Final Fantasy XI and Vista
Well, my recent dismay at EQ2 (all of my coworkers leaving the game, most my friends leaving the server, lack of interesting content, etc) has driven me back to dinking with FFXI (Final Fantasy XI). I originally played it back … wow, almost 3 years ago and had played it since US release.
After reinstalling, reactivating my account (with the help of the cool “Welcome Home” promotions they have—reactivate and a free period again to get you back into the game), and even picking up the new expansion pack, Treasures of Aht Urhgan, I’m back casually playing and leveling up a… of course, Red Mage. Red Mages are like furies in EQ2, but cooler.
So, the challenge? Installing on Vista. My CDs (yes, laugh all you want, I didn’t have a DVD reader when I got FFXI the first time) are.. well, what? from 2002? That SURE didn’t support Vista; however, unlike Sony Online Entertainment and EQ2, SquareEnix has embraced newer technology such as dual core, the new 8800 video cards, and even Vista. A special version of PlayOnline is available here. Download this FIRST and install it instead of the PlayOnline found on the original CDs (or even the newer DVDs). After that, install FFXI and each expansion as normal.
Now, I had ONE issue—I run on 64–bit Windows Vista and the Control Panel for FFXI (to change resolutions, bump mapping, etc) crashed. How to fix that? Just take a deep breath and do a bit of registry editing—this would have been the case anyway because the controls do not natively support my monitor’s resolution. The best guide for the registry settings can be found here. Tweak to your heart’s delight.
Beyond that, it’s ran flawlessly and the world itself is BEAUTIFUL on the newer video cards—without ANY lag what-so-ever (except Jeuno… though /names off helps a LOT there).
So, I’ll be dinking with FFXI on my off time in EQ2… if you’re around, I’m playing as Derahine (obviously) on Hades. I get a kick out of the “Welcome to Hades!” when I log in—it’s like when I walk into the office. 
Ramblings of the Sleepy... 
OMG you saved me from throwing my computer out of the window! After speanding 3hrs to get my graphics card working i found that the POL didn’t work. So i looked in a Google search and found this post! Thank you!!
Thank you i all most gave up playing FFXi.my faverit game. Its instaled and running better than it did on windows XP.Thanx
Hello!,
I’ve just aquired a dell dimension 9200, with core2 duo, 2g of ram, and a nvidia gforce 8600 256m, i’ve been expiriencing kinda of a lag in the game, i read that SE its still running tests on the gforce 8 series, can u tell me wich video card do u have, i need some hope, i´ve tried anything to make it run well, i dont know what else to dO!
pleae help!
Thank you
@pipe-
I have the Dell XPS710 with nVidia 8800 (2) at 768Mb memory each… but, for Final Fantasy XI, the engine doesn’t really tax the video cards. FFXI still runs based on the 30FPS engine that was applied for PlayStation 2 playing–so it doesn’t take advantage of real fast hardware (something they’re rumoring to fix with the new windowing client in Wings of the Goddess).
What you can do is tweak your settings.. dink with your anti-aliasing, resolution, etc, and see how things work. Here’s a post of the registry settings that go above and beyond what the client will take you:
http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/forum.html?forum=10&mid=1089735902216382834&num=3
Just change little things, log in, run around (like in Lower Jeuno), and see how it goes.
HI David!
Thank you a lot man! i was thinking the problem was the network card or something like that, cuz it when my character is all alone it looks just fine, but when i get around by just a single character it begins to move awful, like frame by frame, i dont know if this has to do with the video card, but ill try it….
Thanks man, u have given me hope!
PD: i cant try it just yet cuz i uninstalled it yesterday, and no i have to make te loooooooooooooong update again =P
Hello!.
Ok i did what you told me, now the games look awesome!!!!!,,,, but Unfortunately im expiriencing the same problem, the kinda lag thing, charcacters are still getting “frame by frame” like…
I thought it could be my internet connection, but the game looks smooth on my old pc!
i dont know what esle to do, i’ve already turn off any firewall and antivirus,,,,
do u have any othe idea?
thansk you
If you are running SLI, turn it off and give it a try. I run dual monitors, so I actually opened up the case, removed the SLI connector and have one monitor on one card and the other on the other card…
Vista + SLI still seems flaky on some things and can cause issues (or did for me).
