If your game seems to speed up after periodically slowing or pausing completely, you should try the following steps.

Close all TSRs running on your system:

Closing Non-Essential Programs in Windows 95/98

1. Press the <Ctrl>, <Alt>, and <Delete> keys simultaneously. This brings up the Windows Task Manager.
2. Select each program (other than Explorer and Systray) and click on the "End Task" button.
   Note: These programs will restart when you reboot your computer.

1. Press the <Ctrl>, <Alt>, and <Delete> keys simultaneously to bring up a security screen.
2. Press the Task Manager button to view a window listing each active program.
3. Select each program and click "End Task." Repear steps 1 and 2 to bring up the list again. Repeat until all programs have been closed.
   Note: If your system locks up or reboots, you will need to contact your computer's manufacturer to find out how to close these programs safely. If your system does lock up, turn the power off, wait 10 seconds, and then turn the power back on.

***Neither Explorer or Systray will show as active tasks. This list will only show running applications that have open (Visible) windows. Any programs running from the system tray, including services like virus scanners or network tools, will be listed in the process list. Closing virus scanners will always improve your performance considerably, but remember to restart them once you've finished playing!

Check the network card and its drivers.

Check the website of your network card's manufacturer and confirm that you are using the most recent drivers for your network card. Also, be sure that your network card is firmly seated in the slot. Loose cards can cause communication problems, resulting in a loss of data that causes pausing and choppiness.

Set the computer's role to Network Server:

1. Right-click on My Computer.
2. Select Properties.
3. Click on the Performance tab.
4. Click on the File System button.
5. Set the typical role of this computer to Network Server.
6. Click OK and reboot your system.

If you are currently running in 3D mode, switch to 2D mode.

1. Click on Start>Programs>Diablo II Expansion>Video Test. Run the Video Test and select the 2D video option.

Run Defrag and Scandisk on your hard drive.

If you have been having any Windows or hard drive problems, you should run Scandisk and Defrag on your hard drive. It's a good practice to run Scandisk and Defrag regularly to keep your system at peak performance.

To run Scandisk:

• Click on Start>Programs>Accessories>System Tools.
• Click on the Scandisk icon.
• Click Standard for a quick scan or Thorough for a more detailed (but slower) scan.
• Make sure that "Automatically Fix Errors" is checked.
• Select the hard drive you want to scan and click Start.

To run Defrag:

• Click on Start>Programs>Accessories>System Tools.
• Click on the Defrag icon.
• Select the hard drive you want to defragment.
• Click OK to start the scan.

If you have lots of hard drive space, set your Virtual Memory settings high (making sure that the Min and Max settings have the same value).

• We recommend that you have at least 350 megabytes of hard drive space available.
• Make sure you have run Defrag & Scandisk before you change your Virtual Memory settings.

  Windows 95/98

  1. Right-click on "My Computer" and select "Properties" to bring up the "System Properties" screen.
  2. Left-click on the "Performance" tab.
  3. Left-click on the Virtual Memory button.
  4. Check the box labeled "Let me specify my own Virtual Memory settings."
  5. Put a check in the "Let me specify my own Virtual Memory settings" area.
  6. Set the minimum and maximum amounts to twice the amount of RAM you have in your computer.
     For example:
     • 32-128 MB RAM: Min 300, Max 300.
     • 192 MB RAM: Min 384, Max 384.
     • 256 MB RAM: Min 512, Max 512.
  7. Left-click on "Set" to apply the changes.
  8. Reboot your computer.

  Windows 2000:

  1. Right-click on "My Computer" and select "Properties" to bring up the "System Properties" screen.
  2. Left-click on the "Advanced" tab.
  3. Left-click on the "Performance Options" tab.
  4. Left-click on the "Change..." button to bring up the "Virtual Memory" screen.
  5. Set the minimum and maximum amounts to twice the amount of RAM you have in your computer.
     For example:
     • 32-128 MB RAM: Min 300, Max 300.
     • 192 MB RAM: Min 384, Max 384.
     • 256 MB RAM: Min 512, Max 512.
  6. Left-click on "Set" to apply the changes.
  7. Reboot your computer.

  Windows NT

  1. Right-click on "My Computer" and select "Properties" to bring up the ""System Properties"" screen.
  2. Left-click on the "Performance Options" tab.
  3. Left-click on the "Change..." button to bring up the "Virtual Memory" screen.
  4. Set the minimum and maximum amounts to twice the amount of RAM you have in your computer.
     For example:
     • 32-128 MB RAM: Min 300, Max 300.
     • 192 MB RAM: Min 384, Max 384.
     • 256 MB RAM: Min 512, Max 512.
  5. Left-click on "Set" to apply the changes.
  6. Reboot your computer.

