Optimal Qemu setup for StarCraft?

[ingoreis]

And how exactly do I:
Before Qemu starts can you add the following additional parameters?


-no-acpi -no-hpet -ballon none

So first use this Soundblaster Driver please


http://mcobit.openpa...ers/sbw9xup.rar


here is a old Version of Winrar Shareware to open Rar Files directly in the emulated Windows:


http://mcobit.openpa...ers/wrar380.exe


Have you manualy changed the wrong "PLUG&PLAY" BIOS to "PCI-PUS" in Hardware Manager?


After manualy changing this and a few reboots of the Image must you can install this PCI-Bus Driver


http://mcobit.openpa...I-BusDriver.exe in your emulated Windows.


Then you can enable DMA in Hardware Manager,leftklick on your Harddisk and choose DMA Mode.


This work only then when you have nothing other mounted,no Iso and no floppy and no shared Folder.


In the MSDOS Mode can you install this Software to enable some faster grafical VBE Resolutions


http://mcobit.openpa...rs/univbe67.exe


(after installing you must start to MSDOS with not Fullscreen Option and first hangs itand you must reboot,but the second Time can you delete in the SDD directory the File "HANG.LOG" then it works fine for 30 Days)


SDD is Free for Non Commercial Use,here are the RegCodes for it:


http://forum.gp2x.de...ile.php?id=1387


This Software can boost your Grafics in use with that Driver for Windows:


http://mcobit.openpa.../cirrus1.41.rar


(when you see a white Quadrat for your Mouse,set the Grafics Acceleration one Step down and you have your Mouse back,


but when this happen is the SDD/Univbe not correctly working on your System)


After all this i recommend to install DirectX8.0a,the latest version who work under Win95


http://mcobit.openpa.../directx80a.exe


And here the latest Mplayer 6.4 for Win95


http://mcobit.openpa...mplayerfull.exe


and last:


Because its realy hard to find,i uploaded the Shareware Version(30 Day Trial Version) of Tuneup97


http://mcobit.openpa...97Shareware.exe


And here you can use your DXDIAG.EXE what you have,shurly.


But you have ever the right Version when you klick on start and execute Command,


there you can start the dxdiag.exe ^_^


And now you can disable Hardware acceleration.


My english is not the best,but i Try to help you

 

[FaeMinx]

I'm still having trouble selecting DMA mode... there seems to be no option for it.


I have no ISO mounted, no share folder and no floppy. System - Device Manager - clicking the hard drive and then - Properties.... but there is no checkbox for DMA.


And yes, I did:

Have you manualy changed the wrong "PLUG&PLAY" BIOS to "PCI-PUS" in Hardware Manager?


After manualy changing this and a few reboots of the Image must you can install this PCI-Bus Driver


http://mcobit.openpa...I-BusDriver.exe in your emulated Windows.


Then you can enable DMA in Hardware Manager,leftklick on your Harddisk and choose DMA Mode.

Installed SDD/Univbe, deleted hang.log... and created a shortcut on my desktop that launches SDD from within dos (I have to do this everytime I start Windows right?)


Also, where and how do I enter the registration codes?


Installed Directx8, and tested with different levels of Sound Hardware Acceleration - but no setting seemed to make a noticeable dirfference.


I also did this:

Change your file system properties to ‘Network Server’ under ‘Control Panel’ ‘System’ Performance ‘File System’. But be warned on the Win95 and Win95a these settings don’t work correctly (Known Bug by Microsoft)

- with no noticeable difference.


Another thing I tried was set a dedicated swap file of 320Mb.

For the Virtual memory, simply set the maximum and minimum size to the same figure. How much is enough? Most people think that Virtual memory should be about 2.5 time larger than system RAM e.g. 32Mb system should have at least 80Mb virtual memory.

I also tried disabling virtual memory completely.


But I don't know which choices are best because the differences are so minor that I can't tell by feel alone.


I got TuneUp 97 installed. (Thanks very much for that )


... But it's all in German!! So I have no idea which settings to change. Any tips?


After I had installed Directx8 I got this:





But going to that adress just redirects me here:


http://www.microsoft.com/com/default.mspx

 

[ingoreis]

Sorry for long Time no Answer,but i have so often not much Time.


I did not forget you

I have no ISO mounted, no share folder and no floppy. System - Device Manager - clicking the hard drive and then - Properties.... but there is no checkbox for DMA.

