So you have the latest viewer and still can't see mesh - what's the deal?

Well, it isn't necessarily automatic. Depending on your specific hardware, certain settings that need to be enabled for mesh, may be set off by default.

Go to Preferences→ Graphics -> General; then enable Basic Shaders.

If this remains greyed out, then increase the level of Render Quality until Basic Shaders becomes enabled and can be checked.

Make sure you have a reasonable draw distance. If you have difficulty rendering mesh, lower it; if your draw distance is over 128, set it to 128, or less. (The optimal value for draw distance is entirely dependent on your own hardware; you will need to experiment to find what works best for you.)

In some cases, worn mesh attachments will not render properly still. Go to Preferences→ Graphics -> Rendering and disable both of the Alpha Mask Rendering options.

There are also rare instances of glitches where mesh that you are wearing appears worn by another avatar (yes, it is bizarre!). In that case, try going to Preferences → Graphics → General, and enable Hardware Skinning.

If you have Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus, see Webroot Issues. For other antivirus apps, see our Whitelisting Guide, and be sure to whitelist all parts of the viewer. This may need to be done from scratch each time you upgrade to a new version.

HTTP fetching may be overloading your router; please try the suggestions given here; if they do not help, revert the changes made then return to this page and continue.

If none of the above work - and make sure you try all of them first! - then in the top menu bar, open Advanced → Debug Settings, type in Mesh2MaxConcurrentRequests and gradually decrease the value. (If Advanced is not visible on the top menu bar, press Ctrl-Alt-D.) If it does not help, try increasing the value from the default. Under no circumstances should you increase this beyond 64. Please see this comment on a related JIRA ticket for an explanation of the possible drawbacks of increasing this setting. Additionally, we recommend returning it to default once the mesh you're trying to see is visible.

In most cases, this is due to the mesh item being made low LOD so as to reduce its land impact. You should never try to resolve this by increasing LOD above the maximum allowed in Preferences → Graphics → General (4), as that would result in greatly increased memory uses usually leading to a significantly increased rate of crashing. Rather, the issue is inherent in how the mesh item was made. So you either live with it, or replace the item.

If you are using a fitted mesh capable version of Firestorm (4.6.1. or later) and using ATI/AMD graphics and drivers, certain non-rigged mesh items may display as a long stretch which points to the region coordinates 0,0,0. If you observe such long spikes, then try:

• Ideally, you should update (or downgrade) to Catalyst Drivers Version 14.4 - or better yet, one of the latest 15.x drivers, if they are available for your graphics card. We've had reports these drivers fix the bug. Visit this page more on this.
• Otherwise, go to Preferences - Graphics - General subtab - disable Hardware Skinning. This may result in a loss of FPS. Turn on the Statistics Panel using Ctrl Shift 1, disable Hardware Skinning and monitor your FPS. As this bug affects some non-rigged mesh items, and not all, you may determine that disabling Hardware Skinning is not worth the loss of FPS.

If you can see most mesh fine but a specific mesh item fails to render and/or displays a pyramid, triangle, or ducky when it's first worn or rezzed, then read on. This is caused by mesh that fails to load, and in many cases is a result of having too high a draw distance in the presence of a lot of complex mesh.

• Reduce draw distance significantly, then relog. That often clears the problem.
• If that doesn't help, reboot all your network hardware and then your computer.
• (If the problem occurs only on selected regions, it could simply be a symptom of region lag–see http://wiki.phoenixviewer.com/lag for information. In this case, there may be nothing you can do about it.)
• If this still doesn't help, then:

• Make sure you have hidden folders show; see here. Then browse to:

• On Windows Vista and 7: C:\Users[USERNAME]\AppData\Roaming\Firestorm
• On a Mac: /Users/[YOUR USERNAME]/Library/Application Support/Firestorm
• On Linux: ~/.firestorm
• In this Firestorm folder, open the folder that has the name of your affected account, e.g. whirly_fizzle
• Delete the file named texture_list_last.xml
• Login and see if the troublesome meshes then load.

• Back up your settings - see http://wiki.phoenixviewer.com/backup_settings
• Wipe your settings manually, as explained in http://wiki.phoenixviewer.com/fs_clearing_settings
• Log back in and see if the mesh renders correctly. If it does…
• Restore your settings (see the backup page above), then check the mesh again.

This appears to be specific to those with ATI/AMD graphics cards. Refer to this.

This issue is also specific to those using ATI/AMD graphics cards. Please refer to this.

In Preferences → Graphics → General, make sure Basic Shaders and Hardware Skinning are enabled.

So you find yourself suddenly missing a window, perhaps inventory, or chat, or the edit window… How to find it?

• Close all other windows, to make sure it isn't hiding under one of them.

• Hide the chat bar: Preferences→ Chat -> Typing→ Autohide main chatbar to see if the window is under there.

• Compress all the buttons on the bottom toolbar to the right.
  Alternately, drag the toolbar buttons from their present location onto another toolbar;
  (Reminder: there are three available toolbars: bottom of the screen, right side, and left side. Buttons are dragged by left clicking, holding the left mouse button down, and dragging.)

• Try to ensure that the missing window is closed. Then open Debug Settings via the Advanced menu (press Ctrl-Alt-D to enable Advanced, if it isn't already). Then locate the pair values for the default window position, for the window that is “missing”. Consult the table below for the names of these settings. Set both values to 0 (zero), then relog.

Should none of these work, then you will have to wipe settings, as explained on this page.

One of the goals of the Firestorm Gateway is to introduce New-To-SL Residents to the various things that they can do in SL, in hopes that they will find something they enjoy doing. The expectation is that they will be more inclined to keep using SL when they discover something they truly enjoy.

RolePlay is very popular in Second Life, so the Firestorm Gateway has dedicated a large space for SciFi Roleplay. The RolePlay space gives a new user the opportunity to visit RolePlay sets, and to observe and/or participate in Roleplay. This lets them figure out if RolePlay is something they might enjoy doing.

It is also a place where existing RolePlayers who don't have a RolePlay home can come and enjoy themselves. It is also a place where Existing RolePlay groups can come to demonstrate what their group is about and to recruit new members for their group.

