Configuring Your Client

This guide is NOT intended for people with buddypass, or illegally downloaded versions of FFXI. We have the bought and paid for the game, and will never recommend that you use anything different. If you somehow managed to get it to work using the buddypass or an illegal version of FFXI then keep it to yourself. Discussion of obtaining software through illegal means is not tolerated.

Step 1 - Installing FFXI

In this section we will install and update Final Fantasy XI from Retail Discs.

If you're using Windows Vista/7 you will need to download this vista POL client: FFXI POL Vista/7 Update

• Install POL (use appropriate version for your system)

• Install FFXI

• Install Rise of the Zilart

• Install Chains of Promathia

• Install Treasures of Aht Urghan

• Install Wings of the Goddess

Time to update!

The method below is the most reliable but it does take a while. If you're a rebel and feeling a bit daring then click me to skip to "Updating FFXI via manual patch download(ADVANCED USERS ONLY)"

Step 2 - Preparing For Updates

• Run PlayOnline. When it first runs it will prompt you to update, do it.

• After the update for POL is done and restarted it will ask you if you're a New User or Existing User.

• Choose Existing User using 1234567 as username/pass/account id etc.

Unregistered PlayOnline Account made! Time for the next step.

Step 3 (part 1) - Updating Final Fantasy XI

Download the file: here

• Open the file using an archiving program

• Extract to a new directory e.g. c:\patch

• Close your archiving program

• Navigate to c:\patch

• Single left-click anywhere in the folder and press Ctrl+A

• Once you see everything highlighted press Ctrl+C

Step 3 (part 2) - Updating Final Fantasy XI (continued)

• Navigate to the directory you installed Final Fantasy XI.

(For 64-bit systems, navigate to C:\Program Files (x86)\PlayOnline\SquareEnix\FINAL FANTASY XI\)

(For 32-bit systems, navigate to C:\Program Files\PlayOnline\SquareEnix\FINAL FANTASY XI\)

• Paste those files you copied from C:\Patch to /FINAL FANTASY XI/ directory.

• Single left click any where in the directory and hold Ctrl+V

• When prompted to overwrite the files say Yes to All

• Close windows explorer.

Step 3 (part 3) - Updating Final Fantasy XI (final part of Step 3)

• Run PlayOnline. On the left side of the screen click Check Files

• On the next screen where it says "PlayOnlineViewer" click the two arrows and change it to "Final Fantasy XI". The "version" should be "UNKNOWN", **if it does not work then redo Step 3 and carry on following from there**

• Click on the Check Files button.

• PlayOnline will then check all the FINAL FANTASY XI files (usually takes about 15-20 minutes) and prompt you on what to do because it found errors.

• You should then choose to fix the errors. They are errors after all and need to be fixed.

• PlayOnline will then automatically start checking and updating files. This takes around 5-10hrs. Once it starts downloading you can leave it unattentended if you wish to do so (best to do this overnight as PlayOnline servers are sloooooooooooooooooow)

• Once you're done updating, navigate to /PlayOnlineViewer/.

• Right-click the "data" folder and click copy

• Navigate to /FINAL FANTASY XI/, right click an empty space in the folder and click paste. You should now have the "data" folder inside your /FINAL FANTASY XI/ folder.

Woo glad that's over! All that's left is to set up your launcher. Click Me for Launcher Setup Instructions!

Updating FFXI via manual patch download (ADVANCED USERS ONLY PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK)

This option isn't supported by Dark Star Project, but may be faster than updating through PlayOnline

If you don't have something that can extract RAR archives, download and install 7zip.

Close the PlayOnline Viewer

Go to tehkrizz's FFXI Patch Download Page

Download the MOV, ROM, and Sound archives. Extract the files into your FFXI install folder. Usually C:\Program Files (x86)\PlayOnline\SquareEnix\FINAL FANTASY XI on 64-bit Windows or C:\Program Files\PlayOnline\SquareEnix\FINAL FANTASY XI on 32-bit Windows Extract the contents of the FFXI Patch you downloaded earlier into the FFXI install folder again, overwriting all files. If you skip this step, your client probably will not update properly.

Run the PlayOnline Viewer

Select Check Files on the left of the screen.

Click on PlayOnline Viewer then select Final Fantasy XI from the drop down, then Check Files. If there have been any updates since the archives posted on tehkrizz's site, this may take an hour or more.

