Akamai Solutions

[J2345678]

Hi.
With the release of Update 21 and the "required" Akamai software, a 3rd party launcher is now a requirement for many who wish to play the game but have no desire to install this garbage.

Akamai:Information We May Collect About Consumers

Among the ways Akamai provides this insight to our customers is by gathering statistical and user preference data about consumers through the use of cookies and other similar mechanisms. The information we may collect includes clickstream information, URLs, usage data regarding pages viewed, date and time, browser type, domain type, geographic location information, and other non-personally identifiable information. We may also use cookies and other similar mechanisms to collect, store, and use information about your computer system and associate this information with other non-personally identifiable information. Akamai may also collect or otherwise obtain data from third parties to supplement the data that Akamai collects directly. Akamai retains the non-personally identifiable information we collect for no more than twelve months.

For Windows Users: DDO-ML - DDO Mini Launcher is a free ultrafast lightweight DDO launcher.

For Linux and Mac OS X Users: PyLotro - I don't run Linux so I have no extra information about this launcher.

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DDO-ML Setup
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Step 1: Download DDO-ML 1.01.zip
To download from Google Drive: At the top left of the page below "DDO-ML 1.01.zip" click "File" then "Download".
Extract to a location of your choice. I used: C:\Games\DDO-ML\

Step 2: Open C:\Games\DDO-ML\ddo-ml.xml in notepad or another text editor and replace the values for account name, password, etc. with your own.

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<root>
  <shortcut label="Acc1"> Changes the name you click to login on the DDO-ML window.
    <account user="username"> Your account username.
      <pass value="password"></pass> Your account password.
      <rename value="main_account"></rename> Renames the DDO game window. useful when multiboxing.
      <character value="character_name"></character> Character selected on character select screen, can be left blank.
    </account>
  </shortcut>
</root>

Step 3: Open ddo-ml.exe. On the first run, it'll ask you to locate your DDO game folder. Do so and press OK.
Then at the next prompt enter your server name. Make sure your server name is in all lowercase and spelled correctly.

• argonnessen
• cannith
• ghallanda
• khyber
• orien
• sarlona
• thelanis
• wayfinder

If you need to change your server, right click on the tray icon and click "set server" and then restart DDO-ML.

Step 4: Click (Patch Game). When "All patching complete." close the patch window.

Step 5: Click your account label name once to login.
Once you're at the character select screen you can close DDO-ML.

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Works with DDOpreload:

1. Run the DDOpreloader
2. Wait until it loads the files, then deny EULA/exit the DDO game client.
3. Run DDO-ML

[Bob_of_QF]

Thanks for the info!

I have still managed to avoid allowing Akamai access on my machine by using the preloader software.

Yes, it's installed, but no, it has zero access to anything network-related, either in or out (I created two rules in Windows Firewall specifically for this function)

The launcher appears to lock-up, but if you wait, it eventually continues as expected, and I'm logged in just fine.

I have the Akamai console up, and it shows status "not running", as expected.

I did have to click the EULA again, but so what? I've walled Akamai from the world. It can sit there and play with itself all it likes-- it so ain't talking to anyone on any network local or internet.

I may give your trick a try, and uninstall Akamaicrap (but I'm so leaving the firewall rules intact).

[SilkofDrasnia]

Just want to let the OP know Pylotro has version that works for windows too.

[goodspeed]

Thanks for the info!

I have still managed to avoid allowing Akamai access on my machine by using the preloader software.

Yes, it's installed, but no, it has zero access to anything network-related, either in or out (I created two rules in Windows Firewall specifically for this function)

The launcher appears to lock-up, but if you wait, it eventually continues as expected, and I'm logged in just fine.

I have the Akamai console up, and it shows status "not running", as expected.

I did have to click the EULA again, but so what? I've walled Akamai from the world. It can sit there and play with itself all it likes-- it so ain't talking to anyone on any network local or internet.

I may give your trick a try, and uninstall Akamaicrap (but I'm so leaving the firewall rules intact).

That's rather indecent of akamai to do. Handling itself all the time like that.

