- Joined
- Feb 2, 2006
- Location
- Stoke-on-Trent, UK
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Installing and Using Folding@Home
By dXII][Lofty
Introduction
This guide will take you through installing Folding@Home version 5.04 beta on a single computer. This is an idiot's guide (for people like me!) with extra detail and lots of pwetty pics, so hopefully it should be clear and concise. The whole process should not take any longer than 5-15 minutes.
Folding@Home will be installed as a service, meaning that it loads up with Windows and folds automatically in the background, with no input required from you. I will however show you a quick way near the end of monitoring F@H's progress so you can see what's going on.
The guide assumes you have Windows NT/2000/XP, and that you have (very) basic working knowledge of a computer.
Good luck, and be sure to post any comments or questions...I'll refine the tutorial if necessary, and don't forget the folders who post on these forums are knowledgable, friendly and more than happy to help.
Contents
Section 1: Downloading Folding@Home 5.04 beta
- Navigating the Stanford Folding@Home Website
- Choosing a folding username
- Checking for matching usernames
- Downloading the correct version of Folding@Home
Section 2: Installing Folding@Home 5.04 beta
- A step-by-step guide to setting up the console
Section 3: Controlling & Monitoring Folding@Home 5.04 beta
- Using the Folding@Home log
- Tracking your folding stats
- Shutting down Folding@Home in an emergency
Section 1: Downloading Folding@Home 5.04 beta
First we need to download Folding@Home, which can be found on Stanford's website, at http://folding.stanford.edu/ - the home page contains an excellent summary of what the project is about, so it's a worthwhile read. Once you're finished reading, click the "Download" link from the list of links on the left.
Before starting the download, you'll want to come up with a username to fold under. This can be literally anything. You can either come up with a new, personal name if you wish to track your own folding stats, or fold under an existing username if you wish to contribute to someone else's stats. If you wish to fold under someone else's username, you can skip this username check.
If, however, you wish to fold under your own name, you'll need to check that no-one else is already using the name. There's a handy tool to do just that on the download page. In the box under the bold print "How do I choose a username", enter the name you wish to fold under, and hit the "Search" button.
NB: Usernames can only contain numbers and letters, with no spaces, although underscores are allowed.
If you get a page like the one below, then no-one is using the username you have entered, and you can use the username later, when we set up Folding@Home, as a unique name to fold under. If you get any names listed below the yellow box, then the username has already been taken. Hit the back button on your browser to enter a different name.
Once you've got a unique username, hit the Downloads link on the left hand side to go back to the Downloads page. Now scroll down past the username entry box, and you'll get a list of avaliable versions of Folding@Home to download. It's important to choose the right one. Look for the field "Windows NT/2000/XP "No-nonsense" text-only console (Version 5.04 beta), then click on the "download" link just across from it.
The program you download is the actual Folding@Home console - it's not a setup program, so when you choose a location for the download, ensure it's in the actual folder that you want Folding@Home to run in. (Or you could move the program to the correct folder after downloading, but before you run the console).
Next up - setting up Folding@Home.
By dXII][Lofty
Introduction
This guide will take you through installing Folding@Home version 5.04 beta on a single computer. This is an idiot's guide (for people like me!) with extra detail and lots of pwetty pics, so hopefully it should be clear and concise. The whole process should not take any longer than 5-15 minutes.
Folding@Home will be installed as a service, meaning that it loads up with Windows and folds automatically in the background, with no input required from you. I will however show you a quick way near the end of monitoring F@H's progress so you can see what's going on.
The guide assumes you have Windows NT/2000/XP, and that you have (very) basic working knowledge of a computer.
Good luck, and be sure to post any comments or questions...I'll refine the tutorial if necessary, and don't forget the folders who post on these forums are knowledgable, friendly and more than happy to help.
Contents
Section 1: Downloading Folding@Home 5.04 beta
- Navigating the Stanford Folding@Home Website
- Choosing a folding username
- Checking for matching usernames
- Downloading the correct version of Folding@Home
Section 2: Installing Folding@Home 5.04 beta
- A step-by-step guide to setting up the console
Section 3: Controlling & Monitoring Folding@Home 5.04 beta
- Using the Folding@Home log
- Tracking your folding stats
- Shutting down Folding@Home in an emergency
Section 1: Downloading Folding@Home 5.04 beta
First we need to download Folding@Home, which can be found on Stanford's website, at http://folding.stanford.edu/ - the home page contains an excellent summary of what the project is about, so it's a worthwhile read. Once you're finished reading, click the "Download" link from the list of links on the left.
Before starting the download, you'll want to come up with a username to fold under. This can be literally anything. You can either come up with a new, personal name if you wish to track your own folding stats, or fold under an existing username if you wish to contribute to someone else's stats. If you wish to fold under someone else's username, you can skip this username check.
If, however, you wish to fold under your own name, you'll need to check that no-one else is already using the name. There's a handy tool to do just that on the download page. In the box under the bold print "How do I choose a username", enter the name you wish to fold under, and hit the "Search" button.
NB: Usernames can only contain numbers and letters, with no spaces, although underscores are allowed.
If you get a page like the one below, then no-one is using the username you have entered, and you can use the username later, when we set up Folding@Home, as a unique name to fold under. If you get any names listed below the yellow box, then the username has already been taken. Hit the back button on your browser to enter a different name.
Once you've got a unique username, hit the Downloads link on the left hand side to go back to the Downloads page. Now scroll down past the username entry box, and you'll get a list of avaliable versions of Folding@Home to download. It's important to choose the right one. Look for the field "Windows NT/2000/XP "No-nonsense" text-only console (Version 5.04 beta), then click on the "download" link just across from it.
The program you download is the actual Folding@Home console - it's not a setup program, so when you choose a location for the download, ensure it's in the actual folder that you want Folding@Home to run in. (Or you could move the program to the correct folder after downloading, but before you run the console).
Next up - setting up Folding@Home.