Maybe you can enable it manualy in your Image,try to load in MSDOS Smartdrv bevore Windows starts.


smartdrv is a little Speedup for loading Times.


When you dont have "smartdrv.exe" can you use the freeware alternative "lbacache" from here


http://www.freedos.org/software/?prog=lbacache


http://help.fdos.org/de/hhstndrd/base/lbacache.htm


and download Link here:


http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/files/dos/lbacache/2008/lbacache-2008apr07.zip


Add only the lbacache.com in your autoexec.bat

Installed SDD/Univbe, deleted hang.log... and created a shortcut on my desktop that launches SDD from within dos (I have to do this everytime I start Windows right?)
Also, where and how do I enter the registration codes?

The Codes can you enter in MSDOS in the SDD/Univbe Directory,when you start register.exe

Installed Directx8, and tested with different levels of Sound Hardware Acceleration - but no setting seemed to make a noticeable dirfference.

hmm here was it a big Help with many Sound Errors :rolleyes:

I also tried disabling virtual memory completely.

I diabling it most,only when i have Game who needs that,enable i it.


On the First Batch Pandora can you set 128MB max for Qemu,but on the Rebirth Pandora can you set up to 384MB Ram.


When you have a Rebirth Pandora,set your Ram higher,maybe it helps you too

I got TuneUp 97 installed. (Thanks very much for that )
... But it's all in German!! So I have no idea which settings to change. Any tips?

OMG!!,Sorry for the German Version,i thougt its multilingual :blink:


Hmm moment i must renember what do i change..........


...yes:


- the Autostart is very important,delete all in autostart,but Sustray must stay,its for your Sound Mixer


- disabling automatic Scandisc start,because that can nerve


- diabling all Animations by klicking Turbo


- drvspace&doublespace can you disable because we dont need that on Qemu Images ^_^


- When the Bootlogo is off,start Windows a bit faster


Tip to End,i disable ever that Trashcan,then the Files would be delete directly and it saves Virtual HDD Place :lol:


Sorry for long Time no answer again,but Time is ever a Problem for me

 

[Linux-SWAT]

Let rain too in autostart.

 

[MasterJulian]

Anoyone got SC on Win98 to run nicely? I installed 98micro, DX8.1b and SC + Patch 1.161 (to play without a cd). But the game is unplayable. Any tipps? I already have adlib disabled and no-acpi and no-hept. My Pandora is running @1200Mhz

 

[FaeMinx]

I haven't even bothered with 98... with 95 StarCraft is just *almost* playable with all the tweaks I've managed to get my head around so far.


You obviously have a 1Ghz unit so you have the edge in performance (I'm running Qemu at 1020Mhz).


I also can only set 128Mb of ram as I have the original CC unit.


I haven't replied to ingoreis's post yet because I'm still trying to do everything he suggested.


But from personal experimentation I found that on a CC unit only being able to set 128Mb ram... setting a dedicated 320Mb swap file in Win95 seems to give slightly better performance than disabling swap completely or by letting windows manage the swap file.


I also have colors set to only 256 - not sure if that makes much of a difference in game.


But with Win95 if you disable sound in Qemu the game is extremely playable. It's a pity I know... but If I can't tweak it enough to be comfortable playing with sound, then the experience without sound is very acceptable.

 

[Linux-SWAT]

I'd really like to know if win nt is faster that 95.

 

[ingoreis]

I bought NT4.0 2 Weeks ago,but had actualy no time to make a Image.


The new Images for me what i make,try i as Raw Images,maybe its faster writing access under Qemu,


but i must test this first ^_^


Another User wrote in the Qemu Thread that NT4.0 works nice and with little Luck we can get Touchscreen to work in there


Many Games work under NT4.0 who where designed for Win95 :rolleyes:


But i wrote it,Time is ever a Problem now and in near Future for me,because Christmas Shopping is beginning and i am a Seller(Every Year the Same :lol: )


Qemu have the Support for Ac97 Soundcards,but we dont implemented this Part in Pandora Qemu Version.


Maybe i can recompiling it with Adlib,SB16 and Ac97,replace the VGA Cirrus Bios from the newer Qemu Versions and maybe


it work little faster on our little Pandora Baby.


But in the moment its only loud Thinking


I did not test that AC97 work faster or better than SB16 Emulation because i found no working Ac97 Driver for it.


And i found no working Driver for ENSONIQ AudioPCI ES1370 on Qemu

 

[Linux-SWAT]

Any realtek Ac97 driver should work.