Close the PlayOnline Viewer

After updating

Copy the data folder at PlayOnline\SquareEnix\PlayOnlineViewer\data to the Final Fantasy XI directory at PlayOnline\SquareEnix\FINAL FANTASY XI.

Afterwards you should have the directory PlayOnline\SquareEnix\FINAL FANTASY XI\data.

Setting up the Launcher

In this section you will configure FFXI to connect to a DarkStar Server

You can use Ashita, FFXI-Boot Mod, FFXI-Boot, or mXI to connect to a Dark Star server. Ashita and mXI have more features, but take longer to set up. FFXI-Boot/Mod usually work with minimal configuration. They can all co-exist on your system, so if in doubt, try several!

Ashita

This is the most maintained and feature-packed option.

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Prerequisites: MSVC 2013 Runtimes x86 version,MSVC 2012 Update 1 Runtimes x86 version.

This comes with the below FFXI-Boot_Mod. As such, IT WORKS PROPERLY WITH DNS NAMES out of the box. It now also works properly for EU versions and does not have the issue that causes you to time out when creating a new character.

Download - Ashita

Create a folder in a convenient location and extract the archive into it.

Run Ashita.exe and it will automatically download all the needed files.

If you don't have an account, skip to the next section for creation instructions.

If you already have an account, click on the "Configs" tab and select the appropriate profile for the server you use.

Click "EDIT CONFIG". Inside, on the "Boot Command" line, edit the account and password to match your own. If you are using an EU or JP version of FFXI, you will also need to add:

--lang EU

or

--lang JP

as appropriate to the end of it.

You can also specify an IP to connect to as well as your user and pass in the Boot Command e.g.

--server 192.168.0.12 --user fakeUser --pass betterLuckNextTime

Tweak any other options you want while in here, including resolution. You do not need to click on the "Test Server" check box. If you would prefer to be prompted for your password, take out the --pass parameter entirely.

If you need to be able to log into a public server hosted on your own computer or LAN, add the --hairpin option to the Boot Command!

The package contains profiles for the main test server and the classic server. See the DarkStar Servers page for additional servers you can use.

You can find a lot of additional plugins and help for Ashita at [1]

FFXI-Boot Mod 3

This is the most maintained simple loader. It does not support plugins but it is used with the Ashita package above which does provide plugins.

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A vc11 and vc10 build are both provided. You will need one of:

MSVC 2012 Update 1 Runtimes x86 version

or

MSVC 2010 Runtimes x86 version

This is a special version of the below FFXI-Boot. This version takes command-line options and was designed to work seamlessly with Ashita. It is also included in the Ashita package we provide. There is no INI file with this version. IT ALSO WORKS PROPERLY WITH DNS NAMES unlike the original ffxi-boot! It now also works properly for EU versions and does not have the issue that causes you to time out when creating a new character.

Download FFXI-Boot Mod 3

Extract the FFXI-Boot Mod's "pol.exe" somewhere convenient.

To play on a local server, just run pol.exe and you will be prompted for a username and password to login with.

To play on another server, open up a command prompt, navigate to the folder you extracted to, and type in:

pol.exe --server server-ip --user username --pass password --lang US

The username and password options are optional here and will be prompted for if not provided. the Language option is required if you have a JP or EU version. See the Readme in the archive for more information.

If you need to be able to log into a public server hosted on your own computer or LAN, add the --hairpin option to the command!

See the DarkStar Servers page for servers you can use.

FFXI-Boot

This is the original FFXI-Boot, a simple loader without any bells or whistles. It uses an ini file instead of command-line options to work, and as such is not well-suited for use with several server configurations.

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Prerequisite: MSVC 2010 Runtimes x86 version

This version does not handle DNS names properly and will cause searches and auctions to fail when using them. It also does not support hairpinning for accessing public servers hosted on the same system or your LAN.

Download FFXI-Boot

Extract the FFXI-Boot files (ffxi-boot.exe & ffxi-boot.ini) somewhere convenient.

Open ffxi-boot.ini in a text editor.

Change SERVIP to the IP address of the DarkStar server you wish to use. See the DarkStar Servers page for this info, or put in 127.0.0.1 if you are hosting your own server on the same system.

An example ffxi-boot.ini is below.

