Connection Issues

[Aubkabob]

Greetings!

I have been trying various things for hours to log in for the first time. I followed the installation directions to a T, have tried changing my login txt file, rebooted and reset all routers/modems/devices, configured my firewalls to let the exe file in, have turned off my virus protection (avast), and tried everything else listed in here, to no avail. I still get "Could not establish a connection. Please check your network connection or contact..."

My roommate also plays, and I am aware of the IP block, but this cannot be waived until I log in and create a character, which I cannot do. The roommate is not logged into the game in any way, shape, or form when I am attempting this.

Please advise!

Edit: I am running Windows 7 Home Premium, SP1
AMD Athlon II X4 630 Processor
6G RAM

Edit Edit: I also installed and attempted to play on my Windows 8 laptop with the same result.

[Eunomia]

Is Everquest installed off of the C: drive ?

Which instructions did you follow for the start up?

[Aubkabob]

I am running it from the C: drive.

I discovered one issue that I was having, which is the fact that I was changing the shortcut that it made upon installation to the patchme, but not making my own shortcut from the .exe file and then adjusting that. Now that I have done that, I am at least getting a different response, though it's just a black screen with a gold arrow.

[Aubkabob]

I actually just fixed that issue after seeing someone in a different post say to hit Alt + Enter a few times to fix a different issue. I will let you know if there are any more problems!