 

[Fatman2001]

Apologies for digging up an oldish thread but has anyone noticed any difference when running Windows 95 + Starcraft from an SD card compared to a USB stick?

I ask as I've run the same image from a Centon DataStick Pro (http://www.centon.com/products/usb/styles/pro) and a SanDisk Ultra SDHC UHS-I SD Card (http://www.sandisk.com/products/memory-cards/sd/ultra-uhs-1-class10-30mbs/?capacity=32GB) and noticed virtually no difference. 

I can't be sure of the exact thread that mentions it but, as USB is quicker than an SD card I was quite surprised that performance was so similar on both.  Don't get me wrong, having Starcraft playable on the Pandora is totally awesome, as is having Blade Runner (1997) by Westwood.  However, if there is a way we can get just a little little bit more in terms of speed, in each instance it would make the games perfectly playable without any stutter

 

[Linux-SWAT]

You're speaking about loading time, not execution time.

 

[ingoreis]

When you run a SSD Solid State Disk over USB on the Pandora can you realy rekognize faster loading Times.
Most USB sticks are slow in responsing Time but fast in copying big Files.
Try a SSD over USB

Dont forget to acticate DMA in the Window95 Hardware Magager

 

[Fatman2001]

Awesome, thanks ingoreis I'll be sure to try that and report back.  Everything tested so far has been with DMA enabled in Windows

Any recommendations on a small SSD?

Would it be also worthwhile showcasing how well some games run on YouTube?  I have some games that I suspect would run relatively well under Windows 95 that have the same spec requirements as StarCraft.

 

[ingoreis]

You gain much more loading Speed when you install Starcraft completly, install a nocd patch and when you dont mount any iso and remove all cdrom drivers in your Image.
After starting with no other Drive is the speed with activated DMA in the Hardware Manager many many better.Maybe i can make a Video for you these Days
Then you can see optimal loading Times
Should i make that on the Rebirth or the GHZ Pandora for you?

 

[Fatman2001]

Yep, I already have   I've actually used a well known trick with StarCraft and one that was on the Blizzard forums some years ago.  It's basically whereby the game is installed as normal and then you copy the "INSTALL.EXE" (biggest file on the CD) to the installation directory and rename it to "StarCraft.mpq" then the game runs without needing a nocd patch at all

Obviously doing the above also saves having to mess around with ISO's and mounting, etc too.  In my image apart from the Floppy Disk drive (A and the HDD drive (C there is no cdrom drives.  A video would be great if you can spare the time, it will help ensure I have everything correct.  I have a 1Ghz Pandora

Thanks!

 

[Fatman2001]

Ingoreis, I've been looking further into this and you would be correct in that using an SSD would be much faster, however the bottleneck would then be the USB interface on the Pandora itself. 

For example most SSD's when used as an external HDD assume that USB 3.0 will be used, in which case sequential read times can be upto 600MB/sec, on USB 2.0 most enclosures max out around 60MB/sec and USB 1.0 at best would be around 12MB/sec (speeds sourced from Wikipedia).

What speed is the USB interface on the Pandora?  I ask as should an SSD capable of at least a sequential read speed of 500MB/sec and the Pandora's USB interface is only USB 2.0 compliant, then surely most of the throughput will be lost?

 

[ingoreis]

Huh the exact Speed cannot say i,because i dont know a Benchmark Software for Linux who test this.
But not the Speed is often the Bottleneck,the responsing Time from your USB Hdd is important.
A long Time before had i tested a real USB 3.5 HDD and managed to install Windows feelable 4-5 Times faster than a USB Stick or more horrible a SD Card.

The Responsing Times are for Qemu more Important think i.

You can try that,use a real big external HDD for trying

 

[TrashyMG]

The Pandora is USB 2.0, but I think a SSD would be faster than conventional flash memory even with USB being a bottleneck.

 

[Fatman2001]

Whoah, fast responses!  I'll try a regular HDD in a USB based enclosure and see how the performance is

Thanks again for your help!

 

[ingoreis]

Another 2 Tips that i wrote somewhere:

When you have a Rebirth Pandora choose 284MB Ram and disable the Virtual Memory in the Windows95 image (for lesser Harddisk writings)


Disable Zram on your Pandora


And putin in the windows autoexec.bat following setting:
Subst a: c:\windows

And everytime when windows search a Floppy drive will the system not more slow down.

Happy trying