Just bought the game, cant play. Can I get some help or a refund? Error FFXI-3001

Hello let me give you a preface.

Date & Time:
8:07am Pacific Standard time (PDT)

Frequency:
for an hour now

Platform:
PC

PC Manufacturer:
Dell

Operating System:
Windows Vista

Graphics Card:
NVIDIA GeForce 7300 LE

ISP:
Comcast

Type of Internet Connection:
Broadband


I bought the game off of Amazon.com yesterday (new player here) and I went through all the steps to install. Installation took hours and updating took even longer, but I finished updating while I slept so no biggie. However this morning I finally got into the game, created my character, picked a city, and started playing. I didn't know the controls (not wsad, not arrow keys) and I couldn't figure out a way to find them in game so I alt-tabbed out which crashed the game. So I figured out what the controls were and I went to go back into the game. After waiting for my character to be removed off the server(the first error I received), I was unable to log in because of error FFXI-3001.

I'm trying to be patient here, but this error hasn't cleared up yet (it's been an hour now) and I'm just trying to play the game. So some help would be appreciated, as no help was found on the forums for error FFXI-3001 save this:

Quote:

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We can offer a few suggestions if you are experiencing any of the following:
• Have difficulty connecting to or staying connected to the PlayOnline Viewer or FINAL FANTASY XI
• Crash, receive a black screen error, or get stuck at the downloading data screen upon clicking your character handle or character select button
• See your the lag meter turn red
• Encounter increased lag or connection problems near crowed areas
• Have trouble accessing specific zone(s)
• Have trouble logging in with specific character(s)
• Receive any of these errors: 3113, 3100, 4001, 1160

Suggestions:
1. Check to make sure you have properly configured or turned off any of the following: Routers, Proxy Servers, NAT Servers, Internet Connection Sharing services.
2. If you are using any kind of software/hardware Internet Sharing service/device the following ports need INCOMING access to your PC: TCP 1024 - 65535, UDP 53, and 50000 - 65535. Also, check to make sure that the ports mentioned are not blocked by your ISP for INCOMING access. Proper configuration of any of the above items mentioned should be done by following the instructions in the software/hardware manual or calling the manufacturer's technical support.
3. If you are using a router, and have configured that router for port forwarding, temporarily bypass that router and connect directly to the modem.

Please take note of the following:
• Proxy servers, and satellite connections are not supported and do not work correctly with FINAL FANTASY XI.
• Your router may require that you use a PC to configure your network settings. For more information about how to configure your network settings, please refer to the instruction manual that came with your router or contact the manufacturer directly.
• If your Internet Service Provider (ISP) specifies a DNS server, you need to make sure to configure your settings to allow packets to pass through UDP Port 53 as well. For more information, please refer to the instruction manual for your router or the information provided by your ISP.

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None of which help me or apply to me. So additional help or information would be appreciated.

EDIT: Now I'm getting Error code:POL-5312(wrong password/ID) when trying to log into Playonline via the program, but I can log onto the website with the same information just fine. This is a headache and a half.

A few obvious things i want you to try first

1) Restart your PC!

2) To prevent it from crashing, Try going to FFXI-Config in the start menu (Open start menu > All programs > Find Final Fantasy XI > hit "FFXI Config".
*Check each one of the pages on that, i dont recall which one its in, but when you see a box that says "Run windowed mode" Click that. This will allow you to run FFXI While its windowed, So you can tab/etc without the crashing.

If restarting your computer doesnt work thats about as far as my technical help goes :( sorry, step 2 will at least prevent future misshaps maybe.

I've had plenty of issues with FFXI over the years. If you can't log back in, I suggest power cycling your router and modem.

Unplug both, restart computer, plug in modem (wait for it to finish doing all it's drama) after it's done plug in your router.

If that hasn't fixed it, the person above me is right about using Windowed mode to avoid the alt-tab crashing it.

If you suspect there is something deeper at work it could be HOW you installed the game. I've found the most appropriate way to install it on Vista/Windows 7 for me was pretty randomly complicated for no reason, but it works like a pro!

Well, here is a step by step nearly flawless way to get your installation to work proper.

First things first, you will need to update almost any and all aspects of your PC to make sure you are up to date. Windows Updates, Video Card Drivers, .net framework, Direct X, VC++ Redistributable are all the big things you will need to check on.

After all that is done, make sure UAC is off on Vista/Windows 7.

Now, uninstall your FFXI/POL completely if you have it installed. From there, I would suggest restarting.

Next Run a program like Ccleaner and clean your registery. Another restart.

Now, you want to download from the official Playonline Website the Vista compatible Playonline Viewer. (http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/dow...l?pageID=media). Install it by RIGHT CLICKING the EXE and Running as Admin.

Run it and update it. After it finishes, exit out and restart PC.

Now, pop in your DVD and instead of using the menu that comes up, go to your disc drive and right click and "explore" or something similar letting look at the files contained on it. Then individually install each and all FFXI games, starting from the first. Order being, FFXI, Rise of Zilart, Chains of Promathia, Treasures of Aht Urgahn, Wings of the Goddess. MAKE SURE YOU ARE USING "RUN AS ADMINISTRATOR" when installing ALL OF THESE. Very important!!

After that is done, go ahead and run POL, log in, and make sure you have a content ID. I believe this update as of July 25th requires you to do this on the Square Enix site now, so if you don't have an ID active, you'll have to link the POL ID you created to a Square Enix ID. (http://www.playonline.com/cis/us/about.html).

After all that Drama, go ahead and try to play the game and it should start updating. Once it finishes it'll throw you into the menu where you can log in and create a character.

Some other important settings to note would be resolution, making sure you can support it. I suggest 1024X768 works on almost all computers with a background resolution of 1024X1024 (looks good).

If you do decide to reinstall using the method above, after finishing I'd suggest using a program like Defraggler and doing a full defragment.

These are the biggest things I can think of to help any problem you encounter.

If all else fails, call Square-Enix during their hours of operation and ask them for assistance. Have your information (POL, Square-enix ID if you have one, and CD-keys handy)

You can try installing like the poster above has suggested, but I would guess that it won't do much for you but waste your time. FFXI-3001 is a communication issue and has little to do with bad installations. I'm a returning player and just got everything up and running today and played for a few hours, logged off for awhile, and now I'm getting that error after selecting a character.

This won't help you fix the problem, but I've seen some posts while trying to figure it out from people saying they've had this issue two, and that it's just taken care of itself after a day or too. Regardless I'm going to keep trying to fix it, and if I figure anything out I'll let you know.

Sorry about the rather frustrating install, if you want a refund you'll probably have to call SE support during business hours.