Re: DirectPlay troubleshooting

Hi Sudz,

Number 6 does indeed recommend *disabling* that feature of your router
as it is a troubleshooting step which has solved LAN gaming issues in some
cases. For now however, there is no need to upload the diagnostics log. :-)

--
Cheers, *Windows_XP_MVP_Shell/User*
Jimmy S. http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

Visit my MSN Zone.com and Gaming Help Site: http://mvps.org/nibblesnbits
MS Games Help and Support Center: http://support.microsoft.com/?pr=gms
My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
_________________________________________________________

Sudz Wrote:
=================
| Hey Jimmy, thanks for respoding. Did I read #6 correctly? To DIS-able the
| UPnP on my router? I thought the whole point of UPnP was to help with
| problems such as these, and keep us from having to manually open specific
| ports in a router? I can certainly give it a try, I just wanted to make sure
| that wasn't a typo first.
| As a side note on the rest, thus far as pertaining to #1 the only firewall I
| have running is Windows firewall (disabled now, for testing purposes, but
| without success), #4 I have done, #5 I just did last night, #8 hasn't worked
| (specifying other machine's IP address), and for #9 I am in fact using
| private addresses (192.168.1.x). I will try the other this evening and let
| you know. Let me know if you think it would help for me to upload my dxdiag
| log.
| Sudz
|
| "Jimmy S." wrote:
|
|| Hi Sudz,
||
||
|| When LAN games don't connect, there are a few variables to consider, for
|| example check for a patch at: www.avault.com/pcrl/patches_list.asp?letter=a
||
|| 1. Disconnect from the Internet by physically unplugging the cable or DSL
|| line, and then since there's no longer danger of outside attacks, turn off
|| your software firewall (Norton's, McAfee, Zone Alarm, Outpost, ICF,
|| etc.) as these firewalls could be blocking data to and from your system.
||
|| 2. If you use a router, it could be blocking you as well:
|| Routers have built-in port blocking firewalls based on NAT technology.
|| DirectX games require that ports be open in order for the data packets
|| to be able to travel from one system to another. Here's How to Configure
|| a router for Multiplayer: http://mvps.org/nibblesnbits/PortRoute.html#howto
||
|| 3. If Step 1 applies to you, but you want an alternative solution, pick up a cross-
|| over cable from your local supply shop to directly connect one computer to
|| the other on a 2 player LAN, especially if both computers are close together.
||
|| 4. If you have multiple network adapters, the game might be using the wrong one
|| To verify this behaviour, click Start / Control Panel / System / Hardware Tab
|| / Device Manager, click the + next to Network Adapters, right click the adapter
|| which accesses the Internet, and "Disable" it from the right-click menu. If that
|| works, open Control Panel / Network Connections, click Advanced / Advance
|| Settings / click the LAN Connection and then the UP arrow to change it's priority
|| so it's at the top of the list. Test your Internet games to see if they work this way.
||
|| 5. DirectX may need to be upgraded on both systems:
|| http://www.microsoft.com/windows/directx/default.aspx
||
|| 6. Universal PnP might need to be disabled in your router, or in Windows XP:
|| a) To enable or disable UPnP in XP, click Start / Run / type: services.msc
|| and you can then right-click Universal Plug and Play on the list to Start it.
|| b) Consult your router manual for the UPnP instructions for your model.
||
|| 7. Network Adapter drivers may need to be updated on one or all machines.
||
|| 8. You may need to specify the target IP using a game specific method.
|| Consult your game manual or readme file in the game directory. For MS
|| games: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;EN-US;gmsnetw
||
|| 9. You might be specifying the Public IP instead of the Private (LAN) IP.
|| To easily find the Public and Private IP numbers of the computer you
|| are using, visit: http://www.u.arizona.edu/~trw/games/nat_or_not.php
||
|| For more in depth troubleshooting, try this MS Network Troubleshooting article:
|| http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/columns/russel/02april08.asp
||
|| .... and this exceptional Windows XP MVP Network Troubleshooter:
|| http://www.michna.com/kb/wxnet.htm
||
|| --
|| Cheers, *Windows_XP_MVP_Shell/User*
|| Jimmy S. http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
||
|| Visit my MSN Zone.com and Gaming Help Site: http://mvps.org/nibblesnbits
|| MS Games Help and Support Center: http://support.microsoft.com/?pr=gms
|| My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
|| _________________________________________________________
||
||
||
|| Sudz Wrote:
|| =================
||| I've been having an issue trying to get various games to work properly on my
||| LAN for months, and I think what it all boils down to can be tied to
||| DirectPlay. When I run 'DXDIAG' on both of my workstations and try to test
||| out directplay by establishing a 'chat' session, they cannot see each other.
||| I don't get any kind of error message though or anything else that might tell
||| me WHY my testing is not working. Any helpful hints on troubleshooting
||| DirectPlay? I went ahead last night and downloaded the most recent version
||| of DirectX and installed on both machines, but still no dice. Aside from the
||| LAN gaming and DirectPlay issue, both computers seem to be able to 'see' each
||| other just fine (share files without problems, ping each other, etc.) so I
||| can't imagine what the problem is with DirectPlay.
||| Thanks!
||| Sudz


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: DirectPlay troubleshooting
    ... UPnP on my router? ... > DirectX games require that ports be open in order for the data packets ... If you have multiple network adapters, the game might be using the wrong one ... > | out directplay by establishing a 'chat' session, ...
    (microsoft.public.games)
  • Re: DirectPlay troubleshooting
    ... > Hi Sudz, ... > Number 6 does indeed recommend *disabling* that feature of your router ... > MS Games Help and Support Center: http://support.microsoft.com/?pr=gms ... > ||| out directplay by establishing a 'chat' session, ...
    (microsoft.public.games)
  • Re: DirectPlay troubleshooting
    ... *Dis*able the UPnP on the router, ... the computers themselves, or disable/remove it on them as well? ... > MS Games Help and Support Center: http://support.microsoft.com/?pr=gms ... > ||| out directplay by establishing a 'chat' session, ...
    (microsoft.public.games)
  • Re: DirectPlay troubleshooting
    ... DirectX games require that ports be open in order for the data packets ... the other on a 2 player LAN, especially if both computers are close together. ... If you have multiple network adapters, the game might be using the wrong one ... | out directplay by establishing a 'chat' session, ...
    (microsoft.public.games)
  • Re: LAN Gaming problem
    ... firmware on my router however to find that it didn't help. ... - all games I've tried to LAN are running the same version, ... connect to the wireless LinkSys router and play games without reconfiguring ... - No specification required in any games I've tried so far on this network ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.games)