Hack12.Troubleshoot Skype

Hack 12. Troubleshoot Skype

Is Skype refusing to play ball? Use these resources and tips to troubleshoot problems with Skype.

Works with: all versions of Skype.

No piece of software is error free or even problem free, so when things go wrong you can either give up, or troubleshoot the problem. If you are an O'Reilly book reader, that puts you most definitely into the category of someone who is willing to troubleshoot!

This hack provides places to look for information and seek help, and some things to try for some of Skype's more-common problems.

1.13.1. Online Information and Help

These online sources of information and help are both useful and free! When researching a problem, you should visit these information sources in the sequence presented in the following list.

User guides

Skype has put together a number of visual guides for its software, located at http://www.skype.com/help/guides/. These visual guides are very good, as they break each Skype activity into small, easy-to-follow steps. Often, a quick review of your actions for a particular Skype activity using one of these guides will pinpoint where, and sometimes how, things went wrong.

Troubleshooter

Skype's interactive troubleshooter, http://support.skype.com/?_a=troubleshooter, leads you through a step-by-step diagnosis of your problem, and presents suggestions for how you might fix it.

Sound setup guide

If you think that you have a sound setup problem, which is where most users new to Skype come to grief, read one of Skype's sound setup guides, located at http://www.skype.com/help/guides/soundsetup.html.

Knowledgebase

Search Skype's knowledgebase at http://support.skype.com/?_a=knowledgebase using keywords that best describe the problem or its principal symptoms. The knowledgebase can answer a lot of common questions, and not just on technical matters.

Community forums

Search the Skype community forums at http://forum.skype.com/search.php using keywords that best describe the problem or its principal symptoms. Odds are that if someone else has experienced your problem, some kind soul has found a fix for it and has posted a reply to the forums. If you don't find anything useful on the forums that addresses your particular problem, feel free to post the problem to the forums and ask the Skype community for help. Expect some sort of response within 24 hours.

Support request

Frankly, if you've made it to this step, you must be desperate. In my experience, making a support request to Skype is a lot like putting a message into a bottle and tossing the bottle into the sea. Again, in my experience, not only are support requests ignored, they aren't even acknowledged! Let's all hope that Skype puts more emphasis on responding to support requests in the future. However, if you're desperate enough to try, you can send your proverbial message in a bottle from here: http://support.skype.com/?_a=tickets&_m=submit.

1.13.2. Troubleshoot

Having trawled through Skype's knowledgebase and online forums, these appear to be the most common problems, and fixes.

1.13.2.1. General.

Out-of-date version of Skype and old device drivers

Error number: N/A

Most likely cause: using older versions of Skype and out-of-date drivers for your computer hardware (particularly for the sound and network devices in your computer, and the firmware in your router) not only can be the direct cause of problems, but also can exacerbate other problems indirectly.

How to fix: 1) Update the version of Skype you are running to the latest version. 2) Update your drivers and firmware by downloading updates from the web sites of the manufacturers for your devices.

Skype login failed

Error number: 1101, 1102, or 1103 (Skype was unable to connect to the Skype P2P network).

Most likely cause: the Internet connection is down or misconfigured, or you are being blocked. Another possible cause is a conflict with your Data Execution Prevention (DEP) setting.

How to fix: 1) Open a web browser and check that your Internet connection is up and working. If it's temporarily offline, that may explain why Skype can't connect to its network. 2) Check your firewall settings; specifically, check that (ideally) port 80, port 443, and those ports above 1024 are open. 3) If you use a proxy, you may have to set up Skype manually to use it (you can do this only on Windows, by selecting Skype Tools Options… Connection). 4) I discuss how to correct conflicts with your DEP setting shortly under the heading "Skype crashes or hangs."

SkypeOut call failed

Error number: 9504 (failed to connect to Skype server, transient problem); 6503, 6504, 10500, or 10503 (Skype network is temporarily overloaded); 10404 or 10503 (1040 or 1050 on Mac OS X, number is invalid or has been entered incorrectly); 10403 (number not supported or is forbidden); 9403, 9407, or 9408 (there's a problem with your Skype account and you've been suspended temporarily from making SkypeOut calls).

Most likely cause: you have entered the number incorrectly or the Skype network is temporarily overloaded.

