This thread will solve most problems seen so far. Please read each step carefully.

1. Does your computer meet the minimum requirements to run Spiral Knights?

The minimum requirements are:

Windows & Linux:

Windows XP, Vista, 7 or 8

Java 1.6

Display 1024x600

1.3ghz processor

Graphics: 64mb Video Memory. GeForce 5 series, ATI Radeon 8500. Latest video driver.

Memory: 512mb for Windows XP or 1GB for Windows Vista/7

650MB Hard drive space

Mac:

OSX 10.5

Java 1.6

Display 1024x600

1.3ghz processor

Graphics: 64mb Video Memory. GeForce 5 series, ATI 8500. Latest video driver.

1GB memory

650MB Hard drive space

Note:

Laptops and Desktop intergrated or "on-chip" graphics devices generally perform well below desktop video cards.

Some graphics cards have been discontinued and cannot run Spiral Knights in Windows 8.

"I don't know where to check this"
Windows users, please do the following:

1. Click on the 'Start' menu and then click on 'Run'.
2. Type in "dxdiag" and hit 'OK'.
3. In the first tab ('System'), you will find the 'Processor' and the 'Memory'.
4. In the third tab (Display'), you will find the 'Name' which is your video card's model and 'Approx. Total Memory' which is your video card memory.

"My computer system barely meets the minimum requirements."
Make sure you play on minimum resolution with low detail level to make game play as smooth as possible (see also step 5). Be aware that older, integrated or laptop video cards might also lack the 3D acceleration to run Spiral Knights, even if they meet the minimum 64MB memory requirement.

"My computer system doesn't meet the minimum requirements."
Sorry, you won't be able to play Spiral Knights. You will need to consider upgrading your computer hardware. If your processor is OK but not the video and memory then these are both fairly cheap upgrades that would give you significant improvements not just in Spiral Knights.

"Heck, yeah, by far!"
Good! Move to step 2.

2. Is your video card running the latest video drivers?

"I don't know where to check this"
Windows users, please do the following:

1. Click on the 'Start' menu and then click on 'Run'.
2. Type in "dxdiag" and hit 'OK'.
3. Clicking on the second tab ('Display'), you will find the 'Name' and 'Manufacturer' of your video card.
4. The 'Name' will tell you which manufacturer's site you need to go to for a driver update. Make sure you pick the driver matching your video card name and Operating System!
   Some of the more common video drivers: NVIDIA Graphic Drivers , ATI Graphic Drivers, Intel Graphic Drivers.

"Sure, I have the most recent driver for my video card!"
Perfect! Move to step 3.

3. Are you running the latest Java release?

You can update your Java from the site below for any Operating System:
"I don't know where to check this"

Java Download

"I have the latest Java release, but there's still something fishy with it."
The order of installation is often important: uninstall Spiral Knights, install/upgrade your Java and then reinstall Spiral Knights.

4. Do you have a firewall?

"I have the default Windows XP Firewall."
Add 'java.exe' and 'javaw.exe' to the list of allowed programs/exceptions.

"I have a hardware Firewall/Router"
Make sure traffic is allowed on ports 47624-47634 on both TCP and UDP.

"My firewall is fine, your server must be down."
That's very unlikely. But have a look in the Technical Support forum here to see if others have posted regarding login problems. Also look in the Announcement forum to see if we might have a scheduled maintenance taking place right now.

5. The Shotgun Approach

Assuming your PC meets the minimum requirements (see step 1), the below refresh/upgrade routine is likely to address most known problems in one shot. Please do the following steps in the exact order listed:

1. Uninstall Spiral Knights (if it was installed locally).
2. Install the latest video drivers for your video card (see step 2).
3. Download the latest java (see step 3).
4. Validate your firewall settings (see step 4).
5. (Re)install Spiral Knights
• Windows download client.
• Mac download client.
• Linux download client.

6. Are you having other technical problems?

"Yes, but I might have missed something"
Create a new thread under Technical Support listing your processor, memory (RAM), operating system, the name of the video card and its amount of video memory, and explain exactly what sort of problems you have.

"Yes, and I think I'm hitting a new bug!"
While in Spiral Knights, you can send a bug report using F2 or typing /bug and describing the game conditions when the bug occurs. This will also be helpful even if you had to start the game again, we may still get data on the issue that caused you to crash or have to restart the game. Please note that we usually do not respond directly to bug reports. If you wish to follow up with a bug report please file a Support Request.