odd lag problems

[ryu36hoshun]

I've been playing for about 3 months now and almost every single time i'm on ffxi everything will be fine for about 30 mins, then i'll get 20 mins of lag, then 20 mins of no lag, then 20 mins of lag, and it repeats.

The weird thing is that the lag comes in exact cycles. I dont think its my connection (then again i'm using a linksys router) but i've even plugged directly into the modem, and the same problem occurs. Its even occurred at a friends house, on a totally different connection so this lead me to think it was my laptop.

First off i'm running on a Dell inspiron 600m which has more than enough power to load ffxi, so maybe some program is running in the background every time i play ffxi? So i turned off windows updates, firewall, same problem so i went the crazy route and while Ponline was opened up i nuked every single non-essential program running on my computer, even windows explorer. This worked for about 3 days and now i'm having the exact same problems again.

Any suggestions!?!??!?!??!?!?!

[Zamphire]

Re: odd lag problems

I've noticed laptops aren't very good at running games, expecially dell laptops. I've got a Dell Inspiron 1200 and it always lags for me.

[Mhurron]

Re: odd lag problems

Are you running XP Service Pack 2 and seeing a lot of this in the System Event Log:
Source: Tcpip
Type: Warning
TCP/IP has reached the security limit imposed on the number of concurrent TCP connect attempts.

[Haggai]

Re: odd lag problems

I run FFXI on a laptop and I was having the same sort of problems, along with overheating. I opened it up and cleaned out the fans, as there was an enormous amount of dust/hair clogged inside. Afterwards, my problems were gone. If you know what you are doing, I would suggest this. If you don't know what you are doing, you should take it to someone who does, such as a professional.

[ryu36hoshun]

Re: odd lag problems

Are you running XP Service Pack 2 and seeing a lot of this in the System Event Log:
Source: Tcpip
Type: Warning
TCP/IP has reached the security limit imposed on the number of concurrent TCP connect attempts.

i'm running service pack 2 but i've never had that sort of problem, exactly where would i view the system event log? or are you just talking about task manager?

Double Post Edited:

I run FFXI on a laptop and I was having the same sort of problems, along with overheating. I opened it up and cleaned out the fans, as there was an enormous amount of dust/hair clogged inside. Afterwards, my problems were gone. If you know what you are doing, I would suggest this. If you don't know what you are doing, you should take it to someone who does, such as a professional.

i might have to try that, especially considering that i dont have a desk, so my poor laptop has to sit on my bed, i may try a different location in the house as well, maybe even buy a chill mat

anybody else have suggestions?

(thanks to those that posted)

[Macht]

Re: odd lag problems

Do you have any printer drivers installed on it? Might want to check them to see if any are "polling" your connections. Most pollings for printers run on a 5-20 min. cycle, so if you have any printer setups on there might want to give them a look through.

[Mhurron]

Re: odd lag problems

i'm running service pack 2 but i've never had that sort of problem, exactly where would i view the system event log? or are you just talking about task manager?

Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Computer Management. Expand Event Logs then System.

Or just right click My Computer and choose Manage.

[Haggai]

Re: odd lag problems

considering that i dont have a desk, so my poor laptop has to sit on my bed, i may try a different location in the house as well, maybe even buy a chill mat

Oooo... definitely do not use it on your bed. That is asking for trouble. Setting it on your bed means that the sheets/blankets/fabric are covering the air intakes underneath the laptop. This can lead to overheating.

If you must use it on your bed, make sure that airflow is not restricted. At the very least, set it on a board before setting it on your bed. That way, the footies on the bottom raise it up enough to get some airflow.

My ex-wife nearly ruined my laptop because she was cold. She would sit on the couch with a comforter covering her legs and the laptop on the comforter in her lap. AIRFLOW CLOGAGE! She called me up at work and asked why the laptop shut down on her "for no reason."

[ryu36hoshun]

Re: odd lag problems

Are you running XP Service Pack 2 and seeing a lot of this in the System Event Log:
Source: Tcpip
Type: Warning
TCP/IP has reached the security limit imposed on the number of concurrent TCP connect attempts.

wow, there actually are a couple of Tcpip mishaps, they read

Event Type: Information
Event Source: Tcpip
Event Category: None
Event ID: 4201
Date: 7/31/2006
Time: 10:53:35 PM
User: N/A
Description:
The system detected that network adapter \DEVICE\TCPIP_{A1B0C611-62DD-4E3E-9560-FC962899DA5B} was connected to the network, and has initiated normal operation over the network adapter.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 00 00 00 00 02 00 50 00 ......P.
0008: 00 00 00 00 69 10 00 40 ....i..@
0010: 02 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........
0018: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........
0020: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........

[Mhurron]

Re: odd lag problems

wow, there actually are a couple of Tcpip mishaps, they read

Event Type: Information

No thats normal, its telling you TCP/IP initialized and attached to your adapter. You're looking for warnings, they have a Yellow triangle with a ! in it.

[ryu36hoshun]

Re: odd lag problems

wow, all i did was move my laptop to the spare bedroom, sitting it on a desk and plugging it into a niiiiice surge protector and it runs perfect even w/ weather effects!

thanks all!