I love the idea of helping out on research projects using World Community Grid (WCG). I installed it two or three days ago. I'd like to share with you my experience.

First, I am using Vista SP2.

My first objective was to help out with Fight Aids at Home (FAAH), but to keep my software busy I also chose Help Cure Cancer (HCC).

I elected to allow the sofware to use the GPU of the video controller. HCC did begin to use it.

I also configured the software to suspend if other computer tasks exceeded 50% of CPU cycles.

The first morning after installing the software, I noticed the screensaver. The I looked at the log the software maintains and saw that the software suspended ever minute or two. Why? Apparently because the screensaver was driving the CPU way past 50% and the application considered it to be a non-WCG task. So, the software itself defeated itself.

So, I disabled the screensaver.

But then I noticed a yellow warning symbol in the Notification area of the bottom edge of my screen, along with a balloon message that said something like "Display Driver Failed". I had never seen in icon like it before, so I right-clicked on it. Nothing. I left-clicked on it. Nothing. I double-clicked on it. Nothing.

Then, shortly later, I tried to launch Internet Explorer. It hung. I closed it and tried again. It hung again.

I said to myself, "This is not good!"

I decided to uninstall World Community Grid. After going to Control Panel - Programs and Features - World Community Grid - Uninstall the screen said "Preparing to uninstall World Community Grid" and then ...IT JUST HUNG THERE!

So then I decided to try uninstalling the software while in SAFE mode. But once I entered SAFE mode, any attempt by me to uninstall WCG resulted in the message "Windows Installer service not found" or "Windows Installer service not running".

I immediately began to search the Internet for how to solve this problem. Article after article, include some from Microsoft, gave detailed instructions of performing Registry edits and re-registering DLL files. I was horrified.

Since I desperately need a running computer next week for some important time-critical work, I decided I would not attempt to restore from a Complete PC backup that I had done just prior to installing WCG. My fear was that a failed restore would leave me in an even worse predicament.

My work next week involves a browser and I knew that Internet Explorer was likely to give me problems as long as WCG was installed. So I decided to use Chrome. To be sure that my work would proceed without a hitch next week, I tested Chrome by browsing to one of the web sites I'll be using. The web site said I need to install a special add-on for Chrome. I tried to install the add-on, but then Windows reported "Windows Installer service not running".

In somewhat of a panic, I returned to reading every article I could find about how to fix the problem, and again, most of them described convoluted scary steps that, should they go wrong, could make an even bigger mess of things.

What I did not realized about these articles is that all presumed that the user's inabilty to install software came about suddenly and unexpectedly, and that it was not induced by the user or purposely by some application.

Then I read a simple article that had a SO SIMPLE solution to my Installer problem. It said 'look at your services and make sure the Windows Installer service is running.

I looked - it was not! And, it was set to Manual, so that it did not start after reboot! I set it to Automatic and then started the service.

Finally I could uninstall WCG.

But what stopped the service in the first place and set it to Manual? I can only assume that the WCG installation process did that!

My suspicions are supported by the fact that during the uninstall, I was asked if I wanted to allow two unknown piecs of software to run from an unknown entity. Since I felt certain that these unknown software programs were legimately from WCG, I agreed to allow them to run, afer which the uninstall proceeded and ran to completion.

So if the WCG uninstall used 'other' software to achive its task, I assume that the initial installion might have done the same thing. In other words, I'm guessing that WCG installation uses its own installtion service and stops the Windows Installer service. BUT, IT FORGETS TO TURN IT BACK ON ...or for some reason the service failed to get back turned on.

(After I installed WCG, I was instructed to reboot, which I did. My processor had become a little overheated and as the computer booted up, but before the first signs of Windows appeared on the screen, the computer shut itself off. I waited for 5 minutes for the processor to cool down, and then turned on the computer and it booted without issue. Is it possible that this interrupted boot resulted in WCG failing to renable the Window Installer service?)

I suspect that my problem with Internet Explorer had something to do with HCC using the GPU of the video controller, since Internet Explorer also uses it.

After my work is done next week, I may try again to install WCG, making sure to check the Windows Installer service afterward. I'll also avoid enabling WCG's use of the GPU.

Again, I love the who idea of helping research projects with this softare.