To run Quake, your computer must meet or exceed the following requirements:
An IBM PC or 100% compatible computer.
A 60Mz Pentium Processor equipped with a Floating-Point Processor. *
A 2x or faster CD-ROM drive.
MS-DOS version 5.0, Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT. **
8MB RAM (16MB recommended). ***
80MB free hard drive space.
Optional hardware:
A Sound Blaster or 100% compatible sound card (highly recommended).
A 14.4Kbps or faster modem for head-to-head modem play.
A joystick or mouse for better control.
A TCP/IP and/or IPX/SPX network connection for local area network play.
Quake will NOT run under Windows 3.1x.
*Be advised that some older Pentiums do not contain a floating-point processor.
**Windows NT Users must also install additional software in order for the game to run. See the sections near the end of this document regarding WinQuake and GLQuake for more information.
***To play the game in Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT, your computer must have at least 16MB RAM (24MB+ recommended).
Note: Your Quake CD contains the latest DOS/Windows 95 compatible version of the game. Each operating system has different installation
instructions. Please review the information below to find the correct instructions for your system. We also strongly recommend that you read the
README.TXT file, for any important last minute information about the game.
Installing Quake in DOS:
If you are running Windows 3.1, you must first exit to DOS by clicking "File" in the top left hand corner of your Program Manager window,
selecting "Exit Windows"..., and then clicking "OK". Then:
Place the Quake CD in your CD-ROM drive (typically drive D:).
Switch to your CD-ROM drive by typing 'D:' (Where D: is your CD-ROM drive) and then press ENTER.
Type 'INSTALL' and press ENTER to start the installation program.
Follow the on-screen prompts. When Quake has finished installing, the installation program will prompt you to continue. Press any key, and the game should start.
Running the Game in DOS:
From the C:\ prompt:
Type 'CD\QUAKE' and press ENTER. This puts you in the Quake directory.
Type 'QUAKE' and press ENTER.
Installing Quake In Windows 95:
Insert your QUAKE CD into your CD-ROM drive.
Double click on "My Computer".
Double click on "Control Panel".
Double click on "Add/Remove Programs".
Click on "Install..." and follow any on screen instructions.
Running The Game In Windows 95:
Double click on "My Computer".
Double click on your hard drive (typically your (C:)) icon.
Double click on the "Quake" folder.
Double click on the "Quake" icon. The game should start.*
*If you encounter problems running Quake in Windows 95, 98 or NT, you may want to install the WinQuake patch. For more information, please see the section near the bottom of this document labeled "What is WinQuake?"
The latest version of Quake is 1.06. The original version 1.01 was made for both the shareware and for the full, registered version of Quake. The original 1.01 plays very clean on almost all systems, so it may not improve your gameplay at all to upgrade to 1.06. Version 1.06 requires that you have a dedicated server for a network game with over 4 players. If you need to play up to a 16 multi-player network game and use the server as a player, you must use version 1.01 for this purpose.
Finding the Version #:
There are 2 easy ways to determine what Quake version number you have installed. From the C:\Quake directory, when you type 'quake' plus hit the RETURN or ENTER key, you'll see the version number displayed before the demo screen begins, such as Quake v1.06. Or, upon selecting "Quit" from the Quake "Main" menu screen followed by your typing 'Y' (for Yes) to the next prompt asked, you'll see a red background screen which displays the version number in the top right portion of the screen, such as v1.06.
Upgrading To Quake Version 1.06:
If you need the latest version, you can upgrade by going to the following location:
There is a comprehensive instruction page for how to download the necessary files to your C:\Quake directory. Basically, you download the file "q101-106.zip". Then, you'll need to unzip these files into your C:\Quake directory, and make sure that you overwrite your old Quake.exe with the new executable. Then you must run 'patch.exe' to re-write your pak file.
What's new in version 1.06?
For a list of changes in version 1.06, please refer to the readme.txt file in your Quake directory after running the version 1.06 patch.
If you have no music, ...even with CD in the drive:
To be able to play CD-ROM music simultaneously while playing Quake, you will need to add your CD-ROM driver in the CONFIG.SYS file and the MS-DOS CD-ROM driver, MSCDEX.exe, in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. To properly set up this CD-ROM driver, please refer to your CD-ROM manual. Also ensure that the small round audio cable is connected from the back of the CD-ROM player to the sound card.
