Chapter 7. Troubleshooting

Chapter 7. Troubleshooting

• In this chapter, you learn what to do when you are:

• U NABLE TO CONNECT TO THE S KYPE NETWORK

• E XPERIENCING ECHOES, CALL FAILURES, AND S KYPEOUT PROBLEMS

• H AVING TROUBLE HEARING (OR OTHERS CAN'T HEAR YOU)

• E XPERIENCING OTHER PROBLEMS, SUCH AS SLOW FILE TRANSFERS OR CPU OVERLOAD

This chapter covers procedures, techniques, and workarounds for dealing with the most common problems related to Skype and its operation. The chapter is for both Skype end users and system administrators (or IT personnel) who are still having problems with Skype after reading Chapter 3.

Note

For the most current and up-to-date troubleshooting information, refer to the Skype Help site at http://support.skype.com for links to the online knowledge base, interactive troubleshooter, user guides, and Skype Forums (http://forum.skype.com).

Unable to Connect to the Skype Network: Error 1101, 1102, or 1103

When the Skype application is unable to connect to the network, you will get error code 1101, 1102, or 1103, or the Skype application will continue to display "Connecting" in an ongoing attempt to reach the Internet.

This can happen for several reasons. At home, this typically happens as the result of how a software firewall or router is configured. At work or school, this typically happens as the result of how a hardware firewall or proxy server is configured. In both cases, it can happen as the result of how Microsoft Windows' Data Execution Prevention (DEP) is configured.

Trouble Connecting at Home

If you're having trouble connecting to the Skype network at home, the first thing to do is determine whether you have a live connection to the Internet. To do this, try checking your e-mail or pointing your Web browser to a Web page that you know changes frequently, such as Yahoo! or Google News.

If you have a connection to the Internet, next determine whether a software firewall is interfering with Skype's ability to connect. To do this, quit Skype, and reconfigure the software firewall as described in Appendix C.

If the problem doesn't appear to be a software firewall, and you are using a router or wireless access point, try restarting or rebooting your router. To reboot a router, follow these steps:

If you don't have a router, and you are still having problems, log on to http://forum.skype.com, and search for assistance. You can also check the online troubleshooter and user guides at http://support.skype.com.

As a last resort, you can submit a support request outlining the steps you've taken to solve the problem thus far. Be sure to provide a detailed description of your computer configuration, including hardware, operating system, and a list of the programs you are running while trying to use Skype.

Trouble Connecting at Work or School

If you're having trouble connecting to the Skype network from work or school, contact your system administrator to get help or find out whether Skype is allowed on the network. Some system administrators block peer-to-peer (P2P) programs like Skype to prevent file sharing. If your system administrator has questions about proper network configuration for Skype, refer him to the configuration instructions in Appendix C.

Microsoft Windows DEP

Microsoft Windows XP (Service Pack 2) and Windows 2000 Server have a configuration option that prevents unauthorized application programs from running. If DEP is enabled and is not configured to allow Skype to run, Skype will crash if you try to start the application.

To reconfigure DEP to allow Skype to run, follow these steps: