Leo_Lion
Honorable
Supreme Hero
The 5th Element & 6th Sense!
|
posted December 22, 2004 10:16 PM |
|
|
Simple Tech Support…
TECH SUPPORT RULE #1 – Try everything that is simple or basic before trying complicated solutions or employing extreme measures.
Example:
I want to share a little Tech Support issue that I figured out with my computer last night that I think can apply to everyone!  I use a laptop, with Windows XP - Service Pack 2, and connect to the internet using DSL and a "SpeedStream" Router that is in “DMZ mode” (allows pretty much everything to pass through my router).
Many weeks ago, I was able to play against people on the ZONE or TCP/IP without any problems. But lately, I could get into games just fine, but every time I would get my turn, the opponent would get kicked out after 2 minutes. Not only that, but I could not see my opponent’s messages even though they could see mine. After 30 minutes of messing around with this problem with Dark_YOuth last weekend, I had to go shopping and put off fixing it. And last night, after 90 minutes of working with Conan to figure this out...we gave up! 
I went to the ZONE and asked if anyone knew how to help me with this and then got to work on the problem with Willy Wonka, from Amsterdam. We spent 2 hours trying SOD Patch 3.0 – 3.2, SETUPREG.exe, SOD Crack, and even uninstalled & reinstalled the game from scratch! The problem still wasn’t fixed! This confirmed to us that there was nothing wrong with game, but that the problem was with my hardware.
First of all, we eliminated the Network card as being the source of the glitch. Afterwards, I was fiddling with my router settings because I suspected that there was some sort of "timeout" or "reconnection" occurring whenever it was my turn. So, the first thing I tried (disabled Information Packet Inspections) ended up blocking my internet access altogether. OUCH!  So, I returned to the previous settings and then tried simply disabling my router's Firewall. Unfortunately, that wouldn't even let me find an opponent’s IP address or allow them to find mine.
At this point, I reactivated my router’s Firewall and returned to the previous DMZ settings. So…nothing had changed, right? WRONG!  After doing all of this, I was able to join into a game, send & receive messages, and play through the whole thing without either one of us being kicked out…twice!
The lesson of my example is that the problem was so simple that we did not even think of it. It was right in front of our faces, but we didn't see it! The solution ended up being a simple RESET of my router settings. I probably could have simply unplugged it & then plugged it back in; and it would have worked fine this way as well! This waste of 4+ hours made me think that I should help others learn from my mistake…
ALWAYS TRY SIMPLE SOLUTIONS FIRST!!! The simplest solutions are usually the best.
*Check if everything is plugged in and turned on. If unsure, unplug and plug back in OR turn off and turn back on!
*If something worked properly before and suddenly does not work anymore (even though nothing has been changed), just reset/refresh its settings.
*Only delete/uninstall/destroy things if you have tried all other simple solutions and looked over every easy detail. 
*Never give up & feel free to ask others for help!
I hope this helps someone avoid wasting 4+ hours of precious time that could have been spent playing HoMM3/4! 
____________
*The end to no beginning...
*Take care, Leo
|
|
