PlaneShift
Support => Technical Help: IN GAME bugs (after loading world) => Topic started by: DarkNeel on September 05, 2006, 04:35:55 am
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PlaneShift client causes my system to crash: keyboard stops working everything, have to hit reset.
Happens after about 6 to 10 mins of game time. Reasons i think its PS:
1. my system is working fine once im not running PS
2. what else could it be? i just formated my hard drive, all it has is XP, Norton (firewall desabled) and PS, nothing else!!
System:
XP-no service pack
celleron 2.93 ghz
512 ddr
256 mb msi nvidia
256 doiwn 128 up dsl
sound blaster live 24 bit
Any advice?
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If you have just reformatted, make sure your nvidia drivers are upmost to date. It may be running the default drivers becuase of the reinstall.
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forgot to mention all drivers are fully up to date, game was working on sunday.....just after i formated and up-dated the drivers, now trying to play on monday night and repeated system crashes.
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XP, no service packs?!?!?! No firewall?!?
/me coughs badly
You must have some very strong nerves there, sunny. Maybe it's not this, but those repeated system crashes look like plain old system crashes to me instead of being PS related. Check you computer thoroughly. You may be sitting on a virus bomb there...
Don't think that a system format and reinstall will save you, with firewall disabled and XP without service packs... a virus will PWN you faster than you can blink.
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/me almost faints
This made me come to think I need a firewall :o
You should really look through the computer of yours, Darkneel. I have never heard of such a bug as it crashes the entire machine. After reformatting you say? Did you chose a new directory to work in, or else you might have one of those buggers left.
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About firewalls, put a router between your pc and the modem. Hardware firewall...better than any software one.
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About firewalls, put a router between your pc and the modem. Hardware firewall...better than any software one.
What is this "router" you speak of?
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Well, to start off, I suppose you know what a firewall is. Imagine that there was such a device which could protect your computer by default, instead of needing a program installed on your computer.
That is only one of the capabilities of a decent router. The term "router" comes from the verb "to route" which is exactly what such a device is meant to do in the first place. The internet connection isn't exactly like a flow of water but the idea is very similar. A connection is established with the help of packets which "flow" so to speak at a certain speed and with a certain reliability. A router takes the packets received from your computer and routes the to the internet, and again when packets from the internet come to you, it routes them back to your computer. Basically it stands between you and the internet and if you add to a router the capability of firewallling, then you have a very well defended PC.
PC === ||| ==== Internet
Router
with firewall
capabilities
Usually that firewall can be customized, but the default protection that is offers is something like this. Anything coming from your PC is allowed to go out and anything from the Internet is allowed to come in provided that is has a connection with what you had previously initiated. Therefore, it blocks all unsolicited traffic aimed at you - which includes viruses, spyware, trojans and so on. That doesn't mean that you can never get any viruses from here on, but at least you won't get anything that you yourself haven't provoked knowingly (like visiting some... less that legal sites).
Without a router, you can still be protected if you have a firewall, an antivirus and all the updates possible. Without these measures however, on Windows... it's just a question of time until your computers goes haywire. Well, it also depends on how strict your ISP is. If you have a very good one, you may be very protected from the inside at least. My ISP is... not that good actually. One second. That's all it takes for a Windows with no protection to get pwned in my network.
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Ah, thanks Ralley. That cleared things up.
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Glad to help :)
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About firewalls, put a router between your pc and the modem. Hardware firewall...better than any software one.
I highly recommend using a layered approach using both a hardware firewall and software firewall. A hardware firewall is very effective at limiting risk of outside attacks, but is not as effective at blocking malware that is installed on your computer. This malware (adware, trojans, etc.) can make it onto your computer by being packaged along with other software that you install, 'drive-by' downloads thru use of ActiveX controls by malicious web sites, infected e-mails, and other means. This malware can then serve up pop-up ads or automatically download some of it's equally evil friends. A hardware firewall does not normally distinguish between 'good' or 'bad' programs accessing the internet for whatever reason.
This is where a software firewall (such as Zone Alarm) comes in. Most software firewalls offer 'program level' security. Whenever a program tries to access the internet for the first time, the firewall program is going to ask you if you want to allow that program access or not. It does take 'active thinking' on your part since you basically have to tell the firewall that each 'good' program (like Planeshift ;D ) is allowed to access the internet, but this also means that you have the chance to catch and block the 'bad' ones as well.
While one hardware firewall can protect all the PC's behind it on your network, software firewalls have to be installed (and configured) on each PC.
@Ralleyon:
Although in a corporate environment the routing and firewall functions are sometimes served by seperate physical devices, your description accurately describes 'consumer level' routers (usually called Cable/DSL routers). Very nicely written. :thumbup:
More often than not, they also include a switch (usually 4 ports) effectively providing three functions in one device. So with one of these routers you can share your cable or DSL internet connection among four PC's (many more if you have more network switches) while enjoying the benefit of a hardware firewall also.
I always recommend using one of these routers even if you only have one PC using a cable or DSL internet connection just for the protection of the hardware firewall. The default configuration of these routers 'out of the box' is usually not very secure, but is still better than none at all. By reading the user's manual that comes with it and reading a little on the internet, you can usually secure them even more.
@Darkneel:
XP, no service packs?!?!?! No firewall?!?
I whole-heartedly agree. Service Pack 2 should be the bare minimum level for Windows XP that anyone should even think about running. If you are ever in a position where you have to wipe out a machine and install a fresh 'Pre-Service Pack 2' copy of Windows XP, then please, please, please download Service Pack 2 using another machine, burn it to a CD or copy it to a USB stick, and use that to install SP 2 on the fresh XP install before even thinking about plugging that PC into the internet. Use the same method to install virus protecton and a software firewall also. Then, and only then, connect the machine to the internet and immediately download the rest of the Windows XP updates and virus scanning software updates before doing anything else.