Need hefty tech support, very aggrivated...

First post here first of all. But on to my main problem. I've tried to connect to play GW, but it stays at the "Connection" screen, on both dial-up AND satellite internet. When it didn't connect with the satellite I thought: "It must be where I'm using the dial-up to play it more to avoid rubber-banding so much." Just tried a few minutes ago with dial-up, and either the dial-up couldn't connect, or if it did, I couldn't connect to ArenaNet.
Honestly, I never use the tech support for any of my computer games. I usually go to the online tech support questions-and-answers pages that they have. If it helps, my dial-up connection is through Bellsouth and my satellite connection is through Wildblue. Any advise to help me out so I can get back?

Where, exactly, does it hang? I don't exactly know what the 'connection' screen is.

The gray box pop up that says 'guildwars' (the loading splash screen thing)? Then it just doesn't go anywhere from there?

I take it your other internets are working okay? Nothing else is broke? Same compy, same stuff, just stopped working?

Scion hit on a very important piece of information there..


1. Is your internet functioning normally otherwise? (you can access google, hotmail, and other stuff)

2. Please clarify the internet connection being used.
are you using a satelite - download, dial up - upload setup?

3. Has this setup ran the game successfully in the past?

James

Yeah, same computer, internet works fine. I switched from using satellite internet to play the game to dial-up about the beginning of last month to avoid my heavy rubber-banding problem. Worked perfectly except for a few "Code=007" occurrences, and those were few and far between. Every time I tried with the satellite after a few days using dial-up it stayed at the "Connecting to ArenaNet" no matter how long I kept the load window up (usually took 5-10 seconds). Figured that to be where I used dial-up to play the game so much. Turned the computer on this morning. Started the dial-up connection, it connected (sometimes). Started the game whenever the dial-up worked and it stayed at the "Connecting to ArenaNet" while using dial-up.

Haven't tried lately with the dial-up, but I know that the satellite won't work for some odd reason.
Just tried with dial-up again, still won't work.

Do you have a router or some type of firewall or vista or norton?

Does the connection hang, or does the loader freeze?

Firewalls are turned off except for automatic updates, using Windows XP (Vista still has too many dang bugs in it), the satellite internet is through a Belkin router (Wireless G+), dial-up through Bellsouth (for the fax machine). The dial-up gives an error 691 most of the time, and if it does connect, starting the game leaves it at the "Connecting to ArenaNet" loading screen.

For once, I'm at a complete and utter loss at finding an easy fix for it on my own.

ok, so I'm assuming since you only use the dial up for faxing.. you don't need it for the satelite internet you are using through the Belkin.

First step would be to establish communication with your router.

To verify you have comm between your PC and router, all you need to do is check that you can surf to a webpage on the internet. Something like www.google.com works well as it has a very fast load time.

If Google does not come up, we need to figure out where between your PC and google the data is getting lost.. we would start at the closest piece to your PC, which should be your router.

Usually routers have the default local IP address of 192.168.0.1
So if you don't have internet capability to google, try opening a web browser and typing in that IP. The admin page to your router should come up. (or a password page for the router if you have enabled password protection on your router).

now alternatively if you CAN reach google, its not the connection between your pc and the router, as that would stop all communication .. not just ANET.

If that is the case, then you may have to try opening a command prompt (start--> run--> cmd )and running:

a tracert command
Here is what it should look like:

C:\Users\USERNAME>tracert 216.107.240.218

Tracing route to 216-107-240-218.plaync.com [216.107.240.218]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 2 ms 2 ms 2 ms mygateway1.ar7 [10.1.1.1]
2 22 ms 22 ms 22 ms lns1.per1.internode.on.net [150.101.0.195]
3 21 ms 22 ms 22 ms gi6-0-3.cor1.per1.internode.on.net­ [150.101.0.17
7]
.
.
.
.
Trace complete.



You can also try pinging an address like this:

C:\Users\USERNAME>ping 216.107.240.218


this should return 4 packets of 32 bytes of data and a time it took for the address to return them.. good times are under 200 ms.. higher than that and you will notice some lag.. above 500ms and you probably wont be able to connect to anything.

let me know what you find out!

James

You could also try repairing the installation , it may have gotten corrupted with the latest update that went out.

Just insert the GW disc, and when it comes up it should give you the option to repair an installation. .. its worth a try.

James

I'll try both in a little while.

PS: For the user name in the command, what exact user name should it be?

Repairing the installation hasn't helped at all, used both Prophicies and Nightfall. Gonna try the tracer command.

Don't forget to check your port forward on the router. Maybe it forgot to let GW through.

If nothing else works, unplug and replug everything one step at a time.

Or go read a book. I say Stephen King's Dark Tower.

Dunno how to check the whatever the hell it is you're talking about. I'll try to figure it out tomorrow. As for reading material, I've read all seven Dark Tower books, hell I HAVE all seven Dark Tower books.

www.portforward.com is the place to check out. Tell your router to let anything that is guildwars related to go through without checking. Takes the lag out of routers.

Big high five for reading DT.

Same here man. Nice to meet another Tower junkie, in my own guild no less. Thanks for the link to help me out.

Still nothing... THIS SUCKS BIG TIME!
Tried the port forward, NOTHING! Tried repairing the installation, NOTHING! Still ain't tried the first thing James recommended yet... and now I'm officially pissed off.

Does uninstalling it and then re-installing it delete your profile and characters? I might get to where I just might try a fresh installation if I can't get this fixed soon.

Your characters are saved electronically down there at anet, or gwnet, or wherever. I don't even have my original disk anymore, and actually bought Factions and Nightfall electronically.

Go ahead, uninstall it, no worries about data loss. Just don't forget your username and pass!

I remember both very easily.

UPDATE: Uninstalling and then reinstalling did the trick.

Nice work staying with him through this Scion.. well done.

Glad you got it fixed!

James