Logging out

Will they ever fix it so you actually log out?

This is the 4th time today I've tried to log in and it can't log me in because its still 'logging me out' from hours ago.

You might try clearing your cache before the next time you log in. For me it's not uncommon to be ghosted for a few minutes after logging out if I don't clear my cache which is something I do every time I launch SL (well, most every time...........I do forget once in a while and that's when I notice the ghosting for up to about 10 mins).

It happens frequently if you crash (even with a cache clearing). It's sometimes hard to tell but are you crashing when you log out instead of a complete logging? That happens too..........check your OS event log to see.

Also, think about updating your video drivers. An outdated video driver can cause the client to crash while exiting hence causing your problem. Also, if you do crash, don't log right back on as that can cause the login system to send you messages telling you to wait a certain length of time before logging on.

In all the time I've been on SL, it's NEVER taken 'hours' to 'log me out from the last time' as you state. Try keeping your end up to date before coming in here and complaining since the problem is most likely you, and not SL.

When I log out, either via control-Q, File...Quit, or the X in the upper right, it logs me right out, and I can log right back on.

You should have come here and said "I'm having trouble logging out", not start casting blame where it is unduly been cast. This is Resident Answers, where the goal is to post questions where you get answers, not bash SL. (Although that's mainly what goes on here).

Johan, there is no need to be insulting. While sometimes people's problems turn out to be a mistake on their own end, I think we all know that SL itself causes problems too.

In this case, where hours have passed and the user still can't log in, her avatar may be an inactive ghost stuck where she logged off. I've had that happen to me a couple of times, usually when I crashed when driving a vehicle across a sim border.

It's been a while since I did this kind of troubleshooting, but I seem to remember that sending the stuck av an IM could force the system to recognize that she is indeed logged off.

Nicole, if you're still unable to log in, do you have an alt that you can use to IM your "Nicole" av? If not, I'm sure one of us here can help you out.

That old trick of IMing, paying, and bumping doesn't work anymore. A sim restart is the only way that works besides time.

I tried that, even went to another computer to try to log in. It was on a private sime that was being rebooted- I logged off with 5 minutes left.

Its not the sim, its not my viewer- even with more up to date vdrivers and video cards it did it- This is me casting blame rightly on sl. More specifically lindens who have to add new features rather than focus on stability, even equally between the two.

What she said. I live near a border crossing between two biker sims. Route 66 goes right by my driveway. We get those ghosts here from time to time (vehicles + sim border=trouble), and none of those old tricks have worked.

Orbiting still works with most ghosts I've come across.

Not that I absolutely care what you want to blame your issue on but I do want to point out a flaw with that conclusion. If what you say is true there would be a lot more (I mean a very lot more......like the vast majority) avatars would be ghosted all the time........as many as ever logged in or logged off. That is not the case.........by a long shot. Almost everyone, at one time or another, crashes. Most to the crashes are caused by something going on with the individuals' computers and their setups for any and all the hardware installed in that computer. Yes, sometimes it's SL having a problem and when that happens it's quickly known.........because the vast majority of people have the identical problem at the same time. But, you appear to have a chronic issue with being ghosted..........and almost no one else does. I don't know what is causing your issue since you are so convinced it's not on your end that you won't even give specs on your computer. But, I will assure you that your problem will continue until the problem is fixed. The likelihood of the the problem being on LL's end is remote at best....non existant is the most likely.

There are any number of reasons (or causes) that create the issue of not being properly logged off by the servers. But far the most prominant reason is a crash of some kind at the users end.....your viewer, your computer and even your network loosing connection. Software is a funny thing. It needs things to happen correctly in order for it to perform as expected...........a sudden stop anywhere in the communication stream that a program uses to make whatever happen actually happen causes crazy and somewhat unpredictable problems. Such as the servers not recognizing that your "logged off". It's waiting for you to do something.......but you poofed. It does not know you are no longer logged in. The log off process was not completed correctly. It sees you still online and will continue to see that state until it's told otherwise..........or rebooted (the sim restart thing). If your computer or viewer is crashing before the completion of the log off then it's not LL's fault. If you crash for any reason and you do not log off properly......that is not LL's fault. And, again, if it is a problem that has developed in SL's software that is causing the problem it will be very quickly known.

