[Can someone explain content filters and if they could be responsible for my inability to access Second Life?]

Are content filters keeping me out of Second Life?

[Under Windows Vista, my graphics card reports as a GDI generic. Why is that?]

Can someone help me figure out why my graphics card is reporting as a GDI generic?

[Could Norton Antivirus be slowing down my cache?]

On some systems, particularly slower ones, Norton AntiVirus can significantly slow down the texture cache system introduced in 1.14.0.

In order to minimize this problem, we recommend adding the following directories to the list of ignored (trusted) directories for Norton AntiVirus:

• The Second Life skins directory (i.e. C:\Program Files\SecondLife\skins )
• The Second Life cache, which you can find in the Network tab of the Preferences window in Second Life under Disk Cache Location (i.e. C:\Documents and Settings\User\Application Data\SecondLife\cache)

[Second Life gives me an error message about being "Unable to find a valid certificate" or "Unable to establish a secure connection to the login server."]

What does this mean?  Do I need to fix something?

[When I log into Second Life, it gets to contacting user server and stops. Why?]

Why am I getting stuck at "contacting" user server?

[Someone in Second Life is doing something that makes the whole region run much more slowly than it should.]

What can be done about someone using more than their fair share of resources?

[My computer overheats with Second Life, what can I do?]

It overheats when I am in Second Life.  I want to fix it.  Any help?

[Second Life says it can't run full screen, a specific resolution, or 32-bit color]

Unfortunately, this error message usually means your graphics card isn't compatible with Second Life. If you've checked your graphics card and it is compatible, try updating its drivers.

If your graphics card is listed as compatible, and you have the latest drivers, try these steps:
Check Display settings

   1. Right-click any empty space on your desktop and choose Properties.OR, open the Control Panel, then open Display.
   2. Click on the Settings tab.
   3. The Color Quality box should read Highest (32-bit). If it does not, change it to Highest (32-bit) and click OK.
   4. The Resolution should be at least the resolution Second Life is trying to run at. (In most cases, you probably want it higher, like 1024x768 or 1280x1024.)

Check Windows Program Compatibility settings

   1. Right-click the Second Life Icon and choose Properties.
   2. Go to the Compatibility tab.
   3. Make sure everything is unchecked.

[When I log into Second Life it gets to "preparing inventory" and stops. Why?]

Why is it stopping at "preparing inventory"?

[Can I retract a previously filed abuse report?]

I made a mistake and want to retract an abuse report I filed.  How can I do that?

[Second Life gives me an error message about my motherboard or AGP drivers being out of date.]

What can I do to resolve this issue?

[Second Life gives me an error message about components missing from the display panel (vbo check box).]

What does this mean?

[I bought Linden Dollars (L$) from the LindeX and was charged different than I thought I would be. Why?]

Why did I get less than I expected?

[Second Life won't load and displays an error regarding DINPUT8.DLL?]

What is this error and how can I fix it please?

[I need information on keyboard mapping for Second Life]

• Warning: Changing the Viewer's initialization files can result in unexpected behavior or loss of functionality in Second Life. Proceed at your own risk; Linden Lab will not support issues that arise as a result of altered program files. Always make a backup copy before making edits.

 

There are various situations in which you may want to remap the Second Life Viewer's keyboard controls. For example:

• You're using a non-QWERTY keyboard.
• You want to change how keys respond in mouselook (first-person view).

 

• You can rebind keyboard controls by editing the keys.ini file:

   1. Navigate to your Second Life install directory's app_settings folder.

• On Windows, Second Life installs to C:\Program Files\SecondLifeViewer2 by default on Windows systems. Or C:\Program Files (x86)\SecondLifeViewer2 if you're on a 64-bit version of Windows.
• On a Mac, right-click the Second Life application package and choose Show Package Contents. Then, open Contents > Resources > app_settings.

