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Hi I am at the end off my pope and I like to ask all the scalpers or day traders out there who use NT7 I have three platforms running Quotetracker/ MBT broker, Thinkorswim TDA/TDA broker and NT7/MBT broker now here is the problem the two platforms QT and Thinkorswim both data is synchronized accurate but NT7 (i have the latest version) is lagging or even freezes up when the volume pics up. Any on elles have this problem or opinion on this?
thanks mike
Can you help answer these questions from other members on NexusFi?
It shouldn't be too tough to troubleshoot the NT7 issue. It's not likely to be a bandwidth capacity matter. Given your PC can properly run Quotetracker from MBT data is good - and I don't know anything about the MBT to NT7 link, but it sounds like that is where the issue lies.
A great way to troubleshoot it would be if you can install NT7 and the MBT linkage on a completely separate machine - this would likely eliminate any PC barriers or issues (NT uses Microsoft Net, so one could eliminate that as being problematic). I assume you are running bare NT, without any additional or 3rd party indicators. I've read/heard some issues with the MBT API, but I think that was centered around historical data.
An ultimately great way to test would be to feed NT an alternate datafeed such as CQG, Zenfire or eSignal's; I think the latter offer free trials - not sure if that's feasible to try. Or, you could get 'creative' and 'test-drive" (demo trade) a broker such as Ampfutures, who will provide you a full realtime CQG (and others) datafeed, and see if your NT behaves better at that point - my suspicion is it should be OK, which then points back to the NT/MBT combination as being problematic.
Here is a background this problem is an ongoing for three years at first I had QT running and NT7 dome only and during high volume spikes NT7 will freeze up and I had to rely on QT T&S to pick my limit orders because market orders will kill me not knowing what I was buying, then I decided to add charts to NT7 so I can make the transition from QT charting "witch is superior" to NT7 to NT7. and that is when the platform will freeze up and 3 to 4 sec later it will populate to the exact data QT have.
OK, the background provides additional information, but I think my offered suggestions on trying a different machine and/or different datafeed (on the same machine potentially) are still valid options. You need to try some troubleshooting and process of elimination of what has been causing you this issue; if you have been using this for 3 years like this, that's clearly too long. I somewhat sense you're upset with NT, but these your issue sounds like it goes beyond NT: it could be the Microsoft Net environment (not that likely), or the datafeed that is feeding NT.
Another thing that comes to mind: you've mentioned you've had this issue for 3 years. But, 3 years ago NT7 was not out, so presumably it was NT6.5 you were using. I mention this because it's possible that your workspace (that keeps your chart and window confirmations in place on NT, as basic as it might be) could be part of the problem - and recreating a new workspace is a troubleshooting option. I'm also not sure if you have done a complete uninstall of NT (which must include removal of the \Ninjatrader folder in \MyDocuments). Again, keeping a chart (and all/any NT charts) free of indicators should be part of the troubleshooting, in addition to the items I mentioned in my previous post.
OK let me see if I can remember all the things I have tried.
Yes I start with 6.5 and I used the dome only no charts with MBT data
The platform has been uninstalled NT completely all ways with clean install.
NT is been used on 5 deferent machines same results, together with QT and Thinkorswim or in a separate machine, or both like one machine with QT & Thinkorswim and another with NT & thinkorswim.
I had to upgrade to the latest version because of the CME rules, that created deferent problems.
I used IQ feed with QT for a year same thing lagging data during high volatility
3rd party indicators are not a problem since I used NT dome with out charts and 3rd party indicators.
Remember this problem is not present on QT and thinkorswim I have to use them for accurate trading data only
To summarize the problem is the same on NT only and on deferent machines but not for QT and Thinkorswim platforms.
If you see something here please advice thank you and come Monday I will try the dome solo again and I will add a chart at the time.
OK, lots of information there. But, the fact that Quotetracker and Thinkorswim work fine doesn't help an awful lot, other than to perhaps confirm that there aren't any internet or latency connectivity issues. If you are not using charts in NT and are still seeing this across multiple machines is very odd - there is something in that mix there that is common, which is causing it. I can and have installed NT across at least 6 machines, and never ever come across that issue.
Am I correct that the sole datafeed you have been feeding into NT is from MBT? If that is the case, and if you are seeing the same type of delayed/freezing issues on multiple machines, that is where I would focus my efforts. I unfortunately don't know about any quirks of the MBT datafeed, but have heard it has some. I am not sure if you have addressed it with MBT support or the Ninjatrader forums.
I would encourage you to bring up a basic NT chart with 1 or 2 of the indicators you like to use (perhaps include VOL to see volume data is coming in).
If MBT is the datafeed, are you open to demoing NT via a broker like Ampfutures? They will provide you with a CQG or Zenfire datafeed (I think you can choose) and see how your NT behaves with it. They do demo trials with the full and proper realtime datafeeds for 5 days (and will give you more time if you like). I will leave it to your imagination to provide the reason at the end on not going ahead with their service. I think this is worthwhile change in your configuration to determine and confirm it's not likely to be NT, which you say has been installed on 5 machines - that just doesn't make sense and should not be the issue.
There is something very obvious that is being missed somewhere along the way, esp. since you're saying you have had this on 5 different PCs - I am not completely sure we can solve this for you, but there is something in common in your mix, that no one else seems to have, and that is what we're looking for.
OK I must say this site is awesome thanks, yesterday I went over to magorgeeks and ask a question about my laptops performance because I made some changes like installing an old HDD in to this new machine and they suggest I do a scandisk well! guess what the data on all platforms match to the tick for the first 2 hours maybe the volume was not too high I didn’t knottiest, so I will watch it for the rest of the week and see if their is a deference. I don’t have a beef with NT I own the platform but when you have two more platforms that are augured then you start to wonder but maybe deferent platforms use deferent parts of a PC to operate sort of speak I don’t know. I will update this thread letter.
Hmmm ... you kind of lost me with that some of that last post ... It sounds like the problem is somehow better, but it also sounds like you are comparing ticks or price levels via the DOM? I'm not actually how one would do that accurately, unless of course you just mean that NT was not freezing or stopping with it's data display in the DOM.
I would think the best way to compare if you are getting the data through is to bring up a basic NT chart of whatever instrument you are monitoring in a 1 minute version of the chart, and then perhaps do the same with your other application. (Is that Thinkorswim ?)
You mentioned different applications using different parts of a machine ... that's more or less true, in the sense that Thinkorswim is built upon java (it's own version that is loaded everytime you launch TOS versus using a 'standard' java such a Sun's). TOS also completely and self-sufficiently manages it's own datafeed without any other external/3rd party tools (although I have heard/read of horrid time delays on fills via TOS). With Ninjatrader, it depends on external input for data (in your case via MBT Desktop Pro being a requirement to run in the background I think) plus NinjaTrader depends on Microsoft's NET 3.5 (or is it 4?) to be installed, so the software's interactions are very different.
In your last post you mentioned 'volume was not too high' - not really sure what you mean by that. The amount of data that needs to be pushed from your data server source, through your internet pipe and processed by your machine and NT is fairly low impact on both the PC and the internet pipe you have coming into your PC (assuming the PC and your internet speed is of decent calibre). When you track this over the next hours/days, do make note of and include what times and for what instrument you are seeing the issues or freezes, ie., is it at the start of the US equity market (9:30 NY time) or is it at a specific time when the market might be very fast moving (and the actualy price levels and instrument might be useful.)
It sounds like the problem is somehow better, but it also sounds like you are comparing ticks or price levels via the 
