences.

If you only just checked those preferences once and left with the OK button, you'd have saved those preferences and they would be used immediately. So, as I said before, go Advanced view->Advanced->Preferences and click the Clear button. This will delete the extra file and make sure your BOINC uses the web-preferences only.

Now, if that doesn't do it... it may well be that you are changing your preferences on a different venue than those that your computer is using. This can easily be checked in your global_prefs.xml file. Just open it (in Notepad, your browser, or something) and check if after the normal preferences, it says something like <venue name="home">

If it does, you're using a venue with that name and you should change the preferences in that venue, or is you don't want that, change the location of the computer back to the default venue.

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Thank you Jord/Ageless. I did not have "Suspend work if no mouse/keyboard activity in last set to ---". That was the answer. I had this value as 5 and suspend after 7 minutes. I set Suspend if no, to 0 (it then shows as ---) and all is ok. Perhaps Boinc settings should reject an "if no" value less than the suspend time, unless it is 0.

Anyway, thank you for sorting this out for me.

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Check in it if you have a global_prefs_override.xml file. If you do, you are using BOINC Manager's local preferences which means you can change the web-preferences until the sun goes down, but BOINC won't use them. The local preferences (Advanced view->Advanced->Preferences) override the web preferences.

By "The preferences files at the client end agree with this," I meant the "global_prefs" and the override files. At present they set BOINC to run continuously, since that is the only way it will do any work, but when I change things, the changes do appear in the override file and BOINC duly suspends "user active", so preference changes do appear to work OK.

Now, if that doesn't do it... it may well be that you are changing your preferences on a different venue than those that your computer is using. This can easily be checked in your global_prefs.xml file. Just open it (in Notepad, your browser, or something) and check if after the normal preferences, it says something like <venue name="home">

I hadn't thought of that, since I don't use venues, but I don't see any such entry. However, I might try changing settings one at a time, letting each work through the system, then changing back in similar fashion, in case something is "stuck" somewhere, if you see what I mean.

Thanks for the thoughts so far.

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