SERIOUS problem with F@H

[theMan]

I just installed F@h on one of my other computers, and things were going great. The second computer is a laptop, which I shut down every night. It was working on a 600 point WU, and after a couple days, when it was about 50% complete, I started the computer up, and I saw that it was working on a new WU, a normal 153 pointer. So, i checked the log, and it said there was some sort of shutdown error. then it says: "Now deleting current work" . Why on earth did it do that? why did it just delete all my work? then, just now, my main computer crashed, and, when i rebooted, and checked, it was working on a new WU. I looked at the log, and the WU was 90% complete, when it said "shutdown error. Deleting work."

I just don't understand this. I have spent a week doing all this work, and its all gone??? is there a way i can get it back? it seems to have really deleted it.

BTW, the laptop was running the console version as a service, and my main computer was running the graphical version.

 

[CupCak3]

unfortunately you can't get the work back

are both of your workstations running XP?

are your performing "proper" shutdowns by running start-> shutdown or do you just hold down your power button?

are either of your computers overclocked?

 

[theMan]

i am running win2000 on both systems. the first time it happened on the laptop, it was a normal shutdown. the second time, on my other system, explorer crashed, and then the icon was no longer in the system tray, but it was still running, and the computer was locking up. so, then i did a normal restart. the computers are not overclocked.

 

[CupCak3]

well it sounds like it was a problem with main box explorer crashing messed w/ your WU. the only time when I"ve had shutdown errors w/ workunits is when i get a BSOD or an explorer crash.

i really don't have much to say much about your laptop now. maybe someone else coudl shed some more light on this one?

 

[Ruptga]

Sometimes WUs EUE (end unit early), because you've got advanced methods on. Advanced methods runs more expirimental WUs, and by the nature of expiriments they sometimes don't work. (I know you never lose because you always learn from expiriments, but you know what I mean.)

This may not be a problem with you at all, just an EUE freakishly timed with an IE crash. You should also post this on F@H's forums, if you haven't already.

 

[GLeeM]

Sorry about your losing some work

F@H doesn't recover from crashing very well sometimes.

One of the data files got corrupted during the crash and the client can't restart from where it left off and so it deletes everything.

A journaling file system like NTFS helps a LOT. Are your disks formatted with NTFS?

A normal restart should shut down the client properly so it seems that something else is wrong or I mean that I am missing or forgetting something.

 

[theMan]

Yes, all my disks are formatted NTFS. I could just be unlucky. I am not so much grieving over my lost work, as I am worried about the new stuff I've started now. I'm so scared to turn off my computers.

 

[GLeeM]

I seem to remember that if you use ctrl-alt-del or Task Manager to turn off the computer it doesn't shut down services or programs nicely.

I haven't had a problem when I use Start - Turn off computer, (but then I seldom shut down)

And since I started using NTFS I seldom have a problem when restarting a WU. And I seem to have a lot of crashes lately

There used to be a type of WU that one of my computers could not complete, after it reached 100% it would delete If I stopped it before 100% and moved it to another computer it would finish!

Before shutting down the computer make a copy of the F@H directory. That way if there is a shutdown problem maybe the backup copy will work.

I have not used it but there is also a backup program made just for F@H, you can find it in the Other Tools section:
http://forum.folding-community.org/ftopic11700.html

 

[Night201]

Same thing happended to me twice this week - both on 600 pointers. I haven't posted many scores this week because of that. I've literally lost a whole week (probably 1200+ points) on this machine. It's currently working on a new unit as of this morning. I should be kicking some but again middle of the week on.

 

[GLeeM]

You can copy the F@H directory even when it is running.

I have done this and it works.

 

[jws2346]

I guess I've been lucky, I fold 24/7 on two (2) machines and fold, when they're awake, on two (2) other machines. I have never lost a WU. I got smart and started backing up my F@H directory before I reformat. (Duh...). What I was wondering, with the same machine, does Ubuntu or WinXP fold faster? I seem to think WinXP folds faster? What, if anything, am I doing wrong? Can F@H be speeded up in Ubuntu?
Edit: Great idea copying the F@H directory.

 

[jws2346]

Oops

 

[jws2346]

Double oops. I'm sorry, believe me, I'm trying to be as low profile as I can

 

[GLeeM]

Originally posted by: jws2346
What I was wondering, with the same machine, does Ubuntu or WinXP fold faster? I seem to think WinXP folds faster? What, if anything, am I doing wrong? Can F@H be speeded up in Ubuntu?

No experience, but from what I have read I thought the points per day would be very close.

Are you comparing the same project WUs? The different project WUs can vary by over an hour per percent.

 

[jws2346]

Originally posted by: GLeeM

Originally posted by: jws2346
What I was wondering, with the same machine, does Ubuntu or WinXP fold faster? I seem to think WinXP folds faster? What, if anything, am I doing wrong? Can F@H be speeded up in Ubuntu?

No experience, but from what I have read I thought the points per day would be very close.

Are you comparing the same project WUs? The different project WUs can vary by over an hour per percent.

Yes, I'm very careful comparing the same WU, same machine, same everything, even the same ambient temperature. I'm well aware of the different sizes in WU's. I asked this same question on another forum, I was told it had something to do with a fresh reboot of WinXP and the better compiler in WinXP? That WinXP would be as much as 8% faster ? I think you can compare WU's by stopping the process in mid stream and copying the F@H folder to another OS (I love this EdgyEft) and go from there ? If all this is facts then it seems to me WinXP is a lot faster than 8%, I'm wondering if there isn't some type of OS tweaks for Linux ? I thought Linux used less memory and computer resources? Therefore Linux should, in all rights, be faster at any project. (except this gaming deal) Oh well, a fan boy of neither, just curious. Any opinions or experience would be highly appreciated.