SERVIP = 67.41.45.115
AUTOLOGIN = 1
USERNAME    = username
PASSWORD = password

mXI

This is the original Windower loader for private servers. It is no longer maintained, and the Windower crew hasn't shown us anything new in a long time, but it is still a valid option.

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Prerequisite: MSVC 2010 Runtimes x86 version

This does not handle DNS names properly and will cause searches and auctions to fail when using them. It also does not support hairpinning for accessing public servers hosted on the same system or your LAN.

If you prefer the MXI FFXI Loader, this is compatible with DarkStar servers as well. mXI windower features (light luggage, distance, etc.) can potentially cause you problems while playing. If you have issues, this is the first thing to disable. Windower itself seams to work fine on Dark Star.

Download mXI 0.91_Darkstar version

Extract the contents of the archive into the PlayOnline\SquareEnix\FINAL FANTASY XI directory.

Open Client.ini in a text editor.

Change SERVIP to the IP address of the DarkStar server you wish to use. See the DarkStar Servers page for this info, or put in 127.0.0.1 if you are hosting your own server on the same system.

You will also need to set X_RES and Y_RES to the resolution your game will be running at or it will look streteched or squashed.

If you plan to play on someone else's server, you MUST disable the Light Luggage plugin in scripts/init.txt or YOU WILL LIKELY BE BANNED. This plugin unnecessarily spams auto-sort on the server and can disrupt play for everyone.

If you have any problems, set WINDOWERMODE to 2, which will disable all of the windower plugins. If it works, try disabling all of your windower plugins in scripts/init.txt and then re-enable them one at a time to determine which one is causing a crash. It may also help to DISABLE windowed mode the the FFXI configuration utility and/or extract mXI to a directory other than the PlayOnline\SquareEnix\FINAL FANTASY XI directory and run it from that location instead.

An example Client.ini is below.

[SERVER]
SERVIP 		=  67.41.45.115
AUTOLOGIN  	=  1
USERNAME	=  username
PASSWORD	=  password
[CLIENT]
LANGUAGE 	= 1
## VERSION can be NA,EU or JP. This needs to reflect the POL version you have.
VERSION 	= NA
## MODE 0 = no windower, 1 = normal windower, 2 = windower light
WINDOWERMODE	= 1
X_RES 		= 1024
Y_RES 		= 768

I would highly suggest updating the Windower hook.dll version and all of the plugins in this package. You can obtain the newest hook.dll here: [2]

You can find additional plugins on that site as well.

Create an Account and Login

FFXI-Boot Mod

For FFXI-Boot Mod, run it with the server parameter and fail a login once and you will be asked if you want to create an account.

The username should be between 3 and 15 alphanumeric characters and the password should be between 6 and 15 alphanumeric characters long.

After creating you account the window will close. Simply re-run with (or without) the new username and password options. If you didn't provide them, you will be prompted for them.

Ashita

For Ashita, start Ashita.exe, double-click on the server profile you want to use and fail a login once and you will be prompted to create an account.

The username should be between 3 and 15 alphanumeric characters and the password should be between 6 and 15 alphanumeric characters long.

After creating you account the window will close.

Start Ashita.exe again and click the appropriate profile and click "EDIT CONFIG"

Within, on the Boot Command line edit account and password to reflect the appropriate values.

Tweak your window size and other options as you like and hit "SAVE CONFIG". You do not need to check Test Server.

Double-click the profile you edited to launch from now on!

FFXI-Boot or mXI

Run ffxi-boot.exe or mXI.exe and choose option 2; Create a new account.

The username should be between 3 and 15 alphanumeric characters and the password should be between 6 and 15 alphanumeric characters long.

You can now save the username and password into the ffxi-boot.ini or Client.ini if you wish to use auto-login.

Choose option 1; Login using existing account

Login with username and password.

FFXI should load and be on the splash screen. Choose Accept.

Create a Character, Select a Country, then choose Yes to Register and begin play.

Select the newly created character then login.

It should login all the way to the Country you selected.

NOTE: It may take as many as three to four attempts to log in with a newly created character.

