Wednesday, August 31, 2011

A Computer Repair man epxlains how to host games/game servers

Alright I have been getting alot of requests from people asking me how do they get people to see their game server or more directly how to host a game on starcraft. Well I will now include everything you need to know to get started! You don't have to be a computer repair guru do it! It's easy and every one has the ability to host games and gaming servers!

The main reason why people cant get people to join their games/servers is because for your protection by default inbound Internet connections are blocked so as to prevent unwanted access to your computer. And all we need to do is open those connections up! This article will address how to do so with windows firewall, a modem, and or a router.

One thing I learned early on in my computer repair career is how to allow legit good programs to get past the windows firewall! And this is step number one. Configuring your windows firewall to allow starcraft access. Why starcraft? Well it is a good example to use for demonstrating however the same can be applied to any .exe gaming server or port number. Alright now this video shows a simple walk through for adding a program into the list of accepted programs in windows xp firewall



If you have windows vista or windows 7 then the steps are more or less the same so here is a general run down. Step on find your control panel you can click either start you go to my computer. Step two locate windows firewall. Step three make sure the firewall is on and allows exceptions. Step four click on add a program to the safe access list(or something similar). Browse around (ussually in program files) for starcraft.exe and then once you have found it click the button to add it into the list. OR you can add a port instead in which case the port you want to add is both udp and tcp 6112 (that's the battle.net port number) If you use a gaming server then enter the port number and network protocol (tcp/udp) for your server.

And that's it for the windows firewall! Now if you have a modem instead of a router then you might be done at this point and may not need to continue go ahead and try to host a game.

STEP TWO FOR ROUTERS:

You will need to have administrator access to your router for this. Go to your browser and type in 192.168.0.1 (Last two digits might be different depending on your router type! just google what it is or try checking the bottom of the router) when you do a user name and password prompt should come up (you need to know what the name and password is) If you don't know it then go to http://www.portforward.com/ You will need to know the brand name of your router and the model number and scroll down in the list till you see it and then click on it. An advertisement will come up which you can skip if you prefer. Then a list of games will come up which you can select from in order to allow them access to your router. Find starcraft and click on it. Ignore the part regarding static ip (if you are using starcraft) and then follow the rest of the steps to let starcraft past the routers firewall so you can host a game!

And that's it you are done no need to call a computer repair man out after all! If you have more questions however you can go ahead and contact me through comment or through the tech support tab

17 comments:

  1. You could also think about adding a section on starting the game server as a service for when maybe their computer restarts or something..

    http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/83272-how-to-run-a-program-as-a-service/

    http://www.duodata.de/ntwrapper/index.htm

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  2. @Humphrey

    Thats a good point to have a server run as a background service I may do that in the future. Good advice

    http://computer-repair-diy.blogspot.com

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  3. Ya all routers are different for port forwarding.

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  4. Cool, i've always wondered how to do that. Thanks!

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  5. @Zach Crankfield (lacrosse)

    Lol, no sorry. How ever you can STOP services to help speed up your computer but I would recommend checking GOOGLE for a tutorial on how and which ones that are not really needed for everyday use.

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  6. You can also check out RUN> MSCONFIG - it will allow you to stop some services and programs from starting when your computer starts, usually stopping all but the MICROSOFT services won't hurt but it has been known to stop the audio from working, touch pads on laptops, etc.

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  7. Yes Humphrey is right and for a quicker guide, if you have windows xp you can examine my posts labled "windows xp normal processes" and "my computer spontaneously slows down" which includes screen shots in which....

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  8. Im checking in again to see if my question has been answered. Still does not look like it has.

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  9. YAY! Somebody explain it to retard people like me! Thanks! I'm gonna print this to make my own Team Fortress 2 server later!

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  10. @Zack Crankfield

    that is a resounding no. Comments will not help make your computer go faster

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  11. I usualy try to run dedicated servers when i can just in case a game crashes and every one goes
    a,jksdhbfkasjhdgfkashdfkasdfkasdhflaisglaisudglasi lol

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  12. Generally i take the help of Google to resolve these problem. Actually the problem occurs when your game hangs up again and again. I think a system administrator can resolve these issues very easily. IT Support Austin

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  13. Great post. I just got exactly same talk from the expert at ChatCat live computer help site. Its really amazing to get them here as well :D

    ChatCat Live Computer Solution Club

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