Also, try making it look “not so” awesome and see how it runs–that’ll help narrow out your connection. 🙂
I have just a single videocard, and a 22″ widescreen….
i’ve tried by setting the graphics to its mininum, same laginess
/cry
Hmm, worth a shot.
a) If you have a large, very fast USB jump drive that’s empty, like a 2gb or 4gb drive, plug it in and try to use ReadyBoost to add more memory processing to your system.
b) if not, try to disable SuperFetch.
From a prior post of mine:
You CAN disable SuperFetch’s service, test out your own benchmarks, and make an assumption whether or not it’s a good fit for you. To disable the service, go into the Services Console (Start > Run > services.msc) and Stop/Disable SuperFetch, then reboot the computer.
Hello Again David!
Im sorry to bother you so much, the problem is still there, too much lag in the cities, all fo them i was trying yesterday, i made a huge mob train, and i didnt got any lag, but just at the moment i get into sandy or jeuno i get the frame by frame lag,,,,,,
I tried teh SuperFectch, no result,,,,,
Do u have any other suggestions?
Im thinkin about calling dell to change my videocard, maybe is broken =P….
if it just happens in the cities, try turning down the # of displayed characters.. umm.. Second Menu > Config > Misc. > Character Models Displayed. Change it from Max to half way or something… I take to min while grouping or raiding; it’s a huge help.
It doesn’t sound like a video card problem if you can train through with dozens of animated mobs and don’t get it… cities are always a hassle–even with the fastest card. It’s, unfortunately, just the current FFXI client model and it’s lock on FPS. 😦
Hello David!
Well, i tried everithing i could, nothing worked,
Solution?
i installed Windows XP and now all the problems i had are gone!!!!
I noticed that in vista when im in the AH the R communication meter top was 500 to 550, and in XP its 1800 or more,, now i see that the problem was the connection, why? i dont know,, lol
i want to thank u about taking ur time to help me, u were a big help man, THANKS!!!!
if u come by to Asura /tell =P
CHEERS!!!!
Glad that going back to XP worked–though that’s crazy… I was in WhiteGate the other night and my R was nearly 2000.. and holding steady (was prepping for a double Besieged.. good times). Maybe that was it though–odd network drivers the whole time. Good luck!
OMFG! Dude, you just saved me £750!
I was about to ditch this awesome Laptop (which sadly has Vista) and go for one with Win XP JUST to play FFXI (I’ve been driving everyone at home and at the office insane cos of this) but you’ve just saved me a small fortune!
Thank you so much man! Might pop into Hades and say Hi! lol
Haha, I actually have a mule on Hades… was playing around on there for a while before Welcome Home came around and I could revive my old toon on Valefor. (^_^)
Just tried this, and now when I try to install FFXI, i get an error saying the Play Onlien Viewier is not installed, which is wrong, because I just spend an hour downloading, an hour updating, and a few minutes checking it to make sure it works, and it does, just FFXI won’t let me install it now… Any ideas anyone?
@Andy – You’re using the right POL viewer, right? The Vista one from http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/download/media/vista01.html?
Can you log into POL (without installing FFXI)?
Also, make sure you don’t have any of the old viewers installed or other SE software… so, from a “clean” machine:
1. Install Vista POL Viewer from http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/download/media/vista01.html.
2. Login to POL, download the POL updates using the autodownloader.
3. Install FFXI Core.
4. Install Expansions.
5. Login to POL, into FFXI, and let the download commence.
Hey!
I recently installed FFXI on my new Dell m1710 with Vista. The graphics are great, but I’m getting lag in my S and R fields. S is like 25 and R maxes out at like 350. So whenever I click on someone to talk, it takes like 10 seconds for them to start talking. Same with attacking. Any suggestions?
@Josh – Yeah, that sounds like Pipe’s problem (see above in comments). Unfortunately, we couldn’t find a good fix for him–he ended up reformatting back to XP.
The only other rumor I’ve heard is that products like Symantic and McAfee’s security products (that come preloaded on Dells) can drag network throughput to it’s knees.
