Thanks for the info, but it had nothing to do with it as you suspected. it is obviously the ISP. i played runescape, I quit for a month, i only used my computer for very basic things in that month, and then I moved. I tried to play runescape and it didn't work. My ISP has said that they do not block any ports, but after reseting my modem, and temporarily shutting down all security programs, RS still did not work. it is obviously the ISP, probably just a lazy idiot on the other side of the Customer service line who can't answer any of my questions in any real way.

 

 

 

I'll just end my service with the company that I am currently getting service from and move to one that tracks its activities and manages its security in a competent way. I really don't understand why they would lie about something so small and routine. It is possible that they simply randomly block major ports off with out thinking about the possibilities or problems that may come from doing that. Either way, I am finished with this ISP. Thanks for the help that everyone provided.

 

It wouldn't be your ISP, they would gain nothing by blocking those. The only ports they would block would be of ones used for BitTorrent traffic, most ISPs only throttle traffic through those ports though.

 

 

 

Have you tried what DeeKay mentioned?

 

 

Try this site: http://portforward.com/

 

Here you could find how to configure a static IP address: http://www.portforward.com/networking/staticip.htm

 

 

 

Briefly put, I believe your router blocks any non open and redirected ports when you get a dynamic IP address - your home network, the router, probably assigns a new IP address by default each time you connect.

 

I could be wrong, mind you. If Runescape is the only thing that lags then it might be a crappy ISP. Your starting point should be plugging a laptop or a different computer to the router and see whether the problems continue.

 

 

 

 

 

My internet does not use a router, only a modem, and deekay's suggestion seems to rely on having a router. His second suggestion is also possible, but the lagging is so extreme that i don't think that it could be this poor. I had a connection in a backwards rural area before that was probably much worse than this.

 

 

 

Is there any other wasy I could confirm that it was a poor ISP, like trying another game with specs that are comparable to runescape? i don't really have another comp laying around here so I can't try it that way.

Try www.speedtest.net to check your speed. As for another game I am unsure.