Why can't I see my avatar correctly?

[Blacklilly Dethly]

My Avatar in the Phoenix viewer doesn't rez correctly. All I see is a simple shape and skin, no eyes. I can't change clothes, I keep getting messages saying "Can't change clothes until fully loaded." But it won't ever load fully.  On Firefox viewer I can't rez anything but a pink cloud. 

Please help, 

Blacklilly Dethly

[Rolig Loon]

That's because you have a crummy Internet connection.  It happens, and all the symptoms that you described are typical of poor communication between your viewer and SL's servers.  Information about your appearance has to be "baked" onto your avatar on your own computer, saved there, and then uploaded to SL before it's fully visible there. If the necessary information is messed up in transmission, you may end up with a borked file on your computer, or SL's servers may end up with a borked image. Either way, your av's appearance defaults to a fluffy cloud or, worse, a partly formed body that's missing skin textures, eyeballs, or other parts. What works to repair the damage for one person won't necessarily work for the next person, and it may not be the same thing that works for you tomorrow. See the full list of possibilities here >>> http://wiki.phoenixviewer.com/doku.php?id=fs_bake_fail . Start with the simple things at the top of the list and work down until you find what works for you today.

You may find that the bake fail problem comes back repeatedly, even after you fix it with one of the suggestions on that wiki page. If so, you have a chronically weak Internet connection. There are many steps to take for repairing it. Perhaps the simplest ones -- ones that work best for most people -- are: (1) Don't Use WIRELESS. Wireless connections are inherently less stable than direct cable connections and are more vulnerable to interference. Then, (2) Reboot your router. Unplug it from the power for a few minutes to let it clear its RAM. Then plug it back in and let it get a fresh hold on an IP address.

Within a few weeks, you can expect this bake fail problem to disappear for most SL residents, once Linden Lab releases a long-awaited upgrade to the server and viewer codes.  You will still need to be sure that you have a strong, steady Internet connection, but it won't be as likely to mess up your appearance if you have occasional problems with it.  Until then, though, follow the instructions above.  They work.