Serious problems with NT & Zen

[5iver]

I'm posting this here because I can get no satisfactory answers from Zen themselves.

1. The PC

I have a 2.3Ghz Pentium 4 desktop PC running Windows XP
Stripped down. No firewall. No virus on. No games. No Skype etc etc.
All drivers up to date.
All Windows updates updated.
Scanned daily for Malware and viruses. Cleaned registry etc.
4Gb RAM, swapped out to check for bad sticks.

2. The connection

Cable internet with speeds in excess of 11Mb.
No packet loss according to extensive testing with Axence Net Tools 4.0
Modem > Netgear router > PC via ethernet. No wireless.
Router latest drivers/firmware.

3. The software

FRESH install of NT 1000.9 from a fresh download, after having uninstalled every trace of old NT, including 6.5 folder in Documents and Backups. Restart.

No 3rd party indicators or strategies. Nothing restored into setup from previous backups.
Templates rebuilt from ground up, using default NT indies.

Mirus Futures live NT licence. No other data providers.

4. The problem

It takes up to 7 minutes to load a single chart.

In live trading, my charts redraw up to 15 seconds LATER than colleagues I'm trading realtime with around the country, via voice skype. Orders I submit are being picked up at the 'correct' price, but way different to that shown on my chart. Lost $300 today as a result.

Indicators (like MACD) are plotting different values to my fellow traders until I disconnect, "repair DB" in tools > options > misc and reconnect. Then, (after a 7 minute wait for fresh data) and for a short while, our charts match. But they soon go out of sync again.

I can't trust a single chart or candle and so cannot trade.

I can't understand why NT takes SO LONG to load a simple chart of ES with a MACD and Stochs on.

I'm VERY frustrated and losing money (money-making opportunities).

I've had Zen tech support tap into my system via remote access and they say "everything looks fine". But it is NOT. They could care less.

Is there anyone out there who would please be willing to help a fellow trader find the cause of this horrendous problem? As a predominantly Mac-savvy guy, I cannot get deep with Windows on my own.

What other things can I possibly/questions can I possibly ask to get back to being able to trade?

Should I downgrade to an earlier version of NT?

Any help greatly appreciated.

[JS999]

I can't help you with your problem directly, but since you said you are a Mac guy and can't get into windows on your own, it's probably worth putting an ad on craigslist or something for a talented Windows technician to come and take a serious look at your system. Might cost you $100, but it's probably worth it if you think about how much time you are losing trading. It sounds like one of those things that isn't going to have a simple and easy solution, and you already have wasted a lot of your time on this obviously.

If that fails, spending $500 on a new PC with pre-installed Windows (just to get up and running faster) will probably be worth your time... you can get a decent machine for that, and if it gets you back trading an extra couple of days sooner it's probably worth it.

Sorry to not be of more help...

I'm posting this here because I can get no satisfactory answers from Zen themselves.

1. The PC

I have a 2.3Ghz Pentium 4 desktop PC running Windows XP
Stripped down. No firewall. No virus on. No games. No Skype etc etc.
All drivers up to date.
All Windows updates updated.
Scanned daily for Malware and viruses. Cleaned registry etc.
4Gb RAM, swapped out to check for bad sticks.

2. The connection

Cable internet with speeds in excess of 11Mb.
No packet loss according to extensive testing with Axence Net Tools 4.0
Modem > Netgear router > PC via ethernet. No wireless.
Router latest drivers/firmware.

3. The software

FRESH install of NT 1000.9 from a fresh download, after having uninstalled every trace of old NT, including 6.5 folder in Documents and Backups. Restart.

No 3rd party indicators or strategies. Nothing restored into setup from previous backups.
Templates rebuilt from ground up, using default NT indies.

Mirus Futures live NT licence. No other data providers.

4. The problem

It takes up to 7 minutes to load a single chart.

In live trading, my charts redraw up to 15 seconds LATER than colleagues I'm trading realtime with around the country, via voice skype. Orders I submit are being picked up at the 'correct' price, but way different to that shown on my chart. Lost $300 today as a result.

Indicators (like MACD) are plotting different values to my fellow traders until I disconnect, "repair DB" in tools > options > misc and reconnect. Then, (after a 7 minute wait for fresh data) and for a short while, our charts match. But they soon go out of sync again.

I can't trust a single chart or candle and so cannot trade.

I can't understand why NT takes SO LONG to load a simple chart of ES with a MACD and Stochs on.

I'm VERY frustrated and losing money (money-making opportunities).

I've had Zen tech support tap into my system via remote access and they say "everything looks fine". But it is NOT. They could care less.

Is there anyone out there who would please be willing to help a fellow trader find the cause of this horrendous problem? As a predominantly Mac-savvy guy, I cannot get deep with Windows on my own.

What other things can I possibly/questions can I possibly ask to get back to being able to trade?

Should I downgrade to an earlier version of NT?

Any help greatly appreciated.

[5iver]

Thanks for your helpful ideas JS999. I need to find someone who really knows their stuff, rather than some Geek Squad newbie who just tells me to turn off my Antivirus... I'll try Craigslist, as you suggest.

[mrpowerballad]

Hey man, I'm no pro, but a couple things come to mind after reading your post:

1. You mentioned that you've tested your connection with diagnostic software, but perhaps you did this when the connection was running optimally (?) Cable internet is notorious for slowing down during peak hours (i.e. when a lot of other users in your area are on at the same time) -- perhaps it's during these times that you're experiencing lag? You can always call your ISP and have someone come out to optimize your line (it took about three visits from Comcast repairmen to make my cable connection run smoothly). If you have splitters running your connection to various rooms in your house, that could be a source of your problem.

2. From Ninja's performance help section:
"Increase your chart refresh interval by increasing the value of the chart property "Display update interval (sec)"
-- Maybe this is set too high for you?
"Reduce the number of bars on your chart (days back or bars back settings under Format Data Series" dialog window. Reduce the number running indicators"
-- Maybe you're trying to run too many charts with too many indicators for your particular hardware setup?

Hope you find a solution.

[ctrlbrk]

5iver, how much history are you loading on the chart? Is a tick chart, range, minute?

Install a network bandwidth monitor like BWmeter or etc. Monitor your network connection as you pull up the chart. What's happening?

Mike