Installing the Software


How much hard drive space does the software take on my computer?

The software itself will take less than 50 MB of hard drive space or your computer. The different projects that run on the World Community Grid, however, have different system requirements for running on your computer. To find out if your computer meets those requirements, go here.


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I am an existing member but need to re-install the software because I have a new device. How do I do that?

For existing members, please log in on the website and then click the ‘download’ button on the navigation bar or, click here. Follow the instructions to install the software.


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I'm having trouble downloading the software

Perhaps your Internet Explorer is configured to block installing downloads. Within Internet Explorer, click on Tools-> Internet Options -> Security -> Custom Level -> Downloads. Check to see that File downloads are enabled. There might be other settings which need to be enabled such as the ability to execute Javascript. Please also check to see if your network requires a proxy, click here for Proxy FAQs.


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If I re-install the software, will the work that I am doing be lost forever?

No. When the BOINC version of our software is reinstalled it will stop the current work unit(s) that your device is processing, install the new version of the BOINC software, and continue to process the same work unit(s).


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Is there an easy way to install the grid agent to multiple devices or across a network?

We have created a presentation and mass install document that describes some of the things you need to consider and steps to follow if you wish to perform a mass installation of the World Community Grid - BOINC Agent onto many machines. The presentation is available here and the document is available here.


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Does World Community Grid Software run on Windows 95?

Windows 95 is no longer supported by Microsoft, therefore we do not offer an installer for that platform.


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How do I uninstall the World Community Grid Software?

Right click on the World Community Grid icon in the lower right corner of your screen and select "Exit". This will stop the agent. Then use your Add/Remove programs feature to remove the World Community Grid software. If that does not work, use the task manager to stop the processes starting with WCGrid. Then you should be able to delete the C:\Program Files\WorldCommunityGrid directory and its contents. After that remove the corresponding start menu items.


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What is the BOINC Client?

The BOINC client is a command line application that runs on Linux. This application contains the functions necessary to connect your Linux computer to World Community Grid. These functions include the following:

  • Attach your computer to World Community Grid (use: http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org)
  • Download work from the World Community Grid servers
  • Return completed results to the World Community Grid servers
  • Run the science application according to the preferences of the member


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What is the BOINC Manager?

The BOINC manager is a graphic user interface that provides the ability to control a BOINC client and all of its functions. The manager can connect to BOINC clients running on the same or different computers. There is a version of the BOINC manager available for both Linux and Windows. This means that you can run the BOINC manager on your windows computer and connect to BOINC clients running on your Linux servers. Much more information about the BOINC manager is available at: http://boinc.berkeley.edu/manager.php


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I want to contribute to one of World Community Grid's research projects. How do I register for a particular research project and start contributing?

Members only need to register and attach once to World Community Grid in order to contribute to any, or all, of our research projects. In order to contribute, please take the following steps:

  1. Register with World Community Grid
  2. Select which of our research projects you wish to contribute to:
    • The registration process gives you a list of research projects to choose from
    • If you are already registered, you may change which projects you contribute to on your My Projects page
  3. If you do not already have BOINC installed, download and install the software
  4. If you already have the current version of BOINC installed, then you may participate in World Community Grid using your existing BOINC software. Just attach to World Community Grid using the URL: http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org and the email address and password you used at registration.

 


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