Windowed Mode

[Ikeren]

Windowed Mode

Yo ya'll! I am trying to get windowed mode working because I've been having crashing problems when alt-tabbing to go to MSN or window's media player (likely because it's an old, fragmented computer). Lots of crashing, freezing.

So I found the guide on the strategy compendium, which lists:

This is how you add commands:

1. Enter Ms Dos console. (it's in your Accessories section on the start menu)
2. cd\blizzard\diablo ii (or wherever your diablo 2 folder is located)
3. edit d2.bat

When in editor, input this line:

start diablo ii.exe -w (or whatever your d2 is launched by)
4. save & exit Ms Dos console
5. in explorer, start the d2.bat file

My Diablo II folder was in C:\Program Files\Diablo II

I opened up MS Dos Prompt, I could not get into program files: Every time I entered CD\Program Files\ It said

"Too many paramaters - Files\"
If I tried CD\Program Files\Diablo II
"Too many paramaters - Files\Diablo II"

If I leave out the slash after files, it is the same thing, without the slash. I tried all commands with a slash after them, and without.

So I cut my diablo II folder down to the C drive root. So it's C:\Diablo II now.
CD\Diablo II
"Too many paramaters - II"
CD\Diablo II\
"Too many paramaters - II\"

So what I did was took out the space. Renamed the folder DiabloII
CD\DiabloII
And it works!

Next is edit d2.bat
Edit it, add the line start diablo ii.exe -w
Great, no problems. Save, exit, launch that .bat file up.

"Cannot find file 'Diablo' <or one of its components>. Check to ensure the path and filename are correct and that all required libraries are available."

Seizing on my previous sucess, I renamed the diablo ii.exe to diabloii.exe, and changed the line "start diablo ii.exe -w" to "start diabloii.exe -w"

Save, exit, run the .bat file up.

Cannot find CD error - it no longer reads the CD.

I double click on the diabloii.exe file, same CD error.

Remove, reload CD: CD auto run: "You must install Diablo II beofre installing Diablo II: Lord of Destruction" "If you have already installed Diablo II, Please Contact Tech Support."

If I rename everything to the Diablo II with a space and restore it to the program files location, it works fine.

So I am just looking for a simple, working windowed mode, so I can run my music and MSN without fear of constant crashing. Thanks for the help.

 

[BloZ]

The way of doing it is actually much easier than that.

Right click on the shortcut to Diablo II, and select Properties. On the first line where you can type, simply go to the end of the text, and add -w. Select OK.

That's it!

 

[Ikeren]

Doesn't work:

Gives me a windows standard error:

Program not found

Windows can not find Diablo II.Exe.

The application needed for opening files of Type "Application"

Location of Diablo II.exe:

Dropdown bar for location pathway

Ok Cancel Locate

 

[NASE]

@ Ikeren: You have an old computer, dos promt might not know the windows name of folders and programs. In old dos, a name may only be eight characters long, and an extension 3. Program files is to long and is probably know as progra~1. Go to the map program files in windows and have a look in the properties, you should find there the dos name. if not, there is an other problem.

If you install programs somewhere is hold the position of your files, is you change the position, things might get screwed up.

[edit]
where did you put the -w. Between the quote (") or out isde the qoutes, with or without an space ( )?

I did it out side the quotes and with a space and it workd perfect.

 

[ffejrxx]

your Target line should look like this when completed

"C:\Games\Diablo II\Diablo II.exe" -w

Start in line should be

"C:\Games\Diablo II"

 

[thegiantturtle]

BloZ, NASE, and ffejrxx are assuming that you put everything back how it was. You need to rename DiabloII.exe back to Diablo II.exe. I would also put the diablo install back in it's original directory. Your shortcut is probably keyed to this location.

 

[ffejrxx]

also windows needs the quotes for long filenames/or you can use the 8.3 name without quotes

 

[Ikeren]

I did reset everything to it's previous state.

Yes, this is a near ancient computer, running window's ME.

The way of doing it is actually much easier than that.

