I get the same "reported state STARTED/STOPPED" cycle that the OP shows above. Changing the name from "zone" to "zones" did not remedy the problem.

However, from the guide, it says I should see:

I see the first line but not the second "Loginserver provided" line.

Suggestions?

Ok, I've progressed past this butnow encounter "Zone not found in database" and the characters are moved at the character creation screen to the Arena. However, the Arena never loads.

Anyone?

Make sure you have all of the tables in your database and that the server is able to get logged into your database. You should have a zones table in there.

Thanks T, but to help a newb out, where do I look for that? I have no idea how to manage though a DB, sadly.

Download Navicat lite and install it. Then, set it up to connect to your database. It isn't hard. You just put your username (probably root) and your password and the name of the database (maybe peq) that you are using. Then, you can visually search through the tables and what-not. Most likely, you didn't source all of the files you need to to fully populate your database.

Yeah, thanks. I am still trying to wrap my head around this whole sourcing thing.

Ok, surfing to the peq -> zone table using Navicat shows that all the starting zones I am having trouble with are listed.

Your error sounds familiar, but I am not exactly sure where from. Most likely, the revision of server code you are running does not match the revision of the database you are running or you didn't run some of the required SQL changes to make sure that both are matching. If they don't match, it is almost certain you will get odd errors like this or other problems.

How do I run the required SQL changes? Also, should there be separate instances of Zone.exe for each zone: dynamic_0X?

How also do I know what version DB and launcher I am using and therefore find in the changelog what additional SQLs I need?

I think I need to start over with the database. I've gone in and "sourced" so many things now, with intermittent errors and beeps, that I am not sure where I am.

Can you guide me on that, T? How do I wipe the DB, find the appropriate one to download, determine the version, add the required SQLs per the changelog?

OK - so I installed this:

PEQServerPack-Maps-4.0-1110a.exe

And it now allows me to create a character and log in. Everything *appears* to be working OK.

Given what I installed, can you guide me T on how to update this? Also, I would like to know how to set an account or character to different status levels.

Ok, I have figured out how to change the status. But now it assigns the same status to all my characters if I do it through the "accounts" table.

Also, I have now installed EQ on another computer on the network and I want to have that computer log into the server on this computer.

On the other computer, I am able to log into every other server in the list *except* my own. I have been searching but have not yet resolved this.

I have a D-Link router and the ports have been forwarded to the server computer. Also, Windows Firewall is disabled on the server computer.