The “magic” of the Firestorm Gateway RolePlay area is that it brings experienced RolePlayers and new-to-Roleplay users together in a fun/safe environment. It is a win-win situation. Existing RolePlay groups benefit, because they can meet new-to-Roleplay individuals and tell them about their groups. New-To-SL Residents win because they get to see/experience high quality RolePlay and decide if it is something they might enjoy doing. Individual RolePlayers win because they have a safe and drama-free place where they can come to RolePlay.

• Drop-In Roleplay - 24×7 Drop-In Generic Sci-Fi Rolepay. This takes place at Callahan's Spiral Galaxy on the top deck of the Tempus Space Station.
• Star Trek Roleplay - This takes place on the USS Gateway (a Sovereign Class Starship) at scheduled RolePlay times.
• Free-Form Roleplay - Individuals and Groups are permitted to user our RP facilities when they are not in use by scheduled RolePlay events. We have a generic SciFi Spaceship, the A.F.S.S Epsilon. We have a large space station where all decks except for the Upper Deck are available for space station RolePlay. We have a large Sovereign-Class StarTrek Starship called the USS Gateway.

(Please click the link for more information on each RolePlay Opportunity.)

Date: Saturday July 30

Time: 5-7 PM SLT

Where:http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Firestorm%20Aerodrome/191/189/3587

What: This is a special Grand Opening Event. It will have a Roleplay, and will also give folks a chance to see Callahan's and tour the top floor of Space Station Tempus.

Dress Code: This is generic SciFi roleplay, so feel free to wear any sort of G-rated science fiction avatar/costume from any scifi gendre. (If you don't have a scifi costume/avatar and would like one, there are some free ones on the lower level of Callahan's in room A01.) Feel free to drop by before the event and select a free scifi avatar.

Note -Costumes are optional, not required, so please feel free to come even if you don't have a scifi costume.

The Firestorm Gateway has an area dedicated to 24×7 drop-in SciFi RolePlay. It is loosely patterned after the Cantina from Star Wars Episode IV, where folks of all species/backgrounds come together to conduct their business (much of which is less than legal). It is set on the top deck of space station Tempus. This is the only space station in this sector, so it tends to be busy. The station and bar have a backstory, and are a perfect setting for many different types of SciFi RolePlay.

A group of misfits, having escaped from a prison planet, found the abandoned station on their voyage across the stars. The station, SS Tempus, had been stripped of some of it's key components, but other than that, it was in relatively good condition.

Together they established it as their own, taking a vow of secrecy to protect themselves from arrest. Their past transgressions are not known: some may have been killers, some just rebels or some may have been petty thieves. Others may have been falsely accused “innocents.”

The group of travelers appears to get along, but beneath the surface there are distinct factions. They took over the station and decided to act like they are supposed to be there, establishing a way station for galaxy travelers to rest and relax in their journey. Trading became a byproduct of the endeavor as they made friends with both legit cargo ship captains and black market cartels.

From time to time the station comes under attack from forces not known …. possibly bounty hunters or intergalactic police agents looking for those who committed crimes, possibly a victim of fowl play coming back for “revenge,” possibly pirates out for a quick profit…

Firestorm Gateway's goal is to introduce new-to-SL residents to RolePlay with seasoned RolePlayers. We want them to experience SciFi RolePlay and see if it is something they are interested in. Firestorm Gateway's motivation is to help these new residents find something that they love, that will make them want to keep coming back to SL. To that end, Callahan's RolePlay area is different than almost any other in SL.

We actually encourage existing SciFi RolePlay groups to befriend and recruit the new residents. In other words, experienced RolePlayers can invite interested parties to visit their RolePlay area, join their RolePlay group, etc. This accomplishes two things for us… 1) it connects new residents into communities so they will want to keep coming back to SL, and 2) it helps existing RolePlay groups to grow and prosper. (Of course, we expect everyone to be new-resident friendly, e.g., tolerant of new-resident mistakes and lack of SL expertise.)

Callahan's is also intended to be a RolePlay home for existing RolePlayers who dont have a RolePlay home and would like a nice place to drop-in and RolePlay. We are also looking for “regulars” who can help us establish Callahan's.

For an introduction to the basics of troubleshooting, please refer to this page.

Phoenix has some video tutorials on YouTube; you may want to visit and bookmark the Phoenix Viewer channel.

• Firestorm 64-bit

• Updating the viewer

• Crashing During Install or Startup

• Crashing While Running Firestorm

• Login Failures

• Texture Discarded Due to Insufficent Memory

• Graphics Glitches and Crashes

• How to Manually Clear Cache

• Clearing settings manually

• Full Clean Install of Firestorm

• Media Related

• Search Doesn't Work, Remains Black

• Voice Related

• Bridge Issues

• Camera is Pointing Wrong

• Friends/Groups Detached from Conversations

• Nearby Chat Detached from Conversations

• Firestorm Locks Up on "Initializing VFS"

• Hands Flickering

• I Can't See Worn Mesh

• I Cannot Log in Unless I Clear Cache First

• Clicking on a SLURL Doesn't Activate Firestorm

• AO Folder issues

• Finding a Missing Window

• My Friends List is Empty!

• The Viewer Seems to Freeze Every So Often

• How do I Get Rid of all this Debug Stuff?

• Issues Related to Shadows

• Large Flexi Prims, Like Tree Fronds, Vanish

• Objects Vanish

• Small Prims Vanish Even when Quite Close

• Making WindLight Setting Persist after Teleport

• How do I Derender/Re-render things?

• Restore to Last Position - Workaround

• My avatar won't move

• My saved outfit is empty

• My HUDs Aren't Working

• Attachments Detach then Reattach at Login

• Current Outfit Folder Corruption

• My feet are in the ground, or I'm floating

• I Am Missing Inventory

• Rezzed Items Have Vanished

• Help! I'm Wearing my Entire Inventory!

• Failed to Find Item in Database

• Fixing Avatar Issues - Cloud, Ruth, Clothing not rezzing

• I Can't Log In Because It Says I am Already Logged In

• Persistent Typing Animation

• Stuck Inventory Folders Work-Around

• I am Stuck Running

• Why Does Teleport Fail so Much?

• Worn Attachment not Showing as Worn in Inventory

• HTTP Inventory Issues

• Determining Optimal Bandwidth Setting

• HTTP Fetching Issues

• I See Everything Grey

• Why am I so Laggy?

