Client running as service does not use preferences

> I am running BOINC client 4.24 as WinXP service. I have changed log on to
> LOCAL SYSTEM. It works fine, however, it does not use preferences, i.e. it
> does not pause computation while computer is in use. Any hint?
>

I've been having the same problem since I started Boinc about a month ago. No matter how many times or ways I update my preferences and click the Run based on Preferneces command it seems to ignore my settings. i.e. Boinc runs continuously wether I'm using the computer or not. I've set my preferences to run when computer is idle for 10 minutes or more. Anyone have any suggestions?

> [...]it seems to ignore my settings. i.e. Boinc runs
> continuously wether I'm using the computer or not.

I agree it is annoying that the client ignores the settings and we now know the reason, becasue of 'privacy' issues windows is not letting the service see the keystrokes, so the client does not know if you are working or not. If this were changed then there would be an opportunity for a rogue project to run as a service and report back on passwords typed, etc.

Whether BOINC takes up the development solution suggested by John Mc VII will be partly a policy issue: at present if a rogue project did try to do this
then only the user who installed BOinc on a machine would be hit; with John's change the rogue project would have access to all the users of that computer.

But, exactly why do you want to disable E@H while you are working anyway?

Within a microsecond of you touching the keyboard, the Windows task manager will have given you back your CPU for your live task, and will not give it back to BOINC until the CPU has done all the stuff it needs to do in response to your keystroke. While I am typing this posting into the machine, BOINC is probably getting in around a dozen million cpu cycles between each keystroke, even on my puny 700MHz box.

Ditto when you use the mouse.

It seems to me that the only time it really matters is if you are running a program that needs a huge amount of real memory: then the fact that E@H has jumped in to some of this memory will slow you down a little. But for all normal computer tasks (word processing, graphics, spreadsheets, and even almost all games) I never see any change in the subjective response
time whether E@H is running or not.

I'd suggest that this option is one that is useful only on machines with very little RAM, or for other projects where crunching the WU takes a much much more memory than E@H does.

My own preference would be that BOINC keeps things the way they are, and documantes the fact that for security reasons the progam will not detect mouse/keyboard usage when running as a service, and also documents the fact that the priority system means that BOINC ducks out of the way when real work being done by the CPU.

> > But, exactly why do you want to disable E@H while you are working
> anyway?
> [...] If E@H is running as a
> service in the background, the minute there is any perception of a slowdown
> due to anything, people will do the 3 fingured salute and immediately spot a
> process consuming 99% and they will want to terminate it with extreme
> prejudice.

Point taken

> So all we need to do is rename the system idle process and call it "System
> problem Indicator" and educate people to believe that the system has real
> problems if that indicator ever gets to 99%. Then we just rename the einstein
> process and call it "System Idle Process".

Or call the Einstein process the "System Idle Process (SP2)".

Or "System Idol Process" and hope lysdexia doesn't point out the difference ;-