"ATI GPU not found" solved! And it only took me 3 wks to figure it out!
10 Sep 2013 16:52:17 UTC
Topic 197185
(moderation:
BOINC: 7.0.64
OS: W7 Ultimate 64-bit
CPU: AMD Quad-core CPU FX-4300
Video Card: Radeon HD 6570 - using Catalyst Control Center (CCC) 13.4
Awhile back my ATI-GPU went MIA according to BOINC: "ATI GPU not found" which was vaguely disturbing since it had been used previously by Einstein@Hm and MilkyWay@Hm.
After reading a bunch (ie oodles, to be more precise) of message bd postings here & elsewhere (BOINC, MilkyWay@Hm, etc) I made sure my drivers were up to date both according to AMD and W7. (BTW I'm using "CCC 13.4" but AMD is up to 13.10 Beta, which seems to be mainly updated to improve the performance of several games; I've learned the hard way to never use BETA anything unless absolutely necessary) After making sure my AMD drivers were up-to-date BOINC still couldn't find any GPU - or a cc_config file either. I couldn't find any (expletive deleted) cc_config file either even using an "Ultra-Search" utility and another program called "Recuva" which will even look for deleted and written over files. AND I couldn't find anything about just making up another cc_config file - even with my hyper-advanced [sic] search engine skills, so instead I just changed my BOINC and project preferences to not use a GPU.
Problem solved!
Well not really for someone who is anal retentive and who is always trying to learn how to solve PC problems, esp since most of mine originate with me in the first place trying to "tweak" my PC and "improve" it's performance instead of leaving it at W7's default settings (ie LCD - Lowest Common Denominator settings) So, next I tried "repairing" BOINC via W7 add/remove programs (there's a "repair" option along with the "uninstall" command) but the GPU was still MIA. Then I noticed BOINC was installed in my "Program Files" folder (the default installation setting which is actually wrong for a 64-bit program) so for the hell of it I uninstalled BOINC and re-installed it in "Program Files x86" which is where 64-bit programs actually belong. I also made sure (during the installation process) not to check off one box that specifically states it will prohibit any GPU usage and voila! The long lost ATI-GPU has been found and is even being used - after I made sure to change BOINC and project preferences to allow GPU usage and download projects that require or may require the GPU's services.
The cc_config file is still MIA, but I don't care - at least until I end up with some problem(s) that only a cc_config file that can solve.
In conclusion apparently either uninstalling and reinstalling BOINC fixed my problem and/or reinstalling BOINC in "Program Files x86" did.
Anyways I hope this droning dissertation may be of service to anyone else with a similar problem. In general uninstalling & reinstalling buggy programs is often the quickest and easiest fix, at least if your OS is Windows.
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"ATI GPU not found" solved! And it only took me 3 wks to figure
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Google-> fill in cc_config.xml BOINC and hit Search, it'll be the first thing Google returns.
Or: BOINC Manager->Help->BOINC Help.
This will take you to the official BOINC Wiki.
Click User Manual on the left, then on to client configuration in the Running BOINC: Advanced menu.
Here's a link: http://boinc.berkeley.edu/wiki/Client_configuration
Best bookmark it.
Or next time, do not be afraid to ask. On any project forum, or on the Seti.USA forums.
The x86 in the "C:\Program Files (x86)", shows that this is the 32bit program files directory. x86 stands for Intel_x86 in this case. The term x86 denotes a family of backward compatible instruction set architectures based on the Intel 8086 CPU.
32bit is x86.
64bit is x64 or x86-64, depending on who you talk to.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X86 and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X86-64 for way more on that.
So, the 64bit version of BOINC should best be installed to the C:\Program Files\BOINC\ directory.
The 32bit version of BOINC should best be installed to the C:\Program Files (x86)\BOINC\ directory.
The cc_config.xml file will be made by BOINC Manager when you add an exclusive program through BOINC Manager->Tools->Computing preferences->exclusive applications. Add anything that you want BOINC to pause at when you run it, and click OK.
A cc_config.xml file with all the options that there possibly are under 7.0.64 is now made in your BOINC Data directory, which by default is at C:\Programdata\BOINC\ and which will be a hidden directory. So either tell Windows to show hidden files and folders, or fill in the path directly in Windows Explorer and tell it to go there.
As for the GPU.. you must have installed BOINC at one point as a Service Install. That is the thing you unchecked when you uninstalled/reinstalled BOINC. See, the BOINC installer remembers what you did the last time, it stores this option in the registry. The default install option for the Service Install is for the Service Install to be off, as in unchecked. So the only way that you can go there and uncheck this option, is if it had been checked in the first place. And with BOINC installed as a service, it will not find the GPU. As it also warns about.
But as said, if you'd just asked...
Is it possible to merge this
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Is it possible to merge this thread with the matching one at MilkyWay@home? :P
Or move them both to the BOINC message boards?
RE: RE: . Then I noticed
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Absolutly right, but as remark we must say, that there are 2 directorys, which names are "turned around" (only on 64 bit systems):
x:\windows\system32\ -> here are the 64 bit system dlls
x:\windows\system32\syswow64\ -> here are the 32 bit system dlls for the compatibility layer.
(has nothing to do directly with boinc, so only a sidenote)
RH wrote:Is it possible to
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Just wondering, doesn't Milkyway still require double precision capability of the GPU? As the AMD HD6570 is a single precision GPU.
The second one is %systemdrive%:\Windows\Syswow64\ :)
There was also something about the Program Files directories and Windows not allowing one to install a certain bit-depth program to either directory, or it not being able to (correctly) run from there.
But I am not sure if it was that 32bit programs cannot install to C:\Program Files\ or that 64bit programs cannot install to C:\Program Files (x86)\
Does anyone know which of the two Windows will give a warning about?