If you have no sound effects:
Make sure you have properly setup your sound card at its correct port address, IRQ and DMA channel. Refer to your sound card manual, or call your sound card manufacturer's technical support to do this. You also might have to find the DOS Mixer Controls and turn up the voice/wave or CD setting.
The SET BLASTER Statement:
You must also have a SET BLASTER= statement in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, and this statement must be in all capital letters. If you go to a DOS prompt and type: 'set' ENTER, look for the blaster line as per the sample line:
(BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 T6)
A specifies the audio interface's base I/O address. This can be 220, 240, 260 or 280.
I specifies the IRQ line used by the audio interface. This can be 2, 5, or 7.
Note: id Software products don't support an IRQ higher than 7.
D specifies the Low DMA channel used by the audio interface. This can be 0, 1 or 3.
H specifies the High DMA channel used by the audio interface. This can be 5, 6 or 7.
P specifies the MPU-401 UART (MIDI) interface base I/O address. This can be 300 or 330.
T specifies the card type. (Sound Blaster will be 6).
If this line does not exist, or the settings shown are incorrect, open the file named AUTOEXEC.BAT in the root directory of your C: drive with a text editor such as EDIT or Windows Notepad.
Once the file is open, scroll down using the arrow keys until you find the SET BLASTER statement. If it does not exist, add this line to end of the file:
SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 T6
Next, modify the settings within this line to match the settings that your sound card is using. If you have Windows 95 installed, you can check your sound card's settings in the Device Manager. If you don't use Windows 95, check your sound card documentation to see what settings your card normally uses.
Once you have entered this line and modified to it work with your sound card, reboot your computer, and try Quake again. You should now hear sounds.
Some clone sound cards are not 100% compatible with the Sound Blaster and may not work properly. If you have a 100% compatible clone sound card that doesn't work, contact your sound card manufacturer to obtain updated drivers, and when doing so tell them "I don't get sound when playing Quake with your sound card, why not?"
If you are trying to get Quake to play thru your PC speakers:
You can not get sound through your PC Speaker with Quake. You must have a Sound Blaster or 100% compatible sound card in order to hear sounds in Quake.
If you have a Gravis Sound card and the sound resembles Alvin the chipmunk:
To prevent chipmunk sounds when using a Gravis sound card, you use the
-sspeed parameter with the value 11025 when launching Quake. For
example: From the 'C:\quake directory, type 'quake -sspeed 11025'.
If you have missing, choppy or stuttering sounds and your PC meets or exceeds minimum system requirements:
On the command line when launching Quake use the -dsp parameter with a value of 2. For example: From the C:\quake directory, type:
'quake.-dsp 2'
If you are not getting any music and you have an external/internal SCSI CD-ROM:
External SCSI CD-ROM drives (and some internal ones) do not have an audio cable from the drive to the sound card. Therefore, CD audio music will not play. Call your manufacturer for help in receiving audio support and ask them how to get the proper audio cable.
If the sounds are all scratchy and static-like and you have an NEC or Packard Bell computer, or you're getting no sounds on a Packard Bell:
When using the "Sound 144" that comes in NEC and Packard Bell computers, there is a Mixer TSR that loads in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. REM out this line (by placing the letters REM in front of the line) and the sound will be fine. If you're having no sounds on a Packard Bell, go to a DOS prompt and type:
'c:\' ENTER
'cd\sound144\utility' ENTER
type: 'mixstr' ENTER
press ALT and / at the same time
set voice to 10 or 12.
Then "Save" and "Exit" this utility.
Then try running Quake again.
If you're getting no sound effects or CD music on an AST computer:
You will have to contact AST directly, or go to the AST website and obtain the file "DOSBOOT.EXE". This will install the real mode drivers and MS-DOS utilities. Then, bring up the DOS mixer and make sure that CD, voice or wave volume is turned up and enabled.
If you have a Sound Blaster 16 and you get no CD music:
Run the DOS mixer, 'SET.exe', located in the \SB16 directory, and uncheck "AGC" next to the Save button. AGC stands for Automatic Gain Control. This should solve your problem.
If you want to know how to adjust the Gamma correction (screen brightness):
Press the tilde ~ key to pull down the console (this key is located to the left of the number 1 key and above the tab key). Then type 'gamma #' where # is between 0 and 2. Number 1 is the default. Less than 1 is lighter, greater than 1 is darker, and 0 is white. ~OR~ From the "Options" section of the Menu, use the Brightness slide to adjust the brightness.
