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Microsoft Halo For The PC Readme File: September 2003
Microsoft Halo For The PC Readme File: September 2003
September 2003
Microsoft Corporation, 20012003. All rights reserved.
This file contains information to help you troubleshoot issues with Halo for the PC. You can find
information on Microsoft Product Support Services in the printed or online manual.
Note: If Halo came installed on your computer as an OEM version, contact the manufacturer of
the computer or other hardware it was bundled with for product support. Refer to the
documentation that came with your computer or hardware for the product support telephone
number.
CONTENTS
A. System Requirements
B. Installation
Installing Halo
Installing DirectX 9.0b
SafeDisc Issues
C. Getting Help
Viewing the Online Print Pieces
D. Command Prompt
E. Configuration Issues
F. 3D Card Issues
G. 3D Card Drivers and Manufacturers
H. Audio Troubleshooting
I. Additional Multiplayer Information
Default Ports
Network Settings
Direct IP Connection
Checking for Updates
J. Multiplayer Troubleshooting
A. System Requirements
Halo requires a personal computer with the following minimum requirements.
2. Type x:\setup, where x is the letter of your CD-ROM drive, and then click OK.
3. Click Install, and then follow the instructions that appear on the screen.
2. In Windows Explorer, double-click the CD-ROM drive and then the DirectX folder.
3. Double-click Dxsetup.exe, and then follow the instructions that appear on the screen.
If you experience video or sound problems using DirectX, always check with your video or sound
card manufacturer for the latest DirectX-compatible drivers, or go to
http://support.microsoft.com/support/directx/ for the latest troubleshooting information.
SafeDisc Issues
The Halo copy-protection software, SafeDisc, requires that the game be installed from the CD;
you cannot copy files from the CD to the computer and then install from the computer's hard
drive.
McAfee (Network Associates) Nuts & Bolts: Nuts & Bolts causes the game to fail if the Bomb
Shelter utility is in a certain configuration. The following steps allow SafeDisc-protected products
to be used:
4. In the Advanced Properties tab, deselect the Write Protect VMM check box.
C. Getting Help
You can get help for Halo in the following ways:
For an overview of the game as well as for information about getting started and playing
the game, see the Halo printed manual. The manual is also available in PDF format on
the Halo CD.
Visit the Support Center Games Web site (http://support.microsoft.com/?pr=gms) to view
top support issues, product-specific content, and other related resources for playing
games. Additionally, to help you troubleshoot issues associated with game setup,
performance, multiplayer networking, sound, video, or your game controller, visit one of
the Troubleshooting Resource Centers available on the site.
Adobe, the Adobe logo, and Reader are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the
United States and/or other countries.
D. Command Prompt
You can run Halo from a Windows command prompt (e.g., C:\Program Files\Microsoft
Games\Halo\Halo.exe). The following is a list of arguments you may use running Halo from a
command prompt entering halo.exe argument.
-?
Displays a list of all arguments.
-nosound
Disables all sound.
-novideo
Disables video playback.
-nojoystick
Disables joystick/gamepads.
-nogamma
Disables adjustment of gamma.
-useff
Forces the game to run as a fixed function card.
-use11
Forces the game to run as a shader 1.1 card.
-use20
Forces the game to run as a shader 2.0 card.
-safemode
Disables as much as possible from the game.
-window
Runs the game in a window.
-width640
Forces the game to run at 640x480.
-vidmode w,h,r
Forces the game to run at width, height, refresh rate.
-adapter x
Forces the game to run fullscreen on a multimon adaptor.
-port x
Server port address used when hosting games.
-cport x
Client port address used when joining games.
-ip x.x.x.x
Server IP address used when you have multiple IP addresses.
-screenshot
Enables the "Print Screen" key to generate screenshots
-timedemo
Runs four movies and writes out timedemo.txt.
-console
Enables the debugging console.
Notes:
A number of these command prompt arguments are used by PSS to troubleshoot
problems.
Many of the command prompt arguments mirror functionality available from within the
standard Halo user interface.
E. Configuration Issues
Known hardware and operating system configuration issues are listed in this section. For issues
with specific 3D cards, see section F, "3D Card Issues."
Performance may be poor after standby or suspend mode: If you manually or automatically
put your computer on standby or suspend mode while playing the game, performance may be
poor when you come out of standby or suspend mode and resume the game: music and sounds
may not be heard, transitions may be choppy, or the game may hang. To resolve, restart the
game.
Enable direct memory access (DMA) in your IDE controller on Windows 98 Second Edition
and Windows Millennium Edition: When you enable DMA on your computer, you improve the
game performance and stability.
To enable DMA:
1. Close all programs that are running on your computer.
2. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
3. Double-click System.
4. Click the Device Manager tab.
5. Click the PLUS SIGN (+) next to Disk Drives.
6. Click IDE/Disk (hard drive), and then click Properties.
7. On the Settings tab, select DMA.
8. Click OK, and then click OK again.
9. Restart the computer.
NOTE: When you enable DMA, you increase the access speed to the CD-ROM drive and the
hard disk. Some drivers do not support DMA access. If the DMA check box remains selected after
you restart your computer, DMA access is supported.
Run in server mode, rather than workstation mode in Windows 98 Second Edition and
Widows Millennium Edition: When you enable server mode, you improve game performance.
Make sure that your speaker mode is set to match the type of speaker output on your
computer: This situation might occur if you switch back and forth from listening to
headphones and listening to 4.1/5.1 speakers. Having the incorrect speaker mode set will
cause 3D sounds to be heard incorrectly or not at all.
To set your speaker mode:
1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. Click on Sounds and Multimedia (Windows 98/Me) or Sounds and Audio Devices
(Windows 2000/XP).
