Good news for all ATI crunchers having problems with CPU hogging since driver version 11.6 (like myself):

I just installed the preview driver version of 12.1 (download link http://support.amd.com/us/kbarticles/Pages/Catalyst121Previewdriver.aspx) and guess what? CPU usage for Moo! was back below 0.1%!

So let's hope that this fix finds its way into the final release of 12.1.

i used them for a week or so then noticed i was getting tons of invalid workunits.

CPU usage for Moo! was back below 0.1%!

Same experience, looks like AMD nailed the long standing bug - fingers crossed for final release

Regards
Zy

Downloaded & installed the preview of 12.1 from your url
It's running now for 24 hrs on a XP pro box with a HD5850
CPU down to 0.1 & no errors but no performance increase compared to 11.4

Doesn't look like they have a v12.1 Windows XP 64-Bit Build yet or I'd give it a try ...

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Hi all,

I recently installed the 12.1 preview on this host http://moowrap.net/results.php?hostid=674, 2xHD6950 not crossfired (using the vga dummy plug), on a i7-930 system (1 core free out of 8 hyperthreaded), Boinc 6.10.60.

Things are going this way: Moo crunches happily most of the time with very limited cpu usage. But sometime I get errors like this:

06:11:12 (3760): input buffer 10 packets (1792 bytes), checkpoint file 2 packets (384 bytes), output buffer 0 packets (0 bytes)
06:11:12 (3760): premature exit detected, app exit status: 0xc0000005
06:11:12 (3760): wrapper: running dnetc518-win32-x86-stream.exe (-ini dnetc.ini -runoffline -multiok=1) - attempt 2/10

A windows popup notices me that the dnetc task stopped to work. All those tasks get a "validation inconclusive" status. After the wingman completed his one the status becomes "invalid" with some credit granted..... (is it true?)

Pleas give me advices about how to solve this....

Had the same problem with a 6990. So i nust returned it and settled with 2x 5870.

6990 didnt live up to potntial with the errors.

Had the same problem with a 6990. So i nust returned it and settled with 2x 5870.

6990 didnt live up to potntial with the errors.

I sure am glade I did not get an HD79xx/6990. Well at least till the bugs are workde out..

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The HD6950 is a good card (similar to the HD5870). I have problems only here at moo....

At first I had just one card and everything worked well (no errors, very low cpu usage). When I added another one the moo exe started to use, at full, every cpu core I left free (but crunching regularly on both the cards).

This happened with the 10.12 driver (1.4.900)

That's why I switched the driver to the 12.1 preview (low gpu usage but errors from time to time....)

(I also see that Zydor has similar problems with this driver)

Maybe there is another driver that I can try... any suggestions?

I would try an app_info and specifically limit the cpu useage, that would keep it under your control not the AMD driver or the core DNET app. AMD have largely nailed the excess cpu useage in 12.1, but perceptions are tainted by the default behaviour of the core DNET app which is to use all available cpu cycles.

Its a little unclear in absolute terms what effect that default DNET behaviour has on us from the core app, however the app_info will retain control at your end whatever it is.

In the app_info, set the average cpu useage to 0.05, and the max cpu useage to 1, and should be ok.

Regards
Zy

I would try an app_info and specifically limit the cpu useage, that would keep it under your control not the AMD driver or the core DNET app. AMD have largely nailed the excess cpu useage in 12.1, but perceptions are tainted by the default behaviour of the core DNET app which is to use all available cpu cycles.

Its a little unclear in absolute terms what effect that default DNET behaviour has on us from the core app, however the app_info will retain control at your end whatever it is.

In the app_info, set the average cpu useage to 0.05, and the max cpu useage to 1, and should be ok.

Regards
Zy

I think we might need a thread just to post the app_info and cc_config files in, just so everyone can be on the same page.

For Zydor:

So, are you suggesting that I revert back to Catalyst 10.12 and use an app_info.xml to limit the cpu usage? I can give it a try...

is this one a good starting point ?
http://moowrap.net/download/app_info-win32-ati14-example.xml

No, definitely stay on 12.1, just try an app_info to control it.

That one looks ok, but its a very complete one, its laying down just about every parameter an app_info can. Some of them I dont claim to be the worlds expert on, and if wrong they could tip it over.

Suggest you try it with an empty queue, and preferences set to zero buffer, that way if it does fall over you dont zap dozens in your queue. You just then look at the parameters again (post the issue no doubt others will pitch in to help - especially those running app_infos), change an errent one and try again.

Usually doesnt take long to sort it and get the app_info running, just keep the buffer at zero so errors dont take out your queue whilst sorting it out.

Mikey's suggestion of a separate app_info thread is a good one, you might like to post your first crack at the app_info and first post in a new Thread "Moo app_info". As life proceeds it becomes a consolidated thread for app_info issues.

Dont forget to use Notepad to put the app_info together, that stops the erroneous charators appearing. You may initially get them if you use that one as a start point (open in Notepad and if you see "-" (no quotes) at the start of lines get rid of them, just navigate cursor to the dash and delete it. The file name to use is app_info.xml and you should save it to the Moo project directory inside Program Data diectory.

All sounds a bit of a mouthfull I know (!), but in reality its not. Just post issues as you go, Mikey and I will certainly help until you are running with it - no doubt others will as well as they come onto the forum.

Regards
Zy

Thank you all for your suggestions, I will try to do something about this next monday an will let you know the results.

However, with my setup, I don't have cpu utilization problems with 12.1p, but I get errors like this from time to time:

06:11:12 (3760): premature exit detected, app exit status: 0xc0000005

To summarize:
- Catalyst 10.12 - no errors, high cpu usage
- Catalyst 12.1p - random errors (but still getting some credits even if marked invalid), low cpu usage

Thank you all again

Thank you all for your suggestions, I will try to do something about this next monday an will let you know the results.

However, with my setup, I don't have cpu utilization problems with 12.1p, but I get errors like this from time to time:

06:11:12 (3760): premature exit detected, app exit status: 0xc0000005

To summarize:
- Catalyst 10.12 - no errors, high cpu usage
- Catalyst 12.1p - random errors (but still getting some credits even if marked invalid), low cpu usage

Thank you all again

This note is just to inform everyone that after the recent application change (1.3) any problem I had simply disappeared... Everything seems going on smoothly.

Thank you all for your suggestions, I will try to do something about this next monday an will let you know the results.

However, with my setup, I don't have cpu utilization problems with 12.1p, but I get errors like this from time to time:

06:11:12 (3760): premature exit detected, app exit status: 0xc0000005

To summarize:
- Catalyst 10.12 - no errors, high cpu usage
- Catalyst 12.1p - random errors (but still getting some credits even if marked invalid), low cpu usage

Thank you all again

This note is just to inform everyone that after the recent application change (1.3) any problem I had simply disappeared... Everything seems going on smoothly.

I upgraded to 12.1 on 1 pc's and 1 of them has crashed!! Both have dual 5770's on them and both are brand new home built AMD X6 machines. The one that died is an FX-6100 cpu. It ran just fine on 11.9 for maybe 2 weeks but I installed 12.1 last night and it is now blue screen crash dumping full time. It will be a couple of days probably before it is up and running again. I tried booting to Safe Mode but it won't let me uninstall any software, the Win installer process isn't running. I tried to start that but it says can't do it in Safe Mode!!! i have been working on it most of today, it is now 2:30pm my time and it has been several hours of trying this or that and doing many other non pc things too. It is time to step away for now and let my mind think of a solution! Frustration is NOT how to fix pc's!! Of course it is my new backup machine, which start tomorrow, so I have to go into all my machines and reset the to do it to the old machine again! Oh well, just letting you know it doesn't work for EVERYONE!! YES the 2nd gpu was maxing out on the gpu fan but the side of the case was off and it didn't feel warm so I was thinking a faulty sensor as it was only running at about 69% load. 1st gpu fan was in the 60% range and the load was higher! Now it won't even boot with a generic gpu in there, it does not have an onboard gpu!

Now it won't even boot with a generic gpu in there, it does not have an onboard gpu!

UPDATE...I let it sit for a couple of hours and it came up with an Nvidia gpu in the machine, so I used Drive Sweeper to get rid of all the AMD stuff and then put 1 of the 5770 gpu's back in. Several reboots involved but the machine is now back on version 11.9 and running with 1 gpu just fine. It will stay way at least overnight and then I will see how it goes. As I said earlier this is my new backup machine and my backups run the first 2 weeks of every month. It is now crunching and ready for the backups to start tonight around 1AM my time.

edit a reboot just now on its own! I will have to switch back to the old backup machine for now! The CCC had a problem and shutdown the machine on its own, I said yes to send the error message to MS, as if it will do any good! Boinc was shutdown in the process, I restarted it and suspended Moo. I may end up aborting a few units, I have a 1.25 day cache but the 1st ones aren't due back until the 6th I think.