[update: Found a blog post that mentions this below… haven’t tried it myself, but it can’t hurt. If it doesn’t improve, run it again with =enabled to turn it back on.
Turning off Automatic network speed tuning in Vista. Open a Command Prompt as an Administrator and run:
netsh interface tcp set global autotuninglevel=disabled
Reboot and try that.]
Thanks for the response. I turned off McAfee firewall internet protection, but that didn’t help. I read Pipe’s comments, and it seems we’re having the same problem. R maxes out too low. It’s weird.
I tried that command prompt, but all it said was:
“Set global command failed on IPv4 The requested operation requires elevation.”
Comments? Suggestions?
Gotta run as Administrator. Instead of just clicking on ‘Command Prompt’, right click on it and Run as Administrator. 🙂 That’ll elevate you.
Oh, and I found article that talks about how uninstalling McAfee fixed network transfer issues.
Ahh; did that work? I’m running AVG and haven’t ever had a problem.
Neither command prompt or uninstalling McAfee worked for me. *sigh*
When I tried to enable that command back, it said “invalid parameter”
I entered:
netsh interface tcp set global autotuninglevel=enabled
One of those articles (or a forum post.. ehh, dunno), also recommended disabling ReadyBoost and SuperFetch. Their idea was that network traffic was being cached before handed to apps. Again, I have both (using a 4GB flash drive) and it works fine. 😦 Something to try though.
Start > Run > Services.msc > Disable ReadyBoost and SuperFetch. > Reboot.
There’s a post here on my blog talking about some of my experiences, trials, and such using both of these technologies.
@Josh-
Whoops, it’s normal, not enabled.
Here are the options:
autotuninglevel – One of the following values:
disabled: Fix the receive window at its default
value.
highlyrestricted: Allow the receive window to
grow beyond its default value, but do so
very conservatively.
restricted: Allow the receive window to grow
beyond its default value, but limit such
growth in some scenarios.
normal: Allow the receive window to grow to
accomodate almost all scenarios.
experimental: Allow the receive window to grow
to accomodate extreme scenarios.
WARNING: This can dramatically degrade
performance in common scenarios and should
only be used for research purposes.
I’ve never tuned those settings… here’s a TechNet on them… maybe this would help:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb726965.aspx
YOU ARE AN ANGEL! Thank you so much for this! I was having major lag issues in the game. So bad that I couldn’t even chat or participate during LS meetings OR level up in pts. I went in and did the tweaks and my game runs much smoother now!
{/bow} ty ty!
I have a Geforce8400M GT on my sony viao laptop but Im reallyyyyy laggy for some reason. All other games I can max out the settings and I am lagless but this game is mad lag. ANy help please?
(Runs on Vista)
Hi there, I have recently been getting a new Dell PC and had nothing but problems installing ff11, I downloaded the compatible vista playonline and works fine, However everytime I go to install my ff11 disks it comes up with a error message asking me to please install playonline first and cancels the installation.
Please help
Thanks
@jv – Remember, FFXI doesn’t base it’s performance on video settings, but more on network and CPU settings. I have a GeForce7900M in my laptop and it plays “ok”, but definately not 30fps in Whitegate or anything like that. I’m not sure if they apply to the mobile platforms, but the latest drivers, 169.25, REALLY helped performance on my workstation NVidia card; perhaps that’d be worth a try.
A few other things to check:
1. Make sure your laptop is set to high performance in power mode–let it use every resource it has available to it.
2. If your hard drive is anything but 7200rpm (a lot of laptop hard drives are still 5400rpm), consider an external usb2/firewire/eSATA 7200rpm hard drive. FFXI has literally tens of thousands of files it swaps in and out and a fast hard drive is key to performance.
3. Don’t use the new FFXI windower on a laptop. Some say it works great; I had HORRID performance on my laptop with the new SqEnix Windower.
Good luck!
@Lee-
The default installer from both the Vana’diel Collection 2007 and original FFXI CD’s is to attempt to install PlayOnline first. Make sure that you bypass the “old” POL installer (since you’ve already installed the new Vista POL) and directly install FFXI, then Zilart, then CoP, then ToAU, then WotG.
