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...Or bug Microsoft to explain why THEIR software ISN't compatable with older versions of THEIR software.
David did find Microsoft's explination.. look on this link for Microsoft's FAQ which gives a lot of explainations...
http://microsoft.com/windows/directx/productinfo/overview/faq.asp
just click on any question there and they have an answer... they (Microsoft) have stated that newer Version of Direct Play has components that do not work well with older versions of Direct X and thus causes connectivity problems....
on top of that ( referring to someone else's post) I have yet to encounter a XP Service pack 1 issue once i got the Gaming CD issue fixed with the patch that Microsoft released in their Technical section...
the answers are out there look them up...
Basics :
Routers (proxie) and Firewalls.. look at the networking.txt on the SFC 3 disk for solutions.. if that don't work, then contact the maker of your router and/or firewall.. also reference Gamespy Arcade help section for proper settings for your stuff.. SFC 3 works through GSA for Direct Play validation and user name, email,password validation.. GSA does not like routers and/or firewalls.. Period.. however, they have settings available..
Cable modems... Contact the manufacturer of your cable modem to see if the Ethernet Connection on your modem has a built in router.. if so, does it have USB? If so, then connect USB and load the proper drivers as USB usually bypasses cable modem routers...
Video Drivers are extremely important.. find the Driver that works best for your equipment... Do this for all your hardware (cd rom, monitor, chipset on motherboard, cpu, bios, modem, keyboard, mouse, ethernet card, etc.)
Direct X 9.. increases Direct Play stability and makes games look crisper... and it is backwards compatible to pre-DX 9 software / hardware. If it does seem to mess up your system, run a web search for Direct X buster, dl and run it, then reinstall Direct X 8.1.
there are several other things that you can get for your system to run better...
how many of you can't join a chat room? you get a blank explorer when going to chat areas? have you gone to http://java.sun.com and gotten the Java package on your machine? that is what runs the majority of chat rooms...
people need to take care of their machines and upgrade often, that includes software upgrades and sometimes hardware upgrades.. technology will not stand still for you.. you have to keep up or stay in the dust....