On one of the computers I run Boinc on I need to reinstall WinXP, but I've never re-installed a backup of Boinc on a fresh Win-install before. So I've got a few questions about that.

I've made backups of the Program Files/Boinc and the Application Data/Boinc folders. After having reinstalled Boinc, can I just copy both the folders over the clean install and overwrite everything or are there files I should not overwrite with the backup?
Would it make a difference of which files can be overwritten when I install as a service this time, because since the service mode was implemented I never succeeded in making this work on this particular computer and when possible I like to make use of it now.
My goal is that by overwriting everything I don't have to attach to every project again and just continue all of them where I left off. Is this actually going to work as I hope it will?

Thanks for any advice,
Bart

It's better to do it the other way round: first restore the backup copy of the data directory, then direct the install into it.

However, if your queue was empty at the time of backup and you only want to circumvent attaching again, simply copy all account*.xml files into the data directory after stopping the BOINC client (Advanced/Shutdown connected client...). It doesn't matter if the new install was as service (Protected Application Execution) or not.

Gruß,
Gundolf

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Computer sind nicht alles im Leben. (Kleiner Scherz)

My queue is not empty. I've got several projects with short WU's, but also a long CPDN that I'm half way in.
So, in short, I should just copy both directory trees to where they were in my old install and simply install the new Boinc on top of it.
If the new install won't be overwriting any of the files necessary to continue where I was than I'm gonna give that a try tomorrow.

Thanks,
Bart

So, in short, I should just copy both directory trees to where they were in my old install and simply install the new Boinc on top of it...

Yes, it needn't even be the old locations; just install on top of the new location.

Gruß,
Gundolf

You mentioned cpdn, but I guess that you're not backing up regularly, or you would know about my posts on how to do that.
Backups
also
Moving BOINC and a model from one computer to another

I think I did read that already some time ago, or some article alike. I used to make regular backups of cpdn and orbit, but because it was never actually necessary to restore them I "forget" to make backups nowadays. I accept the risks involved with my negligence ;)
I think that article is where I got the idea from to copy the whole backup of boinc over the new install and not the other way around as Gundolf Jahn suggests.

I hope I'll have the time to do it today, but actually it's unlikely I'll install boinc today anyway. I even need to start installing windows, with all of its updates and reboots and it's already past 1 PM over here...

I'll let you know how things went when it's done.

Thanks,
Bart

I had some other things to do this afternoon, but I've been working late and got Boinc running again as well. But I installed Boinc first and then made the copies from the backups over the new install and not the other way around as was advised. I think I was just too tired to think. But despite this everything seems to be working fine so far and the projects and Wu's are continuing were they were as if nothing has happened :)

Thanks again for the support.
Bart

...But I installed Boinc first and then made the copies from the backups over the new install and not the other way around as was advised...

If you use the same version of BOINC before and after the backup/restore, it makes (obviously) no difference as for when you restore :-)

Glad it worked for you.

Gruß,
Gundolf

I used the same version: 6.6.31. I read somewhere there are some quirks in the long debt timer/scheduler in 6.6.36, so I thought I'd better not upgrade yet. The v6 LTD baffles me anyway. Just can't figure out how it's exactly supposed to work by looking at the numbers in Boincview... So also in 6.6.31 there are quirks, or maybe these only exist in my mind ;) But that's way off-topic, so never mind.

Bart