DDO store is blank

[CabooseJTS]

My DDO Store hasn't been working sense update 2. When ever i try to go into it all i get is black where the items, links, descriptions, and background is. i still have a "home" button in the top left corner but no amount of clicking it fixes anything. I've followed what was said in the thread here, http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=198114, but sense i don't use a proxy server i can't follow all of them.

I'd really like some help, because I've made several characters and gotten them to at least 100 favor each sense my DDO store stopped working, and I'd like to be able to buy some new content.

thank you in advance for any advice you can give me.

[S0rdmasta]

Mine was doing that because I had google's adware and other assorted datamining "features" blocked in the HOSTS file.

[CabooseJTS]

where would that be located? I'm running Windows Vista if that helps at all.

[DarkMinion]

c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc
file name: hosts

At least that is the standard path for Windows XP.
You can edit the file with Notepad and it should look similar what is below. If you want to verify whether the issue is with your hosts file, rename it something else, and then try to connect to the store in the game. Once verified you can then search your hosts file to see which entry is the culprit.

# Copyright (c) 1993-1999 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.
#
# For example:
#
#      102.54.94.97     rhino.acme.com          # source server
#       38.25.63.10     x.acme.com              # x client host

127.0.0.1       localhost

[CabooseJTS]

ok, thanks DarkMinion, I found the host file and renamed and it and DDO store still doesn't work, what should i do next? because all i have is the example and 2 hosts and i have no idea what either of them do.

# Copyright (c) 1993-2006 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.
#
# For example:
#
# 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server
# 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host

127.0.0.1 localhost
::1 localhost

[Symar-FangofLloth]

No, no.
If you've never messed with your HOSTS file, and there's nothing in there beyond the example, it's not the culprit here. So don't worry about that part.

[CabooseJTS]

ok, well I've never messed with it, and those are the only things beyond the example. so if that's not it what would be?

[Symar-FangofLloth]

Do you have a firewall up, or anything like that? I don't really know :/

[CabooseJTS]

i do have a firewall up, but it's never messed with any of the games i play before, and my DDO store didn't stop working until update 2, i had my firewall up the very first time i downloaded, installed, and played it during update 1.

[CabooseJTS]

bump

[Missing_Minds]

Does I.E. work for you? You are running the current version 8 now, yes?
You have installed flash for I.E. and it is updated, correct?

Your "default" network connection IS the one you are currently using, correct?

[CabooseJTS]

yes, I.E. works for me, it is updated to most current version (I.E. 10 i believe not I.E. 8), i have installed flash for I.E. and it is updated, and my default connection is the one i am using.

[Mirthgar]

The sites in the "hosts" file issue are usually that google-analytics.com and ssl.google-analytics.com are being blocked. Adding a # to the begining of the line for these to "comment" them out and rebooting generally remedies this.

There's a couple other "usual suspects" in this though:

Does your ISP allow webpages you visit to collect your IP addresses "geographical" data? (not your routers "public" IP address just a general "location" near you, as an example do you ever see "targeted" ads on the web that list your town/county in their info? Those are pulling that info from your ISP's reported connection data).

If the store cannot verify that your IP address is geographically at least close to your billing address (ie same state or near it) it blocks access as part of its online fraud protection. Check with your ISP and ask if when you connect to a website if any geographical info is sent to the site.

Have you updated Adobe Flash plugin for Internet Explorer? (The store uses flash for displaying items, if its not installed or an unsupported version the store wouldn't load).

Do you use a proxy server? Open IE and click on "Tools" > "Internet Options" > "Connections" (tab) > "LAN Settings" and see if "use a proxy server" is selected. If so click advanced and add *.playspan.com; *.turbine.com; *.ddo.com to the "Exceptions" area (include the semi-colons as "separators).


Other causes:

• Are your Date/Time/Year and Timezone settings correct? (Double check by double-clicking the Windows "clock" in the desktop corner)
• Some routers often have added security that prevents the store from loading, if you connect with a separate router and a modem supplied by your ISP try to test by connecting your PC directly to your ISP's modem (bypassing the router). Be sure when you do this that you reboot the PC and power cycle the modem and first just make sure that you can connect to the internet in general afterwards.

Lastly the in-game "Help" menu which the store is built into might have become corrupted, in that instance try this:

1. Exit the game and launcher if they're open (also TDM if its running)
2. Open C:\Program Files\Dungeons and Dragons Online
3. Look in there for the "Browser" folder and right-click on it choosing "Cut"
4. Switch over to the Desktop and right-click and choose Paste
5. Relaunch DDO and it will download a new copy of the browser folder and its contents

If its still not loading definitely open a support request.

[CabooseJTS]

thank you mirthgar,
so far i know that my ISP does allow web[ages i visit to collect my IP address, this is because I've seen several targeted adds, i have installed and updated adobe flash player for internet explorer, i don't use a proxy server, my date/time/year and timezone settings are correct, and nothing is being blocked by my router or modem. the only thing i haven't tried is finding that folder and ding what you said. i will try doing that now and update this post when I'm done and have seen if it worked.

ok, i don't think this is very good, i went to the palce where you said to look for the "dungeons and dragons online" and then look for the "browser" folder, and i don't have a dungeons and dragons online folder in C:\program files. I've re-installed and re-updated the game 3 times to try to get the DDO store to work before, i don't know if that was supossed to be installed with it, but it wasn't. any advice as to why i wouldn't have that file/folder?

P.S. i'm running windows vista home basic 32bit if that helps.

[CabooseJTS]

bump

[dasungeheuer]

Are you using the TDM? We had an issue where the browser folder was corrupted, no matter how often we ran "validate and repair". In the end, we ended up taking the browser folder from a working install, and copied it over, and that fixed the issue.

The browser folder in question is in your "DDO Unlimited" folder, wherever you installed that thing. You can right-click the shortcut and look at its properties to check.

I am a little confuzzled about Turbine's IE comments. From all I can see, the browser folder contains a custom version of Firefox, which would mean it'd share a Flash plugin with your standard Firefox install. Maybe. What about people who don't have Firefox? I'll take Turbine's word that they use IE, though I don't know how that goes with the Firefox files in the DDO browser folder.

[CabooseJTS]

well it looks like i don't have a DDO unlimited folder either, i think i'll just have to deal with not having a DDO store and then save up some money to become a VIP to get most of the content i don't have. I'd also be happy if they made it possible for people to buy things from the DDO store on the website, so that people who have the same problem as me and can't fix it can still get stuff from there some how.

[Mirthgar]

Sorry about that the file path should be:

C:\Program Files\Turbine\Dungeons and Dragons Online

In there look for the "Browser" folder and right-click it > "Cut" > switch back over to the desktop and right-click > Paste.

Definitely follow up with a support ticket if you haven't as well.

[CabooseJTS]

ok, I've tried that mirthgar, and it didn't work. my computer won't let me send any support requests either, so I've been sending bug reports the entire time, sorry that was my mistake. but I've sent 5 bug reports and i still can't do anything in the DDO store. I'm really desperate to get new content, can anyone think of any ideas to fixing it that haven't already been mentioned? (and would it be possible for turbine to make it possible for people to buy things from the ddo store on ddo.com? I'm sure that's just some simple coding, at least that's what I've heard.)

[CabooseJTS]

bump