If you want higher video resolution support for Quake:
You will need to install SciTech's, or some other 3rd party, VESA 2.0 drivers or re-initialize the software to run with VESA 2.0 support.
If your video display is garbled or bad after the introduction of the game:
If you are using DOS 6.x or higher, press the F5 key after rebooting your system when you see the message Starting MS-DOS. If you are using
Windows 95, press the F8 key when you see the message Starting Windows 95, then select the "Command Prompt Safe Mode".
If you have an ATI video card, and you're trying to play Quake in Windows 95:
The VESA driver for ATI video cards does not work in Windows 95 because this card is not fully VGA compatible in Windows. You can only run Quake successfully in DOS mode. Check your installation instructions supplied within the README.TXT file in the \quake directory, or see the section above labeled: "Installation And System Requirements".
If your video adapter displays garbage in built in video modes 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10:
Some video adapters are not fully VGA compatible because they do not support some unusual VGA video modes. In particular, a few adapters don't support the 360 degree-wide mode X-style that is built into Quake in modes 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10. You'll need to use different modes such as1, 3, 5, 7, 9 or any VESA modes that are available.
If you have a Creative Labs 3D Blaster, or a PCI video card with a Rendition Verite' chip:
In order to play Quake with this setup, you must first upgrade your shareware or full registered version from 1.01 to 1.06, if applicable. (See related information above for this purpose.) Once version 1.06 is installed into your C:\Quake directory, you will need to go to the Rendition Website and download the file "rrq106bc.zip". Then you must unzip this file into your C:\Quake directory. Once this is performed you'll have three new files:
vquake.exe; spd3d.uc; and vq95.bat.
In order to play Quake in DOS or Windows 95 single-player mode, you must type 'vquake.exe' for the new file to take effect. The original quake.exe is still there, so make sure you use the new file from now on. If you're playing a multi-player, TCP/IP game in Windows 95, you must type in the filename 'vq95.bat'. instead of 'vquake.exe'.
If you have a Matrox video card giving you choppy video play:
We suggest that you contract Matrox for more information or more current video drivers.
Note: Although Quake does support up to 16 players in a Network game, in order to enhance overall speed during network play, and also in the interest of fairness and playability, you will need to set up a dedicated server in order to have more than four players in a network game. Please refer to the TECHINFO.TXT file for additional information.
If you do not know the commands for setting up a dedicated server:
At the DOS command line, in order to launch a dedicated Quake server, type the following using no quotes and using a single space between parameters. First make sure you are in the \quake directory:
'quake -dedicated #' (Where # is equal to the number of players allowed to connect to the server). (16 is the max).
To play cooperatively add the -coop parameter, example:
'quake -dedicated # -coop n'
Refer to the file, MANUAL.TXT in your \quake directory for an explanation of deathmatch parameters.
If you would like to know the requirement specifications for modem play:
14.4K baud is required for 2 player games. You really need to get a 28.8 or faster modem for best performance.
If you can't seem to connect or some modem error is reported:
Check your COM port and IRQ settings, ensuring there is no conflict with other devices
Be sure both modems are at the same baud rate.
Check your CONFIG.CFG file in the \quake\id1 directory for the "AT" statement. Edit the line 'ATZ ', disabling flow control, error correction and data compression. To do this, add the following information to the "init" section of the "modem setup":
AT & [error correction disabled] & [data compression disabled] & [Flow control disabled]
Also make sure that the "Clear" and "Hang up" strings are correct for your modem. Check your modem documentation, or contact your manufacturer for these settings. You may also wish to edit the "AT" line from the Quake Menu under Multiplayer as opposed to editing the CONFIG.CFG file.
If you want to know how to start a modem game:
From the SERVER Machine:
Press ESC
Choose Multiplayer
Choose New Game
Choose Modem
Set the COM port, IRQ and baud rate
Select OK
Select the options that you want
Select Begin Game.
From the CLIENT Machine:
Press ESC
Select Multiplayer
Select Join a Game
Select Modem
Set the COM port, IRQ and baud rate
Enter the Server's phone #
Select Connect
If you want to know how to start a serial game:
From the SERVER Machine:
Hit ESC
Select Multiplayer
Select New Game
Select Direct Connect
Set the Com port, IRQ and baud rate
Select OK.
