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Advice and technical help

Have you already installed the BBC Climate Change Experiment?

No. The BBC experiment has closed to new participants. If you would still like to join up for the first time, the climateprediction.net research team have their own experiments available for download. You will need to be confident of your own computer skills as the BBC cannot support you. Start here - Download an experiment.

Yes. Please keep going! There is no deadline and every day that your computer is running adds to the research. Read on for Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

1. Normal operation
   How the experiment runs and what you can do to speed it up
• What do I have to do while it's running?
• Does it run whenever my computer is switched on or just when I'm not using it?
• Must I leave my computer connected to the Internet?
• How long will it take to complete on my computer?
• How can I make progress as rapidly as possible?
• Is my computer suitable?
• My computer is using 100% of its CPU power and the fan's on full – is that OK?
• What is the Experiment Manager (or BOINC Manager) for and how do I use it?


2. Avoiding and solving problems

Precautions, advice and ways to get help
• Should I back up the experiment as it goes along?
• What can I do to minimise interference with my normal use of the computer?
• Are there any other known clashes with normal computer use I should know about?
• What should I do if error messages appear in the Experiment Manager?
• I have a problem that isn't covered here. What can I do?


3. Finishing the experiment
   What happens after you complete, or if you need to quit before the end
• What happens at the end if I do nothing?
• Can I do another sort of experiment afterwards?
• Can I pull out of the experiment at any time?
• Can I uninstall the experiment software entirely?


4. About the experiment
   Background information
• Who designed and made the experiment?
• What are the participating institutions in climateprediction.net?

1. Normal operation

What do I have to do while it's running?

The experiment runs itself and you need do little except log into Windows as you already do. However, please read the very important guidance in the section - Avoiding and solving problems. There is also messageboard advice on running the model.
Don't waste electricity by leaving your computer on more than you normally do. Before switching off your computer, 'Exit' the model as described in - What is the Experiment Manager for and how do I use it?

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Does it run whenever my computer is switched on or just when I'm not using it?

The experiment runs as a background (low priority) application all the time you are logged into Windows. Other programs you use will get first call on your computer's processing power. If you run other highly demanding applications (eg most games) the experiment will automatically pause itself so your computer use is unaffected.

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Must I leave my computer connected to the Internet?

No. The experiment will try to communicate with the central servers daily but can continue even if that's not possible. Most broadband Internet connections are always on so this is seldom an issue.

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How long will it take to complete on my computer?

This depends on the specification of your computer, how much it's switched on and how intensively you use it for other things. A fast machine (on all the time) will complete the experiment in 3–4 months. A slow machine could take a year or more.

Don't worry if your experiment seems to be be running slowly. The project team will value your results no matter how long you take. There is no deadline and interim results are also useful.

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How can I make progress as rapidly as possible?

The experiment optimises itself and always goes as quickly as it can without preventing your normal use. You can reduce the amount of computation required by not using the screensaver or the other graphics options too much. That way your computer can concentrate on the numbers. Windows screensaver options can be changed in Display Properties (right-click on the Desktop).

If you turn your computer on only for short periods (less than an hour) much of the number-crunching will be lost, as the model stores its results at intervals of typically 15–45 minutes' processing time.

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Is my computer suitable?

The climate model used for the BBC Climate Change programmes is compatible with PCs running Windows 2000, Windows XP and Linux.

The minimum hardware you need is:

• a broadband connection to the Internet, although its data rate (speed) is not important
• 0.6GB (600 megabytes) of free space on your hard disk drive – check this by opening Windows Explorer, right-clicking on your computer hard drive (often labelled C:) and selecting 'Properties'
• in total at least 512MB of RAM (memory) – see how much you have at the same time as you check your processor type
• a processor at least as powerful as a 1.6GHz Intel Pentium 4 (a typical PC setup about 3–4 years ago) – you can check this by right-clicking on the My Computer icon on your desktop, and then selecting 'Properties'.

Laptop computers may get very hot running the experiment, because it is processor intensive and they have less cooling capacity than desktop computers. You are advised not to run the experiment on a laptop.

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My computer is using 100% of its CPU power and the fan's on full – is that OK?

The climate model is a complex program and takes as much processing power as you have to spare. Under such conditions, it's normal for the cooling fan to run more than usual and perhaps even continuously.

The risk of overheating is minimal. If you are at all concerned (or even if you just dislike the noise):

• You can 'Suspend' the experiment via the Project tab of the Climate Experiment Manager and 'Resume' it later.
• You can adjust the settings so it only runs between certain hours or when you are not using the PC
• You might like carefully to vacuum clean the fan intake to improve air flow.

If the experiment badly affects your normal use of the computer, read the advice in - Can I pull out of the experiment at any time?

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What is the Experiment Manager (or BOINC Manager) for and how do I use it?

