READ THIS BEFORE POSTING HERE ABOUT TECH ISSUES!!!

So, some might know me from the Halo 2 on Windows Vista forums and some again might not know me, but anyway I made a Thread like this over there and it helped a lot so I thought I could post it here and maybe it'll be put into good use. Anway, if you wish to see the original Thread then go here.
I'll do my best to keep this one in order and updated and I hope that people will appreciate this and not spam this thread with tech questions, but with tech answers - If you have a problem then first try the tips suggested and after that create your own thread regarding the issue.
You decide whether it should be stickied or not...

- Ok so many have issues with Halo 2, granted, it's not very optimized (at the moment) for many computers but I have to emphasize that over 80% of all issues with games ARE hardware- or user-error related.

First take the time to READ through my topic completely BEFORE taking any actions as many of these steps are JUST suggestions!!!


*A few things to do before posting here asking for help:


A) Run your Computer in a "Selective Startup"

Why? - Because this might rule out the fact that you might be running a program incompatible with Halo 2 that might be hogging some piece of memory or the CPUs power that Halo 2 needs.

-How to:

Go to Start, Then Run... and type into the box "msconfig" (without the quotes) Then, under the Services tab first check the Box that says "Hide all Microsoft services" and then "Disable all". Now go to the Startup tab and Disable all. after this reboot and then test Halo 2 right away (don't open anything before it!) Note that if you wish to return your computer to a normal startup (all programs start up at the startup) then just go to the General tab and click the "Normal Startup" (I don't like the normal one - takes too much time, and I can always start a program myself if I need it)

*NOTE That doing a Selective Startup could also fix problems connecting to LIVE.

B) Try the -nosound parameter in the shortcut

Why? - Because I've noticed that many issues with Halo 2 might be because of different sound cards, drivers, filters or codecs and this would be just a way to eliminate that possibility.

-How to:

Go to your Games folder (Should be in the Start menu) and Right-Click the Halo 2 for Windows Vista shortcut and select Customize... Then, click the Edit button and in the Target window add the "-nosound" (without the quotes) so that it would look like this:

"X:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Halo 2\startup.exe" -nosound (X representing the Drive letter where ever you've got Halo 2 installed)

Or if you have a shortcut on your desktop then right-click the shortcut and select Properties and in the Target add the "-nosound" parameter.

Then just click OK and try it out (launch Halo 2 from that shortcut). If the game works, then you'll know that the problem is sound-related and you should try disabling codecs or filters or search for newer drivers etc...

C) Reinstall

Why? - Because maybe something just got screwed up in the installation and is the cause of all your problems.

-How to:

First, uninstall the game, and when you're attempting to reinstall the game, first, make sure that you have closed all other applications running in the background and secondly, DON'T USE THE TRAY AND PLAY FEATURE! Use the customize game install one instead. Otherwise install as usual, then it is suggested that you defrag the files.

If you still get issues then try uninstalling the game completely (deleting all the game folders too) and then cleaning the Registry from all Halo 2 left-over keys.

-To clean the registry:

Go to Start, then Run... and type "regedit" (without the quotes of course) and the hit OK. Then, by either manually looking for the keys associated with Halo 2 (might take a while...) OR by using the nifty "Search" option (Edit->Find...) look for keywords like Halo or.... well halo. And delete all the entries you find.

PS. If you have Halo 1 installed then you'll need to be more careful.

D) Defrag.

Why? - Because Halo 2 can be very glitchy on where the gamefiles are and in what shape they are in.

-How to:

Go to Control Panel, from there System Maintenance and under the Administrative Tools is the Defragmenting option.
*EDIT* Or you could use another program which is better than the Vistas built-in defragger, like this one. (Courtesy of halo2vista)

E) Do some cleaning

Why? - I can't even count how many times my computer has started to screw with me and then after cleaning it up everything's gone back to normal.

-How to:

Well... If you don't know how to clean some dust out of your computer then maybe you should let someone else do it http://forums.haloonwindowsvista.com.../emotion-5.gif ...

F) Do some cleaning part II

Part II?? - Yes that's right, Part 2, only this time I'm talking about spyware, viruses etc...

-How to:

Well... DUH!! Get Spybot S&D, Ad-Aware and a free antivirus program (I prefer Avira AntiVir) and perform a basic scan... (You could use something else, but these are the best and most compatible with other programs, you can also check over at TweakGuides the most recommended security programs) PS. These programs are all free and not spyware and/or Adware. Have a little faith people...

