FFXI General Troubleshooting FAQFollow

FFXI General Troubleshooting FAQ - By Kaolian Drachensborn

This FAQ is designed to be a comprehensive document covering all aspects of troubleshooting FFXI. If you are having trouble with FFXI, please take a look at this before you post. It?s not a magic troubleshooting bullet, but it should help. If you see something you would like added, please e-mail me at kaolian@allakhazam.com

I. Before you buy
a. Hardware TNL
b. Minimum specifications
II. Installation.
a. Why won?t my @#$%^ computer install file XXXX?
III. Error codes
IV. Other common problems
V. Hardware.
VI. Router settings.
VII. Dial up Troubleshooting
VIII. The higher screen resolution registry hack.


Other sections to be added as needed


I. Before you buy
FFXI is a fairly demanding game from a hardware perspective. It uses an advanced rendering engine to load complex 3d models using less ram than earlier game, but this advancement comes at a price. The FFXI engine makes use of a technology called Hardware Texture aNd Lighting (TNL), which loads shading, texture graphics and lighting effects (lense flares, etc) very fast. The problem is, it does not work on older graphics cards, or many laptop cards. There are many cards that do work, and many that don?t, so rather than listing all cards here, I?ll just list a few of the major ones that have issues:
Intel extreme graphics
Any voodoo cards
Nvidia or ATI cards older than 2 years

Minimum specifications:
Windows 98/98SE/2000/XP with Direct X 8.1.
Pentium III 800MHz
128MB RAM,
32 mb graphics card with an Ati or Nvidia chipset
4GB
CD-ROM player
56k modem

Recommended Specifications
Pentium IV
128MB RAM
64MB video RAM,
4.5GB hard disk
32x CD-Rom drive

You will also need the most up-to-date Windows updates, including at least DirectX 8.1 (9.0b is probably a better option though)
Macintosh and Linux are currently not supported.

II. Installation

Square enix released FFXI with a particularly brutal copy protection package on the CD, composed of purposefully introduced errors and weak sectors. This makes them virtually unreadable on many cd-burners and fast DVD drives. Later disks released in the U.S. have had this issue toned down, but if you end up with one of the early disks, you will have problems. Oftentimes it will fail on one particular file, over and over for no apparent reason. There are a few ways around this.
First, try copying the entire contents of the CD to your hard drive, then run the installation from there. This may still fail on a particular file. If that happens, try copying that file to a friends computer, then move it over via disk or network.
If that won?t work, try using an older cd rom drive. Older drives are less precise and slower, usually bad traits, but in this case it may allow the drive to ignore the errors.

If all that does not work, you can attempt to find an older copy of clonecd that has the ?weak sector amplification? feature, then burn a copy. Several people have had success with this method, however finding clonecd may be difficult. Also, be aware that there are several viruses out there that mask themselves as clonecd on popular file transfer programs?


III Error codes
System error during registration of credit card ? check and see if your computer clock time is off by a significant amount

0008 ? signal lost on idle character ? this seems to be very rare, and a restart usually fixes
0011 ? error often seen by Comcast users ? switch ISP if it continues (annoying, I know)
0019 ? server down
0033 ? server down error ?also sometimes occurs to Comcast users.
0205 ? error during patch ? rare, no known fix.
0250 ? error during patch ? update router firmware. Also possibly server issue.
1153 ? Connection issue to update server. To fix, update the firmware on your router
1155 ? Update server down
1160 ? Update server down
1161 ? Internet connection lost message ? often caused by viruses
1162 ? patch error- update router software
1164 ? installation issue occurring in computers with over 1gb ram before Playonline patch ? to bypass, remove some ram temporarily.
1305 ? Installation error again ? see fixes above
1311 ? Installation error, see above
1334 ? SSL error during registration. Usually due to a server issue, but occasionally due to internet explorer settings. Clear your SSL slate under tools: internet options. If you need more instructions, let me know.
1335 ? The installation file error, see fixes above.
1403 - Server maintenance or server outage.
1607- Installation error, see above
1608 - Install LargeISEngineUpdate from http://consumer.installshield.com/utilities.asp
1628 ? Installation error ? see above
1647 ? installation error, see above
2001 ? Hardware TNL not detected ? usually means your video card won?t work with FFXI. Get a new one.
2003 ? Corrupted gameplay file (probably zone) to fix, uninstall and re-install ffxi
2059 ? disconnect during patching ? usually caused by virus or spyware ? Run housecall.trendmicro.com and adaware from www.lavasoftusa.com
2070 ? unknown connect error. No known fix at this time.
2211 - Install LargeISEngineUpdate from http://consumer.installshield.com/utilities.asp
3100 ? connection issue, misrouted packets ? sometimes experienced by verizon users
3101 ? Server issue
3113 - 1. Open Network in Control Panel and select ""Add.""
2. From Network Components, select ""Client"" and then ""Add.""
3. From Network Client, select ""Manufacturer: Microsoft"" and ""Network Client: Microsoft Network Client"" and select ""OK"" to start installing.
4. Restart your PC and run FINAL FANTASY XI.
3203 ? server issue
3206 ? Server issue
3324 ? corrupt zone file. Delete zone and repatch. If that fails, uninstall and reinstall FFXI
3332 ? Server down
4001 ? UDP ports are being blocked. Change your firewall, or contact your internet service provider to get this fixed.
20008002 ? desktop not set to 32 bit color depth. Usually a screwed up driver, or sometimes a desktop stuck on 16 bit.