• Everything is Black

• I See Things Like Stars in the sky

• Intel Graphics Issues

• My CPU is Always at 100%

• Laptop Dual Graphic Card Issues

• Crashing While Editing or Wearing Mesh

• Edit Rotation Guides Missing

• Problems Navigating in Mouselook

• Windows 10 Issues

• Webroot and SL Viewers

• Viewer Not Responding - Vista/Win7 64-Bit

• "Display driver stopped responding and has recovered" error in Windows

• I Get a User Account Control (Security) Pop-up

• Frame Load Interrupted by Policy Change

• Copy/Paste No Longer Works

• Clicking on a Link in Firestorm Causes a Crash

• Error Importing itdownload.dll

• Failed to Decode Login Credentials

• Firestorm Flagged as a Virus or Malware

• No Mouse Cursor - Vorpx Incompatibility

• Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard Problems

• Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks Problems

• Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite

• Crash on Upload

• Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan

• Linux: Left Mouse Button Stops Working

• Alt-Click Not Working on Ubuntu

• Linux: Wrong Browser being opened

• 32-bit Firestorm on 64-bit Linux

• How to Minimize Firestorm when Running Fullscreen in Linux

• Screen Tearing with Ubuntu 14.04 (or derived, like Mint 17)

• Chat Lag

• "Couldn't convert the image to jpeg2000"

• DNS Fail when Trying to Log in

• I Can't Sit on Things

• How to Get Inventory Back

• Logging in at 10,10,10

• The "ExDepart Virus"

• Offline Instant Messages not delivered to email

• Web Profiles Not Displaying Properly

• Deleting Stored Passwords

As part of our summer series of entertainment The Firestorm Gateway is always honored to have wonderful opportunity to feature a live musicians to our regions. In my opinion music is the food of the Second Life community. Music and art fills our spaces and the air we breathe, they are a large part of our existence and why we return.

We are honored this week by another great performer who will feed our minds and souls. The Firestorm Gateway is honored to have Live Country Singer, Luke Auster perform for you and all of us here at our Gateway into SL on Thursday, July 28, at 1PMSLT.

Luke is known as “the Voice with a Heart,” and has been singing in Second Life since January 2012. He brings his passion for music for one and all to hear at his show that will excite all who come to listen. He performs a broad range of music that not only includes country, but also rock as well.

Please come join all of us at the Gateway to hear Luke sing while you meet new friends as they learn about the SL community through one of our favorite past times, Music on Thursday, July 28th, 2016 at 1 PMSLT. Firestorm Gateway Events are a for us to introduce the entire SL Community to you and our region as well as a chance for some of our team to meet and greet you!

There is a wonderful group of creative individuals that meets on Friday and Sunday evenings at 6 PMSLT who actively roleplay on our Region. They welcome anyone from beginner to experienced role players to take part in the Sci Fi experience. Get your Trekie on with us at The Gateway!

Spoken Word Sunday, August 7, 2016 3 to 5 PMSLT Story Tellers will be at the Firstor

On occasion we are beginning to feature a few games, like Primtionary, Bingo and Trivia, from time to time at the Firestorm Gateway in our Small Event Space, just down the path from the Social Club House.

It is our hope you will come by to meet new friends and share some giggles while you learn more about Second Life, as well as its endless entertainment experiences that keep our community members coming back. Events Calendar

Watch our wiki to see what is happening next at the Gateway.

On Tuesday, June 28th, 2016 live Blues performer JavaJoe MacIntyre graced our stage at The Firestorm Gateway. Joe's talent was truly heartfelt. All of us were impressed by his originals and mashups of popular songs like his versions of Eric Clapton's “Layla” and Cream's “White Room” to mention a couple of the many he played for us. Many “sang-a-long” (we do it in text of course) and stayed the entire show, including the Encore. His music is new yet strangely familiar. You can sample his vibes for yourself at www.jjmac.bandcamp.com or in Second Life by utilizing our viewer “Search” feature and “Events.”

Check out our Events Calendar for more opportunities like this one and to also learn more about why so many are drawn to Second Life by experiencing our community first hand by downloading the Firestorm Viewer to begin your own “Second Life.”

Firestorm Team and The Firestorm Gateway celebrated anyone who has a Rez Day in June on Sunday, June 12th at noon SLT,

These events are for the entire SL Community to introduce you to our region as well as a chance for some of team to meet and greet you!

Guest Dj Yogi Enyo rocked everyone with some great 1980's Music. Yogi has been a Dj for 7 years in Sl and has a vast music collection.

The Celebration for June Rezzies Day continued with a live performance featuring “Da Bluez Preacher” SRV4U Conacher and his guitar “Wilma” played live on our stage. Preacher lit up the stage with live electric and acoustic blues that were high energy standards like SRV, BB King, Buddy Guy and the like.

He also debuted a version of a Happy Rez Day Song to all the June Rezzies. We all had ROCKING fun. The Firestorm Gateway

Please Come Celebrate Your July Rez Day at .

Watch for more amazing events at the Firestorm Gateway.

In simple terms, the cache is where information is stored on your computer that allows things to load faster than if you have to download it from the server. In more detail:

In computer engineering, a cache (pronounced /ˈkæʃ/ kash in US/UK and /keɪʃ/ kaysh in Aust/NZ) is a component that transparently stores data so that future requests for that data can be served faster. The data that is stored within a cache might be values that have been computed earlier or duplicates of original values that are stored elsewhere. If requested data is contained in the cache (cache hit), this request can be served by simply reading the cache, which is comparatively faster. Otherwise (cache miss), the data has to be recomputed or fetched from its original storage location, which is comparatively slower. Hence, the more requests can be served from the cache the faster the overall system performance is. ¹⁾

It is common knowledge that clearing cache can help with a multitude of issues. Having said that we do not recommend clearing cache unless you are having an issue that cannot be solved by other means.

We get asked a lot about what to set cache size to; the simple answer is to set it to the maximum possible in the viewer, as long as you have room on your hard drive. In Firestorm, the cache size can be increased to 9,984 MB. We do have a way to allow you to have a larger cache, but it requires extra hardware and software. If you are interested please see Squid Proxy Cache

Be picky about why and when you clear your cache. Clearing cache doesn't fix everything. In fact, it doesn't fix nearly as many problems as many people seem to think. And doing it when it's unnecessary has its drawbacks, including slower initial rez times and excess bandwidth being pulled, which can create sim lag. “Clear your cache” is something we'll recommend ONLY if the problem appears to be cache-related: that is, pertaining to textures or, once in a while, inventory. A full cache is almost always better than an empty one. Here is a basic “DO” list:

Don't clear cache as a matter of routine maintenance. If there isn't something actually wrong with your cache, then this does nothing beneficial.

