Problems with movement

Whenever I run forward and then stop my character by using either a skill or attack, my character will be placed a few feet behind the place I was originally in.
Kinda like an instant teleport....
Does anyone know how to fix this?

Its called server lag. Idk, Anet will say check your internet connection. Also lowering you graphics may help.

that kinda makes it sound like the server is lagging
when really its him thats lagging
(most likely anyways...anets servers tend to lag from time to time)

My ping is fine, it usually stays green. The game is also smooth and all, it just sets me back some steps.
I have a 10mbit wired internet connection.
And I'm only running my graphics on the auto-detect
Also, please correct me if I'm wrong, doesn't lag usually manifest in ways that will make it look like my characters movement is either chopped, or he will stop moving for awhile, and then suddenly be in moved in the direction I was heading? I'm being moved backwards.

It's lag. Client side. Your game client is displaying false information on your position because you activated a skill, halting your movement. The server sends back your position, and substitutes skill animation at the location where you activated the skill.

Yes, I'm certainly simplifying things.

Is this fixable?

I know that's just lag but I have a similar situation.

Some of the NPCs, seemingly just random ones, would "run around and jump". For example, Mhenlo seemed like he was crouching while gliding forward on the ground for a few feet, then suddenly teleport back to his original position and repeat. IT'S DRIVING ME INSANE. Is this lag too or something else?

It sounds like rubberbanding. I used to get it when I had a small RAM amount on my computer. I upgraded my RAM and it stopped... so; it could be internet lag, but can also be caused by computer specs if they're at minimum...

To the poster above me, that is a corrupted .dat file. I got that a while ago as well. It was happening to all the guards and monks when in NF. Some characters were also white cubes. I just had to re-install the game. i.e. re-download the client and -image.

Manufacturer:
Hewlett-Packard
Processor:
AMD Turion(tm) 64 X2 Mobile Technology TL-64 (2 CPUs), ~2.2GHz
Memory:
3070MB RAM
Hard Drive:
239 GB
Video Card:
NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS
Monitor:
Generisk PnP-skjerm
Sound Card:
Speakers (Conexant High Definition SmartAudio 221)
Speakers/Headphones:
Headphones
Keyboard:
USB Root Hub
Mouse:
USB Root Hub
Mouse Surface:
Operating System:
Windows Vista™ Home Premium (6.0, Build 6001) Service Pack 1 (6001.vistasp1_gdr.080917-1612)
Motherboard:
Computer Case:

Is that a small amount?

I have had the same problem several time, despite my 60-100ms ping (Vista OS with Dual Core 2 2Ghz, 4Go RAM and 8800GT, this shouldn't be a problem for GW). If anyone has tips on how to reduce these rubberbanding problems, I'd be glad.

Its just some minor lag. Mostly caused by downloading while playing or just bad connection.

A second reason can be your computer can't handle it. But your specs look pretty good, so auto-detect will probably be put on high.
You could lower it to medium or even low. The graphics don't get very bad, its mainly shadows, viewing distance and other various things that get turned off.

And last but not least, blame vista!! It can cause lag on even the best computers cause it takes so much memory. Windows is releasing a new OS soon and their previous one isn't even up to code.

I think I know what you mean, sometimes when I cast on things (clicking the skill before I stop moving) I jump about 3 steps back from the direction I came from. My spell casts instantly so surely not lag, the lil circle thingy is at green.

Another thing is picking up items, sometimes I kinda slide* while doing the pick up animation then pop back about 5 feet when the animation is over. I've just learned to live with them.

*Also happens during having meteor storm cast on me, I run away but also get knocked down so I slide away on my butt lool, then do the teleport back thingy

Its called rubber banding and it happens a lot. Lower your graphics settings and try to limit your internet connection use

Doesn't hold up.
Obviously I'm not downloading, that would just be silly when playing an online PvP game. Even if I were, I'd have to be downloading pretty intensively to feel lag on the 10mbit internet I'm on. Unless of course all my download/upload caps were set to unlimited, but that would just be silly again.
I'd love to blame vista, I pretty much curse it's existence every minute I spend using it but sadly enough I had this issue on my XP as well.
I've also tried reducing the graphics to the utter minimum, without the slightest piece of difference. I still bounce back.
It is also reproducable. I can run in a direction away from my target, hit space/an attack skill, and instantly pop a few feet back and towards my target. With the same result everytime.

@Zebideedee
I can understand that you've learned to live with it but I've been trying to PvP with a dervish, and trying to position myself for the maximum amount of damage dealt to a maximum amount of people with this "rubberbanding" (as some people call it) is utterly frustrating.

Is this a downside to us not paying a monthly fee? Are we getting stuck with shitty servers? Just a theory here...

I have the same problem and have found no way of fixing it.
To me, I seems more like a glitch in the program, where your exact position is recalculated and adjusted slightly when you interact with someone after running.

I've had the same. It was during some festival events like Wintersay 2006. I was attacking a target and then it looked like I stopped moving. Some seconds later I was teleported to the location were I would have been whilst aggroing (I was ranger, so I stayed stationary) with the mob defeated. After the event I never had it before until Wintersday 07. It probabaly is just a problem with the server, for my pc's requirements are good as well as my internet connection.

Rubberbanding can have several causes. I'll mention two common ones here.

Both have to do with the connection, but the reasons differ.
The first is the time a packet takes to travel to GW's server and back.
With heavy traffic or a provider that cuts bandwith this will show.
This is also the kind of problem you see with events, when the GW servers/connections are very busy.

The second is related to XP/Vista combined with a wireless network.
Vista will search for a new network every minute. In this short period the game will stall for a moment. Since I don't have this on my laptop I think it's a driver issue.
If you are using wireless on Vista and have stalls roughly every minute, could you post that here? Then I will post my solution (don't have it here).

its lag and theres nothing you can do to fix it, its caused both by the server and the client side. i think in any game there is a tiny bit of lag no matter what.

it's not your pc that causes the lag bcs i have a pc with 1024 MB ram and have 1,8 GHz memory and on my computer it works perfectly, i've got a ATI Radeon 9600 series 256 MB video card, so did you tried to reset your computer and started GW again? this can help you solve it, however when you are in an explorable area it's a big bummer, then you will start over again.

I get that problem every now and then, briefly. It is connected to lag, but it goes away for me. It's basically your computer and the GW server being a bit out of sync as to what your actual position is. I don't know why yours would stay that way.
It could have to do with your connections bandwidth. Some "high speed" connections, particularly DSL, have lots of "speed" but lousy throughput (how many things they can handle at once). Are you using Ventrilo or Teamspeak while playing?
Are you using a router? Try connecting directly and see if it's any better.