RESOLUTION
To resolve this issue, use the following methods in the
order that they appear.
Method 1: Verify the minimum system requirements
Make sure that your computer meets or exceeds the minimum video,
processor, connection speed, and RAM requirements to play Halo: Combat Evolved.
The minimum system requirements for Halo:Combat Evolved are:
- Operating System: Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition,
Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me), Microsoft Windows 2000, or Microsoft
Windows XP.
- Computer/Processor: 733 megahertz (MHz)
processor.
- DirectX: Microsoft DirectX 9.0 or later. (DirectX 9.0b is
installed by Halo.)
- Memory: 128 megabytes (MB) of RAM.
- Hard Disk: 1.2 gigabytes (GB) of free hard disk
space.
- Video card: 32 MB /3D Transform and Lighting
capable.
- CD: 8X.
- Sound: Sound card, speakers, or headphones with multiplayer
play.
- *56.6 Kilobytes per second (KBps) modem or 10 MB network
adapter. Multiplayer server requires broadband to run a server.
- *Additionally, you must have an Internet Service provider
(ISP) or a Local Area Network (LAN), if you want to play multi-player
games.
You can use the DirectX 9.0 Diagnostic Tool (Dxdiag.exe) to
look up your system information. To do this, follow these steps:
- Click Start, click
Run, type dxdiag.exe in the Open box, type
, and then click OK.
- Click the System tab.
Note the
Processor and Memory values. - Click the Display tab.
In the
Device section, note the name of the video card and its
Approx. Total Memory. - Click Exit.
If your computer meets the game requirements, go to Method 2.
Method 2: Analyze and compare the computer that you are using to other computers
To analyze the gaming performance of your PC and to view the ranking of the system relative to other computers that are on the market, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
For more information about the Windows Game Advisor, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
If your PC ranks low, you may be able to improve the performance of the game by using the methods that are listed in this article. However, you may have to update your PC's hardware for optimal performance. For information about how to update the computer's hardware, contact the manufacturer of the computer.
Method 3: Install the latest update for Halo
The latest update for Halo may have performance improvements that
will resolve your issue. Each time that you join or you create an Internet
multiplayer game, Halo automatically checks the Internet for the latest update.
You may also run the stand-alone updating tool, Haloupdate.exe, from the root
of the folder where Halo is installed. Halo checks for updates by using
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). If you know that a game update is available
but the game does not detect the update, check your Internet Explorer proxy
settings to make sure that you can connect to the following Microsoft Web site:
Halo uses the same proxy settings as Microsoft Internet Explorer
when checking for updates. To check these proxy settings, follow these steps:
- Start Internet Explorer.
- On the Tools menu, click Internet
Options.
- Click the Connections tab.
If you
connect to the Internet manually, double-click the appropriate connection in
the list at the top. If you connect through a local area network (LAN), click
LAN Settings. - In the Proxy Server text boxes, make sure that the settings
are set correctly for the proxy server that you or your network administrator
has set up.
- If you are connected to the Internet and can reach
http://www.microsoft.com, your proxy settings are set correctly. If there is a
Halo update available, download and install the update if you want to start or
join an Internet multiplayer game.
If there are issues with
Auto-update, to obtain the update visit the following Microsoft Web site: Note You must be logged in as an administrator of the computer to
successfully install any updates for Halo.
Method 4: Restart the computer after standby or suspend mode
Performance may be poor after standby or suspend mode. If you
manually or automatically put your computer on standby or suspend mode while
you are playing the game, performance may be poor when you restore the computer
and resume the game. The music and sounds may not be heard, transitions may be
choppy, or the game may stop responding (hang). To resolve this issue, restart
the game.
If this method does not apply to you, go to Method 5.
Method 5: Improve performance on Windows 98 Second Edition and Windows Millennium Edition (Me)
You can configure your computer to run in server mode, instead of
workstation mode in Windows 98 Second Edition and Windows Millennium Edition
(Me). When you enable server mode, you improve game performance. To run the
game in server mode, follow these steps:
- Right-click My Computer, and then click
Properties.
- Click the Performance tab.
- Click File System.
- On the Hard Disk tab, click to select
Network server in the Typical role of the PC
check box.
- Click OK two times.
If this issue continues to occur, go to Method 6.
Method 6: Change multiplayer settings
If this issue only occurs in a single-player mode, go to Method 6.
If this issue occurs only in multiplayer mode, visit the following article in
the Microsoft Knowledge Base to troubleshoot Multiplayer
issues.
For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
819836
How to troubleshoot multiplayer issues in Microsoft games
Method 7: Change game settings (single player)
You can adjust the game settings to use fewer resources. To do
this, follow these steps:
- Start Halo.
