Hullo

This could take some time and I sure hope Briskoda doesn't crash, Hopefully if the techies on the site concur this is more or less a decent guide for people to set up F@H as a service, then it could be stickied, Its going to be sort of numpty proof I hope, seeing as a numpty created it. Anyway here goes.

Folding at home? Well, there's plenty of places to get info on what its all about. This is just a guide to set this up as a service on Windows XP, as opposed to setting it up as a dedicated program. (i.e the red rose in the taskbar way)

I hope these steps all work for everyone. It has been said this way folds a little quicker due to less molecular draw, but who knows? I don't.

It all starts off here, as below. The stanford download page. I have circled the link for the download of the console. To the right of that is a useful info document with commands and stuff - really useful later on, but I'll get to that. BEFORE you download this it is highly recommended to put a new folder straight into the C:, called "folding" or something similar and easy. Then right click this and download the file into this newly created folder - Its only a 200kb(ish) file compared to the regular program version which is 600kb+

Then In that folder you will end up with something that looks like this. Be aware it will (on first use) only be the single red console file, in there. It won't have all the other stuff, as this example is using my already in progress folder.

Then it's safe to double click this icon and it will open up into a DOS prompt screen. Sadly I cannot recreate exactly what it does due to mine bein setup up, but it starts off with basic questions. The first one being team - So in there type in 42567 and hit enter. Then it asks for your I.D - make sure this is something you'll be able to replicate at any time on other machines, else points will be credited to different IDs (although as long as the team number is right, it will be OK in the long run) The next question will ask whether you want to set it up as a service. For all this to work its imperative you hit Y here, for YES. The questions which follow input of the Y for service setup vary but all are fairly straight forward. If you don't wish to change advanced configurations select N when asked. This will put in basic folding mode and it will kick off folding at 100% with a screen a little like the one below.

The next step is to exit the command prompt screen. Before doing this check in task manager that there is a task going at 98/99% called FAHCore_78 or something like that - this is good. Then hit Ctrl C on the Folding DOS screen and it will exit - The FAHcore_78 task should stop working. This is also good.

To set it up as a service the next step is to right click on MY Computer and select "MANAGE" This brings up the following screen as below

Then You double click on "services and applications" and then again on "services" which brings up the following screen, as below. You should see a single entry along the lines of FAH: and a link to the directory in which you have started using the program. Don't worry that I've got three FAHs in mine - I set it up twice and had some fun experimenting with it, to get it running right - This is why 2 versions are disabled.

Then if you right click on your FAH task there will be an option at the top for "Start" - Hit this and a progress bar like below should come up.

Then once this bar has finished, you can shut down the cimputer services box and check in task Manager that even though you have no DOS command prompt open, FAHCore_78 is giving it some beans and at 98/99%. Congrats, you've just setup Folding @ Home as a service on your PC. (see below)

If at any time you wish to change any advanced settings which is fairly unlikely, you can do so by configuring it using the command prompt. First off if you follow the above and go into services and right click on FAH and select STOP, this will kill the folding whilst you configure it. Then open up a new command prompt box. On mine this linked to desktop, so if you hit CD\ this takes you back to C: - then hit CD Folder (or whatever your folder in C: is called) then type in as below. To clarify you type in "FAH504-Console -config" (without quote marks) When you hit enter it will take you through the same setup questions (user ID/team) as above - follow through as before to advanced settings and you can hit Y here to change things like CPU % used, whether to set it to large files (recommended for powerful machines) and other settings like priorities / stuff not likely to ever be relevant short term. Once done, it will start in the command box again, but exit as above and go into services to right click and "start" to kick it off again.

Finally the last bit of advice is how to keep tabs on progress. With the program there's a nice natty drawing like a pie chart which moves around showing the WU in progress. However the console service does not. But all we really need to know is a %% completion done and this is done by accessing the notepad file called "unitinfo" as below.

There are other notepad files which might be of interest, but I only ever use the unitinfo one. I think the file with "prgress2" in the name logs more detailed progress after every shut down.

Well, thats all I can think of. If mods wish to chop this around and sticky it, maybe link to another thread for people with specific questions about what I've said, please go ahead. Hope all this proves very useful to someone with access to I.T at work.

Forgot to add - the link below is good for keeping tabs on team progress

http://folding.extremeoverclocking.com/user_list.php?s=&t=42567

Look's like a good little tutorial there Jason

Unfortunately I don't have access to any more PC's - or I would certainly try it

Maybe if I get the go ahead to order another PC in the morning I'll try it.

I'm trying to pick faults in it now.