Don't clear it for problems unrelated to the cache. It won't help for:

• teleport issues
• asset upload issues
• movement or communication problems
• most kinds of lag
• most kinds of crashes
• a vast majority of bake fails

There are some exceptions (e.g., crashes related to textures), but in many cases, other causes are more likely, and clearing cache doesn't have to be the first measure. The list above is by no means exhaustive; its purpose is to provide an idea of how many common issues are unrelated (or only occasionally related) to cache.

• When textures are not rezzing properly, you may choose to clear your texture cache.
• When your inventory is not loading fully, you may choose to clear your inventory cache.
• When you toggle the HTTP Get Textures setting in your viewer, texture cache needs to be cleared.
• A cache clear may be part of performing a viewer update.

Note that often, only part of your cache needs to be cleared. While you can clear your full cache by clicking the button in Preferences, it is not hard to perform the needed part of the cache clear manually. You can find your cache folder by going to Preferences and then Network & Files → Directories. Click the “Open” button alongside the path to your cache files location. In there you'll see some files ending with .inv.gz – these are your inventory cache files – and a folder containing your texture cache. More information is here for Firestorm.

Webroot offers an internet security software package that is meant to protect your Windows PC or Mac computer from threats coming over the internet. However, this software is known to cause severe issues with Second Life viewers (not just Firestorm). These include:

• copy/paste failing to work (see here for more info on that)
• flashing screen
• very slow rez
• viewer freezes
• crash on logout
• “rainbow” textures all over the place

The follow is a recommendation that has been received from Webroot via a Firestorm User.

1. Log out of the viewer
2. Go go your Webroot Configuration
3. Turn off “Identity Protection” while using SL
4. Log back into the viewer ¹⁾

This is still a relatively newly received suggestion (May 2016) and as yet widespread results are unknown but it does appear to be helping in most cases

If the above method does not help

1. In the viewer, go to the Advanced menu at the top (should this not be visible, press Ctrl-Alt-D)
2. Click on Show Debug Settings
3. Type in: HttpPipelining - set the value to False, then close the Debug Settings window (do NOT click Copy or Reset to default)
4. Wipe cache as explained on this page

If the above method does not help

1. Log out of SL
2. Close all internet applications such as browsers, torrents, etc.
3. Completely uninstall Webroot from your computer
4. Reboot your computer
5. Wipe cache as explained on this page
6. Log into SL and test.
7. If your problem is solved, you may want to get a different antivirus.
8. Note: If you need to temporarily reinstall Webroot until you get a new antivirus, you may need to repeat these steps. Instead, you might want to temporarily use a free antivirus solution that allows whitelisting of the viewer cache.

The underlying problem here is that Webroot is blocking certain types of network connections; therefore, any real fix needs to come from them.

If you find that you are crashing frequently, then perhaps the suggestions here will be helpful. Please don't skim the page - read it carefully.

It is important to distinguish between two things….

If a small window appears, saying that you have been logged out of SL, this isn't a crash. Rather, SL is disconnecting you, for one of a number of reasons, including:

• The region you are in is going down;
• During teleport, the SL servers may fail to hand you over to your destination and so log you out; help on that is given here.
• Your network connection has gone down;
• Your network connection has become poor or unreliable and SL has lost contact with your avatar.

Things to try - in order:

• reboot your router/modem, then your computer;
• make sure your bandwidth is set correctly - follow the instructions hereexactly as given;
• shut down any other programs that are making heavy use of your network connection, such as torrents;
• If you use Mac with Yosemite, see if this might be your case.
• If the problems persist still, try changing your DNS to Google, as explained here.

If you are being logged out when you edit appearance, or edit shape, or use the Appearance toolbar button, did you drop items into the Outfits folder that were not created via the Outfits/Appearance window? If so, remove those items.

Firestorm itself has crashed. The remainder of this page offers possible solutions.

• Update your Operating System. See the advice from LL, and the reasons behind it, here.

• (Windows-only)
  • If you are using an ATI (AMD) graphics card, then please refer here for known problems with these cards.
  • For nVidia users, please refer to this page.
  • Also for nVidia: if you recently updated your drivers and are experiencing crashes, try reverting to an older driver that worked for you.

• In Preferences → Graphics → General, reduce Draw Distance by at least half (or more). Also reduce Max # non-impostor avatars.

• Disable VBO: Run Firestorm and before logging in, press Ctrl-P to bring up the Preferences window. Then click on Graphics → Hardware Settings tab. Make sure that “Enable OpenGL Vertex Buffer Objects” is not checked.

• Several creators recommend specific settings in order for you to be able to better see their products. Sadly, some of these recommendations will lead to many people crashing more. For example:
  • RenderVolumeLODFactor should never be set over 4; a good value is between 2 and 3.
  • TextureLoadFullRes should never be enabled.

• (Grids other than SL only!) Disable HTTP Get Textures: Open the preferences window, then click on Graphics → Rendering tab. Make sure “Use HTTP Textures” is not checked. Please clear your cache if you change this setting.

• It is possible that your graphics settings are set higher than your computer can handle. To see if this is the case, go to Preferences → Graphics, and click on Reset (the circular arrow to the right of the quality slider). After doing this, you may still need to reduce Draw Distance and Max # non-impostor avatars, as mentioned above.

• If you have Shadows turned on, try turning them off. See this page for more side effects of shadows.

• Another thing you can try is: Develop → World → Dump Region Object Cache, then relog. (The Develop menu is revealed with Ctrl-Alt-Q, if you cannot see it.) This sometimes also helps deal with odd texture issues; it may need to be done several times.

• If clicking on a link or SLURL in Firestorm causes an instant crash: do you have AVG 2011 installed? If so, it probably flagged SLPlugin as malware. See here for more on this.

• If you have Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus, see Webroot Issues.

• If you are crashing when you try to upload a texture, please try disabling VBO, as described above. Also, if you are on Windows and running Microsoft SkyDrive, prefer refer here. If you are on a Mac, this workaround may fix the problem.

• If the above tips do not help, you might benefit from a cache clear or viewer reinstall.

