So, I went a totally different root and am already running into huge problems.
I decided to install the Linux subsystem on windows 10. Went ahead and downloaded and installed Ubuntu.
I'm pretty sure it gave me user privileges with the ability to install things e.g. sudo apt-get update, upgrade, install boinc-client etc worked without a hitch. Here is the fun part, though...
I'm not able to run boinccmd with anything. I continually am getting operation error: authentication failed. The gui-rpc-authentication.cfg file has no password in it. I'm trying to figure out how to log into the root to see if that fixes it but really the sudo command should work, no? Even when navigating to /usr/bin and sudo boinccmd <command here> e.g. --run_benchmarks just as a test I get the same error.

Really, can you tell I'm completely new to linux yet? ;) but this is fun learning.

The Boinc client should be running by default from what I can understand?

No, I have quite a few machines here. Does this work remotely even if ports are not forwarded or is this only for a local area network?

Next question and this one is pretty huge, really.
I went ahead and burned the Ubuntu 17.10 iso to DVD. Booted it in a Sager from 2012 with your standard hardware - i7-3710QM, Intel wireless, realtech audio. Nothing fancy.
However the documentation I'm seeing for Orca is from years ago. In theory, I should hear a drumb roll sound when orca is ready to be started and when the Ubuntu install and try buttons appear. But this is, again, from years ago and, from what I can tell, is not the case with this latest version. Also pressing Alt + Super + S does nothing. I'm not sure if it's trying to use another sound device (I have no idea why it would be when nothing is plugged in, anyway). Connecting a USB sound card did nothing so I'm at a loss here. I do know that it boots into Ubuntu thanks to seeing AI on my phone, though.

Can anyone confirm, if you run in a gui anyway, that Alt+Super+S (Alt+Windows+s) still actually makes the thing run or is there something I'm missing in the latest version of ubuntu? Documentation seems all over the place here so things very well may have changed. I got my info from https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Accessibility

Any help very much appreciated.

Oh, and I gave up with the windows running linux. Pretty sure that linux was trying to control the windows client, as when I typed boinccmd --get_tasks it brought back a ton from the local machine.

I have a few other machines I could throw linux on to duel boot at least but I'd like to get this audio issue resolved before I start trying other things.
Thanks

Okay, time to try 16.04. I attempted to use 17.10, alt+Super+ s did not work and I also didn't get the drumb sounds. I also couldn't hit alt f2 to run nohup orca, which was another method I've read about.
Not sure if 17.10 makes huge changes like this but I suppose we'll see and I will keep folks posted.

Edit: I just got 16.04 to boot. Is there a way to upgrade to 17.10 using 16.04 or is there really not much point?
Does anyone recommend any programs for linux to monitor CPU temps, etc?
Is there an easy way to install Nvidia drivers for a gtx 670M?
Again, completely new to linux here but I'm looking forward to using a fully functioning machine that isn't being virtualized etc. This will mainly be for boinc so it should have 0% other resources using it since it's linux, too. Booting alongside windows, too - does it matter if the bios is uefi or not? This is too old to be, but I have newer machines and I'd rather not have to change bios to legacy etc.
thanks

Essentially, this is what I ended up doing.

Now to install it on this Ryzen 1800x. For times when I'm not using it so it can get things done quicker.
Not sure if I install over USB does the drive have to stay plugged in constantly since it's uefi? Or is that going to be a problem since the USB won't have the right boot partition on it anyway? Not sure I want to play with disabling legacy and break everything - would like this to go nice and smooth if I can since this is my primary machine.

Oops, sorry I posted this in the wrong thread. Thought it BOINC Agent Support.
I really like BoincTasks 1.78. But I have a few rigs (Win7 & Linux Mint 19) that do not Connect and I can't figure out why. I checked that firewall rules have 31416, that gui_rpc_auth.cfg has the password, and that remote_hosts.cfg has my IP. I checked the starred-out passwords listed on the Computers tab. Can anyone give me an idea of what might be wrong??? TIA