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This is getting ridiculous! Another crash overnight and my Trojan detector program, MalwareBytes, KEEPS coming up saying it has found an update but when checked it already IS up to date. I have a question for you guys....can I copy the Moo files over to another system to crunch? I brought the system back up, for now, using an Nvidia card again and can copy the Moo folder to another pc with a 5770. Of course the 2nd pc would crunch and return the files, is that ok or should I abort them now? I am at the point of putting a different Hard Drive in the system and just starting over!

Yes you can move the files .... there's a but so read on ..... Just copy the Moo Project directory that is underneath the Machine Program Data directory, then paste the complete subdirectory you just copied back into the new ProgramData/BOINC/Projects. The thing to be careful about is keeping the ProgramData/Projects/MooDirectory "whole", you move that sub directory in its entirity, and just paste it into the "new" ProgramData/BOINC/Projects directory. You would do this if the machine just had a new windows install done for example, and you move it from WindowsOld to get the new one running but loose no WUs.

ProgramData/BOINC/Projects/MooDirectory holds all the relevant exe files and data files to make the project work, all the BOINC stuff is in the separate BOINC directory(s). So all you are doing is moving the data to a new directory.

Here's the but .... you cant do it to a new machine as the data / WUs are tied to the machine ID. I have heard of some doing it successfully, but dont know why, more often than not moving the MooDirectory to a new Machine results in trashing the WUs.

A question .... looking at the posts above am I correct in saying all the trouble is with one machine? If so, it seems to me that your Windows install is corrupt, and you need to reinstall to the same hard disk. There's a 99.999% chance the hard disk is fine, it looks from afar that the Windows install is nackered and you are getting wierd effects because of that - bite the bullet and reinstall Windows to the same hard disk, then paste the relavent project directories to the new location from what will by then be WindowsOld, you can do it for all Projects. Just paste the whole ProgramData/Boinc directory from inside WindowsOld into the /ProgramData Directory of the new Windows installation, and you loose nothing from any Project.

Regards
Zy

Yes you can move the files .... there's a but so read on ..... Just copy the Moo Project directory that is underneath the Machine Program Data directory, then paste the complete subdirectory you just copied back into the new ProgramData/BOINC/Projects. The thing to be careful about is keeping the ProgramData/Projects/MooDirectory "whole", you move that sub directory in its entirity, and just paste it into the "new" ProgramData/BOINC/Projects directory. You would do this if the machine just had a new windows install done for example, and you move it from WindowsOld to get the new one running but loose no WUs.

ProgramData/BOINC/Projects/MooDirectory holds all the relevant exe files and data files to make the project work, all the BOINC stuff is in the separate BOINC directory(s). So all you are doing is moving the data to a new directory.

Here's the but .... you cant do it to a new machine as the data / WUs are tied to the machine ID. I have heard of some doing it successfully, but dont know why, more often than not moving the MooDirectory to a new Machine results in trashing the WUs.

Hmmm I don't want to just trash them so I may save them and copy them back to the new install. Thanks

A question .... looking at the posts above am I correct in saying all the trouble is with one machine? If so, it seems to me that your Windows install is corrupt, and you need to reinstall to the same hard disk. There's a 99.999% chance the hard disk is fine, it looks from afar that the Windows install is nackered and you are getting wierd effects because of that - bite the bullet and reinstall Windows to the same hard disk, then paste the relavent project directories to the new location from what will by then be WindowsOld, you can do it for all Projects. Just paste the whole ProgramData/Boinc directory from inside WindowsOld into the /ProgramData Directory of the new Windows installation, and you loose nothing from any Project.

Regards
Zy

It is an FX-6100 AMD cpu and I loaded the AMD motherboard stuff from the motherboard disk, I don't usually do this and think it could be interfering. I did it this time because it is an FX Bulldozer style cpu, but I am hoping that is the problem. Knock on wood it is running for almost 12 hours now, not quite but close, with an Nvidia gpu in that is NOT crunching. It will NOT run at all with an AMD gpu in the machine, it won't even boot!

ps I have LOTS of spare hard drives laying around, I even have a brand new 1tb I am not using, yet. I did a check of a used 160gb Sata drive yesterday and it is good to go. I have several hard drives in the 200 to 300 gb range I could use too. Since it is my new backup machine it already has a separate 2tb drive in it for that. My old backup machine only has a 1tb drive in it and I have to delete the old files as soon as the new ones are made so I have enough space. I have so many pc's I use a free one called Macrium that makes a full disk image every time. It is fairly easy to setup and use and runs on a schedule so no thinking about it!