Windows 2000 Tweaks

< Windows 2000 Tips & Tweaking Guide created by Michael and reprinted with permission >
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Alternative to Using Batch Files

Enable Application Compatibility-Mode in Windows 2000 Service Pack 2

Stop OpenGL Games in Win2K From Screen Refresh Defaulting to 60Hz

Make Your Older PCI Sound Card Work Under Windows 2000

THIS IS GEARED TO A STANDALONE SYSTEM, NOT ON A LAN:

To boost an applications timeslice CPU priority allocation for more speed from it while

launching it (GREAT for games!): Open Notepad.exe! Paste what is in between these lines below into a new document and be SURE TO SAVE IT AS TYPE "ALL FILES" with a .bat extension and the .exe file of the app you want to run in it!

(NOT the default .txt extension notepad uses, I hate how it does that!) WORKAROUND FOR THAT: SURE TO SAVE

IT AS TYPE 'ALL FILES'". However, there's another solution to Notepad's habit of autoappending

".txt". If you put your filename in quotes, Notepad will not append the ".txt". So, for instance, if you select a filename of "startquake.bat" (with quotes), then Notepad won't append the .txt extension :). -Alex Bischoff AND? Save it in the directory/folder of the app you want to run it with! * HERE IS MY QUAKE III Arena Q3Start.bat (for an example for you below I have in my Quake3

folder and use to start it so it runs WAY FASTER on an NT based OS!) this also takes parameters too for games like Half-Life/Counterstrike etc.! Also

echo off

Start /high Quake3.exe %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7 %8 %9

So, next? In your app's shortcut, put this in as the commandline instead of its normal exe!

It'll run ALOT faster because it gets MORE CPU time, this is great for intense apps like

games! Real-time is another higher priority level but NOT recommended as it can lock a system

up or make it appear thus! (Courtesy Mr. Louis Tan & a tip he sent me via email on adding

the % parameter variables to it!)

SOME GAMES HAVE LONG FILE PATHS AND NAMES, this can be accounted for by this tip sent to me

by Mr. Frederic Echols:

The idea of using the "start" command for running games is very cool, but there's one issue

I found when running games with spaces in their names like "Diablo II.exe". To run a game

like that you have to have the name in quotes or it thinks "Diablo" and "II.exe" are

separate command line arguments... BUT if you put the name in quotes, "start" thinks that

you are specifying the title of the command line window and not the name of the exe! So you

have to do something like this:

start "Diablo II" /high "Diablo II.exe"

That first sets the title of the window to "Diablo II", then once the title is set

apparently "start" will accept the name of the exe in quotes, so it works perfectly! Just

thought you might want to mention that on your page... :) -Fredric Echols

ANOTHER NEAT WAY to do this is to make the batch like this (to avoid quotes around long file

names and make it "more universal"):

echo off

start /high %1

* AND ADD IT TO YOUR RIGHT CLICKS POPUP SEND TO MENU ITEM IN EXPLORER.EXE BY Making a short

cut(.lnk extension file) to this file into your Send To folder, and now you will be able to

send your programs to High Priority by sending them to it (Great idea by 'snakefoot' @

3dfiles.com Computer Tweaking Messageboard)! REALTIME was not used as it can lockup a single CPU box... but if you have SMP/Dual CPU system? Check this neat tip out by Ulf Hallberg: Note on the priority for NT/W2000: If you have a dual processor system (I do), you can set the affinity for the game (Half-Life) to use only one processor. Then you can set Real-time priority for half-life. Half-Life will get a totally free processor to play on...and don’t have to give away any resources. The

operating system will survive on the second processor. YET ANOTHER COOL METHOD FROM DAN FERNANDES:

Something a bit better to start a game in a higher priority is simply by editing the Shortcut properties. For instance, for Quake 3 in the Target field of the Shortcut tab:

C:\WINNT\system32\CMD.EXE /C "start /ABOVENORMAL quake3.exe %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7 %8 %9"

It will start Quake 3 in ABOVENORMAL priority. (APK Edit, you can probably use /HIGH here too!)

C:\WINNT\system32\CMD.EXE /C "start /HIGH quake3.exe %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7 %8 %9"

This will start Quake 3 in HIGH priority. By Alexander Peter Kowalski

Alternative to Using Batch Files
Make this reg patch to easly start apps

in the priority you want.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\RealTime Priority]

@="Start&RealTime Priority"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\RealTime Priority\Command]

@="C:\\WINNT\\System32\\cmd.exe /c start \"XQSHP\" /RealTime \"%1\""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\High Priority]

@="Start&High Priority"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\High Priority\Command]

@="C:\\WINNT\\System32\\cmd.exe /c start \"XQSHP\" /High \"%1\""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\AboveNormal Priority]

@="Start&AboveNormal Priority"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\AboveNormal Priority\Command]

@="C:\\WINNT\\System32\\cmd.exe /c start \"XQSHP\" /AboveNormal \"%1\""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\BelowNormal Priority]

@="Start&BelowNormal Priority"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\BelowNormal Priority\Command]

@="C:\\WINNT\\System32\\cmd.exe /c start \"XQSHP\" /BelowNormal \"%1\""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\Low Priority]

@="Start&Low Priority"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\Low Priority\Command]

@="C:\\WINNT\\System32\\cmd.exe /c start \"XQSHP\" /Low \"%1\""

Now when you right click on an .exe file

you will see "Start realtime priority, Start high Priority, and so on.