IV. Other common problems

Make sure your drivers are all patched and your windows updates are up to date
If windows 2000 is laggy in game, install service pack 3 and 4

If you seem to be locking up upon entering new graphics areas, like going in a mog house, etc, try seeing if you have extra device drivers that you don?t need by running Driver cleaner fromwww.driverheaven.net
If you lock up regularly, or disconnect, you probably have a virus. Scan for viruses using an online scanner such as housecall.trendmicro.com. Also run lavasoft?s ad-aware from www.lavasoftusa.com
If your computer is running slow, try a disk defragmentation. Will speed up load times considerably.
Other common causes of lockup and bluescreens can include running out of ram. Run msconfig from Start:Run:msconfig . click on the startup tab, then see if there are any unnecessary programs running at startup (quicktime, real player, winamp, things like that.)
If all else fails, reinstall directx 9.0b. If that doesn?t work, reinstall windows

VI. Hardware

There comes a time when you run out of things to check. You have reinstalled, cleaned, defragmented and re-patched, to no avail. What now? You could be the victim of a hardware issue.

The first thing to look for is heat. If you are running ffXI, you should have a bare minimum of 2 fans in your case. More is better. If you are having lockup issues, try removing the side of your case and placing a large fan blowing into the side of your case. If this fixes the issue, you need more fans. Case fans are extremely inexpensive and easy to install, so if you have more fan slots, go get some right now. No, I mean now. Why are you still reading this?

Also check for dust buildup inside the case. Even a very thin layer of dust can dramatically increase the heat buildup in your computer.

Another thing you can do to make your system more stable is to install a heat spreader on all your ram chips. These beauties are worth their weights in gold. They look like this: http://www.crazypc.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=120199&Product_Code=5107
You can find them at most computer building stores, and there are several different types out there. Compusa carries them, Best buy usually does not.

Bluescreen errors:
Bluescreen errors usually come in two types when playing computer games; Ram, or video card. The vast majority of them are driver issues, but bad ram does happen. The easiest thing to do here to check these problems out is to just swap the memory or video card out. See if you can borrow a friends card. If that is not an option, post the exact bluescreen error here and we can usually try and get it sorted out

VI. Router settings.

Make sure the following ports are open on your router/firewall:
-TCP 25, 80, 110, 443 or 50000 - 65535
-UDP 50000 - 65535

Known supported routers:
Most newer linksys models, older models will need a firmware revision
Most d-link routers
Most netgear routers

Will include more information here as it becomes available.