Good info op.

[IMRyker]

Disable netsession_win.exe auto load on start-up using msconfig.

Have shortcut to netsession_win.exe to load akamai before loading DDO.

Have shortcut with following as target to kill netsession when you quit:

C:\Windows\System32\taskkill.exe /F /IM netsession_win.exe

[Matuse]

Add netsession_win.exe to your firewall blacklist.

Problem solved.

[goodspeed]

ok so just to clarify this, make sure ive got it down pact to what others that this is working with are doing.

I got the goofy thing to patch. (make sure it is a detailed trail line to the ddo folder. I just moved the **** game right into program files)

I start up the preloader in about a second it goes through its 2 bars and says starting the game.

The ddo launcher box comes up followed automatically by that idiotic eula. The launcher behind this eula is blank its not doing anything. Can't click on a single thing on it cause its making you click accept before any action can be taken.

Now I click quit on the eula. (theirs quit and accept there) and all the stuff vanishes, the launcher, the preloader box, everything.

Then I fire up ddo-ml, I click on the account it comes up says loaded and done and then..... nothing.

What am I screwing up here?

[Nestroy]

ok so just to clarify this, make sure ive got it down pact to what others that this is working with are doing.

I got the goofy thing to patch. (make sure it is a detailed trail line to the ddo folder. I just moved the **** game right into program files)

I start up the preloader in about a second it goes through its 2 bars and says starting the game.

The ddo launcher box comes up followed automatically by that idiotic eula. The launcher behind this eula is blank its not doing anything. Can't click on a single thing on it cause its making you click accept before any action can be taken.

Now I click quit on the eula. (theirs quit and accept there) and all the stuff vanishes, the launcher, the preloader box, everything.

Then I fire up ddo-ml, I click on the account it comes up says loaded and done and then..... nothing.

What am I screwing up here?

You gave the DDO ML the right path to find your DDO game in? Was my problem first...

I moved the DDO ML to the c:\ root directory into an DDO ML folder, checked with the xml and checked the ddo-ml.ini. After I cleared the path inside and set the line firstlaunch=0 from value 0 to 1, it gave me again the oportunity to chose a path. I did so by pointing to the DDO directory (with me here: C:\Program Files (x86)\Turbine\DDO Unlimited) and finally, was working wonderful.

[goodspeed]

You gave the DDO ML the right path to find your DDO game in? Was my problem first...

I moved the DDO ML to the c:\ root directory into an DDO ML folder, checked with the xml and checked the ddo-ml.ini. After I cleared the path inside and set the line firstlaunch=0 from value 0 to 1, it gave me again the oportunity to chose a path. I did so by pointing to the DDO directory (with me here: C:\Program Files (x86)\Turbine\DDO Unlimited) and finally, was working wonderful.

tried that as well with the adding of 1 value and manually set the path, dictated the server and still nothing. Ive got both ddo ml and ddo unlimited in the main C root menu.

[Nestroy]

tried that as well with the adding of 1 value and manually set the path, dictated the server and still nothing. Ive got both ddo ml and ddo unlimited in the main C root menu.

Try leaving the path blank purposely. Set value to 1 and try again. You should get a select menu where you again can chose the DDO Unlimited folder. Use only this menu. Had been wrking for me. Make sure the folder is exactly the same you installed DDO into. Not that there is a second folder somewhere.

[J2345678]

Maybe you had incorrect data in your .\DDO-ML\ddo-ml.xml file.

You could try replacing the code in ddo-ml.xml with the code below (replace the values for username and password with your own):

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<root>
  <shortcut label="Log into DDO">
    <account user="username">
      <pass value="password"></pass>
      <rename value="DDO"></rename>
      <character value=""></character>
    </account>
  </shortcut>
</root>

The correct process is:

• <Run DDO-ML.exe>
• Click "Log into DDO"
• msg: login username
• msg: launching client
• <DDO Game Loads>
• msg: done
• <Close DDO-ML.exe>
• Play DDO

[goodspeed]

Maybe you had incorrect data in your .\DDO-ML\ddo-ml.xml file.