• If you find that a full manual cache clear allows you to log in, and you crash unless you do this, then there is a good chance that you have one or more problems with certain inventory items; please see this page for how to deal with this.

NOTE: For a video tutorial on backup and restore, see here.

If you've ever run into the situation where the fix for a problem is to clear your settings, you face a not insignificant task of redoing all those settings. It can be frustrating, especially if original problem doesn't go away.

What if you had a known-good backup of your settings? Then you could clear out the current ones and just pop in your good set. Easy.

IMPORTANT: Don't use backups for a different viewer. They're not compatible with each other.

With Firestorm, you can back up most settings directly from the viewer itself, via Preferences→ Backup. You may wish to backup to a thumb drive, for additional protection.

• Make sure you are logged into SL.
• Go to Preferences → Backup.
• Specify a path (folder) where the backup files should be saved, by clicking the Set button at the upper right, and selecting a folder. Ideally, make a new folder on your computer, specifically for Firestorm backups.
  Do not use the Firestorm settings or install folder for this; use a new folder.
• Click on the Backup Settings button.

This will back up all global settings, and the settings for the account you logged in with. If you have multiple accounts, with different per-account settings, you should do the above for each account.

Note: All settings are backed up, regardless of which checkboxes are selected. You can restore selectively.

• Log in with the viewer (restore needs to know what account to restore to).
• Go to Preferences → Backup.
• If you have just wiped your settings, you will need to select the path (folder) where your backup files were saved, by clicking the Set button. Use the checkboxes in the 3 tables to select what settings you want restored; you can select all of them by clicking the Select All button at the upper right, and then browsing for the folder.
• Click on the Restore Settings button. NOTE: be careful NOT to click the “Backup” button or you will wipe out your backup!
• Log out of Firestorm, then restart it.

Settings backup will store all settings for the account you are logged in with, be they global settings (that is, those that affect all accounts on a given computer), or “per account” settings. If you run multiple accounts and wish to have a backup of its “per account” settings, you will need to log in with each one and do a backup.

It follows that you can backup settings from one account and restore to another, but this will only restore global settings, since the “per account” settings refer to a different account.

“Per account” Settings are backed up to a folder with that account's avatar name, inside the backup folder you specify.

If things around you remain grey for a long time, or objects take a long time to pop into position, this is essentially because the data has not yet been sent to your viewer. There are a number of possible causes, and solutions or at least work-arounds:

• If you have Webroot SecureAnywhere antivirus installed, refer to this page.

• Power down your router and/or modem. This generally means unplugging it from the power source. Leave them disconnected for at least a full minute before reconnecting. Wait for them to complete the power up sequence, then reboot your computer.

• Teleport out, then back in.

• The region is badly lagged (many avatars present, too many scripts running, etc.) and so the region server is using all its time processing and has very little time left over to deliver textures and other data to you. The best way to cope with this is to reduce the demand you make; in other words, reduce your draw distance, even to 12m or less, and wait until textures and objects have loaded before you increase it again.

• You are experiencing packet loss or, more generally, have a poor network connection. Or your bandwidth slider may be set too high. Bring up the stats bar with Shift-Ctrl-1 and check Packet Loss and Ping Sim. Ideally, packet loss should be 0.0%, and Ping Sim under 200ms.

• Determine optimal bandwidth: refer here.

• HTTP fetching may be overloading your router; please try the suggestions given here; if they do not help, revert the changes made then return to this page and continue.

• You can also try to have less textures draw all at once by reducing draw distance when you teleport. You can do this manually, or make use of the built in Progressive Draw Distance function.

• Some other program on your computer might be interfering with your viewer's connection to SL, like a firewall or anti-virus. Try disabling them temporarily, to see if things improve. If they do, you have isolated the problem. Whitelisting the viewer and cache folder would probably help.

• It has been reported that on Windows, the Aero background theme will also lead to textures refusing the rez, due to how much memory this feature consumes. Uninstalling that should help.

A short explanation: “Restore to Last Position” restores an object to the previously rezzed coordinates on a region *via* position 0, 0, 0 on the region. It doesn't use the region name or global coordinates, so this is lucky.

You must have rez rights at 0, 0, 0 on a region to use this command. If you do not have rez rights at that location, Restore to Last Position will fail; ref. SVC-7907.

To get rez rights at that location, contact your landlord or the sim owner to request rights.

If you do not have rez rights at 0, 0, 0 on your home region, and need to restore, for example, part of your house to its exact previous position, follow the steps below for a work-around to this.

• Take note of the approximate position the object should occupy.
• Go to a sandbox with rez rights given on the entire region. For example:
  here or here.
• Go to the approximate location your object will appear, and ground sit (Ctrl+Alt+S) or fly, if the position is in the sky.
• Make sure no innocent bystanders will be crushed under your object, and right-click, “Restore to Last Position”.
• Your object will first rez at position 0, 0, 0 then immediately move to its previously rezzed coordinates. After it appears, right-click, “Edit”.
• Go to the Object tab of the Build Tools floater, and click the C next to Position.
• Take the object into inventory.
• Teleport home, rez the object by dragging it to the ground.
• Right-click, “Edit” and on the Object tab of Build Tools, click the P button next to position. The object will be placed exactly where it had been.

Naturally, this becomes much more complex with coalesced objects, as you have to rez out then do the above steps one object at a time.

These classes are based on our official Firestorm release and are conducted in voice and text except when otherwise noted. There's no need to talk, but you may want to be able to hear. We also usually have help available to answer questions in text. This schedule is subject to change.

Note that it is best if you are on Firestorm for the classes.

Locations are indicated in the far right column as follows:

• FS: Firestorm Support region classroom, http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Firestorm%20Social%20Island/250/6/4001
• JU: Junkyard University, http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Junkyard%20Blues%20South/68/124/22

Class times and days change regularly. Classes may be held any day of the week, with start times from 8am to 7pm SLT. Nonetheless, if the class times are still inconvenient you may prefer to watch recorded versions of some of these classes on YouTube.

*All times SLT*

So you have the latest viewer and still can't see mesh - what's the deal?

Well, it isn't necessarily automatic. Depending on your specific hardware, certain settings that need to be enabled for mesh, may be set off by default.

Go to Preferences→ Graphics -> General; then enable Basic Shaders.

If this remains greyed out, then increase the level of Render Quality until Basic Shaders becomes enabled and can be checked.

