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I started when ya'll first called for Folding....I left SETI. I've got two business computers folding, plus my wifes laptop and my home computer.

If I ever get time, I've got three more older systems I'm going to devote to folding, plus I'll be upgrading mine to something very hot.

I don't mind using my slack processing to advance medical science. It is a very easy way to help!

I have had a couple of questions concerning older computers and folding. Here are the guidelines for rummaging down in the basement for old systems to set up folding 24/7:

PIII 450 mhz with SSE is the slowest Intel processor that will complete all work units within the deadline.

AMD MHz AMD-K6-2 366 MHz with 3DNow and above processors will complete a WU within the deadlines when folding 24/7.

You should provide the system with all of the memory you can squeeze in to give the system a fair chance. Back then we used mostly PC-100 and PC-133 SDRAM and most motherboards would hold at least 256 MB (as though anyone could afford THAT much memory).

You video card is not as important, but anything that will help Windows run faster is a benefit, just to keep M$ from being a bottleneck.

Yes, you can run is with Win 98, Win Me, Win 2000 or Win XP. I would advise you to look at a Linux distro, since you would get more bang for your buck, but Windows will work. You might also be able to run OSX86 (Mac on an Intel). Would be fun to try.

However, the faster a work unit is returned back to Stanford, the better it is for the progress of the science. Running 24/7 is always preferential.

There were no minimum until just recently when the Deadlineless work units ran out.

Also, you can install AVG or Avast! virus protection on the system, but I would not schedule daily runs. One old system that I had would take over an hour to complete a virus scan on a 4 GB hard drive. Just keep the antivirus resident in memory and enjoy.

On the Mac side, anything built after 1999 should be fast enough to finish a WU. 256 MB of RAM is preferred.

Oh, back to Windows. Better reboot every week or so. It does make a difference.