EVE Maintenance

How do I clear EvE's cache and what does this do for me?

PLEASE READ COMPLETELY BEFORE WORKING WITH YOUR CACHE

*** MAKE A BACK UP COPY OF YOUR CACHE BEFORE YOU MESS WITH YOUR CACHE. DO NOT SAY WE DID NOT WARN YOU TO BACK UP/COPY YOUR CACHE TO ANOTHER FOLDER WHEN IT ALL GOES BAD ***

To clear your eve cache you can simply remove the Cache folder in the EvE directory and delete the whole folder. EvE will automatically rebuild this folder on start up. There is absolutely no harm going to come from clearing the cache folder. You won't loose your bookmarks (but you loose folders as those are client side - sorry) or friends and such. That is all server side information.

If you are concerned you may loose a few simple preferences then save the file called "prefs.ini" and the folder called "settings" that are in the cache folder.

The eve install directory is usually : C:/program files/CCP/EVE/cache

Many have found that just deleteing the MACHONET folder only, and nothing else, clears many issues without having to delete anything else within the cache and thus not have to worry you somehow ruined other important cache info.

Many players have thier own theories on what clearing the cache in EvE can actually do for you from killing bugs, to fixing graphic errors, to much better performance and such. To be honest you shouldn't have to clear the cache. But EvE does not seem to clean up its cache folder very well and over time it can grow and grow and actually get quite larger in a matter of a few months of play or even weeks.

If you crash and suspect the cache to be funky it might be best to COLD boot your computer before clearing your cache and see if that helps.

Follow up: After much study I have determined that EvE's cache becomes unstable usually because of eve itself crashing and then the player is logging right back in, without rebooting his/her computer, right after the crash. When eve crashs out for any reason and you do not stop right there and COLD BOOT your computer to reset all hardware and software, there is a possiblity your cache in eve will become corrupt in various ways. To avoid eve's cache from becoming corrupt, it is best to ALWAYS cold boot your PC after a crash.

But then are we not all like..."hey, I just crashed in the middle of combat..wtf?!?!?.....(reload client and login right back in...without rebooting...)"

Guide to keeping EvE stable on your computer.

1. EvE requires Directx 9.0c as of this moment.

2. EvE installs with a utility called "logserver.exe". This utility is found in the EvE root directory and can be used to pinpoint CTD's and other issues. Please note this utility will not help you with BSOD. This utility can effectively help you as well as the developers pinpoint your crash issue's effectively. You can view "how to use logserver.exe" below. This in conjunction with windows "event viewer" should give you a good idea about what's causing you issues.

3. Always verify your drivers are up to date as they change often from manufacturers. This includes even windows latest patch's and service packs also

4. Clear your EvE cache directory from time to time. This directory is not very well cleaned up by EvE IMHO and can grow and grow. Contact a EvE representative to properly clear your cache and understand this part/process if you do not know how and possibly believe you need to clear EvE's cache. ( this shouldn't be an issue but it has obviously helped many )

5. EvE seems to not shutdown as well as it should if crashed or even just quitting the game for various players. In many cases a "cold boot" of your PC may be required to effectively keep from becoming unstable. In many cases we have tested here, on few computers with various hardware, we have found inherent issues concerning EvE shutting down and then becoming very unstable if it is played again without a cold boot of the computer.

6. You can disable your sound to quickly see if you have issues with "sound or sound drivers" and see if the CTD's stop. This is done buy opening the esc menu and making sure audio is disabled. Many people crash due to sound issues. This is more prevalent with Sound blaster cards also. Once again update drivers.

7. In some cases reverting back one or two driver builds can possibly stabilize your EvE if you are having serious issues with the latest drivers for your hardware. This should be used as a last resort option as latest drivers should be ok. It has helped a few people though.

8. If you have continued to try various solutions and get limited stability results, then you might possibly consider reinstalling Eve and maybe even your OS and start fresh and clean and see how it goes. This is a last resort, but in many cases this fix's allot of players issues. EvE is very hungry for video, sound, ram and even processor resources. Having a buggy, messy windows from long time usage or just poor management of windows can wreck EvE out definitely and cause you serious stability issues.

9. Sync Issues: Sometimes your client may become out of sync with the server and this can cause many various minor issues. From distance to object issues - to skill related issues - to lost item issues. There is a simple fix. Go "dock and log out of the game" for 5 minutes minimum. Then log back in and undock and see if your issue is gone. Also since you have 5 minutes to wait, it might be best to also cold boot your computer to reset all HARDWARE and SOFTWARE. In most cases this helps allot of minor issues with game play. In old school terms you eliminate "ghosting".

If you are seriously having issues and have exhausted all your personal resources and feel you need to contact the GM's/DEV's/CCP, here are some of the do's and don'ts

1. Unless absolutely play stopped, you should petition under "other" for stability issues. My experiences with the GM's and DEV's has been exceptional but you must exercise patience.

2. Be precise and clear and when possible present actual logs and documentation when responding or opening a petition. To help you effectively the GM's/DEV's will need correct and accurate information.

3. You get more sugar with honey. Always be kind getting help. No one likes helping people who just ***** and offer no real information and just want to *****.

4. Stay with one petition and do not open multiple petitions for one issue. This will confuse you as well as the people helping you and also prevent you from being asked the same questions and given the same redundant troubleshooting task.

How to use the eve log server utility to log eve for trouble shooting

Log Server is a program that is in your install directory and when you run it, it will log everything the client does. If you run into problems with the game and need help from customer support, these logs are very likely to help and even make it possible to completely solve the problem.

For the program to work, you need to start it before you start the game.
So:

1. Start LogServer.exe
2. File > New Workspace
3. Play the game
4. File > Save Workspace (once you get the error)

The .lbw file can then be zipped and sent as a attachment with your support request (or when submitting a bug report).

Just a reminder though, running this program can lag your client so don't run it unless you need to. Plus if you run if for a long time the log can be quite big and will take up a fair bit of memory.

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