F@H: Is my system ok?

[Over Achiever]

Hi, I've joined the folding@home team. I have

PII-200 MHz
32 MB SDRAM

Every time I download a core, I get this message:

"ERROR STARTING PROGRAM
There is not enough memory
to start FAHCORE_65.EXE.
Quit some programs, and then try again"

So I quit every program? Do I need more memory?

 

[Mr. Anderson]

Is that the only program you're running?

The base measure for doing a unit is a PIII 400 MHz (I think) so you're going in a little light. If you don't finish a unit in the time required, it won't get used.

Do you have access to any faster machines?

D

 

[uhlawboi80]

well i have a little ole PC laptop that sits around all day and i leave it running folding...BUT its just a 300mhz with 128 mb ram, and it has been toying with the same file for over a WEEK! whereas my mac can go through on in a day if i leave it running in the background....so you may just be running to little power in all honesty

 

[Over Achiever]

Nope. I have a 550 MHz laptop, but thats my main computer. When I get a pb, I'll probabily run F@H and Genome@home on that computer, and it'll work better, i just upgraded the ram to 192 MB.

The 200 MHz PII has been doing nothing for a couple of months, I really want to put it to use. I'm not gonna upgrade the ram unless I have to...I'm not sure what the max per slot is for it.

 

[Over Achiever]

Originally posted by dukestreet
Is that the only program you're running?

Yup. I don't use this desktop for anything.

Do you have access to any faster machines?

Yeah, my laptop...looks like I'll run F@H at night on it...it works fine on the 550 MHz, no memory problems. Maybe I'll cough up 16 bucks and buy a 128 MB stick and put in the desktop, see if it'll help. It'll run 24 hours a day.

 

[Over Achiever]

Ok, just an update. I've been running F@H on by 550 MHz laptop for two days now, and i'm only at 6%. Thats not good, is it?

 

[Stike]

Originally posted by Over Achiever
Ok, just an update. I've been running F@H on by 550 MHz laptop for two days now, and i'm only at 6%. Thats not good, is it?

Remember, its also depending on the protein youre folding. Some are lighter, some are more complex. Normally, my G4-933 fulfills a task within hours, but one protein took me DAYS, I think it was the mother of all proteins or something like that

 

[e-coli]

I have a theory that, since this whole terrorism scare, the gov't has been using things like SETI to derypt intelligence. Whatever the NSA can't handle... just a theory, though.

 

[Over Achiever]

Originally posted by Stike


Remember, its also depending on the protein youre folding. Some are lighter, some are more complex. Normally, my G4-933 fulfills a task within hours, but one protein took me DAYS, I think it was the mother of all proteins or something like that

Wrong thread e-coli

Alright, its been three days, and I'm up to 12%...looks like this is gonna take me at least two weeks. Well at least it seems to be speeding up...slightly.

duke, do you know how long it takes until the protein I folded is "non-viable". My laptop is heating up like crazy, and I don't want to waste 2-3 weeks and have nothing come of it.

 

[bousozoku]

I've had work units which took up to 6 days on my G3/400. The expected number of days is on the folding@home website under stats>project summary.

It looks like the picture included.

Hope your system is okay. Laptop computers weren't always meant to be running.

 

[uhlawboi80]

well just to comfort those of you who have been having work units take FOREVER...My first workunit on my old PC laptop took close to two weeks to get done...BUT it got done, F@H accepted the unit..and it was worht like 8 points...soo i think it was jsut a massive protein.

moral: i think everyone all hunky dory, you just got big proteins

 

[Over Achiever]

Ok, so I have the trpCAGE protein...the biggest of the bunch...problem is, my deadline is 8 days...no way this will be done my 8 days...

Still...6.2 points

 

[pimentoLoaf]

Processor speed is largely irrelevant -- the folks at Stanford think a 500 MHz Celeron is a reference system, which means my Mobile Pentium II 366 MHz is doing quite fine (and has been for several months now).

As for RAM, my PC laptop has 192 mb and doesn't complain, so I'm wondering what's going on with your system, Over Achiever, that it won't let you operate the client.

I do recommend that you don't run the beastie as a screensaver, but all the time as a background client -- unless your running a RAM and processor intensive game (eg, Tropico & Spec Ops). And don't try to run SETI at the same time, either.

 

[Over Achiever]

I'm fine now that I've gotten past this protein. After 16 agonizing days, I got it up to 92% when my laptop overheated and crashed. That corrupted the program, and all that work went for naught. Anyway, I then got one of those small proteins 0.69 points or something, and that was quick...finished in a day. So now i'm up to two proteins and now that I have a "big" protein...a five pointer, its running it twice as fast as my 200 MHz desktop as expected. So thats cool.

And btw, as I said in my previous post, I do not run this as a screensaver...I think the screen saver is a stupid idea, and its going to eventually burn out my LCD...eventually

 

[beatle888]

so do people run folding on their main work
computer or on a computer their not using?
i couldnt imagine making my one year old tibook
work day and night on folding and possibly
shortening the life of my computer. am i worrying
for nothing? wont folding take the life off of ones
computer?

 

[bousozoku]

I keep both my recent main computer, a G3/400, and my newest, a dual 800, going all the time power is available. Thanks Florida Power for letting my machine rest!

I'd say that there's really very little risk in leaving the machine up all the time. Mac OS X sleep mode isn't much less that full power on anyway. It's not as though the hard drive works constantly--that happens in spurts. The processor is going as near constant as is possible, though.