Getting booted in the Bazaar...

[Zacatac]

Ah, thanks for the tip. I've also had some experience with returning to find my system completely "crashed to desktop" lately when I had a character in trader mode. I've always had some disconnects after long periods, but not EQ shutting down completely all the time.

[Lymlym]

the badword filter? ok
in this one server: The Nameless, they had MORE problems about being ported to their bind spots - I was one of them

there is one poor fellow who had over 700/98 (I think) and he can't move.

[Bennan]

I would just like to add, that my crashing problem has gone away, thanks to all the advice given here.

For me it was the Automatic Update feature that seemed to be doing it (it was the only process I could find and turned off).

To recap;

Check your Automatic Update in the Control Panel

And from Zaephod.

I had this problem with my trader until i turned all Power Management and Screen Saver stuff OFF. (right click the desktop -> select properties -> click on the screen saver tab, turn the screen saver to None, click the Power Management Button, set all options to Never.)

And from Denmother, type in /filter (note in Halfling the word filter is spelt fiter) badword, and make sure the message on screen you get is ;

Bad words filter *OFF*


Thanks again for all the helpful responses.

[Garulf]

Yup, the task scheduler, which usually gets turned on for people when they install anti-virus software, used to boot you to desktop instantly when it's time came. Also scheduling defragging will start up the task scheduler and boot you. Apparently it still does, even if you are running EQ in a window.

Screen savers and power management are also bad (the thing that turns off your screen after a while).

Do your defragging manually, have your AV software scan at startup if you are worried about virii, and just manually turn your monitors power off when you are leaving your trader up for a while unattended.

And yes, LoY did manage to bollux up quite a few settings, including the badwrod filter (and my gamma settings for some reason).

[Morani]

Since we are on the topic, there are a few other things that can cause a crash to desktop or general “crash” of the program that I’ve had to deal with in the past few months.

As someone mentioned: spyware. There is a WONDERFUL program out there called spybot (found at http://spybot.eon.net.au/index.php?lang=en&page=download) that is FREE. It’s small, easy to use, frequently updated and does a GREAT job of finding things that track your activity, leave holes in your security, or trigger pop-ups. If you also use a program like Kazaa this is a MUST as EVERY time I use Kazaa, I have another 2-12 spy programs install themselves.

Another is Windows Message Service (NOT Windows Messenger). Recently I would get booted to desktop (which would cause the game to crash, more on that latter) do to this little pain. Sometimes while I was at the game but other times while I was away. Sometimes I’d come back to my computer and find as many as a dozen “messages” that were all spam waiting for me. I finally figured out what is happening. WMS is a communications “program” that is intended for administrators to send messages though the Net Send command to tell you things like the system will be coming down in a few minutes or Microsoft telling you that your subscription to something is about to run out. Some spammers have found out that they can use this to their advantage and send you any kind of message they want even when you are not actively SURFING the net (all they need is a connection and DSL and cable are always connected). Fortunately, this is an easy thing to solve when you know what it is: get into your Administrative Tools and go to Services, highlight “Messenger” and go to properties, click stop, then select disable or manual in the drop down. Click OK and POOF, no more irritation. (BTW, this method only works for Windows OS’s with an NT kernel so 9X is done differently and I don’t know how). Also, I’ve been told that there is a way to add a script that will pause the messages when there is an open program that is not minimized but I don’t know how that is done.

Now for MY question: EVERY time I go to desktop from the game (either because I crashed or quit the game) I have a problem with my client.ini file and in order to play again, I have to delete it an start it from scratch, EVERY TIME. I have a feeling that it is linked with the ability to window to desktop (which doesn’t work for me) since it started when that feature went live. I’ve been told to change my display color settings for my desktop to solve the problem with not being able to window out. It did work but when IN game, all of my text was messed up and it made most things unreadable. I don’t remember if I had the problem with the INI file wile the color display was changed or not but since I couldn’t read 2 out of every 3 words like that, it’s not a viable option. Any input anyone has would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[KyrosKrane]

Another is Windows Message Service (NOT Windows Messenger).

I've found a personal firewall works great to shut this down. I use ZoneAlarm, a free download; there's also a pay version that adds some bells and whistles that I personally find useless. There are many others good firewall programs, for free or for pay, and if you're using an Internet sharing device (like a broadband router), there's a good chance it has a basic firewall built in.

The firewall basically works by blocking unexpected incoming messages. When you use a program like EQ or Internet Explorer or your mail program, the program sends a message out to the Internet first, then it gets a response back. The firewall sees the outgoing message and knows that the response is expected. With a program like th Message Service, there is no outgoing message to let the firewall know it's legit. Only the incoming spam message shows up, and the firewall will block it since it's not expected. (Simplified explanation, I know.)

Note that ZoneAlarm can cause EQ to lock up if you don't configure it right. ZoneAlarm will block EQ's Internet access until you give EQ permission to access the Internet, and you can't do that because you can't switch out of EQ during the login screen yet. So, EQ becomes stuck trying to connect to the Internet, and you can't switch away from EQ to do anything else with the PC. However, there are workarounds out there for this bug.

[SauriaSoulfarer]

Yeah, that Windows Messenger thing is annoying. I fixed it the way you described at home, but at work (I work at a Big 10 University) we get a lot of legitimate system messages and can't turn it off...and so everyone in the whole network gets these popups. Sometimes they are a bit offcolor...the funniest one is one advertizing fake college transcripts and diplomas! I work in admissions

Oh as for the getting booted, I might have used the badword fix without knowing it was a fix...used to have a hard time staying in trader overnight, now I am sometimes in Trader for 2 days straight.

[pennyrose]

Like many others, I have been booted from Bazaar frequently (and occasionally from my other computer as well) since recent expansions. I should have come to trusty EQ Traders Corner when the problem first arose. I discovered this thread two days and although I had done some of the suggested fixes, like turning off the screen saver and automatic updates, I had never turned off my power manager (didn't even know I had one) nor reset my bad word filter. I did both those things and Soozeecue has been happily trading away in Bazaar for two days now without a disconnect.

Thank you to all the folks who not only shared these fixes, but also to those who were able to translate them into the kind of simple instructions even a technodummy like me can follow.

I am mystified, however, as to how anyone ever discovered the bad word filter fix. It seems totally illogical for that to affect disconnecting and if I were looking for a fix to the problem, that would probably be on of the very last functions I would check out.

Pennyrose

[Kahnlyn Summonstuff]

On Povar server, the Bazaar seems to crash here and there, sometimes multiple times in one day. No clue on the cause.

[Perseverence Rewarded]

I updated the firmware on my Netgear Router.
Did the "/filter badword" so it is off.
Turned 3D sky off and particle effects to none.
I haven't beeen bumped from bazaar in 6 days :shock: