Hope this might help someone. Sorry this is only place i can access sometimes.
Hello Jeffery/Elsabolt
Thank you for contacting the Sony Online Entertainment Customer Service department.
We have been seeing many problems with winmodem (aka, "software" or "emulated" modems). These software-based modems can cause numerous connectivity problems, not just in our game but in general. The reason is because the CPU may not be able to make the necessary game calculations AND transmit data. we strongly recommend against using them and if you have one, we suggest that you purchase or acquire a hardware-based modem. There is no fix or work-around for your connection problems, however here are a few tips which may help make the problems bearable.
There are differences in the designs of Winmodems. Some, like the Rockwell/Conexant Soft56, PCTel, and others have the host processor (your PC's CPU) do all of the work, and require a mmx processor. These modems are inexpensive and have the minimum amount of hardware and software to run. The better design has a powerful DSP chip (effectively a CPU) on the modem, and the host processor has a significantly lower load.
Some v90 modems have difficulty receiving the thpe of data packets that we send. Try using a non-v90 connection to your ISP, if it is available. Otherwise, try lowering the speed of your modem connection for more stability. Do this by right clickiing on your "My computer" icon and select "Properties" form the menu. Click on the Device Manager tab and open the Modem section. Select the Modem tab, and set the Maximun speed to 57600 (or 38400 if it was already set to 57600), then click OK.
Regards: the guys name
Sony Online Entertainment CSR
While were on a dialup thread I remember the problems I first had when I first moved to Orlando. I was using earthlink and was getting slow download speeds and random disconnects. I called tech support about 4 times, they kept saying it was my local connection that was wrong. I checked all the lines/wireing to/fromt he house, nothing was wrong (I used to do data/voice line installs). I called back the ISP, this time I got somebody who was willing to try something. They gave me an unpublished line that they had in the area to call and guess what, it fixed my problem. Turns out there was something wrong inbetween my location and the main dialup number. The second number was routed through a different swtich and had no problems. I guess it all comes down to who you talk to at tech support (and that finding the right one is really hard sometimes).
I'm not saying this has anything to do with anybody elses problem connecting to the net, I just had a really odd urge to share that.
-Boad