Make sure you have a reasonable draw distance. If you have difficulty rendering mesh, lower it; if your draw distance is over 128, set it to 128, or less. (The optimal value for draw distance is entirely dependent on your own hardware; you will need to experiment to find what works best for you.)

In some cases, worn mesh attachments will not render properly still. Go to Preferences→ Graphics -> Rendering and disable both of the Alpha Mask Rendering options.

There are also rare instances of glitches where mesh that you are wearing appears worn by another avatar (yes, it is bizarre!). In that case, try going to Preferences → Graphics → General, and enable Hardware Skinning.

If you have Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus, see Webroot Issues. For other antivirus apps, see our Whitelisting Guide, and be sure to whitelist all parts of the viewer. This may need to be done from scratch each time you upgrade to a new version.

HTTP fetching may be overloading your router; please try the suggestions given here; if they do not help, revert the changes made then return to this page and continue.

If none of the above work - and make sure you try all of them first! - then in the top menu bar, open Advanced → Debug Settings, type in Mesh2MaxConcurrentRequests and gradually decrease the value. (If Advanced is not visible on the top menu bar, press Ctrl-Alt-D.) If it does not help, try increasing the value from the default. Under no circumstances should you increase this beyond 64. Please see this comment on a related JIRA ticket for an explanation of the possible drawbacks of increasing this setting. Additionally, we recommend returning it to default once the mesh you're trying to see is visible.

In most cases, this is due to the mesh item being made low LOD so as to reduce its land impact. You should never try to resolve this by increasing LOD above the maximum allowed in Preferences → Graphics → General (4), as that would result in greatly increased memory uses usually leading to a significantly increased rate of crashing. Rather, the issue is inherent in how the mesh item was made. So you either live with it, or replace the item.

If you are using a fitted mesh capable version of Firestorm (4.6.1. or later) and using ATI/AMD graphics and drivers, certain non-rigged mesh items may display as a long stretch which points to the region coordinates 0,0,0. If you observe such long spikes, then try:

• Ideally, you should update (or downgrade) to Catalyst Drivers Version 14.4 - or better yet, one of the latest 15.x drivers, if they are available for your graphics card. We've had reports these drivers fix the bug. Visit this page more on this.
• Otherwise, go to Preferences - Graphics - General subtab - disable Hardware Skinning. This may result in a loss of FPS. Turn on the Statistics Panel using Ctrl Shift 1, disable Hardware Skinning and monitor your FPS. As this bug affects some non-rigged mesh items, and not all, you may determine that disabling Hardware Skinning is not worth the loss of FPS.

If you can see most mesh fine but a specific mesh item fails to render and/or displays a pyramid, triangle, or ducky when it's first worn or rezzed, then read on. This is caused by mesh that fails to load, and in many cases is a result of having too high a draw distance in the presence of a lot of complex mesh.

• Reduce draw distance significantly, then relog. That often clears the problem.
• If that doesn't help, reboot all your network hardware and then your computer.
• (If the problem occurs only on selected regions, it could simply be a symptom of region lag–see http://wiki.phoenixviewer.com/lag for information. In this case, there may be nothing you can do about it.)
• If this still doesn't help, then:

• Make sure you have hidden folders show; see here. Then browse to:

• On Windows Vista and 7: C:\Users[USERNAME]\AppData\Roaming\Firestorm
• On a Mac: /Users/[YOUR USERNAME]/Library/Application Support/Firestorm
• On Linux: ~/.firestorm
• In this Firestorm folder, open the folder that has the name of your affected account, e.g. whirly_fizzle
• Delete the files named texture_list_last.xml and texture_list_home.xml
• Login and see if the troublesome meshes then load.

• Back up your settings - see http://wiki.phoenixviewer.com/backup_settings
• Wipe your settings manually, as explained in http://wiki.phoenixviewer.com/fs_clearing_settings
• Log back in and see if the mesh renders correctly. If it does…
• Restore your settings (see the backup page above), then check the mesh again.

This appears to be specific to those with ATI/AMD graphics cards. Refer to this.

This issue is also specific to those using ATI/AMD graphics cards. Please refer to this.

In Preferences → Graphics → General, make sure Basic Shaders and Hardware Skinning are enabled.

What is chat? Chat is essentially how we communicate with other residents in Second Life. There are two major categories of chat: text chat and voice chat. This page will focus on text chat. For info about voice chat, go here Voice.

There are 4 types of chat:

• Local chat, where everyone within chat range can see your chat.
• Group chat, where you can talk to a group as a whole via a group chat window.
• Instant messaging (IM), where you talk privately one on one to another individual.
• Ad Hoc (Conference) calls, where you can talk to a group of people you select in an IM.

• Normal local chat has a range of 20 meters. To use normal text chat, input your text in either the main chat bar at the bottom or in the nearby chat window.
• Shout has a range of 100 meters. To use shout, press ctrl + enter keys after inputing your text.
• Whisper has a range of 10 meters. To use whisper, press shift + enter keys after inputing your text.

Alternatively, you can choose to show the “send” button at the end of the nearby chat bar, with which you can select the chat type (whisper, say, or shout). It will remain in whatever chat type until you change it. To enabled this “send” button, go to Preferences→ Chat -> Typing→ Show chat type / send chat button in chat bar.

These are grid-wide, meaning anyone anywhere on the grid can participate, without being in the same location.

The viewer has the ability to translate text into a language that you choose but you need to set up an account with Bing or Google to do so. See here for more information. Previously, Google provided free translation services, but this has now ended, and you must establish your own account with Bing or Google, which may incur a cost. Please be aware that chat translation only works in nearby chat and not in IMs or group chat.

There are several ways to start an instant message:

• To talk to a nearby avatar, right click on any part the avatar (not their attachments) or their name tag and select IM from the menu.
• From the friends list in the contacts window, select on the person’s name and press the IM/call button.
• From the friends list in the People Panel, select the person’s name and press the IM button at the bottom of that window.
• If person is already chatting, click on the name in the chat window, this will bring up a quick profile window, and press the IM button.
• In a person’s profile, press the Instant Message button.

Provided you are allowed to join a group chat, go to group tab in Contacts window and either double click on the group or select the group and press the IM/call button.

If you are in the group tab in the People Panel, double clicking on the group will start chat or you can right-click on the selected group and select chat.

