The Program Seems to Start from Scratch Each Time I Load it
 

Comp:
Win 98SE
P3 - 733mhz
40gb HD

Each time I start the program up again it seems to start over compeltely. It goes right back to 0% and goes on from there. It doesn't seem to be saving at all.

Any ideas?

1) How long are you letting it run each time?

2) Can you post the exact messages Prime95 displays?

3) Are the following files all present in your Prime95's directory? prime.ini, local.ini, and mxxxxxxx (where xxxxxxx is 9876543 if you were L-L testing M9876543, or H987653 if you were L-L testing M17987653, for example)?

1. 24 hour+ runs

2.Here's what it says when I start it

[i]Mersenee number primality test program version 22.12
Starting P-1 factoring on M17463737 with B1=210000, B2=4095000
Chance of finding a factor is an estimated 5.28%
P1 on M17463737 with B1=210000, B2=4095000[/i]

Also, when it reached 100% for the first time when I put my mouse cursor over the system tray it said "P-1 S-2", I believe. Now everytime I start the program again it only says "P-1" and goes all the way from 0% to 100%


3.Yes, and the last one uses "mH" and then the last six digits of the number I'm testing for its name. It's 4.16 megs large

[quote]Also, when it reached 100% for the first time when I put my mouse cursor over the system tray it said "P-1 S-2", I believe. Now everytime I start the program again it only says "P-1" and goes all the way from 0% to 100%[/quote]

The program performs the test for an inrcreasing number of bits, until it reaches 65 or 66 bits, then it should start LL test.

Luigi

[quote="ET_"]The program performs the test for an inrcreasing number of bits, until it reaches 65 or 66 bits, then it should start LL test.[/quote]

You're referring to _trial_ factoring, which tries every potential factor up to a power of two. But JackMama's situation is that the trial factoring has already been done for M17463737 up to 2^65, and Prime95 is now doing (or trying to do) _P-1_ factoring to limits B1=210000, B2=4095000 for M17463737.

Before version 20, Prime95 did only trial factoring automatically before an L-L test. Version 20 added the feature of automatic P-1 factoring after trial factoring, before L-L testing. I.e., the sequence for Prime95's processing of a particular Mnumber now is a) trial factoring, b) P-1 factoring, then c) L-L testing.

If your copy of Prime95 is earlier than version 20, please consider upgrading it to the current version (v22.12).

[quote="JackMama"]1. 24 hour+ runs[/quote]

According to my estimates, a P3-733 working on M17463737 will need about 27 hours for P-1 stage 1 to B1=210000, then an additional 119 hours for stage 2 to B2=4095000. (These estimates are just for Prime95 CPU time, assuming no slowdown from anything else that system is running.)

So maybe you're cutting it short just before the end of stage 1 or just after the start of stage 2.

Try letting it run a week, or maybe two weeks if your system is doing a lot of other work, to let P-1 finish both stages. When it does finish P-1, it will go on to the L-L test (IF P-1 did not find a factor, that is!).

[quote]2.Here's what it says when I start it

[i]Mersenee number primality test program version 22.12
Starting P-1 factoring on M17463737 with B1=210000, B2=4095000
Chance of finding a factor is an estimated 5.28%
P1 on M17463737 with B1=210000, B2=4095000[/i][/quote]

All normal.

[quote]Also, when it reached 100% for the first time when I put my mouse cursor over the system tray it said "P-1 S-2", I believe.[/quote]

That's when it was starting stage 2 of the P-1 factoring. The "100%" was for stage 1.

[quote]Now everytime I start the program again it only says "P-1" and goes all the way from 0% to 100%[/quote]

Prime95 writes a P-1 save file ("mH463737") periodically (according to the save interval you specified, or the default of 30 minutes IIRC), so that if Prime 95 is interrupted and restarted, it can continue from where it was at the last save file rather than from the beginning.

Hmmm ... Are you deleting the mH463737 save file before restarting Prime95? If you have been, please DON'T delete it anymore. If Prime95 finds a mH463737 file when it restarts, it will resume the P-1 where it last left off, instead of at 0%. If there's no mH463737, it starts over at 0%.

[quote]3.Yes, and the last one uses "mH" and then the last six digits of the number I'm testing for its name. It's 4.16 megs large[/quote]

Yep. A P-1 save file for M17463737 would be named "mH463737" would be about 4.16 meg in size while stage 2 was in progress (vs. about 2 megs during stage 1). Please don't delete it before the L-L test starts. Prime95 will take care of it when it's finished.

[i]Try letting it run a week, or maybe two weeks if your system is doing a lot of other work, to let P-1 finish both stages. When it does finish P-1, it will go on to the L-L test (IF P-1 did not find a factor, that is!). [/i]

Well Windows isn't exactly the most stable of OS's, so it tends to crash from time to time.

[i]Hmmm ... Are you deleting the mH463737 save file before restarting Prime95?[/i]

Nope

-----

Well since the mH463737 file is gone and now two files, pH463737 and qH463737. The has since gone from "P-1 S-1" to 0.74% of 17463737" on the icon in the system tray. The last line on the program window looks like this

"[Dec 17 23:39] iteration 130000 / 17463737 [0.74%]. Per iteration time 1.098 sec."

So is this just stage two?

[quote]So is this just stage two?[/quote]
No, now the LL test has started.

[quote="JackMama"]Well Windows isn't exactly the most stable of OS's, so it tends to crash from time to time.[/quote]

Yeah, but after a reboot Prime95 should continue from where it was when the last save file was written.

[quote][i]Hmmm ... Are you deleting the mH463737 save file before restarting Prime95?[/i]

Nope[/quote]

Now I'm out of theories.

[quote]Well since the mH463737 file is gone and now two files, pH463737 and qH463737. The has since gone from "P-1 S-1" to 0.74% of 17463737" on the icon in the system tray. The last line on the program window looks like this

"[Dec 17 23:39] iteration 130000 / 17463737 [0.74%]. Per iteration time 1.098 sec."

So is this just stage two?[/quote]

Like patrik said, it's reached the L-L test. 17463737 iterations times 1.098 sec per iteration = about seven months until L-L completion.

I don't think Prime95 saves the P-1 stage of testing. So if this isn't complete, it will start from the beginning.

If this machine is not going to be on 24/7, it might be more advantageous to run Double Checks or Trial Factoring. Just a thought

[quote="outlnder"]I don't think Prime95 saves the P-1 stage of testing.[/quote]

Yes, outlnder, there IS a P-1 save file. :)

I have a collection of several dozen Prime95 P-1 save files that I use for extending previous P-1 searches to higher limits; they really do allow Prime95 to take up where it left off instead of starting over.