- Click Profiles, select the profile or
click Create New, and then create the new profile.
- Click OK, and then click
Settings
- Click Video or click
Audio, and then make adjustments.
See the tables
later in this article for more details. - Click OK.
Video Options Table
You can adjust the video settings for the current profile. Except
for Frame Rate, lower settings or turning the options off will improve
performance at the cost of visual quality. Lowering the maximum Frame Rate can
improve stuttering issues. This can make the game appear smoother while
purposefully performing slower.
Video Option | Description | Setting |
Resolution | Sets the display resolution.
| Possible display resolutions range from 640x480 to
1280x1024. The default is 800x600 except in
SafeMode where the default is 640x480. |
Frame Rate | Sets the frame redraw
rate. |
VSYNC provides the smoothest
visual performance. The frame rate never exceeds the redraw rate.
30 FPS sets the frame redraw rate at 30 frames per
second. This rate provides the most consistent performance. No
VSYNC Enables the frame rate to be greater than the redraw rate. This
provides a variable visual performance where horizontal tearing may occur. |
Specular | Enables or disables specular effects.
Specular effects will make things look glossy or shiny.
| Yes Enables specular effects.
No Disables this option and may improve performance.
|
Shadows | Enables or disables dynamic shadows that
move and change with the movement of the character.
| Yes Enables shadows. No Disables
this option and may improve performance. |
Decals | Enables or disables decals. Decals are special
textures that represent blood or bullet holes that are placed when and where
appropriate. | Yes Enables
decals. No Disables this option and may improve
performance. |
Particles | Adjusts the amount and intensity of
particles, such as dust and sparks that will be
shown. | High fully enables this option.
Low enables particles but they are drawn with half the
intensity of High. Off disables this option,
and may improve performance. |
Texture Quality | Adjusts the detail level of the
textures that will be used on walls and other
objects. | High sets the texture to be drawn with the
highest level of detail. Medium sets a medium level of detail.
Low provides the lowest level of detail, and may improve
performance. |
Model Quality | Sets the detail of models such as the
characters and the vehicles. | High sets the models to
be drawn with the highest level of detail. Medium sets the
models to be drawn with a moderate detail. Low provides the
models to be drawn with the lowest level of detail. |
Audio Options table
You can adjust the audio settings for the current profile. Except
for Hardware Acceleration, lower settings or turning the options off will
improve performance at the cost of sound quality.
Audio Setting | Description | Setting |
Hardware Acceleration |
Adjusts the sounds so
that they will be processed either by the hardware buffers on the sound card or
by the software buffers in DirectX. If hardware buffers are available they may
provide better performance and higher sound
quality. | Yes - use the hardware buffers.
No - do not use the Hardware buffers. |
Sound Quality | Adjusts the type and quality of sound
playback. | High provides the best quality for a fast
CPU. High adds 3D positioning to the sounds so that a sound to
the left of your character will primarily come from the left speaker or
speakers. Normal balances quality and performance.
Normal adds Doppler effects that cause sounds to increase in
pitch as they come closer, like the whistle on a train. Low
provides the best quality for a slower CPU. |
Environmental Sound | Enables the effect of having the
sounds in the game bounce or echo off of surrounding surfaces. This adds depth
to the sounds but can require a great deal of processing power on the
soundcard. | On turns environmental sounds on.
Off turns environmental sounds off. |
Sound Variety | Adjusts the number of different sounds
that will be played during the course of the game.
| High provides the best quality for a fast CPU.
Medium balances quality and performance. Low
provides the best quality for a slow computer. |
If the issue continues to occur, go to Method 8.
Method 8: Use the -useFF command line parameter
To use the
-useFF command line parameter to lower the demands that the game is
making on your video card, follow these steps:
- Right-click Start, and then click
Open or click Open All Users.
- Double-click the Programs
folder.
- Double-click the Microsoft Games
folder.
- Double-click the Halo folder.
- Right-click the Halo shortcut icon, and
then click Properties.
- Click the Shortcut tab.
- In the Target box, press END, press the
SPACEBAR, and then type -useFF.
As an example,
the following line shows the correct usage: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Halo\halo.exe" -useFF
Note Parameters are not case-sensitive. Click Apply,
or click OK.
You can also try other parameters that change the way that the
game interacts with your hardware, such as
-use11 or
-use14.
For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
830487
Halo: Combat Evolved: Target line parameters and troubleshooting shortcuts
Method 9: Improve game performance
For more information about how to improve a game's performance, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
815069
Games: How to improve game performance