You could try replacing the code in ddo-ml.xml with the code below (replace the values for username and password with your own):

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<root>
  <shortcut label="Log into DDO">
    <account user="username">
      <pass value="password"></pass>
      <rename value="DDO"></rename>
      <character value=""></character>
    </account>
  </shortcut>
</root>

The correct process is:

• <Run DDO-ML.exe>
• Click "Log into DDO"
• msg: login username
• msg: launching client
• <DDO Game Loads>
• msg: done
• <Close DDO-ML.exe>
• Play DDO

I changed it all (actually I installed a new download then change it all) set the location, made sure anything else related to ddo was either gone (empty folders) or moved to the main location. And when I start the ML up I get login username and then Done... Log into DDO.

It doesn't say lauching client or anything else, the game doesn't load, nadda. Has no problem finding the file and patching from it.

[rimble]

I changed it all (actually I installed a new download then change it all) set the location, made sure anything else related to ddo was either gone (empty folders) or moved to the main location. And when I start the ML up I get login username and then Done... Log into DDO.

It doesn't say lauching client or anything else, the game doesn't load, nadda. Has no problem finding the file and patching from it.

DDO-ML worked for me for 2 out of 3 accounts. There was something about that third account, my main unfortunately, that it absolutely refused to work with. Doing some debugging it complained about bad credentials, but I know 100% they were correct. You might be running into something similar, and I have no idea what the solution is. PyLOTRO works though, so I'm good.

[Bob_of_QF]

The Akamai software is truly insidious malware.

I elected to use a 3rd party launcher (DDO-ML) and then proceeded to uninstall Akamai.

The "uninstall" trundled a bit, and then declared it was complete.

About the **only** thing it did, was remove the little Akamai app from Control Panel (an app which did exactly **nothing**-- it lied. It stated the service was stopped, when in fact, it was running)

So "uninstall complete"? Yeah, right-- a check of the Akamai install folder? Still there.

A scan of Windows Registry? Many-many instances of Akamai.

The worst of all? A check of running processes in Windows Task Manager? Akamai client was still running-- two instances-- even after an uninstall!

This is beyond malware-- this is bordering on virus-like behavior. How many people did not double-check, as I did?

So, nuke from Task manager. Manually delete the folder & files.

Then a registry scan-and-purge.

Finally? Reboot...

... meh.

[goodspeed]

The Akamai software is truly insidious malware.

I elected to use a 3rd party launcher (DDO-ML) and then proceeded to uninstall Akamai.

The "uninstall" trundled a bit, and then declared it was complete.

About the **only** thing it did, was remove the little Akamai app from Control Panel (an app which did exactly **nothing**-- it lied. It stated the service was stopped, when in fact, it was running)

So "uninstall complete"? Yeah, right-- a check of the Akamai install folder? Still there.

A scan of Windows Registry? Many-many instances of Akamai.

The worst of all? A check of running processes in Windows Task Manager? Akamai client was still running-- two instances-- even after an uninstall!

This is beyond malware-- this is bordering on virus-like behavior. How many people did not double-check, as I did?

So, nuke from Task manager. Manually delete the folder & files.

Then a registry scan-and-purge.

Finally? Reboot...

... meh.

ya it could be down in there, maybe even has some files in the system restore folder so that even when you wipe it all out manually in the registry and what not, it uses the restore function to rebuild itself.

I could just block the thing completly and set its download to one of the off disk drives. But this flippn ml thing is ticking me off. I hate things that should work but don't. I'll prolly just try the other option.

[PaddyMaxson]

Make a batch script:

a batch script which does:

Start C:\Users\<YOUR WINDOWS USERNAME>\AppData\Local\Akamai\netsession_win.exe
ping 1.1.1.1 -w 5000 -n 1
Start steam://rungameid/206480
ping ping 1.1.1.1 -w 7500 -n 1
taskkill.exe /F /IM netsession_win.exe

NOTE: this uses the steam version of the game because I wrote it for myself, you may need to adjust the -w part of the ping as essentially this is being used to waste time between commands