Tales of Woe

[Contra]

Yeah, so I'm a Rutgers College student and it looks like the RU firewall is keeping me out. Son of a bitch.

*plays mechassault offline*


[edit] if anyone could help me out here... (Master?) I would be eternally grateful.

[Bonestorm]

MS is having server problems- about 20 to 40% of xboxlive users cannot connect.

When you go to your troubleshooting screen what kind of error message are you getting? If you can resolve your IP and DNS, but you still get the can't connect to xbox live message- then try entering your MAC (physical address).

If your xbox live dash connects to xbox live, but doesn't when you try to in the games- then send me a pm.

[Contra]

Thanks, but after looking up some stuff at the Xbox live webpage it turns out that It wasn't the firewall's fault after all. I was using the wrong kind of connection. I just spent like 30 minutes trying to figure out windows ICS (the "right" connection) and couldn't do it, so I see myself calling up xbox tech support pretty soon.

My dash couldn't connect at all, that is to say, it couldn't resolve any of the IP addresses or DNS servers. I'm hoping that once I get this all figured out that there won't be a firewall problem on top of all that...

[Master]

The Xbox should be able to traverse the firewall. Can you play multiplayer games on your PC that connect to a server elsewhere? If your firewall is set up so that you can't interact with outside networks its gonna be a bitch to configure it, you might have to trick it into working with ICS.

MAC spoofing doesn't seem to be the problem here, but there is no problem in trying. Customer Support should set you straight, but i they can't help let me know and I'll see what I can do.

[Andy]

Heh, I'm in almost the same boat. Two games, a crossover ethernet cable, XBL starter kit, and a new nic later, I'm still connectionless I think the problem is just with my modem though, I have a USB DSL modem that doesn't have an ethernet connection, so I was trying to use ICS and a crossover cable from my nic to the XB but it just isn't working (after I installed ICS/nic my normal internet actually stopped working...). I'm probably ordering a newer modem today with a USB and ethernet interface, so hopefully I'll be able to just direct connect for XB.

[GameCynic]

Andy, you could try one of those linksys USB->ethernet converters. I've heard of NA-less PS2 users using that in reverse fashion to get online via the USB ports.

[Contra]

Yeah, that's exactly what happened to me! I got ICS installed, but then it kept trying to dial-up instead of using my ethernet card. Once I uninstalled it, everything started to work again.


I've got an ethernet wall socket that connects to the school network. I've been able to play games using the Gamespy tunnel software, and I can play games online using Kaillera for MAME. I went out and bought an ethernet switch and some crossover cable and tried to wire everything together using the switch like a hub, but that didn't work.


So, I just finished talking to a tech support guy who said that if I just plug the xbox directly into the wall socket and get the college to open the firewall ports, it should work. I asked, and the college refused to open ports for me.

Gah, who'd have thought it would be this difficult?

[Andy]

Yeah, that's what I'm hoping to do. When I get the new modem, it SHOULD work if I just direct connect it from the modem to the Xbox...

[Contra]

In the meantime I've been playing Mechassault over Gamespy. Fun as hell.