Also, make sure you downloaded the correct language–the US releases will not recognize the EU releases, etc. You can “hack” this by modifying the registry keys and changing PlayOnlineUS to PlayOnlineEU and vice-versa, but it’s not recommended (^_~).
i got the same problem as lee…
I installed the Playonline viewer from CD… then found it didnt work. So after cruising the net i found the downloadable vista version… after a few hours that finished so i installed it over the old playonline files.
the viewer works fine now but when i try and install the FFXI cd’s it comes up with an error saying i dont have Playonline viewer installed… wtf??
Can you help me through this?
I am having the same problem as Stephen and Lee, i try to bypass the POL setup by installing straight from the first ffxi cd but i seem to have the same problem, I think it might be as you said in an earlier comment about the EU and US versions not being able to recognise each other, although i dont know which one i have is there anyway to tell? The official FFXI website says that in the original ffxi box (not the vanadiel 2006 one which i dont have) that the setup is on disk 2. I have tried this aswell and found it not to work at all it wont even start the install. Please and thankyou in advance for any advice you can give. (^_^)
Unfortunately, until now, I’ve never heard or seen that problem.
To check your version, you can look in the registry.
Start > Run > regedit.
The key is HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > PlayOnline{US/EU}.
If you’re x64, it’s HKLM > Software > Wow6432Node > PlayOnline{US/EU}.
To be very honest, that’s the only thing I can think of right now. The next thing I’d recommend is calling up POL support and seeing what they say.
Hi,
about the ”please install playonline first ” ,read an article saying that you should install all original files from the POL original CD, then FFX1, then uninstall POL and set the Vista version up. Trying that NOW 🙂
Reg.Bert
Hello David, I read your article 2 weeks ago, and I got my POL and FFXI to work after almost giving up. I thank you for that. :P. But, now, I have a problem same as others with lag. I have a Gateway, Verizon DSL and Vista Home Premium. I’ve tried deleting all my programs even some that I use daily like Limewire and sometimes WoW,but i’ve become desperate to get rid of this lag. People tell me Gateway sucks, along with DSL AND Vista. I’ve got a GeForce 8600 Graphics Card. 64-bit Processor. Only 1024 MB DDR2. Mem. and Hard Drive: 250 GB SATA II. Well, basically it seems that I have one last option and that’s to just downgrade to Windows XP. Which I guess is really more like an upgrade. If you have any new ideas let me know. 😉 Thank you in advance if you read this!
Hey Cody-
Try the NVidia FFXI drivers I posted up the other day. So far, they seem to fix most EVERYTHING that is wrong in our FFXI lives. 🙂
Post here:
Hmmm, so far I tried the “winvista64bit” which is what I have.. I think. Haha. It’s talking about the Processor isn’t it? If so I clicked the right one, but it says that Window’s Vista 64 bit download doesn’t match and therefor can’t down be installed. Should I just try all of the 169.17’s? lol
Okay, I just tried the Window’s Vista 32-bit and it’s DLing now, but i’m getting alot of messages asking if I’m sure I want to allow this program to go through. Damn vista!. lol.
@Cody-
Most Vista installations, unless you specifically requested/purchased 64-bit, are x86 (32-bit). Give those a shot.
Yeah, it’ll prompt you saying “oh hey, these are unsigned drivers”–it’s the same for all beta drivers from NVidia.
Good luck!
Hey, it worked! I have no lag now man, even with all the effects on. =D
Amazing. BUT somthing bad happened over night when I put my computer on ” Standby ” which I hear is bad for your comp. Well now when I go into FFXI I get kicked out of the program because of an error from NVidia saying that it lowered the performance of my graphics card to make it run “safer”. It keeps doing this and won’t stop. Theres two options to either press OK or Trouble-shoot. And niether do anything. Hmmm wonder what happened.
Hey, it’s not doing it now, so maybe when I restarted my comp it took effect or somthing. All I know is I don’t lag, and now I can finally enjoy FFXI. Thanks alot man, your great. 😛
Cool man, glad it works!
I installed the pol veiwer for Vista, and when I try to install the game, I get a message saying “Another version of this product is already installed’ and then its boots me. Any suggestions on what I can do to get the game working?