   2. Make a backup copy of keys.ini. so you can restore the original configuration if something goes wrong.

   3. Open keys.ini in a text editor, like Notepad or Textedit.

   4. Read the primer at the beginning of the file; it will help you understand how to make your edits

   5. When you feel comfortable with the format of the file, edit the second and third columns to change key bindings.

• If you want a binding to be consistent between third-person and first-person views, you need to change the same control for both modes.

   6. Save and close keys.ini.

   7. Restart the Viewer and test your new controls!

[Can I use multiple monitors with Second Life?]

I have 2 monitors and I would like to use both for Second Life.  Is there more information about this topic?

[Why can't I get on the land I own?]

I own land and it seems I do not have access to it.  Why would that be?

[My Linden Dollar balance has not updated since I bought some Lindens?]

Why hasn't my balance updated?

[Why do landmarks come in 2 different colors?]

If you've looked in your Inventory window's Landmarks folder, you may have noticed some of the pushpin icons are bright red, while others are a faded, almost purple tone.

Here's the difference:

Bright red landmarks are ones you've teleported to. They probably won't change to that color until after you relog. Faded mauve landmarks are ones you haven't been to yet. An easy way to test this:

• Go to a parcel of land you can create landmarks on.
• Select World > Create Landmark Here twice.
• Then, in your Inventory window's Landmarks folder, teleport to one of those landmarks (double-clicking is probably the fastest way) and relog.
• Look at your landmarks again.

[When I drop an object out of my inventory into the world, it doesn't appear]

What is this happening?

[I am having trouble on wireless networks. What can I do?]

Some common problems while using wireless networks include  difficulties with moving in Second Life, or getting disconnected  frequently.

Current wireless networking solutions are highly prone to  interference. (For example, many use the same radio frequency as  microwave ovens or wirless telephones.) Wireless also "breaks" some  networking standards, such as delivering packets out of order; this can  cause Second Life to run incorrectly. If you disconnect frequently from  Second Life while using wireless networking, the wireless products may  be the cause.

Many wireless products also use advanced data compression  features (such as "speed boost") that can cause problems with Second  Life. Any features that claim to increase download speed should be  disabled.

If you must use wireless networking, we recommend products using  the 802.11g standard. If any of your equipment uses the slower 802.11b  standard, you may experience more problems.

Try using a direct wired connection to your internet DSL line or  cable modem to troubleshoot whether your wireless networking is  contributing to your problems in Second Life. If the problems are solved  with a wired connection, discontinue use of the wireless networking  products.

[I'm using a dual core processor and my view jitters, especially when moving or turning around]

If your view jitters and your computer has an AMD X2 Dual Core Processor, you can find a patch on AMD's website that may improve your Second Life experience.

Download and Install the "AMD Dual-Core Optimizer" from this page.

This problem is being tracked at this link^.

[Is my firewall responsible for problems with Second Life?]

I'm having issues and trying to determine if it is due to my firewall.

[Does Second Life run on Windows Vista?]

The Second Life viewer currently runs on Windows Vista with recent graphics cards and updated drivers.

Please check out the Second Life viewer's system requirements for current information regarding supported hardware and operating systems.

[My Nvidia drivers seem to be causing a problem with Second Life. What can I do?]

NVIDIA graphics cards sometimes  experience driver-related problems. After installing the latest NVIDIA  drivers, they've found that the Second Life® viewer crashes with an  error message that states: "Second Life is unable to run because your  video card drivers did not install properly, are out of date, or are for  unsupported hardware." To the best of our knowledge, this appears to be  a problem with the NVIDIA drivers' initial installation: the first time  the install process is run, something fails silently -- a file or set  of files doesn't copy properly, but the installer doesn't give you any  notice that something went wrong.

There is a solution: ensure that all of your applications are  closed, and install the NVIDIA drivers again. For some reason, the  drivers almost always install correctly the second time.

If these steps do not solve your problem, please see NVIDIA's Driver Installation Hints