Pictures are too big - I should have resized them before uploading. :thumbdwn:

I think all the logic is correct though - Just needs a few people to "accidentally" use "Devonutopia" after following the pictures above a little too well.

I should have said if you wanted to change, you have to wait until a WU credits, then shut it down, uninstall it, then follow my guide above. If you uninstall the program at 75% complete, you lose the work done. :(

If you only want to see the configuration questions, without having the console kick off from your command window, type:

fah-504-console -configonly

Then you can start your service without having to Ctrl-C the running console.

When's the Mac guide coming... can Macs fold?

http://folding.stanford.edu/download.html

Check down the bottom of the download options. Choice of OSX graphical client or text only. (text one might be quicker like the console might be for the PC?)

I have absolutely no idea what this thread is about :(

Got any spare computers, Jimmy? I'd be happy to go through the much easier way of setting it up. If you look at my first piccie / link there's an XP(etc) graphical client which is a much more straight forward way of helping out the Briskoda Folding Team. Much easier to work with. I just forced myself to learn the hard way.

EDIT: Content of this post removed to aid clarity of this thread.

Ok, done that now what happens?

Stickified

But looks like you're a victim of your own success J, better finish the guide off :P

Ok, done that now what happens?

Have you got the program up on your screen (tiny rose in the bottom right of the taskbar you double click to open & minimise the program)

In that you'll see all this DNA / molecular stuff going on - ignore it - just for show I think. But in the bottom left, and on the left hand side you'll see its progress, frame by frame. It might its doing a work unit which has 250 frames, with it taking 5 minutes to do a frame. Therefore it needs a good day to run, complete and send it back to the folding people.

Then you appear on the leaderboard, Obviously every PC/Mac added with this program and your ID speeds up your folding rate and helps the team out.

Thanks Xav - not sure what you mean about finishing it off? nick added a valid point, although I've never attempted to use that option. I think thanks to Skodaw as well, this provides a good guide to setting up as basic program, or as the console service.

Ok, done that now what happens?

What happens is Dave gets your credit

P.S., Nice writeup J

EDIT: Content of this post removed to aid clarity of this thread

Nice write up Devon.....

I've just set-up folding on another 2 P4's as service this morning

Seems to be taking a while for the points to start showing in the stats though, then again i do have a 37min/Frame -250 framer about to complete, which my P4 2.4Gig has been working on for around 4 days now *sighs

Hopefully that should score high

Keep up the good work J,

Lee

I might have to play around with the photo's above and re-upload them to my webspace (cough! I mean Rob's webspace )

I do hope that pretty much now, whatever level of I.T competence, can use these guides to help us out, especially if they have a few opterons lying spare.

Oh and i thought you were originally getting an AMD 64 3500 - not 3700 like i've seen you post recently....changes ?

Are you upping the stake for me to have to spend even more for a faster 64 chip LOL

Err, Joking asside Jimmy -- you need to change the user name to your own,otherwise I will (very gratefully) receive all your credits

You can have 'em Dave. I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing and why i'm doing it just being a sheep

Jimmy - if you right click on the red rose in the bottom right and hit "configure" - you can change the ID to something like.... ahem... Jimmy? Do this before work units start crediting and you'll appear on the leaderboard.

OK - I have resized the pictures above down to 700 pixels, but they look a little cramped now - still legible though thank God.

If a mod feels in the mood can he (or she? ) fiddle around with this to make my first post (and any necessary amendments) as a total separate guide which I guess will need locking out? Maybe a copy for people with general questions about it? And also to take Skodaw's guide for the other version and do the same?

edit: resized them again to 800 pixels. Think thats a bit better.

Daft question, but how the fook do you uninstall it?

I installed it in the wrong place, and want to remove it to reinstall.

Anyone?

Only way I found to do that was go into properties of the task on the service box and select disable on the drop down. How you actually remove is 100% is very complicated I was told, and involved registry stuff... something I've never done.

Then you can stick it in a new folder somewhere and re-set it up as a service. It should then appear as another FAH entry in the services box (with correct new directory) and you can hit "start" on that one then.

If the console executable is still in the same place then running -configonly and choosing "No" for the "install as a service" option will uninstall the service IIRC. If I'm wrong then run the exe with the -? flag to find the correct option.

Jason's problem was that the exe had moved by that point.

The brave might like to have a poke around in

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services but wear oven gloves (or at least don't complain to me if you burn your fingers )

The thing about the service setup is its best to stick the folding DOS executable exactly where you want it before kicking it off. I made the mistake of having it loose on my desktop and so I started it and off and it generated all those notepad docs and other files there too.

So I know have a FAH service pointing at my desktop set to "disabled".

I thought it was a cog, not a rose, Devon???