Yeah, im in the same boat as Kay. (i have 64bit version of vista just as a side note)I installed the Vista version of POL from the ffxi website, but when i try to install the game from the disk, it sais i already have an older version of POL installed, and then it doesnt let me carry on. WTF MATE? like “no shit” its in there, let me just install my game. can you help us out bro?
correction on my last comment. it actualy said “Another version of this product is already installed”. my mistake on it saying i have an older version ^__^”
Kay/Som-
For S&G’s, I just tried installing FFXI onto my laptop.
OS: Windows Vista x64 Ultimate
I first installed POL from here: http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/download/media/vista01.html?pageID=media
(The full installation instructions can be found at http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/download/media/vista02.html?pageID=media)
From there, I put in my Vana Collection 2006 disk, opened up INST1, and ran setup–that installed FFXI core. Then INST2 for RotZ, INST3 for CoP, and INST4 for ToAU.
Finally, I installed WotG from my new WotG DVD.
Each of the installations worked like a champ.
The only caveat is that you MUST run setup.exe as an administrator AND each installation must be of the same language. It appears the Vista installation on POL’s download site is EnglishUS. If you’re not sure your language, you can check the registry (read up a few responses for information on how to do this).
Be sure NOT to run the POL setup that’s on your original FFXI CD/DVD’s–that may be what’s causing the error.
Good luck!
wow, thanks bro!!! youre a good man helping people out like this 😀
now, i got two questions(one is way off topic)
1.whats a good server to join?
and
2. k, im pretty sure you have a ps2. remember that animated background at the system settings in your ps2? like, it looks like a GIANT abstract snow flake and it spins while making this relaxing ocean/wind noise.
Do you know of or where i can find that so that i can make that my screen saver??? if you can find it…..ill call you master..or something 😛 lol
lates bro and thank you very much for helping all of us 😀
ROFL!
Hmm, a good server, huh? Depends what you’re wanting to do. I heard Hades is pretty good and has a decent economy at the moment (can check the economies of each server by going to http://www.ffxiah.com, looking up rather expensive items, like Hauberk, Scorp Harness +1, Vermillion Cloak, etc, and comparing the cross-server prices).
http://www.ffxionline.com/forums/general-ffxi-discussion-2/ also often has “hey, we’re looking for new members” threads that might appeal to you.
I’m on Valefor, which has a rather large JP population and several very active end game linkshells; so if that’s your cup of tea, then there ya go too.
Thanks to the new jobs out, there’s also a huge influx of lower level players on all servers at the moment. The streets are filled with dancers and scholars. LOL
Now, for question #2; yeah, I remember that. The burn in screen that swirled around until it became the PS2 logo. Unfortunately, no, I’ve never seen a ripoff of it onto the PC. Good luck with that though. 😉
I’m having problems accessing FFXI Config on my new computer, and running Vista also. I looked at the Allakhazam thread, but where in the registry does that information go? Email me at generalraptorx@comcast.net if you could, thanks!
Hello, jst found this post (thank god) and wondered if you could help?.
just downloaded vista compatable version , installed it and updated it, however when i go to register to play online it tells me to input my registration code… i didnt get one with the download so assumed it was from the box (btw im using the vandiel collection) howver when i put the code in it says that it is not the correct code (yes im aware its case sensitive)
anyway, any help is greatly appreciatted ,
thanks
Ben
@Vincent – Is it just crashing out or what? From what I can tell, you HAVE to run it as Administrator to get it to work. Also, Revelin (of Lakshmi server) created the FFXI Calculator that has a “configuration” area that works a TON better than the built-in tools. http://www.forsakenhearts.net/ffxicalc/ Just download and right/click “run as Administrator” and you’re good to go.
@Ben-
The Vana collection comes with several codes–one for PlayOnline, one for FFXI, one for RoZ, etc. Be sure that the code you’re entering matches the server that’s asking for the code.
Past that, I’d recommend contacting POL customer service–they can tell you the status of each registration code over the phone and/or activate your account if the interface is giving you trouble.
ok first off here is my setup: Vista home premium (64bit) , AMD dual core 64X2 6400(3.2G) Nvidia 8600GT 512 X2 4G cosair XMS 800 RAM. ok i have downloaded the 169.17 FFXI driver. i can keep 25-30 FPS With SLI enabled in almost all areas ( that’s great because i can’t get anything but dial-up in my area) but my problem is kinda wierd. my screen has a 1/2 or less lag every 2-3 secs but my FPS stay the same. i have searched everywhere and still haven’t found a fix for it. please help me out. lol the lag isn’t horrible, but since i moved from a PC with a 6800CT AGP card with a 2.1G AMD processor and 1.5G RAM( and had no problems with it) i shouldn’t be getting any lag what so ever! i hope u have a answer for me . gonna tear my hair out lol ; ;
omfg tysm!
ok i have searched and searched and this is what i have found. ppl are having the same hiccup/stutter every 3 secs like i am. but they have stated that it was because a VPN was causing problems with FFXI. but i have no VPN software on my PC (unless it was installed with vista home premium) has anyone else run across this problem and found a fix for it
Ok im really lost, i also got heavly lag in FFXI. and i gota look at the link ” http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/forum.html?forum=10&mid=1089735902216382834&num=3 ” hoping that i could fix it. but i dont know what to do. is there an .ini file a have to open or somthing?
@dizzmal-
I’ve heard that having VPN active while logged into FFXI can cause a problem (we use Cisco AnyConnect at work, but I never keep it on while connected to FFXI). The other thing I noticed that caused this was having Microsoft’s Virtual PC (the free version) installed. I had to migrate to Virtual Server and host on another one of my machines to get around this since I use VPC for a great deal of my work. Do you have VPC installed?
Perhaps it works for any network connection interceptor…? Go into your Network Connections and see if there’s anything EXCEPT your network cards in there.
@Point-
There isn’t an .ini file, the FFXI settings are in the registry in the hives suggested in that Allakhazam post. You can also use the FFXI Calculator, run it in Administrative mode (if you’re on Vista) and use it to modify the registry settings following the suggestions in that Alla post.
Download the FFXI Calculator here: http://forsakenhearts.net/ffxicalc/
Ok i tryed with the FFXI Calculator but i think i miss somthing, when i change the settings with the Calculator it dont Effekt in the game. do i need to setup the Calculator?
On the FFXI Settings tab, did you “Load Settings” at the bottom… make your changes, then “Apply Settings”?
Also, if you’re on Vista, you MUST run it as an administrator so it can change the registry.
Yes a lauched the FFXI Calculator as administrator and “Load Settings” then change the Resolution just to see if it worked, then pressed “Apply Settings” and run the game, but no change
Nope all i got is the one network card. just tried the new beta drivers for Nvdia… and they still don’t work
@Point –
Hmm, not sure why then… FFXICalc directly modifies the registry entries; if it’s changed AND saved, then it should work just fine. I haven’t ever seen another location for that information.
The only other thing I can thing of–are you running US, EU, or JP version of FFXI? I’ve never tried it with anything but the US version.
@Dizzmal-
Could you do me a favor?
Start > Run > msinfo32.
From there, File > Export to a text file and email it to me at tiredstudent@gmail.com.
The file will contain information about hardware, components, and drivers. I’ll take a look and see if anything stands out. PLEASE read through the file before you send it to make sure there isn’t anything in there that you don’t want to share. 🙂
Past that, I’m honestly out of ideas. The next step I’d take would be to save everything off the system, reformat, reinstall Windows, then reinstall FFXI, see if it studders, then the 169.17 drivers, see if it studders, and one application at a time, keep trying until it either a) is working, or b) starts studdering. When it breaks, uninstall the last app and see if it works again. It’s painful, but that’s how I finally narrowed down that Virtual PC was causing my problems.
I need help !!! I have vista, I got everything running but the wings of the goddess. Everytime I try to install the intsallsheild starts to load i get the splash screen its says ‘the install has been interuppted your system has not been modified” try again. Its a never ending loop.
hey i just got vista on a laptop today, really want to get ffxi up and running, i’m just wondering if i need to buy sound/graphics cards, and if i can get a decent gaming experience that isn’t a total lag fest in places like Jeuno and Whitegate, really appreciated, hope to see some of you online soon.