G) Increase Pagefile size + defrag it

Why? - The pagefile is something that Windows uses to store temporal data, much like the RAM does, only Windows mostly stores its own programs and and for a good reason; pagefile is slower than RAM which is used again for the more pressing priorities. If there's not enough pagefile, windows will start to hog RAM. Also, some games are optimized to use pagefile incase if there isn't enough RAM.

-How to:

Go to Control Panel->System & Maintenance->System and from the sidebar select "Advanced System Settings", then (Under the Advanced tab) select under the Performance section "Settings", now in the Performance Options window under the Advanced tab in the "Virtual Memory" section click "Change". Now to defrag it, set the pagefile to zero (you most select the drive first which has the pagefile) and then reboot. Then set it to something higher than it was (You pick the number, just remember that pagefile takes harddrive space) and you can also give other Drives a pagefile for increased pagefile size (2+2=4) and reboot!

... Last but not least ...

UPDATE ALL YOUR DRIVERS!!!

- Yes, we've seen this hundreds of times; people claiming that they've got all the latest updates for the game, windows and computer components. Yet, the only thing that they usually have run is the windows update utility (which sucks, by the way) - This is something that you always have to do manually (well, apart from Windows updates...).

Graphics card, Sound card, Chipset, Motherboard (BIOS), windows... Even if you find a driver update for your CPU then apply it (don't forget the dual core fixes)! (You can see the links for the most popular ones down below)
If you're uncertain about your drivers then you can check the dxdiag report for the date of your drivers, if they are older than two months then I can almost bet that you'll be able to find newer drivers. (info about dxdiag below)

... If ALL else fails...

- Come here, post DETAILED descriptions about your problem, specs and drivers and please state if you have a laptop or a desktop computer.

POST A DXDIAG!!!

Why? - Because the DxDiag (Short for DirectX Diagnostics report) provides much useful information about your computer (things you might not even know or think that would be useful to share) And that is why it is imperative that when you come here on these boards asking for help in a tech-related issue, you should always post a dxdiag report with your post!

PS. For all the previous and coming "Why?" - questions, there's a simple and short answer:

*Ahem*

- Because.

Now moving on...

-How to:

Go to Start->Then click Run...->Type "dxdiag" (without the quotes) into the box and click OK->Click "Save all information"->Save it anywhere (where you can find it)-> include it in your post.

PS: Well, seems that the "add attachment" -feature isn't supported by this forum so just Copy-Paste it... ALL of it... Or host it on some site like rapidshare etc.

EASIER WAY: To save space, use the Code tags; Copy the text in the DxDiag report and then wrap Code tags around it like this:

Code:

