1. Introduction

This thread will discuss known technical issues with World of Warcraft as well as any known work-arounds or fixes that may assist.

If your particular issue is not listed below please first try to locate the same topic of thread that we have already assisted in to help resolve the problem. If you cannot find such a thread we have also developed support pages that list errors you may be having as well as the steps to resolve them.

Technical Support Pages: http://us.blizzard.com/support/index.xml?gameId=11

If you are still encountering the issue please create a new thread for assistance. Please note that due to the volume of threads we may not be able to answer and follow up with all of them. To counter this we have other methods of support as well:

E-mail support: Wowtech@blizzard.com
Phone Support: 1 (949) 955-1382 (Live Representative Mon-Fri, 9AM-6PM (PDT))

A forums strength is not in individually answering every thread; it is in reading how we answer other players with similar issues. When you post on the forums be certain to completely describe the problem as well as any steps you may have taken to resolve the issue along with the results of any tests taken to identify or classify the issue.

1. Introduction
2. Unknown - Player/NPC's labeled as "Unknown"
3. Chat Channels/System Messages
4. Blue Screen Crashing and graphic anomalies with an Intel Graphics card
5. Unable to Identify Application Version
6. Video Flickering/Distortion after 2.1
7. Windows Vista and patches
8. Disconnected from the internet while playing
9. Windows 2000 support Update
10. Error 134s occurring on some ATI cards
11. Intel GMA 965 issues with Windows XP and Vista
12. NVIDIA video cards and delayed alt+tab responses

2. Unknown - Player/NPC's labeled as "Unknown"

This issue is named after the names other player have when one is experiencing this problem. The WoW client on your computer is not receiving a name for the other players so it names them, by default, to be "Unknown". Other symptoms include players appearing without armor as well as your character model appearing plain white when you view your character sheet (C key).

This problem stems from the information that is coming to your computer from the realms being blocked or filtered in some way. There are 3 main causes to this problem listed below in order of likelihood.

Checksum offload setting

Duplex setting

Router firmware

Please review the instructions here for the checksum offload and duplex settings first:
http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?articleId=19813

You may need to contact the router's manufacturer for directions on checking and updating the firmware for the router. An easy step to check if the router is causing the information to be blocked in this fashion is to remove the router entirely. If connecting the computer to the modem resolves the problem then the router is blocking or filtering the information in some way. Remember that you will have to turn the computer and modem off before removing the router.

3. Chat Channels/System Messages

If you are missing any chat channels or system message commands, such as ("/random", "/who <name>", "/played" or shift-clicking someones name) or unable to speak in the chat channels, please try the following step to resolve the issue.

Type /resetchat in-game and it will force a complete chat reset. This will restore your default settings.

4. Blue Screen Crashing and graphic anomalies with an Intel Graphics card

Many players with Intel Graphic Cards have been reporting various graphical and crash related issues after patching. First and foremost we recommend players visit our Video Card Compatibility Page which can be found at the link below:
http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?articleId=21085

These crashes should be resolved in patch 2.0.5, which is available for download now.
You can read the patch notes and instructions here: http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/patchnotes/

If you are still experiencing graphical distortions or problems try to type this command into the chat window within game:

/console uifaster 0

This will alter the UI display to correct some interface anomalies. If you are unable to log into game due to crashing then they config.wtf file can be edited with this function as well.

-Open the "World of Warcraft\WTF" folder on the hard drive.
-Open the "config.wtf" file in WordPad or like text editor.
-Enter the following line into the file and save.

Set UIFaster “x”

Where x equals:
0 – This turns off all UI acceleration
1 – For Internal Use Only - DO NOT USE!
2 – Enables partial UI acceleration only.
3 – Enables all UI acceleration.

Example:
Set UIFaster “2”

Note: For users experiencing graphical corruption of the User Interface,
it is recommended to try option 2 in order to correct the problem. If
this does not solve the issue, then use option 0 to disable all UI
Acceleration.

5. Unable to Identify Application Version

If you receive this error when starting World of Warcraft most likely there is a Trojan or virus on your computer that is preventing the realms from identifying WoW. Please use the Launcher when starting WoW; the Launcher may detect a Trojan on the system and give a warning. The Launcher can be found in the World of Warcraft folder called ( Launcher.exe ), the Launcher may detect a Trojan it will not be able to remove it.