VII. Dial up troubleshooting.

Some v90 modems have difficulty receiving the type of data packets that we send. Try using a non-v90 connection to your ISP, if it is available. Otherwise, try lowering the speed of your modem connection for more stability. Do this by right clicking on your "My Computer" icon and select "Properties" from the menu. Click on the Device Manager tab and open the Modem section. Select the Modem tab, and set the Maximum speed to 57600 (or 38400 if it was already set to 57600), then click OK.
If your modem is an external modem, in addition to the above change, open the Ports (COM&LPT) section of the Device Manager and double click on the port listed for your modem. Switch to the Port Settings tab and set the "Bits per Second" to at least 57600 (default is 9600) and the Flow Control to Hardware (default is xon/xoff). Click OK and reboot your computer.
If you have a "software" or "win" modem, this may also be the source of the problem. Software-based modems can cause numerous connectivity problems, not just in our game but also in general. The reason is because the CPU is being used to "pump" the data in a software modem, as well as its other calculations. When playing a game, the CPU may not be able to make the necessary game calculations AND transmit data. We strongly recommend against using them and if you have one, we suggest that you purchase or acquire a hardware-based modem.
Also, you can have your local phone company check your phone lines for signal noise by asking for a "56k Quality Test". Your local phone company should provide this test at no charge. Excessive signal noise can cause a disruption in the data flow, which in turn would affect your connection to our servers.

Specific Problems for AOL Users
Some AOL users will experience problems logging into FFXI. Make sure you are using the Master AOL Login and that you are minimizing AOL after connecting.
AOL uses a timing system that will disconnect users after about 40 minutes of browser inactivity. An easy way to get around this is by typing the phrase "smile4u" in the KEYWORDS section of the AOL program.

VIII. The higher screen resolution registry hack.

DISCLAIMER: This is usefull primarily for laptops that run in a higher than 1024 x 768 resolution LCD screen by default. Only attempt this if you are confident in your computer skills. And make a backup first. Not responsable for fried computers resulting from botched registry jobs.

1.) The Tweak - Credit to YST at IGN

The FFXI config utility allows you to set your 'background resolution' at up to 1024x1024.
Changing a key in your registry, you can set it to 2048x2048. For many, the improvement is tremendous, often with not much performance hit, but your milage will naturally vary. This is worthwhile particularly because most people are reporting that FSAA is doing nothing for them in FFXI. This is in a sense a way to force a kind of FSAA Supersampling (simplest form of AA).



2.) The Method

---.------------------

Simple Method:
----------------

Run one of the reg files I've created and hosted here containing the new hex values for the reg keys in question,
to automatically install the new values to the registry and set the according texture res:

Sets background res to 2048x2048
http://ystig.com/2048.reg
Sets background res to 1792x1792
http://ystig.com/1792.reg
Sets background res to 1536x1536
http://ystig.com/1536.reg
Sets background res to 1280x1280
http://ystig.com/1280.reg

Additionally, I had someone in a previous thread request a value BETWEEN the 512x512 and 1024x1024 values listed in the config util, as their system couldn't quite handle the supported 1024x1024 resolution, but nor did the next step down in the config util, 512x512, satisfy them. If you want that, here it is:

Sets background res to 768x768
http://ystig.com/768.reg

Additionally, I had someone in a previous thread request a value BETWEEN the 512x512 and 1024x1024 values listed in the config util, as their system couldn't quite handle the supported 1024x1024 resolution, but nor did the next step down in the config util, 512x512, satisfy them. If you want that, here it is:

Sets background res to 768x768

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Manual Method (registry hackers only)
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i) Open the Registry Editor.
ii) Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPlayOnlineUSSquareEnixFinalFantasyXI
iii) Change values for the keys '003' and '004' to hex values equivalent to the desired resolution in decimal. For
example, a resolution of 2048x2048 means you want both of the keys 003 and 004 to equal decimal value 2048, which is 800 in hex.

NOTE: 800 (i.e., 2048x2048) is the highest value supported by the engine, PERIOD, and any acceptable value MUST be a multiple of 100. The engine will just crash if you try anything else.

Hope that helps!

Special thanks to:
Darkflame - for the good idea and the Sticky
MoogleStiltzkin - for the suggestions
Illia & Allakhazam - for providing the tech support forum

Edited, Sun Mar 7 22:02:49 2004 by Darkflame]

Edit notes - 3/8/2004 Added several sections, adjusted formatting.


Edited, Mon Mar 8 07:27:06 2004 by Kaolian

Edited, Mon Mar 8 13:36:49 2004 by Darkflame

Edited, Sat Sep 25 15:16:50 2004 by Kaolian

Edited, Sat Sep 25 15:19:45 2004 by Kaolian

Edited, Nov 4th 2006 at 6:42pm PST by Kaolian

Edited, Nov 4th 2006 at 6:43pm PST by Kaolian

Edited, Nov 4th 2006 at 6:45pm PST by Kaolian