Easer than writing batch files

Enable Application Compatibility-Mode in Windows 2000 Service Pack 2
Compatibility mode provides an environment for running programs that more closely reflects the behavior of either Microsoft Windows 95 or Microsoft Windows NT 4.0. These modes resolve several of the most common issues that prohibit older programs from working correctly with Windows 2000. Programs that experience issues after migration may benefit from being started in one of these compatibility environments.

The Compatibility-mode technology is currently used by Windows 2000 to ensure built-in compatibility for many popular programs. With Windows 2000 Service Pack 2 (SP2), administrators can manually enable and use this technology to provide solutions for their own programs. Only administrators can enable this technology for users.

How to Enable Compatibility Mode Properties

The Compatibility-mode technology is not exposed by default. To enable an interface so that you can use this technology for your programs after you apply SP2:

Log on as Administrator.

Click Start, and then click Run.

In the Open box, type the following command, and then click OK, where %SystemRoot% is the drive and folder in which Windows 2000 is installed:

regsvr32 %systemroot%\apppatch\slayerui.dll

How to Use Compatibility Mode Properties

Administrators can use a program shortcut to set the compatibility mode for a target program. This requires that the Compatibility-mode properties be correctly installed and registered on the computer by using the previous steps. To enable Compatibility mode by using a program shortcut:

Log on as Administrator.

Right-click the shortcut, and then click Properties.

Click the Compatibility tab. This tab appears only if the Compatibility-mode interface has been properly enabled on the computer.

Click to select the Run in Compatibility Mode check box to enable Compatibility-mode support for the program.

Click either Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0 compatibility mode in the drop-down box.

Click OK to save the changes.

Double-click the shortcut to run the program.

NOTE: Be careful if you use Compatibility mode to bypass version warnings in Setup or installation programs. Some programs are designed for a specific operating system and intentionally prohibit use on future versions. These are most often system-level programs that run at a very low level and have the potential to cause serious problems if installed.

How to Disable Compatibility Mode

Because you enable Compatibility mode independent of the Windows 2000 Service Pack 2 installation process, uninstalling Windows 2000 Service Pack 2 does not remove Compatibility mode. To uninstall Compatibility mode:

Log on as Administrator.

Click Start, and then click Run.

In the Open box, type the following command, and then click OK, where %SystemRoot% is the drive and folder in which Windows 2000 is installed:

regsvr32 /u %systemroot%\apppatch\slayerui.dll

-Courtesy Microsoft Technet

Stop OpenGL Games in Win2K From Screen Refresh Defaulting to 60Hz
If you're running OpenGL games in Win2K and you're running a graphics card from Nvidia, such as TNT or Geforce, you can edit the installation file for the driver to remove the 60Hz option in the resolution you play in. Doing so forces the game to run in the next higher refresh rate (e.g., 70Hz). To get even higher refresh rates, remove higher rates (e.g., 70Hz) to force games to run at 75Hz. The one drawback to this solution is that you then can't use the 60Hz refresh rate even in Win2K because you've disabled 60Hz for the specific resolution.

- Courtesy John Savill

Make Your Older PCI Sound Card Work Under Windows 2000
There are currently problems in 2000 with PCI based sound cards, including the Creative PCI 64 and Creative PCI 128 however it is possible to use the NT 4.0 drivers after making a small change to your system.

The problem is that Windows 2000 uses IRQ steering by default. PCI bus IRQ steering gives Windows 2000 the flexibility to reprogram PCI interrupts when rebalancing Plug and Play PCI and ISA resources around non-Plug and Play ISA devices.

Without IRQ Steering Windows 2000 cannot rebalance PCI and ISA IRQs for Plug and Play devices around non-Plug and Play ISA devices to solve resource conflicts. For example, if your computer's BIOS is unaware of non-Plug and Play ISA cards, the operating system does not have PCI bus IRQ steering, and the BIOS has set a PCI device to IRQ 10, you may have a resource conflict when you add a non-Plug and Play ISA device that is configured for IRQ 10. However, with PCI bus IRQ steering the operating system can resolve this IRQ resource conflict.

To do so, the operating system:

Disables the PCI device.

Reprograms a free IRQ to a PCI IRQ, for example IRQ 11.

Assigns an IRQ holder to IRQ 11.

Moves the PCI device to IRQ 11.

Reprograms IRQ 10 to be an ISA IRQ.

Removes the IRQ holder for IRQ 10.

To disable IRQ Steering perform the following:

Start the Computer Management MMC snap-in (Start - Programs - Administrative Tools - Computer Management)

Expand the 'System Tools' branch

Select 'Device Manager'

In the right hand pane expand Computer and right click on 'Standard PC'

Select Properties from the context menu

Select the 'IRQ Steering' tab

Uncheck the 'Use IRQ Steering' box

Click OK

Reboot the machine

Once the machine has restarted you should be able to install your NT 4.0 PCI sound drivers (make sure you get the new drivers from the sound card makers website).

If you do not have a Standard PC, you must disable ACPI BIOS detection as follows:

Modify the file txtsetup.sif in the Windows 2000 Setup folder.

Change the line

ACPIEnable=2

to

ACPIEnable=0

Reinstall Windows 2000.

An alternative to the reinstall is to open the Device Manager (right click on My Computer, select Properties and select 'Device Manager'), open the Computer, double click on the system type shown (for example MPS PC), go to driver tab. Click on update driver. Choose display a list of drivers. Choose Show all hardware of this device class. Choose Standard PC.

Now you can change the IRQ steering option. Reboot and install the proper sound card driver.

- Courtesy John Saville

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