Please run a thorough virus/Trojan scan of your computer, below are links to security programs known to detect and remove instances in the recent past.

Kaspersky (free trial): http://usa.kaspersky.com/downloads/trial-versions.php?aw=kaspersky&CMP=KNC-DJ2899729106&HBX_PK=kaspersky&HBX_OU=50

Fix Wareout: (Number 18): http://www.subratam.org/main/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=19&Itemid=41

After catching and removing any malicious programs please change your password to your account. The malicious program is likely a Trojan keylogger designed to steal passwords. You can change your account password on the Account Management page here: http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/account/

______________________

Another reason you might encounter this error is if the same installation is used to connect to the European Realms and the US realms. Using the same installation in this manner is unsupported. The European realms and the US realms may not always be patched to the same version, which will cause WoW not to be recognized to one of them after it is patched.

6. Video – Flickering/Distortion after 2.1

If you are experiencing graphical distortions such as flickering of the video please temporarily turn off the “Level of Detail” under the Video Options. In order to disable this feature please follow the steps below.

1. While in game, open the Options menu.
2. Open the Video Options menu.
3. Locate the check box for "Level of Detail"
4. Uncheck the "Level of Detail".
5. Click "OK"

Disabling this feature may reduce the frame rate slightly; however, this is scheduled to be fixed in a future patch.

7. Windows Vista and patches

* You may see the message "Failed to apply patch. Please try again later" after clicking Restart. To get around this, right-click your World of Warcraft Shortcut and click on "Run as administrator".
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p276/bitsf/vista_admin_02.png

* You may see the following message when applying a patch:

---

Q u o t e:
The file "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\World of Warcraft\World of Warcraft.lnk.Temporary" could not be created. If this problem persists, you may be able to solve it by uninstalling and then reinstalling the game. If you are unable to correct this problem, please contact Blizzard Technical Support. (InstallerFile::Create)

---

To get around this, right-click your World of Warcraft Shortcut (or patch executable, depending on what you run to get to the patch) and click on "Run as administrator".
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p276/bitsf/vista_admin_02.png

* Launcher and tools updates will have problems similar to the patches where data may not be saved. A symptom of this is the Launcher tells you that it downloaded something and asks you to hit OK, then it won't do anything else. It'll loop this each time you try to run it. Right-click on the World of Warcraft shortcut and select "Run as administrator"
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p276/bitsf/vista_admin_02.png

Disconnected from the internet while playing

This is a collection of player reported workarounds for affected units.

DSL/Cable Modem and Routers

2Wire wireless modems/routers
Players have reported that setting this device to use 802.11b wireless mode will stabilize it. Contact your manufacturer for more details.

Older Motorola SB 4000 series
If this is a rental modem, exchanging it for an updated model was reported to clear up modem crashes and disconnects.

Linksys WRT54G series routers
Older units are known to have issues where this router may freeze or reset while playing World of Warcraft. Updating the firmware to the latest version clears it up. http://www.linksys.com/

Speedstream 4000 series
Players have reported that updated models from their ISP helped clear any disconnects.


Network Cards

NVIDIA/Marvell/Realtek Gigabit network cards
Disabling these cards' Checksum Offload settings may help:

Go to your Control Panel and go into System.

Click on your Hardware tab.

Click the Device Manager button.

Click the + sign next to Network Adapters and double-click your ethernet card.

Go to the Advanced tab, then disable Checksum Offload. It may be called Hardware Checksumming or a Checksum of some type. You'll get disconnected from the internet for a while but it should reconnect. If not, reboot your machine. Try the game afterwards. Keep in mind that these options are for WIRED GIGABIT cards only.

Netgear FA311 network cards
These network cards will have trouble under Windows XP. You may want to try these drivers to see if they make a difference - http://kbserver.netgear.com/release_notes/d102747.asp

USB network cards
USB network cards, especially wireless, may cause abnormal behavior. Try updating their drivers or use a wired connection to see if it h elps.

*reserved*

9. Windows 2000 Support Update

http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=11162666406&sid=1

As of the Echoes of Doom patch (3.0.2), which contains improvements and changes in preparation for the upcoming release of Wrath of the Lich King, we will no longer be supporting World of Warcraft under Windows 2000. This means that if technical issues arise while playing the game under Windows 2000, our technical support department may not be able to resolve them. We will still do our best to provide troubleshooting advice, but if these suggestions do not work, we will be unable to provide further assistance.