  If you are currently running in full screen mode, run the game in windowed mode.

  1. Right-click on the Start Button.
  2. Click on Programs>Diablo II Expansion.
  3. Right-click on the Diablo II Expansion shortcut and select properties.
  4. In the Target Field, add a " -w" after the quotes (i.e., "C:\Program Files\Diablo II Expansion\Diablo II Expansion.exe" -w ).
  5. Click OK.

  Be sure that you are running the latest version of your Motherboard Bios.

  If you are experiencing low frame-rates and sluggish gameplay in Diablo II Expansion, make sure that you are running the latest version of your Motherboard Bios Software. Often this comes on a floppy diskette along with the motherboard itself, but it should also be available on the manufacturer's website.

  Check if you have a VIA motherboard.

  VIA Motherboard Users should download the "4-in-1" driver update, which automatically detects and updates IRQ, AGP, IDE, and INF settings. This fix should correct sluggish gameplay on high end systems and prevent lockups on VIA motherboards.

  Copy game files to the hard drive.

  If you continue to experience sluggish gameplay and choppiness, you can copy the D2CHAR.MPQ and D2MUSIC.MPQ files from the Diablo II Expansion Play Disk into the Diablo II Expansion directory on your hard drive. This should help reduce CD-access and read times.

  Send us the following information if none of these steps solve the problem:

  We are currently investigating other causes of this issue in Diablo II Expansion. In order for us to identify possible causes and find a solution to this issue, please contact us using the form below. Please refer to the format at the end of this message for an example on how to fill it out. If you don't have the information for a specific field, please enter N/A next to that line item. If you've already sent this information in the past, please resubmit it using the form below so that we can expedite the solution process. If you're unsure of what type of hardware your system contains, please check in the Device Manager by clicking on Start -> Settings -> Control Panel and then double-clicking on System. If you're still unable to find the specific information, please contact your computer's manufacturer for assistance.

  Please send the following information to support@blizzard.com.
  In the email subject line, please specify one of the following four (4) choices:

  Performance Host (When creating/hosting a game, the host computer pauses at certain intervals during the game and then resumes shortly after the pause.)

  Performance Client (During a single player game or joining a game, the game pauses at certain intervals and then resumes shortly after the pause.)

  Performance Choppy (While playing, the game runs slowly throughout the game.)

  Performance Solved (You are no longer experiencing this problem.)

  In addition, please attach your MSINFO results in the .NFO format. If you're unable to acquire your MSINFO results, you can attach the DXINFO results in the .TXT format.

  Form (Type answers after the colon as shown in the example at the end of this page.)

  1. Name:
  2. E-mail:
  3. Computer Manufacturer:
  4. Processor Manufacturer:
  5. Processor Speed:
  6. Hard Drive Manufacturer:
  7. Hard Drive Model:
  8. Hard Drive Capacity:
  9. RAM Manufacturer:
  10. RAM Amount:
  11. CD-ROM Manufacturer:
  12. CD-ROM Speed:
  13. Video Card Manufacturer:
  14. Video Card Model:
  15. Sound Card Manufacturer:
  16. Sound Card Model:
  17. Modem Manufacturer:
  18. Modem Model:
  19. Modem Speed:
  20. Network Card Manufacturer:
  21. Network Card Model:
  22. Network Card Speed:
  23. Other Peripherals:

  Example

  1. Name: John Smith
  2. E-mail: john@aol.com
  3. Computer Manufacturer: Gateway
  4. Processor Manufacturer: Intel
  5. Processor Speed: Pentium II 300
  6. Hard Drive Manufacturer: Western Digital
  7. Hard Drive Model: WD-3470
  8. Hard Drive Capacity: 10 Gb/7800 RPM
  9. RAM Manufacturer: Kingston
  10. RAM Amount: RAM #1=32megs/PC100, RAM #2=32megs/PC133
  11. CD-ROM Manufacturer: Toshiba
  12. CD-ROM Speed: 32X
  13. Video Card Manufacturer: ATI
  14. Video Card Model: Rage Pro Turbo
  15. Sound Card Manufacturer: Creative Labs
  16. Sound Card Model: Sound Blaster Live
  17. Modem Manufacturer: U.S. Robotics
  18. Modem Model: Sportster
  19. Modem Speed: 56K
  20. Network Card Manufacturer: Linksys
  21. Network Card Model: XL
  22. Network Card Speed: 10/100
  23. Other Peripherals: 2nd Video Card, SCSI Controller Card, 2nd Hard Drive, etc.