3. Under Speaker settings, click on the Advanced.
4. Select the speaker setup that matches your current speaker setup.
5. Click OK, and then click OK again.
If your sound card also came with its own software for setting speaker settings, ensure that
these settings are also correct.
F. 3D Card Issues
Halo only supports DirectX 9.0b-compliant video cards. It is good practice to always install the
latest certified drivers for all of your hardware.
ATI Radeon 9800 PRO 128: You may experience inconsistent graphic performance with textures
if you set the Mipmap Detail Level in the ATI Direct3D Control Panel to any setting except High
Quality.
NVIDIA Video Cards and FSAA Modes: You may experience difficulties running Halo using
NVIDIA video cards in any of the FSAA modes. If you are having a problem, you should disable
the FSAA mode for the NVIDIA video card.
Via Motherboard Chipsets: If you have a Via brand motherboard, you may need to update to
the latest 4-in-1 motherboard chipset drivers to avoid crashes.
NOTE: Use Windows Update (http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/) to ensure that you are using
the latest drivers and have the latest updates to your operating system.
For specific video card drivers, visit the manufacturers web site.
H. Audio Troubleshooting
Check with your sound card manufacturer for the latest DirectX-compatible drivers.
Users running Windows 98Second Edition and Windows Me: You should run Windows
Update to ensure that you have downloaded all critical updates as well as all the recommended
updates. Otherwise, you may have sound problems such as the weapon volume shifting in and
out.
Aureal Vortex: The audio may not function with Aureal sound cards. To resolve this issue, turn off
the hardware acceleration. From the Start menu, point to Settings, and then choose Control
Panel. Double-click Sounds and Audio Devices and select the Audio tab. Click the Advanced
button in the Sound Playback section and then click the Performance tab. Move the Hardware
Acceleration slider to None and click Apply.
Hercules Game Theater XP sound card in Windows 98Second Edition: Stuttering and sound
distortion may occur using the Hercules Game Theater XP sound card and Windows 98 Second
Edition. See Enable direct memory access (DMA) in your IDE controller on Windows 98 Second
Edition in section E, Configuration Issues.
Hercules Game Theater XP sound card in Windows XP Professional: The audio may not
function correctly at all times with the Hercules Game Theater XP sounds card. For example,
grenade sound effects may play too low. You should make sure you have installed the latest
DirectX-compatible drivers for your sound card.
Realtek ALC650 sound card in Windows XP Home: Halo may not function correctly using the
Realtek ALC650 sound card in Windows XP if you enable EAX sound in the game.
Montego II Quadzilla sound card in Windows 2000: The audio may not function correctly at all
times with the Montego II Quadzilla sound card. You should make sure you have installed the
Montego II Quadzilla Windows NT 4.0 drivers. Information on installing the drivers is available
from http://turtlebeach.com.
Direct IP Connection
You can join an Internet multiplayer game using a specific IP address for the host server. The
host address can be a computer name or numerical IP address.
If there is no game at the specified IP address, then a Connection Failed dialog box
is displayed. When you click OK, you are returned to the Multiplayer screen. Try
entering the IP address again, using the steps above. If that doesnt work, you should
contact the person hosting the game to verify the IP address for the host server.
If you choose to cancel out of your update, then you are returned to the Multiplayer screen. The
next time you attempt to join or create an Internet multiplayer game, the process starts all over
again. If there is a Halo update available, you must allow the update to download and install if you
wish to continue. If you wish to manually update your game, please visit
http://www.microsoft.com/games/halo/default.asp.
J. Multiplayer Troubleshooting
This section describes the known multiplayer issues and workarounds.
Halo checks for updates via HTTP in the same way a Web browser would. If you use Windows
XP SP-1, Halo can use an auto-detectable proxy server on your network, but does not currently
support manually-set proxies. If your network requires you to manually set your proxy server,
please visit www.microsoft.com/games/halo to check for updates, which you can download
manually.
If you are connected to the Internet and can reach http://www.microsoft.com, for example, your
proxy settings are correct.
In non-team games (such as Slayer), all vehicles are spawning in front of the Red Base:
You must select two of each type of vehicle to ensure that one vehicle gets placed in both the
Red Base and Blue Base. In non-team games, the default base is Red when vehicles are
assigned. If there is only one type of vehicle spawned, then only the Red Base will be populated
with vehicles.
Damage-confirmation beep: You may want turn off the damage-confirmation beep in multiplayer
games. To do this, you must use the Debug Console. To activate the Debug Console, run Halo
with the -console command prompt (see the Command Prompts section above), press ~ in the
game to enable the Debug Console, and then type should_play_multiplayer_hit_sound 0.
Unable to join a Direct IP multiplayer game hosted behind a NAT device or router, or on an
Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) Server in Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows Me, and
Windows 2000: You need to join multiplayer games that are hosted behind a router or on an ICS
server via the Gamespy Lobby.
Unable to join a multiplayer game with an Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) Client on
Windows 2000 or Windows XP: You may have difficulty joining a multiplayer game if a person
using a Windows 2000 or Windows XP ICS client has joined and exited that game before you
attempt to join it.
Unable to browse for games on a local area network (LAN) on a machine with two network
adaptors in Windows XP: You may not be able to browse for multiplayer games on a LAN if the
two network connections are not configured correctly. The Internet must be configured on the first
network connection, and the LAN needs to be configured on the second internet connection. For
more information on configuring a network connection, click Start, and then click Help and
Support.
Microsoft Base Station MN500: Halo does not offer automatic NAT negotiation of UPnP devices
such as the MN500. If you have difficulties connecting to games or hosting a server behind this
device, you should manually set it to forward the required ports2302 and 2303 (UDP) by default
to the IP address of the game computer behind the router.