- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
I (and every veteran whose gotten a “HELP! monkey PM about getting Halo to run on PC) has probably typed these things so many times that they’re burned into the CRT screen. To keep from repeating ourselves—further—I’ve compiled a quick tips list of the most common answers to “HELP! MY PC WON’T RUN HALO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!! ” questions:
1. Defrag your PC to improve performance. nuff said.
2. Update Halo PC. There are a series of patches out for Halo PC to address security and performance issues. Google “halo PC 1.07 patch download” to be directed to a site with the latest updates (link not included as they tend to get a little iffy after a while).
3. Update drivers on your video card. Even if the card and PC are years younger than the game some drivers are just not added to your chipset. Drivers for your PC can be found with a simple Google. Find one to fit your Operating System (OS). If you reinstall or remove Halo from your PC, you’ll need to also re-download these updates.
4. Run Microsoft update and look for “non recommended updates". Most people just get critical security updates for their PC using automated update. That can leave out a lot of new patches.
5. Run anti-virus and spyware programs and keep your software up to date! I can't stress how important it is to keep spyware and virus protection programs active and current. If you have a sudden performance problem, 99 times out of 100 it’s a virus or spyware eating resources.
NOTE: a lot of issues with startup and connection are firewall related (ZoneAlarm is nortorious for killing Halo). While shutting off your firewall may fix some startup problems, it should be considered a temporary fix at best. Remember; these days you can get a virus just by being connected to the internet. You don't have to run programs or surf the web. Disabling any security feature, especially firewall, should be used only as a last resort.
6. Lower the resources Halo PC needs in order to run. Aside from manually configuring halo's video and audio quality (remove decals, no shadows, lowest sound variety, etc) this can be done by right clicking the shortcut on your desktop and typing “-useff” or “-use11” into the Target line. When done, it should look like this:
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Halo\halo.exe" -use11
Try -use11 first, then -useff. -use11 will look a little “washed out” compared to what you’re used to. -useff will look down right nasty but run really well.
7. Lower the resources your PC is using besides Halo. Go into your Task Manager and shut down unused programs. Do not remove “SYSTEM” or “LOCAL NETWORK” programs, as these are vital to the running of your PC. Also, don’t kill explorer.exe. Play around with a pen and paper, writing down each program you turn off (click program then click end task). This way, you have a record of what you turned off if your system crashes when you hit the button. Not to worry: these changes are not permanent. If your PC crashes, it should also restart right back up...with all the processes you just turned off back on.
8!(the following is taken directly from the M$ website as provided by a contributing link below. This procedure will allow your PC to run with ALL unnecessary services off.) Note You may experience a temporary loss of some services functionality when you follow these steps. Restoring the settings restores the functionality, but may result in the return of the original error message or behavior.
1. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig in the Open box, and then click OK.
2. On the General tab, click Selective Startup.
3. Under Selective Startup, click to clear the following check boxes:
• Process SYSTEM.INI File
• Process WIN.INI File
• Load Startup Items
4. On the Services tab, click to select the Hide All Microsoft Services check box, and then click Disable All.
5. Click OK, and then click Restart.
Props for vectorracer for finding this info. Please note this as a more extreme measure for getting Halo to run. It will shut down ALL services not required for running Windows. these services include otherstart-up programs like firewall, anitvirus and active spyware monitoring. Use with discretion.
[Edited on 11/11/2005]