Updating Your Client

Every time a new patch comes out you must update your client or lots of weird things will happen (wrong messages will appear, npcs don't show up)

1. Download this patch [3]

2. Extract its contents to your PlayOnline/Squareenix/Final Fantasy XI directory.

3. Go into Playonline and check files on FFXI (its version should be undefined)

4. Wait until Check Files has finished

5. Copy your 'data' folder from /PlayOnlineViewer/ to /FINAL FANTASY XI/

6. Update your launcher.

Common Errors

MSVCP110.dll is Missing

You will need to install the correct Redistributable Package from Microsoft. Please note that you cannot just take any of those, you need to pick the one that goes with your very specific version of Visual Studio. The link for example is for VS 2012 SP1. If you have another version, you need another vcredist package.

MSVCR110D.dll is Missing

The Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2012 must be installed in target machines.

msvcr110.dll is Missing

You need to install the Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2012 Update 3 from here:

http://download.microsoft.com/download/1/6/B/16B06F60-3B20-4FF2-B699-5E9B7962F9AE/VSU3/vcredist_x86.exe

Dual Boxing Crashes Second Client

This happens when running the clients in admin mode! Don't run as an admin.

Accept Failed 10093

Client is out of date. Run POL and update.

Open your FFXI folder. Then go into ROM\0 An delete 0.dat Open POL Then open regular PlayOnline, on the left click 'Check Files' select FFXi from the list.

Error 10092

Issue = Bad client file Fix =

1. Lets start with the easy stuff please make sure you have the ini and Final fantasy Config bothe set to the same resolution and make sure you are running the game as an admin!

2. If one did not work you may need to add your data folder from play online to the final fantasy ffxi folder! This could also Show you Build_100

3. If steps 1 and 2 are not working you may need to launch play online and try to recover your ffxi files through Check File This could also Show you Build_100

FFXI-3001

Your character is still logged in. Wait a 2-5 mins and try again. Your char has to time out.

FFXI-3005

Fix = wait 2-5 min continued login after this error could get you error 3001

Fix = This can also mean the login server is online but the game server itself has crashed. I will of course have it back up asap aka when i notice its down.

Build_100 When launching FFXI-boot

1. If one did not work you may need to add your data folder from play online to the final fantasy ffxi folder!

2. If steps 1 and 2 are not working you may need to launch play online and try to recover your ffxi files through Check File

3. This also happens if you try to enter a zone/expansion you don't have installed. Ask a GM to move your char or buy and install the expansion, your move.

FFXI - 3305

Your char probably hasn't timed out properly, wait 2 mins and try again. If that didn't work then server is probably down.

FFXI-3101

3101 is a disconnect with you and the login server.

The server could be down or ashita is outdated.

Another problem could be that your ashita is outdated (Weird, I know... but I had a guy with this issue and updating ashita fixed it)

FFXI-3322 while creating my character

1. Go to Playoneline Viewer folder (usually in C:/programs)

2. Copy data folder

3. Paste it in Final Fantasy XI folder

If that doesn't work, name could be taken or be too short.

You could not be logged in!

Password or username was not correct. Make sure the account exists.

Getting Japanese Error When Creating Char

The japanese error is mostly because your character name is already taken.

Check files only has PlayOnline Viewer and Tetra

Download this patch patch

Extract its contents to your PlayOnline/Squareenix/Final Fantasy XI directory.

I cannot see my character, any npcs or any players

Update your client. Copy the patch into ffxi directory and check files.

Can't repair file after deleteing .dat from ROM

Use the patch, check files and copy your 'data' folder over from /PlayOnlineViewer/ to /FINAL FANTASY XI/

/check not working anymore

Update your client!!

Error::FFXiLogin init_tcp_socket (10061)

Update ashita and your client!

Invisible character models

Try installing this Microsoft Package

Update your graphics driver

Or

control panel > device manager > display adapters and chose the only one listed. It said the device is working properly, click the driver tab and select update driver > browse my computer for driver software > let me pick from a list of device drivers.

It listed 3 different drivers, The first one was Microsoft Basic Display Adapter I didn't choose that one, the other ones listed were 'Intel(R) HD Graphics' and 'Intel(R) HD Graphics Family (Microsoft Corporation - WDDM 1.2).

Couldn't Find Server

Keep in mind the login server could be down. You can try pinging the server from the cmd prompt.

Game Settings Do Not Save

Run the booter in admin mode. Right click and click on run as admin.

Can't Receive tells

Your name is too long or relog.

POL-1160

Don't connect to play online. Create an account and go straight to check files.

build_100 Error

Update your client

Dual boxing overwrites my macros and settings

Use a different book.

Weird Things are Happening

Seriously your client is out of update. Update it.