Let's say you have a chronic problem with flat tires on your car. Everytime you go to work you get a flat. Your first attempt at fixing your problem is stopping at the local service station and putting air in your tire........all's fine, right? Ooops, the next day you have a flat again..........oh no!! Must be a hole in the tire so you stop at your local tire repair center and sure enough you have a hole in the tire...........you get it patched. All's fine.............right? Oh, oh...........next day you have another flat!!! Now what? Oh my god it must the the tire.........so you get a new one. There, that's it.........problem fixed finally. Next day...........another flat. It must be something on the road that is causing all these flats..........call the city and raise hell with them. Demand they fix the roads because they are making your tires flat. But, no one else is having flats and they are driving on the same roads......how does that make sense? Hell, you don't care, it's the freaking roads and you'll scream until the city fixes them........it's their problem. They have lazy road workers, the commissioners are incompetent, they don't care.

Ever check your driveway?

Sounds stupid I know.........but that's just about what you are doing.

Can you categorize the sim crossing failures that happen there?

I assume they are not hitting banlines on a "highway".
They are not simcrossing at warp speed on a motorcycle, are they?

Are a significant number due to the destination parcel or sim being full?

I would like to test my intersim navigation system there.

I don't know Route 66, but one doesn't have to cross at warp speed to end up in limbo without any other obvious contributing factors.

If you're looking for ways to increase the probability of a bad crossing, cross near a corner, such that you're arriving in a third sim while the second sim hasn't yet completed handoff from the first sim. (Also, diagonally adjacent sims may not be "neighbors" in quite the same way as those that share borders, which may add some to the handoff process.)

Or you can emulate sim lag by loading up on scripted attachments, extending the handoff times even on non-lagged sims.

But you're also right to hunt for specific geography. There are some sims that are just horrible as handoff recipients for no reason I've found. Nothing obvious in statistics to account for the difference. Sometimes they get better after a restart, sometimes not. So if you drive around the roads on the Atoll you can probably find one of these black hole sims--which may be a different one tomorrow.

I had a ghosted avatar near my home the other day. I tried bumping, IM and paying L$ but to no avail. So I submitted a support ticket about the avatar in distress and LL sorted the problem out.

What I do wonder is whether some of those unfortunate people who post messages about betting banned from SL for no good reason might have actually been ghosted, preventing them logging in.

I think you owe the OP an apology. On most systems when you say you want to log out the server takes it from there and, well, you get logged out.

Yes when you want to log out and choose quit the servers do log you out.......even in SL it does that. However, if something goes wrong and you choose to log out during whatever has gone wrong the servers sometimes don't get the message.......they keep your avatar's place on the system because, as far as the servers are concerned, you are still online. That will happen with any other online game too.......SL is not unigue in that respect. Any number of things can cause the servers not to get the message but the most common is a crash or loss of connection. The SL viewers (all of them) are a little more prone to crashes due the complexity of the platform.......not much you can do about that except make sure your system is as up to date as possible, you are using the best drivers for your hardware, and your network/connection is as healthy as possible. That's the main reason some people don't seem to have the issue as much as others..........they either have better systems, maintain them better, or are geeky enough to find workarounds (some actually have all the above going for them).

The problem with most of these threads is as Johan stated.........SL bashing. The OP's don't want to listen to a fix that envolves them having to take responsibility for their own machines and networks........they want LL to fix if for them. That won't happen.......it's not SL. It's the individual systems........but they don't want to hear it.

Not sure Johan owes anyone an apology........but, each to their own.

Sometimes, even if you think things are fine when you click the X to logout, you are really close to having a crash anyway that you will crash during the logout (memory issues and graphics issues will often produce this). So even if things were fine prior to the logout crash, it is often simply a matter of "something was really close to crashing you anyway".

Its the same problem I had on a 3gig ram computer- with a geforce (i think thats what it was) video card.

Given it happened on both a good computer and a bad one, I can rule out its my end. I dont care about an apology, if he wants to continue to think hes right he can live with it.

It will continue until sl fxes its servers.

If one is wanting to get help with technical problems in the forums it is useful to provide information about one's system.

What brand and model of computer, what operating system, how much ram, how fast it it is, what video card, what video driver, the name of the SL viewer involved and the exact version number of the viewer, what kind of internet service, whether there's a network involved, whether the network is wired or wireless, whether you are in a college dorm, at a workplace, and any other information that might be useful.

How are you logging out? If you are just closing the window, try choosing the menu item to quit instead. It may not be the servers, it may instead be that your client isn't sending the correct info to the servers.