To close the group chat window for the duration of the login session, press the X button at top right of that group window. If you want to close it temporarily, press the Zz button at top right to put the group in “snooze” mode. Snooze mode will close the chat for a set duration and after that duration is done, any new chat in that group will make that group's chat window open again. Chat group duration default time is set to 900s but can be changed in Preferences> Chat> Chat Window.

A conference is a private conversation with two or more Residents. It is similar to group chat, but more dynamic, since everyone on your friends list can be invited, as well as everyone you have a calling card from.

To start a conference chat:

• Go to Conversations window → Contacts Tab → Friends and select each friend you want to include in the conference by pressing Ctrl + left click on mouse on each friend’s name and then press the IM/Call button.
• Go to the People Panel→ Friends tab and select each friend you want to include in the conference by pressing Ctrl + left click on mouse on each friend’s name and then right-click and select IM.
• If you already have an IM going with someone and want to add another resident, you have two ways to do this:
  • go to Inventory→ Calling Card folder and drag that resident’s calling card into the IM, or
  • press the “add someone to this conversation” button at top of the IM.
  • Drag and Drop the selected avatar in the current IM. Can drag and drop from the following windows:
    • Radar
    • Nearby Avatar tab in People window
    • Friends tab in People window
    • Friends tab in Contacts tab (Conversations window)
    • People Search tab in Search window
    • Contact sets

Note: Conferences are limited to twenty participants.

The terminology has changed so please read here.

To save or not save your chat logs and transcripts (nearby, IM/Group), go to Preferences→ Privacy -> Logs & Transcripts and select the options under Save:.

The location for the saved chat logs and transcripts depends on your operating system but can be found and changed in Network & Files -> Directories→ Conversation logs and transcripts location. Press the Set button to change it to a different folder.

If you are offline and an IM is sent to you, the IM is backlogged and will appear as a set of notification icons in the upper right or lower left of your Viewer when you log in.

The backlog can contain up to 25 IMs (cap limit), including inventory transfers, group invitations, and group notifications. If someone gives you an inventory item (generating an IM message), the message is placed in your inventory's Trash folder, and you can retrieve it when you return. If a scripted object sends the inventory, it is deleted immediately.

Second Life will keep the IMs in the backlog for 31 days. If you do not log in within the 31 days to view your IMs, they will be deleted.

To ensure you get your offline IMs and not get them capped, they can be sent to the email address that is connected to your contact information. To enable this option, go to Preferences→ Chat -> Notices→ check Email me IMs when I'm offline.

If you send a reply to an offline IM via email, the original sender will receive it as an IM. The email reply is limited to 1023 characters and must be sent within 5 days.

There are several ways to have your chat windows set up to your liking.

Docked in the conversations window:

• Go to Preferences→ Chat -> Chat Windows→ . Next to “Show IMs in”, tick Tabs and then relog.

As separate windows:

• Go to Preferences→ Chat -> Chat Windows. Next to “Show IMs in”, tick Separate Windows and then relog.

How to dock/undock the chat windows:

• There is a “tear off” button next to the 'x' (Close). Press that to dock and undock the chat window.

How to rearrange the IMs“

• Select and drag the IM tab to the order that you choose.

How do I make the group chat look like the old style chat?

• In Preferences, go to Chat -> Chat Windows, and check Use V1 style chat headers.

How do I change the size of the font in chat?

• In Preferences, go to Chat -> Chat Windows, and select the size that you prefer in “Chat window font size”

How do I get my Contacts window back:

• If your Contacts window is not showing, go to the top menu bar→ Comm menu → Contacts (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F).
• If Contacts window is showing but undocked and there is no tear off button showing, go to top menu bar→ Preferences→ Advanced (Ctrl+Alt+D) → Debug Settings → Search for ContactsTornOFF and set to False.

What is chat? Chat is essentially how we communicate with other residents in Second Life. There are two major categories of chat; Text chat and Voice chat. This page will focus on text chat. For info about voice chat, go here Voice.

There are 4 types of chat:

• Local chat is where everyone within chat range can hear you.
• Group chat is where you can talk to a group as a whole.
• Instant messaging (IM) is where you can talk privately one on one to another individual.
• Ad Hoc (Conference) calls where you can talk to a group of people you select in an IM.

• Normal chat has a range of 20 meters. To use normal text chat, input your text in either the main chat bar at the bottom or in the nearby chat window.
• Shout has a range of 100 meters. To use shout, press ctrl + enter keys after inputting your text.
• Whisper has a range of 10 meters. To use whisper, press shift + enter keys after inputting your text.
• Instant messages, group chats and conference calls are grid wide.

Alternatively, you can choose to show the “send” button at the end of the nearby chatbar which you can select the chat type (whisper, say, or shout) but it will remain in whatever chat type until you change it. To enabled this “send” button, go to Preferences→ Chat -> Typing→ Show chat type / send chat button in chat bar.

The viewer has the ability to translate text into a language that you choose but you need to set up an account with Bing or Google to do so. See here for more information. Previously, Google provided free translation services, but this has now ended, and you must establish your own account with Bing or Google which may incur a cost. Please be aware that chat translation only works in nearby chat and not in IMs or group chat.

There are several ways to start an instant message:

• To talk to a nearby avatar, right click on any part the avatar (not their attachments) or their name tag and select IM from the menu.
• From the friends list in the contacts window, select on the person’s name and press the IM/call button.
• From the friends list in the People Panel, select the person’s name and press the IM button at the bottom of that window.
• If person is already chatting, click on the name in the chat window, this will bring up a quick profile window, and press the IM button.
• In a person’s profile, press the Instant Message button.

Provided you are allowed to join a group chat, go to group tab in Contacts window and either double click on the group or select the group and press the IM/call button.

If you are in the group tab in the People Panel, double clicking on the group will start chat or you can right-click on the selected group and select chat.

To close the group chat window for the duration of the login session, press the X button at top right of that group window. If you want to close it temporarily, press the Zz button at top right to put the group in “snooze” mode. Snooze mode will close the chat for a set duration and after that duration is done, any new chat in that group will make that group's chat window open again. Chat group duration default time is set to 900s but can be changed in Preferences> Chat> Chat Window.

A conference is a private conversation with two or more Residents. It is similar to group chat, but more dynamic, since everyone on your friends list can be invited, as well as everyone where you got a calling card from.

To start a conference chat:

• Go to Conversations window → Contacts Tab → Friends and select each friend you want to include in the conference by pressing Ctrl + left click on mouse on each friend’s name and then press the IM/Call button.
• Go to the People Panel→ Friends tab and select each friend you want to include in the conference by pressing Ctrl + left click on mouse on each friend’s name and then right-click and select IM.
• If you already have an IM going with someone and want to add another resident, you have two ways to do this:
  • go to Inventory→ Calling Card folder and drag that resident’s calling card into the IM, or
  • press the “add someone to this conversation” button at top of the IM.
  • Drag and Drop the selected avatar in the current IM. Can drag and drop from the following windows:
    • Radar
    • Nearby Avatar tab in People window
    • Friends tab in People window
    • Friends tab in Contacts tab (Conversations window)
    • People Search tab in Search window
    • Contact sets

Note: Conferences are limited to twenty participants.

The terminology has changed so please read here.

To save or not save your chat logs and transcripts (nearby, IM/Group), go to Preferences→ Privacy -> Logs & Transcripts and select the options under Save:.

The location for the saved chat logs and transcripts depends on your operating system but can be found and changed in Network & Files -> Directories→ Conversation logs and transcripts location. Press the Set button to change it to a different folder.

If you are offline and an IM is sent to you, the IM is backlogged and will appear as a set of notification icons in the upper right or lower left of your Viewer when you log in.

The backlog can contain up to 25 IMs (cap limit), including inventory transfers, group invitations, and group notifications. If someone gives you an inventory item (generating an IM message), the message is placed in your inventory's Trash folder, and you can retrieve it when you return. If a scripted object sends the inventory, it is deleted immediately.

Second Life will keep the IMs in the backlog for 31 days. If you do not log in within the 31 days to view your IMs, they will be deleted.

To ensure you get your offline IMs and not get them capped, they can be sent to the email address that is connected to your contact information. To enable this option, go to Preferences→ Chat -> Notices→ check Email me IMs when I'm offline.

If you send a reply to an offline IM via email, the original sender will receive it as an IM. The email reply is limited to 1023 characters and must be sent within 5 days.

There are several ways to have your chat windows set up to your liking.

Docked in the conversations window:

• Go to Preferences→ Chat -> Chat Windows→ . Next to “Show IMs in”, tick Tabs and then relog.

As separate windows:

• Go to Preferences→ Chat -> Chat Windows. Next to “Show IMs in”, tick Separate Windows and then relog.

How to dock/undock the chat windows:

• There is a “tear off” button next to the 'x' (Close). Press that to dock and undock the chat window.

How to rearrange the IMs:

• Select and drag the IM tab to the order that you choose.

You now have the option to “snooze” a group chat. Snooze will close the group chat until the snooze timer runs out and then will open up again upon the first instance of a new post. It will be shown as a Zz button at top right of that chat window. You can still open the group chat anytime during snooze which will reset the snooze.

There are several options for Snooze in Preferences→ Chat -> Chat Windows:

1. All groups will have the same snooze duration or
2. Can input a snooze duration for each group. In this option, pressing the Zz button will bring up another window where you input the snooze duration time in seconds. Please note that you will have to input the # each time you press Snooze again.

How do I make the group chat look like the old style chat?

• In Preferences, go to Chat -> Chat Windows, and check Use V1 style chat headers.

How do I change the size of the font in chat?

• In Preferences, go to Chat -> Chat Windows, and select the size that you prefer in “Chat window font size”

How do I get my Contacts window back:

• If your Contacts window is not showing, go to the top menu bar→ Comm menu → Contacts (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F).
• If Contacts window is showing but undocked and there is no tear off button showing, go to top menu bar→ Preferences→ Advanced (Ctrl+Alt+D) → Debug Settings → Search for ContactsTornOFF and set to False.

Quite a number of issues are related to HTTP fetching, including some unexpected ones:

• all avatars except your own appear grey
• in-world objects remain grey, or they repeatedly go blurry and focus
• mesh objects do not rez in
• your avatar bakes, then goes blurry, then rebakes, etc
• inventory is stubborn to load fully
• problems with voice
• music/video doesn't work or is intermittent

All of these issues can boil down to one common cause: problems successfully using HTTP to fetch textures and avatar bakes from SL servers.

Please try these things one at a time. If one fixes your problems, stop there, don't continue to the next.

• If you are wearing any HUD, including WowMeh, Toodledeedoo, The Shops/The Mesh Project/TMP, Maitreya or similar, detach it. These (and a few other high texture HUDs) are known to cause in-world textures to rez then blur repeatedly.

• Power down your router and/or modem. This generally means unplugging it from the power source and removing any batteries. Leave them disconnected for at least a full minute before reconnecting (and reinstalling batteries). Wait for them to complete the power up sequence, then reboot your computer.

• If you don't have the Advanced menu enabled, enable it with Ctrl-Alt-D. Then, Advanced → Debug Settings. Type in TextureFetchConcurrency - set the value to 8, then close the Debug Settings window and relog.

• Preferences → Graphics -> Hardware Settings→ Viewer Texture Memory Buffer: by default, this is set correctly for your graphics card. You can try increasing the value - but not higher than your card's maximum. Try with a setting of 384.
  If you reduced this yourself as a result of the "Textures Discarded" error, then be aware that increasing this value will likely cause that problem to return.

As noted above, the problems are caused by the HTTP protocol - more specifically, it overwhelms some lower end routers. Many people find that HTTP makes rezzing MUCH faster; others instead, those with lower end routers, wireless ones in particular, have the issues described at the start.

If the fixes above work for you, then great. BUT we strongly recommend looking to upgrade to a better router. In particular, Belkin G series and the LinkSys WRT are two which are best avoided.

If you find that your feet are in the ground - or conversely that you are floating above the ground, you can adjust your height to get yourself back where you should be.

There are two ways to do this:

• Right click your avatar, select Appearance, then Hover Height. A window opens. Use the slider to adjust your height above the ground, then close the window.

• Right click yourself, select Appearance → Edit Shape. In the Body tab, scroll down to Hover. Adjust the value till your feet are touching the ground. Save changes by clicking the Save button.
  Naturally, your shape must be moddable for this to work. ¹⁾ You can find some useful tips at I Was Floored: Frequently Asked Support Question.