Right click on the shortcut to Diablo II, and select Properties. On the first line where you can type, simply go to the end of the text, and add -w. Select OK.

That's it!

That simply doesn't work. Right click on Diablo II.exe, Properties.

Tab that states "General"
Next line down shows the Diablo 2 Icon and a text box "Diablo II".
When I add -W, or -w It says "Diablo II -W"...there are no quotation marks. Now, this seems to imply that I am not finding the correct target line you guys are referring me to...also, when I do this, it renames the icon to add the -W.

Progra~1 worked, thanks. Trying to get Diablo II down...

If you install programs somewhere is hold the position of your files, is you change the position, things might get screwed up.

Yeah, I understand that.

Things I am still having trouble with:

map program files in windows

- Can't find/don't know what it is.

also windows needs the quotes for long filenames/or you can use the 8.3 name without quotes

I got to program files and tried CD\Diablo II - too long, 9 characters. CD\"Diablo II" gave me an invalid directory - and I did put everything back, so it is Diablo II. So I need a bit a more explanation on that.

Last problem: Don't seem to have this target line down...

Thanks in advance...

 

[ffejrxx]

if you right clicked on "diablo ii.exe" file and added -w to the top line in the file properties general tab, windows would rename the file to "diablo ii.exe -w" (no longer an exe application)

rename it back or reinstall d2 if necessary

you failed to make a shortcut for diablo ii.exe
right click on it and select > send to > desktop (create shortcut)
on your new shortcut on the desktop right click on it then go to properties

your target line should look like this then

"c:\program files\diablo ii\diablo ii.exe" -w

start in line should be

"c:\program files\diablo ii"

im sorry if were making this more difficult than it should be

to help with your batch problem

once in program files try

cd "diablo ii"

cd\"diablo ii"
looks for "c:\diablo ii" folder
your aiming for "c:\program files\diablo ii" folder
so you can use

cd "c:\program files\diablo ii"
"diablo ii.exe" -w

or to do it all in one line use this

"c:\program files\diablo ii\diablo ii.exe" -w

 

[NASE]

good calculation Ikeren. The rule is simple, take the first six letters and put a number behind it. If it is the first file to start with diablo - and this will probably be the case, the it wil chance in dos to diablo~1.


What if there are more files the one. You could find some sort of nasty trick to find out what is the wanted file. But this isn't needed.

go to my computer, this is normally an icon on the desktop (the place where your wallpaper is.). Double klick and you'll enter that. Then you search a map, the of which you want to know the name or just an map to use as exemple. now right klick on that map and wou'll get an other menu with options. The last one says something like properties. Kick in that and a new menu will appear. Search that menu and somewhere you'll find a dos name, or a name that is just eight digits long and is different from the name you normally see. Now you hve find the dos name of the map.

The same things counts for shortcuts. If its to long that will be a problem, and the name will be different, you can find this in the same way. Interesting is to have a look what happens with files that have a long extention. Like .java. I think these file cause a problem in dos, but I'm not sure.


P.S. The first time I read that way to created windowed mode, I wondered why? I think that there is an option - like in a drop down box - to chose the mode, yet I can't find it now on my computer. And if that doesn't work, I believe alt+enter in the game will give you windowed mode for that game. Might not be a permanent solution, but might work for just now.

[edit]
alt entre does not seem to be effective.

 

[ffejrxx]

i have powertoys, useful for getting 8.3 filenames
right click on file > send to > (hold ctrl) clipboard as name
to get full filename in 8.3 format :wink3:

xp and me dont give 8.3 names for files under properties, 95/98 do

long extensions are truncated but the name still gets the ~#, .java goes to ~1.jav

test.jav goes to
C:\WINDOWS\DESKTOP\test~1.JAV

 

[Ikeren]

No, the proper first response would have been "Ikeren you fool, you need to use a shortcut on your desktop, not the Diablo II icon base."

Thanks for all the help, sorry for making a fool of myself. (Alt-enter works for some other games. EQ comes to mind.)

 

[ffejrxx]

were happy to teach you good lessons

sounds like you know just enough about computers to be dangerous :shocked: