Constantly Disconnecting from Server (without error message)

[Criamos]

Hi guys, Well, i bought the S2 license last saturday and since i try to take part in some races online after a certain period of time [between 30secs and 10 minutes] i get disconnected without showing up an error message (i already activated the network messages with shift + F8, but still got no error message). Only "Verbindung zum Server verloren" => english: "lost connection to the server". I'm connected with a netgear router (not wlan), I've forwarded the ports properly (63392, 29339 and tried to set "game port 5433", so i forwarded also 5433, but it didn't fix the problem). First I tried it with Version U20 (the normal download), then yesterday i updated to alpha U28, but it didn't solve the problem. Now i really don't know what else to do...i searched for a solution in the german forum @ live-for-speed.de and here, but none of the solutions for the other ppl worked. I tried to increase the sleep time to 5ms, didn't work. Tried to set "port 80 1", didn't fix the problem either. I'm not using a Firewall, only Windows XP SP2 (firewall deactivated), Netgear router configured properly and my ISP is 1&1. Any suggestions? I really don't know what to do now... ;/

[SamH]

Welcome to LFS!

You shouldn't need to do any port forwarding, unless you're hosting a game for other people to join.

Are you, or someone using your connection, downloading using P2P at the same time as playing LFS? You say you're connected via LAN, and not connected using WLAN. Is the router WLAN-capable? And if so, is disabled? Is it possible that a neighbour is hijacking your WLAN bandwidth?

Perhaps someone who knows more about 1&1 will be able to give some pointers on whether your ISP actively disrupts P2P traffic - LFS, and many other games, use port ranges that some ISPs block or restrict in an attempt to discourage P2Pers. You may need to call your ISP and ask them to stop interfering with your connection, but I don't know if that's the case in your situation.

[Criamos]

Wlan is enabled (for my laptop) but it's secure - noone tried to hijack it and i'm using a 128bit WPA-PSK key, so it should be secure.
Also, i'm the only user here at home, so there should be no P2P activity while i'm playing.
I'm really helpless about this (it's not so, that i just opened a thread because i'm lazy - i searched for a solution the whole last day and today, but didn't find any so i decided to write an email to my ISP to ask if they're blocking that port and i'm waiting for their answer atm.)

Edit:
Well, almost 7 hours later..no response from my ISP...
this sucks 8[

[Criamos]

well, i got a response today:
They don't block any ports...well, looks like i have to look for another solution...any ideas? ;/

[Criamos]

a screenshot of my last disconnect:
http://img174.imageshack.us/my.php?image=errorzw5.jpg

[Rooble]

Is it only LFS that you have issues with? Have you tried playing any other online games?

Is your connection to the internet fine? Are webpages really slow at loading?

Download speeds ok?

Tried pinging a host? i.e google.de ebay.de

If thats ok, run a trace in RUN
tracert ebay.de > C:\trace.txt

Only things i can really suggest, i know that Viper93 is having issues with his connection to LFS servers at the moment, he seems to think its his router over heating. Well that was his inital thought, not sure what he has uncovered as of yet.

Keep us posted if you fix it!:thumb:

[Criamos]

all other games are okay (i played world of warcraft for a long time now), Red Orchestra works also fine - and (even if i hate it) i tried CS:S and tested if i loose connection...nothing.
My pings are just as normal as everyday (about 50ms to google.de) and I've got a lot of servers in LFS which show me also about 50-70ms ping ranges.
Even when i'm on the server and i'm looking at those ping-meters in the left corner of the screen: my ping isn't really higher than the other pings. I really don't know the reason for that ;/

edit:
I checked the temp. of my router and dsl modem...none of them are hot (so i don't think it's caused by overheating).

edit2: I tried playing with my router and without...same problem: Disconnects en masse. ;/

[Rooble]

Its really weird, im not too sure what else it could be, unless of course anyone else using your ISP is having the same issue. Do you know anyone else in the LFS community using 1&1?

And also, try playing on a demo LFS server see if that does the same (its a long shot, probably will still disconnect) but its worth a go!

Other then that im pretty clueless!

[[RCG]Boosted]

i have 1&1 too, but beside that i lost my inet (several times) for 1-7 days, i dont have problems.
disconnect are rare (happend like 3 times since ive started playing lfs).

[Criamos]

it's really frustrating...
well, it's me again: uninstalled LFS, installed it again, with and without U30. same problem...
I just played several hours with about...10-15 disconnects and when i'm disconnected, the other players just see: Lost Connection to Criamos.

The Last Disconnect was like this:
"Can't say bye - unknown"
...5 secs
"Lost Connection to the Server"

I have no clue what it could be...
last time i tracert ebay.de, it was okay, but look now: (without any downloads/other users on the router!)



Routenverfolgung zu ebay.de [66.135.192.71] �ber maximal 30 Abschnitte:



1 1 ms 1 ms 1 ms p5493288D.dip0.t-ipconnect.de [84.147.40.141]

2 * * * Zeit�berschreitung der Anforderung.

3 44 ms 44 ms 44 ms 217.0.70.86

4 140 ms 140 ms 139 ms 62.156.131.150

5 140 ms 139 ms 140 ms sl-gw31-nyc-12-0.sprintlink.net [144.223.27.133]

6 140 ms 142 ms 141 ms sl-bb23-nyc-12-0.sprintlink.net [144.232.13.33]

7 140 ms 141 ms 144 ms sl-bb21-nyc-8-0.sprintlink.net [144.232.7.110]

8 145 ms 147 ms 148 ms sl-bb26-pen-4-0-0.sprintlink.net [144.232.20.142]

9 144 ms 145 ms 145 ms sl-bb25-pen-15-0.sprintlink.net [144.232.16.89]

10 215 ms 215 ms 216 ms sl-bb20-stk-13-0.sprintlink.net [144.232.20.167]

11 217 ms 215 ms 215 ms sl-bb20-sj-9-0.sprintlink.net [144.232.20.99]

12 216 ms 214 ms 215 ms sl-gw19-sj-14-0.sprintlink.net [144.232.0.226]

13 * * * Zeit�berschreitung der Anforderung.

14 * * * Zeit�berschreitung der Anforderung.

15 * * * Zeit�berschreitung der Anforderung.

16 * * * Zeit�berschreitung der Anforderung.

17 * * * Zeit�berschreitung der Anforderung.

18 * * * Zeit�berschreitung der Anforderung.

19 * * * Zeit�berschreitung der Anforderung.

20 * * * Zeit�berschreitung der Anforderung.

21 * * * Zeit�berschreitung der Anforderung.

[Criamos]

It's perhaps helpful for the devs: My Dxdiag file:

[Blas89]

You cant connect since the first post bro??? wow thats some serious problem:schwitz: Reboot ur router or something... look for viruses on ur pc, it might help:shrug:

[Criamos]

i can connect - and i can play, but after a period of time i suddenly get disconnected without an error message, just:
"Lost Connection to the server" ;/

[SparkyDave]

I bet if you try a patch cable instead of wireless you would find it stays connected for alot longer?

SD.

[Criamos]

I'm connected via normal LAN cable with my router, only my laptop (which i don't use to play LFS) is connected via W-LAN. ;/

[kieran20]

I'm connected via normal LAN cable with my router, only my laptop (which i don't use to play LFS) is connected via W-LAN. ;/

i have the same prblem as you. it seems that it is when the server is busy.full. very fustrating. i am wondering if is my system spec thatcant keep up when many ppl online, so it shuts me off. im no computer genius thought this is only my thought ;)

[SparkyDave]

I'm connected via normal LAN cable with my router


My mistake I misread somthing :)

Have you rebooted (or powered down)the Router recently? maybe a firmware upgrade is available?

I was going to say it could be a faulty patch cable but you say WWC runs fine for long periods..

does this happen on all servers?