You can complete the entire experiment without ever using the Climate Experiment Manager (also known as the BOINC Manager). The Manager shows you how the project is progressing and allows you to pause or stop it. To run the Manager, go to the Programs section of the Windows Start Menu. Alternatively, find the Manager icon (it looks like a globe) in the Windows System Tray (usually bottom right) and double click it. Useful things you may wish to do include:

• You can temporarily 'Suspend' the experiment via the Project tab (NB: not the Tasks tab) and 'Resume' it later.
• You can 'Exit' the experiment via the File Menu.
• You can see the spinning globe graphics if you click 'Show graphics' accessed via the Tasks tab.
• In the event of a problem, the Messages tab will help diagnose it by displaying an 'exit code'. See also - What should I do if error messages appear in the Experiment Manager?

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2. Avoiding and solving problems

Should I back up the experiment as it goes along?

This is a sensible move. You should 'Exit' the experiment (using the File menu in the Experiment Manager) before making a safe copy of the files. Simply duplicate the entire folder – C:\Program Files\Climate Change Experiment. Then you can restart the experiment by running it from the Windows Start Menu.
There is messageboard advice on backing up and restoring.

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What can I do to minimise interference with my normal use of the computer?

When you use applications that consistently need all your computer's processing power (eg games) the experiment will automatically suspend itself. Some applications (eg photo manipulation software) place intermittent heavy demand on your processor. The experiment may delay you as it stops and starts. You can temporarily suspend the experiment yourself if this inconveniences you. See - What is the Experiment Manager for and how do I use it?

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Are there any other known clashes with normal computer use I should know about?

Software that checks your hard drive may cause problems if it runs at the same time as the experiment is accessing the hard drive. You should 'suspend' the experiment before running any system checks or backing up your hard drive. See - What is the Experiment Manager for and how do I use it?

Some virus scanning software can also interfere with the experiment. If this happens, exclude the project's folder (by default, C:\Program Files\Climate Change Experiment) from the areas that the virus scanner checks.

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What should I do if error messages appear in the Experiment Manager?

If your climate model is still progressing, it is highly likely the message is advisory only. It may indicate that there is a temporary problem with the central project servers in Oxford, rather than your own computer.

In addition, there are some messages which sound like problems but are just unavoidable distractions. Please ignore any warnings in the Manager's Messages tab that refer to software updates, or to your computer being "overcommitted".

If your climate model has stopped, or has gone back to an earlier date, clearly something has happened which may or may not be serious. The messageboard is your best source of help, see - I have a problem that isn't covered here. What can I do?

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I have a problem that isn't covered here. What can I do?

The free messageboards are available 24 hours a day and there are expert users and members of the project team on hand to help. By joining the experiment, you are pre-registered for all the boards at - http://bbc.cpdn.org/forum_index.php

There are also climateprediction.net boards that you may prefer. Registration there is free but not automatic.

Please take a few minutes to browse before posting your problem, in case people are already discussing an issue similar to yours. A good starting point may be the messageboard advice for what to do if your model stops running.

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3. Finishing the experiment

What happens at the end if I do nothing?

The experiment will report its final results back automatically and then start again with a different version of the Earth, modelling the climate up to the year 2080 from either 1920, 1960, 2000 or 2040.
You can opt out of second and subsequent experiments by 'detaching' from the project. See - Can I pull out of the experiment at any time?

If during sign-up you said you were willing to receive emails, you'll get a thank you from climateprediction.net for your valuable contribution to climate science.

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Can I do another sort of experiment afterwards?

You're very welcome to. The software (called BOINC) that you have already downloaded is compatible with many other distributed computing projects, including those on http://climateprediction.net

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Can I pull out of the experiment at any time?

Yes you can, although doing so before the end will slightly inconvenience the researchers.

If you do decide to end your experiment before it reaches the year 2080, please 'detach' from the project by running the Climate Change Experiment Manager (from your Start Menu) and clicking the Detach button (reached via the Projects tab). For more details, see - What is the Experiment Manager for and how do I use it?

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Can I uninstall the experiment software entirely?

Yes. It is not essential but you can do so if you wish. Please 'detach' from the project first, as explained in – Can I pull out of the experiment at any time?

You can then delete all the files in the project's folder. By default, the program installs to this folder – C:\Program Files\Climate Change Experiment
You may wish instead to use the Windows Control Panel and its Add or Remove Programs function.

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4. About the experiment

Who designed and made the experiment?

The BBC Climate Change Experiment was created for the BBC by climateprediction.net using the Met Office climate model.

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What are the participating institutions in climateprediction.net?

Climateprediction.net is a consortium of research organisations, led by the University of Oxford, and including The Met Office, The University of California - Berkeley, The London School of Economics, The Open University, The University of Reading and the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. The project has been funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council's and UK Department of Trade and Industry's e-Science programmes, the NERC COAPEC thematic programme and the NERC Atmospheric Science and Technology Board. Additional financial and in-kind support is acknowledged from The University of Oxford Department of Physics, Oxford University Computing Services, and The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research. For more information about the participating organisations and sponsors see the project website.

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