---

***This is an example from my dxdiag***
------------------
System Information
------------------
Time of this report: 9/20/2007, 18:02:41
Machine name: HALL
Operating System: Windows Vistaâ„¢ Ultimate (6.0, Build 6000) (6000.vista_gdr.070627-1500)
Language: Finnish (Regional Setting: Finnish)
System Manufacturer: System manufacturer
System Model: System name
BIOS: Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG
Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 3200+, ~2.0GHz
Memory: 2046MB RAM
Page File: 1088MB used, 7011MB available
Windows Dir: F:\Windows
DirectX Version: DirectX 10
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
DxDiag Version: 6.00.6000.16386 32bit Unicode
------------
DxDiag Notes
------------
Display Tab 1: No problems found.
Sound Tab 1: The file RTKVAC.SYS is not digitally signed, which means that it has not been tested by Microsoft's Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL). You may be able to get a WHQL logo'd driver from the hardware manufacturer.
Sound Tab 2: The file RTKVAC.SYS is not digitally signed, which means that it has not been tested by Microsoft's Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL). You may be able to get a WHQL logo'd driver from the hardware manufacturer.
Input Tab: No problems found.
--------------------
DirectX Debug Levels
--------------------
Direct3D: 0/4 (retail)
DirectDraw: 0/4 (retail)
DirectInput: 0/5 (retail)
DirectMusic: 0/5 (retail)
DirectPlay: 0/9 (retail)
DirectSound: 0/5 (retail)
DirectShow: 0/6 (retail)
---------------
Display Devices
---------------
Card name: Radeon X1600 Series
Manufacturer: ATI Technologies Inc.
Chip type: ATI Radeon Graphics Processor (0x71C0)
DAC type: Internal DAC(400MHz)
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_71C0&SUBSYS_01301043&REV_00
Display Memory: 1019 MB
Dedicated Memory: 253 MB
Shared Memory: 766 MB
Current Mode: 1280 x 1024 (32 bit) (76Hz)
Monitor: BenQ FP931
Driver Name: atiumdag.dll,atiumdva.dat,atitmmxx.dll
Driver Version: 7.14.0010.0523 (English)
DDI Version: 9Ex
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Driver Date/Size: 8/22/2007 04:43:14, 3021312 bytes
WHQL Logo'd: Yes
WHQL Date Stamp:
Device Identifier: {D7B71EE2-3280-11CF-F871-3A21A1C2CA35}
Vendor ID: 0x1002
Device ID: 0x71C0
SubSys ID: 0x01301043
Revision ID: 0x0000
Revision ID: 0x0000
Video Accel: ModeMPEG2_A ModeMPEG2_C ModeWMV8_B ModeWMV8_A ModeWMV9_B ModeWMV9_A
Deinterlace Caps: {335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalStretch
{5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY
{335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(UYVY,UYVY) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalStretch
{5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(UYVY,UYVY) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY
{335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalStretch
{5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY
DDraw Status: Enabled
D3D Status: Enabled
AGP Status: Enabled
-------------
Sound Devices
-------------
Description: Speakers (Realtek AC'97 Audio)
Default Sound Playback: Yes
Default Voice Playback: Yes
Hardware ID: PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0059&SUBSYS_812A1043&REV_A2
Manufacturer ID: 1
Product ID: 100
Type: WDM
Driver Name: RTKVAC.SYS
Driver Version: 6.00.0001.6251 (English)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
WHQL Logo'd: No
Date and Size: 8/30/2007 13:30:18, 4114400 bytes
Other Files:
Driver Provider: Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
HW Accel Level: Basic
Cap Flags: 0xF1F
Min/Max Sample Rate: 100, 200000
Static/Strm HW Mix Bufs: 1, 0
Static/Strm HW 3D Bufs: 0, 0
HW Memory: 0
Voice Management: No
EAX(tm) 2.0 Listen/Src: No, No
I3DL2(tm) Listen/Src: No, No
Sensaura(tm) ZoomFX(tm): No
Description: Realtek Digital Output (Realtek AC'97 Audio)
Default Sound Playback: No
Default Voice Playback: No
Hardware ID: PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0059&SUBSYS_812A1043&REV_A2
Manufacturer ID: 1
Product ID: 100
Type: WDM
Driver Name: RTKVAC.SYS
Driver Version: 6.00.0001.6251 (English)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
WHQL Logo'd: No
Date and Size: 8/30/2007 13:30:18, 4114400 bytes
Other Files:
Driver Provider: Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
HW Accel Level: Basic
Cap Flags: 0xF1F
Min/Max Sample Rate: 100, 200000
Static/Strm HW Mix Bufs: 1, 0
Static/Strm HW 3D Bufs: 0, 0
HW Memory: 0
Voice Management: No
EAX(tm) 2.0 Listen/Src: No, No
I3DL2(tm) Listen/Src: No, No
Sensaura(tm) ZoomFX(tm): No
***This was an example from my dxdiag***

---

Incase if you don't know how to make Code tags...
[ Code ] insert text here [ /Code ] <- just remove the spaces and you've got yourself a neatly arranged Dxdiag!

Another important thing that the DirectX Diagnostic Tool doesn't give any information about is the type/power output of your Power Supply Unit, so information about your PSU make, model and power rating should also be provided, particularly if your problem is related to computer crashes or graphic card freezes and/or lock-ups.

Note:
If you have a ATI Mobility Radeon card, you probably know that ATI has signed with the OEM manufacturers that they won't make drivers for the Mobility branch anymore (because the OEM's like having control over them for some odd reason...) so you also might notice that there are a lot less drivers out there for Mobility cards. This might present to be troublesome for when playing games.
For that, there is a small cure though; the Mobility Modder.
With it, you're able to install the normal ATI Radeon drivers for your Mobility card without much side effects at all!
http://www.driverheaven.net/modtool/
Remember that ATI does not support this, but it's still fair to say that this is better than sitting on your ass waiting for your OEM to release a driver that might not fix what you're hoping...
Also, there's a lot to read in that page, but it's all important, not bullshit.
(Thanks to Knight for making me realize something...)


