Having joined the set-up only a few days ago I'm pretty happy, but I'm irritated by technical problems that I can only link back to playing pool. Sometimes the server connection breaks up (classic symptoms on my system include the sound being muted and the table disappearing, which makes it pretty difficult to play!). I often get an error message in Windows on the lines of "Program XXYYZZ has caused an error in Explorer" and it gives me two options - IGNORE or CLOSE.

Problem is - no matter which one I press, the whole thing shuts down and I can't continue playing. Needless to say this puts me at a disadvantage in tournaments!

I'd be very grateful if you could suggest ideas so I can sort my system out.

Steve (germanviking)

Post in game queries.

I've done that already, around five hours ago, and am waiting for a response. I just wondered if you guys had any ideas or had this problem before.

Never seen this problem before, Nick's the man to fix this though.

moved. It used to happen to me on my old windows ME computer. It was when the computer ran outta memory, so maybe check out how well your pc is using your cpu/ram - i.e. is it efficient?

Other than this, wait for nick.

Hope this helps :)

That's a good summary, as when I try to get to the Control Panel, I can't get in for precisely that reason.

I've got 128MB RAM and a 55GB hard-drive, shouldn't be that problematic, surely?

nope, but how efficient is your computer using this memory? Best bet is to use CTRL+ALT+DEL, view which processes are running and try terminating each one separately (perhaps at startup) determining which one is causing you the problems.

I always stop Skype, and I'm timing my log-in's. If I win a game now in a tourney, I log off, break off the connection and then log in again.

yep, but it shouldn't resort to that? Maybe try checking for spyware or adware.

I take it you're on windows 9x / ME?

I have Adaware and Spybot Search and Destroy, and run those twice a week. I have Millennium Edition on the PC.

yeah, they brought windows xp out early because windows ME was too buggy with just this problem you're experiencing now.

Maybe download a free ram program like freeram xp pro (from http://www.yourwaresolutions.com/software.html#framxpro )

This program is suitable for your operating system and is also free to download, so you may wish to give it a try.

Hope this helps :-)

We have receieved four error logs detailing your problem.

This problem seems to be caused by insufficient memory - note that Java can have a set memory limit imposed which is significantly less than your system capability.

Are you increasing the size of the applet at all? The larger your applet is, the more memory the game requires. Try not increasing the size.

Otherwise it would be worth downloading the latest Java from http://www.java.com

Note that when your client has an "abortive" error it should automatically log you out with a message informing you in the chat panel.

That's feasible, as I always play the game in a pretty full screen. I'll download those two programs when I get home, as I'm at work right now, then see what happens.

Thanks for those two ideas, I'll drop a message on this board to say if it works or not.

it used to happen on my old windows ME comp too with 128mb of ram...then i got 512mb new computer and it worked completely fine

have u got it running on windows 98 second edition viking? i had loads of trouble when i used tht. xp is much better.

he said millenium edition, a buggy release after 2000 (xp came out early to fix vulnerabilities!)

Well, the RAM upgrade doesn't seem to have done anything - it won't install correctly! As quite a few members seem to be complaining about similar things in tournament matches, I'd like to suggest something that happened in Yahoo pool leagues that may help as a temporary measure, but I expect the game may need considerable reprogramming:

1. Instead of the invite time limit being 3 minutes, I suggest we make it 5. It gives a bit more time to a player who has to close their system down and reboot.

2. The same "5-minute principle" could apply to players who get cut out of games due to their internet connection brekaing down. If they are not back on the members board after five minutes, then they automatically lose the frame.

Apart from that, I'm still a bit clueless.

Can you also try playing without the screen maximized?