I want to use BOINC because it's the right thing to do, not because I enjoy futzing around with computers. I don't want to have to work at it to get it to work. I just want to be told what to do to make it work, and then ignore it for the most part.

That said: I tried setting up BOINC for the first time (Win7) today. As usual I installed and configured in my admin account, but I want to work mainly in my non-admin account. I was able to set my preferences and connect with a project in my admin account. I could do nothing, nothing at all, in my user account (I couldn't even save my preferences for the next time BOINC started).

It is also important to me that it run on login but not connect to the net until I say it can.

Please just tell me what to do to make it work.

Hi Lisa,

The way to install is selecting Protected Application Execution and Allow All Users running the installer package (windows I presume). For these to be set you'd have to uninstall and reinstall. You would not loose all your settings and projects doing that. Then you can manage with the BM from regular user accounts too.

Networking only when you want to: In the BOINC Manager Activity menu you can set the Network, Always, Per Schedule, Suspended. When you want the client to Network, simply flip-flop the options or set up some scripts with boinccmd, linked to shortcuts to enable / disable networking. I'm not sure but in past I've seen that BOINC prints messages when it really needs networking, for instance to report overdue work.... you'd then be in charge to choose the moment.

--//--

From my experience / readings SekeRob2 is correct for CPU based tasks but I am not sure it holds for GPU based tasks. See my separate question reagrding GPU behavior when switching users under windows 7.

Thank you, SekeRob2. I did as you said and have been running it for the past couple of days, and it seems to be working just fine (i.e., wholly unobtrusively).

From my experience / readings SekeRob2 is correct for CPU based tasks but I am not sure it holds for GPU based tasks. See my separate question regarding GPU behavior when switching users under windows 7.

PAE under windows 7 doesn't allow GPU crunching anyways.

Sorry, but till now absolutely no one has been able to convince me of a good match of "unobtrusive", the outset of my reply, with "GPU crunching", thus this avenue of installation never crossed my mind.

Lisa, glad you got it going.

--//--