*Specified Tips:

- If there are any ATI users that have ATI Tray Tools, close it before playing Halo 2 as at this moment the game doesn't like ATT...
- If you're experiencing trouble connecting to LIVE or your dedicated server, make sure that your date and time is set correctly in your Computer (Courtesy of JustBringIt69)
- If you get a message during the singleplayer campaign that states "Please insert Disc" then just return to the main menu and from the singleplayer menu manually select the level you were playing (usually this happens during the Gravemind level start and if you've installed the game using the TRAY & PLAY feature)
- If you've installed the game using the TRAY & PLAY feature and you get graphical glitches or missing textures or anything else for that matter, then just uninstall the game and reinstall it normally.
- Note that if you want to remap the E key and you use the "southpaw" setup then you'll most likely have trouble remapping the mouse buttons after that, just a warning.
- ATI users, it is suggested that you turn off Catalyst AI in the Control Panel as it might cause Graphical glitches.
- More Parameters to use in the shortcut are: -nosound (Disables your Audio ingame, good for troubleshooting), -windowed (Run through a window - overrides the setting ingame), -novsync (Disable V-Synchronization completely which you can't do ingame), -monitor:# (Lets you switch between monitors in full screen)
- If your Live Guide window is freezing up fo you then try this: The fix is similar in nature to the Windows Media Player Corrupt Library. What you first need to do is uninstall the LIVE Redist. from your Control Panel. The funny thing is that it doesn't get rid of it at all. Next you need to delete this folder completely C:\Users\"usernamehere"\AppData\Local\Microsoft\XL ive. The XLive folder is what you should be deleting. After you do this go to the Games For Windows website and download the newest version of GFWL by going to the support section. I hope this helps a lot of people also it will delete everything so you will need to re-activate the game in game and redownload your profile and sign in and all that fun stuff. (Thanks rickyyo for finding this!)
- If you are experiencing LIVE issues then try creating a new Vista profile/account and try playing Halo 2 Vista through it. (Courtesy of Zeke)
- Servers not available when you go onto Live. This is another bug that pops up when you go into the server browser RIGHT AWAY when you start the game. If you do anything else first; i.e. Check messages or settings, the servers will display when you do go into it.
- If you find that your mouse feels sluggish, slow, stuttering or lagging but your framerates are high (atleast above 30) then you have three options:
1. use the -novsync parameter in the shortcut.
2. Increase your USB Polling rate.
3. Force the Vsync on in your Graphics Cards Control Panel. (Only works in full screen mode, but usually you don't get mouse lag in windowed mode)
- How to:
*For Nvidia users:
1. Right click on your desktop
2. Click "NVIDIA Control Panel"
3. Select "Advanced Settings"
4. Click "Manage 3D Settings"
5. Click on the "Program Settings" Tab
6. Click "Add"
7. Select halo2.exe ( example c:\program files\microsoft games\Halo 2 )
8. Scroll to the bottom of the settings for Halo2.exe and force Vsync ON
9. Click "Apply"
10. Play!

*For ATI users:
1. Right click on your desktop
2. Click "ATI Catalyst Control Center"
3. Click on "3D"
4. Click on "All Settings"
5. Scroll down to "Wait for vertical refresh"
6. Move it to the right until it says "On until application specifies"
7. Click "Apply"
8. Play!

(Thanks to Iggwilv for most of these simple tips!)


*Some Extras:

The Latest DirectX Download (Courtesy of Flayzer):
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/results.aspx?DisplayLang=en&nr=20&categoryid=2&sor tCriteria=date
Not sure if your computer can run Halo 2 Vista? Well try this:
http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/referrer/srtest
Not sure about having the latest drivers? Well try this, a free online scanner for updates:
http://driveragent.com/?PHPSESSID=88c225f8b2e52b5c99bf9112e6afccfa
A free online scanner for those who don't have (for whatever reason) a security scanner of their own (Courtesy of Flayzer):
http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/default.htm
The official Halo 2 troubleshooting site:
http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=ph;en-us;12429
Another Site that's been very helpful and useful for me on times of crisis:
http://www.tweakguides.com/
A useful site with lots of tech info and the latest driver downloads for most graphics and computers:
http://www.guru3d.com/
Download link to Ad-Aware 2007 - A free adware/spyware remover:
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/products/ad_aware_free.php
Download link to Spybot Search & Destroy - A free spyware remover with immunization protection against fishy sites:
http://www.safer-networking.org/
Download link to TweakVI, a tweaking utility for Vista:
http://downloads.guru3d.com/download.php?det=1688
Download link to NVIDIA nTune (Courtesy of Flayzer):
http://downloads.guru3d.com/download.php?det=1675
Download link to Rivatuner (Courtesy of Flayzer):
http://downloads.guru3d.com/download.php?det=163
Download link to Belarc Advisor, a free System Management utility (Courtesy of Flayzer):
http://www.belarc.com/
Download link to ATI Tray Tools (At the moment incompatible with Halo 2 Vista):
http://www.radeon.ru/downloads/att/b/attsetup.exe


*Some more Links:

Graphics/Audio Card Manufacturers’ Websites:

Asus — http://www.asus.com/
ATI — http://www.ati.com/
BFG — http://www.bfgtech.com/
C-Media — http://cmedia.com/
Creative Labs — http://www.creative.com/
Diamond — http://www.diamondmm.com/
EVGA — http://evga.com/support/drivers/
FreeTech - http://www.freetech.com/
Gainward — http://www.gainward.com/
Guillemot/Hercules —http://www.guillemot.com/
HIS HighTech — http://hightech.com.hk/html/driver.php
Jaton — http://www.jaton.com/
Leadtek — http://www.leadtek.com/
Micro-Star International (MSI) — http://www.msicomputer.com/
NVIDIA — http://www.nvidia.com/
PNY — http://www.pny.com/
RealTek — http://www.realtek.com.tw/
Sapphire — http://www.sapphiretech.com/en/products/graphics.php
Sound Max — http://www.soundmax.com/
Turtle Beach — http://www.turtlebeach.com/
VisionTek — http://www.visiontek.com/
XFX — http://www.xfxgraphics.com/

OEM Manufacturer’s Websites:

Alienware — http://www.alienware.com/
Compaq — http://h18000.www1.hp.com/
Dell — http://www.dell.com/
Gateway — http://www.gateway.com/
Hewlett-Packard —http://www.hp.com/
IBM — http://www.ibm.com/
Intel — http://www.intel.com/
Micron — http://www.mpccorp.com/
Sony — http://www.sony.com/
Toshiba — http://www.toshiba.com/



*On a side note, These tips would work with any other game as well in the same manner...

A word of warning:
If you plan on playing Halo 2 on a laptop or with an integrated graphics card/chip you also have to know that it might not work at all, even after all these tips and suggestions because, simply put; Halo 2 doesn't like laptops (or integrated gfx cards/chips) - It hasn't been tested thoroughly on laptops and certainly not optimized for them (again, integrated gfx cards/chips). Any integrated graphics cards (Nvidia GeForce 6150, ATI Xpress 200, etc) will not run Halo 2 well. But usually this is the case with all games, right? Well let's not forget that Halo 2 is a port...

Also, if something seems a bit confusing, weird or if I just mistyped something (or if I got confused... And trust me, it happens...) then just point it out and I will brush it up. Even if you have an idea or a link then post it here or PM it to me so that I can directly pin it to the first post (I'll give full credit), let's make this a manual for anyone who has problems!

Version 2.16 (final)

Thanks for posting this here :)

Who died and made you Ghost?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SilentWindPL

Who died and made you Ghost?

---

... Huh?
Maybe I died... ;)
And now I'm a ghost... lol

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Caboose O'Malley

... Huh?
Maybe I died... ;)
And now I'm a ghost... lol

---

He means TheGhost, an awesome admin who's in charge of this site.

I was about to ask something similar, found a job caboose? :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Elite Killa

He means TheGhost, an awesome admin who's in charge of this site.

---

Ah, Well, I'm just A Ghost - not THE Ghost ;)

A job? Jobs are for people who either care or like doing stuff....

Um sticky maybe...
Lol I mean definitely!!

BTW Nice job on this guide. I hope people read this before they post.

I PM:ed The Ghost asking him to check this thread out if it's worthy of being a sticky.
BTW I appreciate the feedback. Anymore opinions? Suggestions?

Next time you want to inquire about forum matters or make a request, Jcap's the one to PM. Ghost isn't on as often.

Oh, well I PM:ed jcap now, thanks.

EDIT* Hey, it got stickied!
Okay, so if you have any suggestions or tips you want to share then either post it here or PM me if you want me to pin it to the main post (I'll give credit of course)

EDIT** PS. If people wish to see a changelog then see the second post of the original thread, for instance today I added detail about a Mobility Modder... The changes I make between the original and this one are very slim, and so the changelog affect this one just as well. (But not the one over at Bungie.net due to the forums character limitation)

Nice. Here, Bungie, and Halo 2 on Windows Vista forums.