How to fix: 1) Check the format of the number you are trying to dial, and then try again (perhaps try using the Skype Dialing Wizard, http://www.skype.com/products/skypeout/rates/dialing.html). 2) Wait 10 to 15 minutes for network congestion to pass and then try again. 3) Check your SkypeOut credit balance. You may have no credits left! 4) If calls to echo123 work, as do calls to other Skype users, but problems with making SkypeOut calls persist, the most likely cause lies with Skype's PSTN gateway providers. Report each incident of a failed SkypeOut call to [e-mail], stating your location, the time at which you attempted to place the call, the number you were calling, and what specifically happened. 5) Submit a problem ticket to Skype.

Skype dial keys don't work with phone systems having interactive menus

Error number: N/A

Most likely cause: this is a highly unpredictable problem, as the dial keys work like a charm for some Skype users, but not at all for others. They can also work one day, but not the next. No one seems to know the cause, but it is a persistent complaint on the Skype forums, regardless of platform.

How to fix: 1) Keep trying and be very careful with your key presses. 2) Try again later or on another day. 3) Use an add-on tool, such as Khaos-Dial (http://www.khaoslabs.com/khaosdial.php).

1.13.2.2. Windows.

Can't hear yourself and/or others

Error number: 6101 (problem with sound-out device) or 6102 (problem with sound-in device).

Most likely cause: a problem with your sound card, or a conflict between your sound card and another application you are running.

How to fix: 1) Check that the correct sound device is selected in Skype (choose Skype Tools Options… Sound Devices). It is always a good idea to specify your audio-in and audio-out devices for Skype explicitly instead of relying on the Windows default sound device (which can change when a new sound device is installed, or when a sound device is plugged in or unplugged). 2) Temporarily disable any applications (for example, TotalRecorder) that may also be using your sound card and see if the problem goes away. 3) Update to the latest drivers for your sound device.

Skype crashes or hangs

Error number: 1101 or 1102 (but, obviously, no error number is reported if Skype crashes or hangs when it first tries to run).

Most likely cause: a conflict with the DEP setting. This is a problem that is specific to Windows XP (SP2) and Windows Server 2000 (SP1).

How to fix: disable DEP. Select Start Control Panel System, and in the System Properties window navigate to the Advanced tab. Under the Performance category, click on the Settings button. This will open the Performance Options dialog. Navigate to the Data Execution Prevention tab and click on the second radio button, "Turn on DEP for all programs and services except those I select." Click the Add… button and add High CPU usage by Skype

Error number: N/A

Most likely cause: a conflict with another application you are running, a conflicting BIOS setting, a high task priority for Skype, or a high CPU temperature.

How to fix: 1) Try running Skype on its own and see if the problem goes away. If it does go away, try running Skype alongside other applications one by one until the problem reappears. These following applications sometimes cause CPU usage to become excessive: Norton AntiVirus, TotalRecorder, ZoneAlarm, NetLimiter, Steganos Internet Anonymizer, SpySweeper, and other P2P VoIP softphones similar to Skype. 2) Intel's SpeedStep technology can sometimes cause this problem. Try disabling it in your machine's BIOS. 3) Lower Skype's task priority. Press Ctrl-Alt-Delete, which will open the Windows Task Manager. Navigate to the Processes tab and right-click on Skype.exe, choose Set Priority, and try lowering Skype's current task priority level. 4) A high CPU temperature can have many causes, but the most obvious cause is an obstruction to the flow of air that is cooling your CPU. If there is an obstructionfor example, air vents are blocked or coveredclear things so that air flows freely once again. To check your CPU temperature you can use a free utility called SpeedFan, which you can download at http://www.computerbase.de/downloads/software/systemueberwachung/speedfan/.

1.13.2.3. Linux.

Skype won't work with your sound device

Error number: N/A

Most likely cause: you have an Advanced Linux Sound Architecture (ALSA) sound device for Linux, but you have not enabled Open Sound System (OSS) emulation.

How to fix: at present, Skype works only with OSS sound on Linux machines. If you have an ALSA sound device, you must enable its OSS emulation layer for Skype to use it.

Sound is stuttering

Error number: N/A

Most likely cause: you have an ALSA sound device, but Skype is trying to use an OSS driver rather than OSS emulation for ALSA.

How to fix: enable the OSS emulation layer for your ALSA device. Remove or disable the OSS driver.

Skype won't run on 64-bit Linux

Error number: N/A

Most likely cause: you are running 64-bit Linux and don't have 32-bit versions of the Qt and other runtime libraries installed on your machine.

How to fix: as Skype for Linux is a 32-bit application, it will run on 64 bit Linux only if you have the right 32-bit libraries installed.