How old is your modem?

no more than 3 years old

by the way I open port 5998 correct? am I supposed to open tcp or udp or both?

You only need to open a port if you're hosting a server, just connecting to one shouldn't need anything special (unless you're behind a somewhat restrictive firewall).

my router would restrict me correct? Say I am behind restrictions what should I open?

So I just started having this problem, but only for a single login account. My other one can see the server list just fine. Anyone ever encounter this before?

so, just to recap;
1. no one has any clue why this happens
2. all theories have been proven wrong or inconsistant.
3. us with this problem still cant play the game.
bummer.

I don't know the exact cause, but so far, everyone that has replaced their modem with a newer one has resolved their problem by doing it. I assume it probably has something to do with ISPs switching to a newer DOCSIS file, which some modems may not be compatible with. It could just be a matter of the DOCSIS incompatibility causing some packet loss, or maybe just certain types of packets to get dropped frequently.

The only thing we know for sure about this is that it is 100% client side. It could be anything from firewall restrictions to packetloss, or even something else that hasn't been considered yet.

Maybe you should check with your ISP to find out what version of DOCSIS they are using and then figure out what version your modem is using. If your modem doesn't support the DOCSIS they are running, they should replace it for free for you. Note that your modem does not have to run the latest DOCSIS to be able to access the internet in most cases, but I am sure there are reasons to have them match up. This is just my theory anyway. Also, some ISPs now support speeds much higher than what modems made even just a few years ago were made to support. So, if you are on a 10mb+ connection, you might need to check your modem stats to make sure it is able to really handle that.

Ok i just had this same problem. logged in and no server lists. soo, i went in to my norton INTERNET security and turned off my fire walls. and WALLA...server lists. but now i just tried to log back in...and nothing. lol :(, we need a resolution. my connection is just fine and what not. i can run EQ on my other laptop just fine (note that it is windows xp), but i can't seem to get it to work on this one (well i can't get the server lists anyway). and i have vista on this laptop. maybe there's something with vista thats causing the servers not being able to be noticed?

Suddenly having this problem on both my machines today. They both worked yesterday. :(

my router is a speedstream 4100 and my isp is at&t. to the people that just recently started having this problem, any similarities?

Finding similarities is probably a good idea for issues like this. You might also want to add what OS everyone having this problem is running. Maybe it is an issue with some Vista security feature.

Also, note that problems like this might happen if you have P2P or Torrent programs running on any of the PCs in your house. If you have any of these types of programs running, try closing them and see if that helps.

strange solution...
 

OK, I was playing around with this issue and I came up with a very strange solution. I made a copy of my entire EQ directory and created a new shortcut to it. When I tried to log in using that directory I got a timeout error.

THEN... I tried running my original shortcut and suddenly I can see the servers on both machines! I'm now able to log in. Prior to copying the directory I was unable to see the servers on my machines.

Anyone have any idea what that means?

same effect
 

i had the same effect today, but i remembered that i had set up a port forwarding for ventrilo 2 days ago. Removed that from the router configuration and now the server list is back. Strange, that port shouldn't have to do anything with EQ.

Just thought I'd add in my two cents.

I recently moved into a new place with no internet connection, so I've just been borrowing one of my unsecured neighbors'. From here, I've managed to see the server list twice, at random, but at no other times. Upon trying to actually log in to a server it crashed both times.

Using the internet connection at my University I've managed to connect just fine, with no problems. I had to mess with a few settings to get the game itself to work, but the connection was just fine. The same goes for the connection at my dad's house. We're getting our internet set up on Wednesday, and I have complete faith that this will solve all of my problems. The only thing that gets me curious is why could I see the server list those two times?

I'm running 64 bit Vista, but sadly have no idea what the internet connection I'm using is involved with.