@Ithero –
Unfortunately, not sure how to help on that one. I’ve never heard of the WoTG installation doing that before. Since the others installed, I’m assuming you’re running them as Administrators. At that, I’d suggest contacting SE support. 😦
Good luck!
@Newbsos-
Vista and FFXI is all about Video drivers; SE just released a list of “working” combinations. I’d recommend checking out the list, finding your card, and downloading the corresponding drivers.
Here’s the list:
http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/envi/win/win01.html?pageID=win
hey David, thanks for the reply. i was wondering if getting the best driver would get you the best fps, just b/c i don’t want the lag mentioned in other posts and of course the besieged can be brutal.
Hey David, i read through your posts i didn’t see this problem anywhere, but. This is random, but I can sometimes play FFXI for 45min to an hour then it will boot me saying something like “The program has ended for uknown reasons, searching for a solution…” then the same box will say “No solution was found, we will contact you when a solution is found.” and have a box to close program. Then, like last night.. it really sucked, everytime i logged in I would stay logged in for less then a minute, then it would immediately boot me again, and do the process again, it did this about 7 times as i was climbing promys for my slivers… please assist if you can.
some info that might help lol: model MCP67 windows vista HP invent — Processor: AMD Turion(tm) 64 X2 Mobile Technology TL-60 2.00 G — Memory (RAM): 2.94GB — System type: 32-bit Operatingsystem
Hey there! I have the same problems as Andy does, it just say that POL isnt installed and that i have to get it first be4 i try to install FFXI.. I’m updating POL that i got from the website now so i hope it’ll work after that. But the reason im writing to u now is cause idk if FFXI will run that good on my laptop. Its an HP 6510b with Vista. I rly hope it does but it’ll take me a couple of days to get started with my acc, so if u give an answer be4 that so i know if im gonna activate my acc now or w8 for a better comp.. Sorry if i mt somewhere, my english isnt rly that great =/ p.s. Thnx so much for all the help u allready gaven me!
Hello again. I found out that i was installing the “US-POL” when i had a “EU-FFXI”. Downloaded the EU one and now i can play. Just one thing though. Its rly rly rly laggy and i cant play on the highest resolution. Idk if it is my video-card or just something wrong. If u have any suggestions it would be nice. Thnx again
@Jerryrobbins –
Hmm; that ALMOST sounds like a hardware issue–like the video or CPU overheating. Any other applications act funky?
Also, if you’re using any third party applications, have you tried it without those?
When POL crashes out; it _should_ tell you the crashing library (click Details)… could you provide that?
@RaisePlzz-
Love the name. Haha. {Raise} {please}
Good to hear about getting the EU version working–yeah, it’s VERY sensitive to to the locale because the UIs are a bit different (and dictionaries).
Regarding the lag, according to HP’s web site, your 6510b laptop has an “Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100” in it. To be honest, I’m shocked it even works–I didn’t think FFXI supported shared memory video cards.
A long time ago (circa 2007) there were talks of EXTERNAL video cards for laptops so people could game and such… I haven’t looked for such a thing in ages, but who knows… might be something to look into. 🙂
As far as increasing the performance; if you REALLY want resolution, turn down everything else.
– Shadows
– MIP Mapping
– Environmental settings (weather, etc).
– Characters on screen
– Spell effects
– etc.
Those things will allow you to get a “bit” more resolution out of it without coming to a standstill–hopefully.
Like I said above–I wasn’t aware those Intel card would even run! The fact it boots up is pretty darned impressive!
Probably is overheating then ><
Probably is overheating then orz There isn’t a details tab or ne thing just “close program” option. I have my notebook just sitting on my desk, noththing for extra ventalation any suggestions? I have never used 3rd party programs, to scared lol, and FFXI is only thing i use this computer for… well i also do college hw and stuff on but thats it ><
I am trying to install WotG and I get FFXI is not installed. I talked to SE and they said to uninstall the game and re-install it. I did that and same problem. Now I am waiting on the updates for all the files. Any Idea on how to get it to install WotG?