SD.

EDIT : @Kieran; Sys spec shouldnt make a difference, its normaly something to do with the connection.

[kieran20]

My mistake I misread somthing :)

Have you rebooted (or powered down)the Router recently? maybe a firmware upgrade is available?

I was going to say it could be a faulty patch cable but you say WWC runs fine for long periods..

does this happen on all servers?

SD.

EDIT : @Kieran; Sys spec shouldnt make a difference, its normaly something to do with the connection.

ok, like i said im no genius :D

[Criamos]

If tried to reboot the Router, checked if the firmware of my netgear wpn824 is the newest version: yup, it is.
I have absolutely no clue what it could be, but as more ppl are on a server, it seems like the period of time after which i get disconnected is much shorter than on a lower populated server (e.g.: If I drive with 4 other people, i can play between 5 and 10 minutes until i get disconnected - and if i play with 16 ppl (just like today) i get disconnected after 30secs to 4-5 minutes).
This problem occurs on every server i connect to, it seems that only on servers with no other ppl playing i don't get disconnected (and hell, that's no fun at all ^^).

[Blas89]

:(

[SgtNathan]

I have 2 friends which had the "Lost Connection to Host" problem, they would get disconnected randomly within 2-10mins of joining a server. Both of them were using the same ISP but one of them changed and since changing to the new isp he hasn't had any lost connections whatsoever (my other friend which didn't change isp is still having the same problems)

My guess is the isp is blocking the ports or something along those lines...

[kieran20]

more info on this problem for me. the lag meter for me goes up and up until it disconnects me. so is this a lag issue when the server is busy or full? it only seems to happen when servers are full. any help?

[rcfrik]

that's happening with me to. It's really frustrating. I NEED HELP!!!

[xWolFx]

I am not usre if this has been said before, but are you guys using a Firewall? and if so which one(s).

[kieran20]

windows firewal, i doubt this is the problem thought as this only happens between certain times.

[xWolFx]

Is the firewall off? and if so do you have anything else running that might cause lag/loss of connection, otherwise if you dont mind switching firewalls try http://www.zonelabs.com for a good free firewall, it works fine with LFS once configured, not sure if it will solve the problem but you never know...

[the_angry_angel]

windows firewal, i doubt this is the problem thought as this only happens between certain times.If it really only happens between certain times, its extremely likely to be an issue with your ISP/network being "overloaded".

[kieran20]

If it really only happens between certain times, its extremely likely to be an issue with your ISP/network being "overloaded".

i am looking into this, however i thought i would just add to whatis happening to see what people come up with, being that im onmly 16 i have to get dad to find out and hes not very heful with this :D

[rcfrik]

I also have to figure out this by my self, since I'm best at home with routers and stuff. But I just can't figure out why I'm losing connection to a server when it's more than 7-8 people there:shrug: That's what I ask you guys to help me with:shy:

[starry]

I'm getting the same problem, and it's got a lot worse over the last few days (which might or might not have anything to do with installing the latests patches). I did a test on one of the CoRe servers (53 ping for me) while it was totally empty, and still got disconnected, so it's not a server load issue!

Like other people, no warning and no lag - just a random disconnect. I haven't screwed with my firewall, haven't changed ISP recently, don't use a wireless router... If my ISP are screwing with me, they've only just started doing it. :pillepall

If anyone figures out what's going on (patch issue, ISP problem or whatever), add me to the list of people that really, really want to know the answer!

PS Does LFS write any sort of error log after an event like this?

[Dajmin]

I am by no means an expert, but I've seen people in other games having this kind of problem and it sounds to me like it could be the ISP cycling ports (or whatever it's called) to try and stop P2P.

From what I understand, it involves closing old ports and opening new ones every few minutes, so that P2P connections are lost. Since LFS operates in a P2P range, this is a likely cause. MMORPGs like WoW and EQ tend to use standard HTML ports so they wouldn't be affected, but that wouldn't explain why CS:S wasn't disconnecting too.

My suggestion would be (if you have a modem) get a free trial installation from some other ISPs and see if you have the same issue. If not, then that's what it is. If you keep getting the issue then it's something closer to home.

[Methyl Ethyl]

ALL that are having troubles connecting or staying connected.

Try switching your color from 32 bit, to 16 bit.

Worked for me...........took me 2-4 months to figure it out (maybe even longer).........but I got it.

[starry]

Methyl, were you getting disconnected or was the game crashing to desktop? Also, was this happening in single player mode too?

I can see how a bad video card or driver might cause the graphics engine to sick up and dump you back to the menu, but not lose a 'net connection to a server. If that was the problem, then you'd get dumped back to a menu from single or multiplayer, I think.

If you find it was a bad card/driver, then you could replace them and get the game running in 32bit again. If not, we've got a bug on our hands.

[scarface987]

Hi there, i'm having the same problem. Can't stay connected for more than 10min :( Don't know if it is the new patch but maybe. I dont have any firewall activated while im playing no p2p or any crap....

[Chris758]

Perhaps you were just being kicked by the admin.
__________________
Come and join in the fun at http://www.dacostasdestructionderby.co.nr

[DrDNA]

I'm also having a similar problem, but I only seem to get disconnected from the CC servers. My little connection bar will slowly start to grow, during which time everything runs absolutely fine. Once it hits red, the chat stops being updated but cars still drive around. Then it'll either snap back to the bottom and a flood of chat will come through or, in the case of CC, sometimes I'll be disconnected. It takes about 15-20 seconds from the time the bar starts to raise until the time I'm disconnected.

I've found that I get little connection freezes in CS:S (which I've started playing again recently with a friend) every few mins that will last about 1-2 seconds, but that's the only other connection issue I've noticed. MSN stays connected, as does IRC and my downloads run perfectly fine. I use Windows Firewall for protection and have tried LFS with the DMZ enabled and the problem remains.

In CS:S it isn't that annoying because it literally happens every 3-4 minutes and is short enough to not really affect gameplay, but the process takes much longer in LFS and the connection will sometimes fail.

As a last point, I haven't been disconnected from any other LFS servers in months and months, not since I first got my WLAN set up.

[Vancouver_Canuck]

Hi there, i'm having the same problem. Can't stay connected for more than 10min :( Don't know if it is the new patch but maybe. I dont have any firewall activated while im playing no p2p or any crap....

I too am having the exact same problem.. Anyone found a fix yet? I'm getting frustrated :( It was working fine before the patch.

[Davo]

If you're on wireless throw it out and get a cat5 cable. I've noticed players opn wireless seem to lag around everywhere and if someone is lagging then the whole server tends to lag and stuff everyone else up. Once the server has had enough it disconnects people.

Check to make sure windows updates aren't running in the background, these can also cause problems. Turn off automatic and make it notify you of updates so you choose them yourself.

[Methyl Ethyl]

Methyl, were you getting disconnected or was the game crashing to desktop? Also, was this happening in single player mode too?

I can see how a bad video card or driver might cause the graphics engine to sick up and dump you back to the menu, but not lose a 'net connection to a server. If that was the problem, then you'd get dumped back to a menu from single or multiplayer, I think.

If you find it was a bad card/driver, then you could replace them and get the game running in 32bit again. If not, we've got a bug on our hands.

No..not crashing to desktop...just getting booted from on-line servers. I am on a dial-up connection, so that MIGHT have soemthing to do with it too.

[DrDNA]

Well, my issues are resolved. Turns out that the Windows wireless service was treating my connection as though it was simply one of many possible choices, despite it being my regular home dedicated connection, and was searching for other wireless services in the area, which was causing lag spikes every minute or so. I just played for about 45 mins on the CC server and wasn't disconnected once and my little connection bar didn't start climbing at all. If anyone else is having issues while using a wireless connection, and plan on using the same one all the time, go into:

Control Panel>Administrative Tools>Services>Wireless Zero Configuration

and 'Stop' the service (if you're already connected). This should stop the service from screwing around with your connection once it's been established.

This will need to be done every time you start Windows and establish your regular connection. If, while Windows is running, you wish to switch to another wireless service, or need to connect to your network again for whatever reason, you must activate the service once again to establish the connection.

Thanks to "burN|TWEAKSTUR" for the tip!

[SparkyDave]

Or better still run a cable ^^Davo^^ :D

Glad you sorted it :)

SD.

[DrDNA]

I was actually making measurements for cable when burN|TWEAKSTUR suggested a solution :). It's too late to get a refund for my router/antenna, so i wasn't looking forward to spending even more money.

[Honey]

If tried to reboot the Router, checked if the firmware of my netgear wpn824 is the newest version: yup, it is.
I have absolutely no clue what it could be, but as more ppl are on a server, it seems like the period of time after which i get disconnected is much shorter than on a lower populated server (e.g.: If I drive with 4 other people, i can play between 5 and 10 minutes until i get disconnected - and if i play with 16 ppl (just like today) i get disconnected after 30secs to 4-5 minutes).
This problem occurs on every server i connect to, it seems that only on servers with no other ppl playing i don't get disconnected (and hell, that's no fun at all ^^).
i have your problem too! in my case, it's my ISP fault i have about 30% packet loss, i made precise tests and disconnects occur exactly when too many packets in a row are dropped, the solution is to open a trouble ticket to your ISP and they must fix it!!! usual isp don't have more than 1% packet loss (actually much less).

i found that U and U20 servers seem more robust and keep connection longer and also less populated servers, maybe this could help while your isp fixes your connection.

if you want to see a rough estimate of your packet loss do a "ping -t google.com" from a command console and see how many replies are lost.

hope it helps ;)

[Criamos]

well, i tested it.
I opened the cmd panel, pinged google.de for about 1 hour and stopped it
=> 1 packet lost (0% packet loss)
I have no clue what it could be...damn ;/

[Honey]

let me dare to say: it's better this way (to have no packet loss) :)

another things to try:

- download full lfs version V and make a new installation (i know how silly looks this hint, but surprisingly many times it works (thanks microsoft!) simply because sometimes a file copy or an unzip may fail for various reasons and not telling you)

- disable w-lan from your router and any other not needed features (logging, etc.) that may slow down your router

- after you have joined to an lfs server press ctrl+T, you should see a message like "asking for tcp connection for position updates"

- check your security software that may slow down lfs with the process of transmitting and receiving packets (firewall, process guard, etc.) and eventually find alternatives or a way to circumvent the side effect

- patch your tcpip.sys for unlimited connections (lvllord.de), i know it may not seem so, but a not patched tcpip.sys may prevent even a simple program with a single connection to work with the network

[Honey]

i'm just curious to know if you fixed your problem and to know how you solved (maybe useful for other people too in the future ;) )

[Criamos]

i didn't solve it yet - i tried a lot of things and nothing worked.
seems like
a) i have to reinstall windows to give it a try
b) i have to change my provider (though it's one of the biggest here in germany)
I think i just wait some time and when i upgrade my pc i'll have to reinstall windows - and if it wont work then - i doesn't know what to do ;/

[Criamos]

a small update:
I can play LFS now without being disconnected. Why? I could locate the Error: It has to be something with my computer. Playing LFS on my laptop just works fine (though i'm connected via wlan on my laptop). This leads to the conclusion that it isn't my connection but something on my computer. I'm sure i have no trojans, spyware or viruses on my machine so only reinstalling my OS would be a solution but since i'm not going to format and reinstall windows again until i'll upgrade my pc the only solution will be playing on my laptop (which isn't bad either, i only have to free space on my table to put it there when i want to play LFS - kinda complicated, but it's okay)