This is very strange. So you have changed two things - updated to the new version and encrypted your wallet, or you already were mining with encrypted wallet?
If your wallet is encrypted it must be unlocked for mining (or you need to set miningprivkey in spreadcoin.conf). Miner shouldn't launch if wallet is encrypted and locked.

This is a known limitation that you can mine only with unlocked wallet.
You have several options:
1. Use not encrypted wallet.
2. Unlock your wallet from debug console using "walletpassphrase password timeout" where timeout is the number of seconds your wallet will be unlocked.
3. Unlock your wallet by starting CPU mining, as you see it decreases your GPU hashrate; if you will try to mine with 1 thread maybe it will not decrease. There should be a cleaner way to unlock your wallet from GUI but for now there is none.
4. Set private key for mining in spreadcoin.conf as described in OP:

Merry xmas~~
wish I can get(buy and mine) 10K SPR today 

The big player is emerging~~ 

SPR is truly a fascinating coin to watch.  Because of the decentralized mining, only people who really want this coin are mining it.  And it's pretty hard to mine so they aren't selling many, if any at all as they mine them.  Normally, coins are raped by the constant selling of multipools.  Not SPR.

Once masternodes go live, this coin is going to go parabolic in my opinion.  Reasons being:

1.  To get a masternode you need 1000 SPR.  There's not much SPR for sale so you have to buy at the ask.  People just plain aren't hitting bids.

2.  Mining is hard but having a masternode will be a means for most people to get more SPR on a regular basis.  People are going to want masternodes.

All of this is going to feed upon itself.  

I'm actually quite amazed that the price is still this low.  I suspect people are waiting to make sure that Mr. Spread comes through with the masternode promise.  

Once he does, this is going to be epic.

Good point!masternodes will serve as POS to some extent.

Some numbers to think about:

I am hopeful.  

Solo mining by miners who actually care about and value their currency + Masternodes is a really great economic model.

PS Thanks Mr Spread for the Big Backup Button! - Hopefully people will use it and save themselves future misery. If you get around to a 1-click-print-privkey(s) solution at some point that would also be fantastic.

Yes I was..

Has anyone figured out what the best single gpu/ functional desktop settings are ?

My newest (and verrry lucky ), stock 7870, config was running fine until I tried raising the intensity higher than 17. eg. -I 18 made little difference, -I 19 crashed sgminer and the Catalyst 14.9 drivers.



 

Is that 290x running the main display with Windohs Aero enabled ?

Tyvm for the info.