Hey David,
I have a HP labtop with a Geforce 7150M graphics card with Vista, I have read through your post and couldn’t find the answer to my problem. The problem is when I minmize or click elsewhere on my desktop, the computer would freeze for about 10sec then everything runs fine. It does the same as I make FFXI active again. I have searched and searched everywhere for a solution but couldn’t find one. I contracted another person with the same problem and same labtop, ect but I have not recieved word for over a month now. I was wondering if you know how to fix it or any suggestions.
Thank you in advance.
@Kevin-
Sorry, no idea on that one. I’ve heard of people having issues if they installed the EU version of one or another and are trying to install the NA or JP versions. They’re language locked–so if you have one, I think you need the same language of the others.
@Charles-
Assuming you’re running a Windower technology (either the SE or the “other” one)… I’ve never had that problem (I have a laptop with a GeForce Go 7800 GTX). Does it do it in any other Direct X applications or screen savers?
I’m not familiar enough with the 7150Ms, though aren’t they basically Go 6150s using the 7 Series chips? If that’s the case, what resolution/etc are you running at–the “drag” might simply be the threads swapping priority if you’re dragging the card down.
Then of course–has it ever worked? What’s changed, etc. 🙂 Typical troubleshooting questions go here. 😉
It has always been it before, I believe its because of the card swapping priority, not sure myself. My resolution for the windower is 1260 x 750, while my overall resolution for the desktop is 1280 x 800. It doesn’t “drag” with other Direct X applications or screen savers. To explain in more detail, the overall gaming is great only except for the drag when I click on say. . Microsoft Word or anything else for that matter and the drag by clicking onto FFXI again. I’m not so sure about the Go 6150s with 7 series chips. . I believe I’ve read somewhere that they are.
I myself not knowing much of computers, still learning, if you need anything else just tell me.
ok i’ve installed the vista thing and got playonline going but when i try to install the actual final fantasy game it wont do it. it goes up to about 9% everytime then stops and says “error 1305: error reading from file ….. verify that file exists and that you can access it” HELP!
Does anyone know where I can download the EU POL for vista?
Any help appreciated, Im rubbish with technical stuff!
Thanks!
Has anyone had this problem?…
1. I obtain and intall the vana’diel collection 2007. It has the Rise of the Zilart and the COP expansions.
2. I love the game sooo much.. I buy the vana’diel collection 2008. I had to buy the whole collection because I live in New Zealand, and trying to find the seperate expansions is a nightmare… and expensive – Cheaper to buy the whole pack.
3. When I try to install the new expansions it doesn’t recognise my old POL viewer, or initial install or ROTZ or COP… so I uninstall and reinstall the whole game from the 2008 pack.
Problem is my account is an EU account and my new install seems to be USA version … so the POL viewer won’t let me log into to access my content ID, however I can still play the game – just can’t add expansions. When I try I get error message UCS-5000. Play online chat have advised me the only way to fix this is to go back to my old install… hence I have just wasted $60… and wasted 2 hours updating.
Has anyone else experienced this or found a way to work around it? Please help!
just instaleed the vista pol, and is working
the problem is when i log in the game the characters are all in one color cloth.
example : my armor is all white and i cant see the detalis on it, and my face is all black.
i dont know if my laptop is low, but i have no lag,just the graphic problem,
can i fix this or my cpu graphic is too low and i need an update?
srry about the terrible english
I have got a problem.
Right after I clicked Play from the POL viewer, to start up FFXI. Nothing happens, gives me a blank screen. No sound either, left it like that for a good 30 minutes, yet nothing happend.
Tried all kinds of video drivers, changing the games compatability to all available choices. Tried in windower, sqenix windower, even in safe mode >_> same problem.
I really have no idea what is the problem. I’m running vista 64bit, and my video card is gtx 280. I’ve seen screenshots of others playing the game with same OS and same card. Really am at a loss at what’s wrong here.
Please, help me out!
alright guys, if you have problems with vista, most likely its the aero function that pol and ffxi does not like. just turn it off and you should be fine. also run pol.exe as administrator.
another thing that might help also is that if you have multiple processors set your affinity to just 1 processor, i think there are issues with ffxi with multiple processors too
another thing that might help out in the end is running pol.exe and ffxi as “xp service pack 2” it should be under one of the right click options don’t remember where exactly.
hopefully this help solve some of your issues
@quickdraw
update your graphics card driver software, that should fix it