• Suspend: stop work (computation and file transfer).
• Run based on preferences: do work when your preferences allow it.
• Run always: do work, regardless of preferences.
• Exit: exit the work manager and all running BOINC applications. No further work will take place until you run the work manager again.
• Hide: close the work manager window, but do not exit.

When the icon is flashing, there is an unread error message. To view it, open the work manager window and go to the Messages tab.

The work manager window has several tabs:

• Projects: Shows the projects in which this computer is participating. Right-click on a project name brings up a menu:
  • Web site: visit the project's web site.
  • Update: Connect to the project; report all completed results, get more work if necessary, and get your latest preferences.
  • Detach from the project. Your computer will stop working for the project.
  • Reset project: Stop the project's current work, if any, and start from scratch. Use this if BOINC has become stuck for some reason.
• Work: Shows the work units currently on your computer. Each work unit is either
  • Downloading: input files are being downloaded.
  • Ready to run: An estimate of the total CPU time is shown.
  • Running: currently running. Elapsed CPU time and estimated percent done is shown.
  • Uploading: output files are being uploaded.
  • Ready to report: waiting to notify the scheduling server.
  Right-click on a work unit to:
  • Show graphics: open a window showing application graphics.
• Transfers: Shows file transfers (uploads and downloads). These may be ready to start, in progress, and completed.
• Messages: Shows status and error messages. Messages can be sorted by project or time. You can control what messages are shown. Messages are also written to a file 'messages.txt'.
• Disk: This shows how much disk space is available for use by BOINC, and how much is currently being used by each project.

• File
  • Run always, Run based on preferences, Suspend: see above
  • Run Benchmarks: run benchmark functions, which measure the speed of your processor. BOINC does this automatically, but you can repeat it whenever you want. The results are shown in the Messages tab.
  • Hide: close the work manager window. This does not exit the work manager. To do this, use the Exit command on the system tray icon menu.
• Settings
  • Attach to Project: Enroll this computer in a project. You must have already created an account with the project. You will be asked to enter the project's URL and your account ID.
  • Proxy Server If you connect to the web through an HTTP or SOCKS proxy, use this dialog to enter its address and port.
• Help
  • About: show work manage version number.

Menu names and other text in the work manager can be displayed in languages other than English.

The BOINC screensaver can be selected using the Display Properties dialog. The BOINC screensaver draws graphics from a running application, if any is available. Otherwise it draws the BOINC logo bouncing around the screen.

The command line client has several options: "; list_start(); list_item("-attach_project", "Attach this computer to a new project. You must have an account with that project. You will be asked for the project URL and the account ID." ); list_item("-show_projects", "Print a list of projects to which this computer is attached." ); list_item("-detach_project URL", "Detach this computer from a project." ); list_item("-reset_project URL", "Clear pending work for a project. Use this if there is a problem that is preventing your computer from working." ); list_item("-update_prefs URL", "Contact a project's server to obtain new preferences." ); list_item("-run_cpu_benchmarks", "Run CPU benchmarks. Do this if you have modified your computer's hardware." ); list_item("-help", "Show client options." ); list_item("-version", "Show client version." ); list_end(); echo"

Installing BOINC on Mac OS/X