[TheDoomMerchant]

So I recently reactivated all of my content IDs and whatnot after nearly a year of game absence. I made a SQEX ID and all that new stuff, then got around to updating FFXI. But it won't work. I've been trying for a week now, on numerous different connections both with and without using Windower, and it just won't finish. Nothing seems to make a difference. I am at my wit's end.

Here is the sequence of events:

I try to start up FFXI, and it tells me I need to update. Fine. I hit "Update". Step 1: Preparing Update works passably. It always hangs for a number of minutes each on 40.DAT [46%, Check Files: 13656] and 32.DAT [65%, Check Files: 19289], both of which which slow my entire computer to a standstill until the hangs resolve themselves. But eventually, Step 1 finishes.

Step 2: Downloading Files has never finished. It begins at either 0/2085 files or 0/1922 files [I don't know why it differs], and runs just fine until it gets to one of the many 62.DATs [obviously I don't know which specific one]. This one, once it gets to 100%, just stays there. It sits there for a few minutes while the "Time remaining in current process" counts down and then keeps bouncing back up because of the hang [staying pretty consistent at around 35 minutes]. The "files remaining" is always at 1228/2085 [41%] or 1158/1922 [40%], respectively. After a while, the update aborts itself and I get the Version Update Communication Error POL-1160: "Network is busy or there are connection problems. Please try again later or verify that cables, networking devices, and network settings are properly configured. D:ROM/118/40.DAT"

If I then, after the failure, select to "Retry" the update, it's worse. Step 1: Preparing Update does all of the exact same things, but Step 2: Downloading Files doesn't do anything. Both bars sit at 0%, the Files Remaining sits at 0/0 and the Time remaining in current process just stays at "Unknown". I don't know why. After a few minutes of hang, naturally it aborts itself again. The error when this happens is exactly the same as before, right down to the D:ROM/118/40.DAT. To actually retry the update after it fails, I have to exit everything and restore my FFXI folder to what it was before the update using a backup, then start everything up and try again, in which case the first situation happens all over again, with the update hanging and then failing at 62.DAT in Step 2.

Hardware info: I am running an HP Pavilion dv5 laptop that had no problems playing or updating FFXI or PlayOnline in the past. I have over 200 free gigs of space, so I know it's not a space issue, and as far as I know, all of my drivers are up-to-date. My OS is Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit (6.1, build 7600), and I'm running DirectX 11.


I am unbelievably frustrated at this point. It's been a week now of wasted time, not to mention the money I'll have wasted on reactivating everything and paying for this 30-day period I'll probably never get to use. I am begging, at this point, for a resolution that works.
/weep

[Deo2]

Did you run a file check from the first menu before logging in? Check Playonline files, then check the FFXI files afterwards. Fix/Repair if prompted and then try to update.

[TheDoomMerchant]

No-go. I tried your suggestion yesterday, and the results are just as frustrating as before. The first time, I started up the check of FFXI's files [the check of PLO's files returned no errors] and went off to do the day's chores. I came back eight hours later and my entire computer had been slowed to a near-standstill, with the PlayOnline Viewer not responding. I eventually got the task manager to come up and I shut down the application, which restored the computer to normal speed and responsiveness.

I restarted for good measure and tried again so I could see what happened. The check went fine until it got to [predictably] 32.DAT. Then it just stayed there, eventually locking up everything. I let it run from 5:15PM to 8:41PM to see if it would ever move past 32.DAT, but it never did. Letting it run overnight provided the same result. I think it's safe to say that 32.DAT is a problem file for me, though obviously the fact that it breaks PLO when I try to fix it puts me in a catch-22.


For redundancy, what it shows when I go to check the files for PLO and FFXI is thus:
PlayOnline Viewer Ver. 20110829_E
FINAL FANTASY XI Ver. 30100904_1

And at the freeze, it always says this [and never changes]:
Checking 32.DAT [7%]
Files Remaining 35021/37815
Time remaining: 15:26


EDIT: I'm going to try to find my CDs, throw up a fresh install and see what happens.

EDITEDIT: Well, that's hopefully the end of this nightmare. After a fresh install a couple of files still had to be replaced after successive updates, but now, nine hours later, things are looking fine. Ugh. Glad that's over.

This post has been edited by TheDoomMerchant: 19 October 2011 - 05:35 PM