Select the options that you want and select Begin Game
From the CLIENT Machine:
Hit ESC
Select Multiplayer
Select Join a Game
Select Direct Connect
Set the Com port, IRQ and baud rate
Select Connect
If you want to know how to start an IPX Local Area Network (LAN) game:
From the SERVER Machine:
Hit ESC
Select Multiplayer
Select New Game
Select IPX
Select the options that you want
Select Begin Game
From the CLIENT Machine:
Hit ESC
Select Multiplayer
Select Join a Game
Select IPX
Select Search For Local Games
Select the game you want to join
Hit the ENTER key.
If you want to know how to start an Internet Multiplayer Game:
Run the 'Q95.bat' file in your Quake directory
Press ENTER
Hit the ESC key
Select Multiplayer
Select Join a Game
Select TCP/IP
In the "Join Game At" field, enter the IP Address of the game that you want to join
If your Internet performance is slow and unresponsive at times:
This is caused by Internet traffic, bandwidth, latency, packet buffering and other Internet influences beyond your control. The latency in Quake is due entirely to the speed of your connection, the speed of the server and the speed of your ISP (Internet Service Provider). We would recommend that you "ping" the IP of the server you wish to connect with to determine if the connection is fast enough to make the game enjoyable. Here are some guide-lines:
80 ms and under has almost no lag (very good)
80-150 ms gives good game play and should be enjoyable
150-250 ms has fair playability
250+ starts to become sluggish
350+ game gets proportionally more choppy the higher you go
There is nothing we can do to alleviate the problem without diminishing the game.
I get an error message that reads 'Unable to open control socket' when I try to play an Internet game:
The error you are receiving is telling you that your TCP/IP stacks are setup incorrectly. What you want to do is contact your ISP and ask them to help you setup your TCP/IP stacks for complete TCP/IP packet transfer via Win95 Dial Up Networking. Also keep in mind that Q95.bat should be run in Win95 and you should access it by opening the folder that it is in and double clicking on it.
If your Windows 95 modem codes disable your modem, or you can't connect during modem-to-modem play under Windows 95:
Open the Windows 95 Control Panel.
Click on the Modems icon
Click the Properties button
Click on the Connection tab
Click the Advanced button. You should now be at the Advanced Connection Settings dialog.
Uncheck "Use Error Control" and "Use Flow Control"
You have now disabled flow control, error correction and data compression for the Windows 95 environment.
If that doesn't fix your situation, try installing the WinQuake patch. For more information on WinQuake, see the section near the bottom of this document labeled "What is WinQuake".
If your null-modem connection won't connect via a 25-pin null-modem cable that has been converted at one end to a 9-pin connection:
Remove the 9-pin converter and use the 25-pin connector on both computers.
If Quake will not poll COM2 for a null-modem connection:
The modem or some other device is also using COM2. Pull the modem or the other device from the motherboard.
If you see an error reading "Could not load Gfx.Wad":
Make sure that you are not running this program from a shortcut. Please go directly into your Quake folder and launch the game from there, or click on the Windows Start button, then on Run , and then type in the path for quake. Ex: c:\quake\q95.bat
If the problem persists after taking the above measures please completely un-install Quake (saving any save game files to be replaced after the re-install) making sure to erase any folders or files left over (Be sure to use the ADD /REMOVE PROGRAMS icon located in your CONTROL PANEL in WIN95 to erase Quake entirely). Then Re-install Quake.
If you get a "SigSegV" error when launching 'QUAKE.exe' from Windows95:
When this error occurs, it usually means that there is not enough system resources and/or memory. Quake needs 16MB to run from Windows 95. Restart in MS-DOS mode and launch 'Quake' again. If that doesn't work, re-boot your PC and press F8 when you see "Starting Windows 95". Then, select the "Command Prompt Safe Mode" option and then launch 'Quake'.
Also SIGSEGV is sometimes caused by a conflict of memory managers due to the fact that Quake uses it's own memory manager. What you want to do is edit your config.sys file and look for your memory mangers (IE: emm386.exe, QEMM, etc.) and either remove or 'rem' them out.
You can access the config.sys file by using the following procedure:
At the C:\> prompt type edit 'config.sys'
Look for the memory manager and remove them or 'rem' them. Make sure there is a space in between rem and the line.
Save the file
Reboot the machine
If you get an "OMPT" error launching Quake, and you are booting from a "boot floppy":
Make an AUTOEXEC.BAT file (if you don't already have one) on the floppy boot disk, and put a path statement in it that includes Quake in the path statement, such as:
PATH=C:\;C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND;C:\QUAKE
If you get an error that says: "Quake is not a COFF file":
This has been found to be caused by a virus. To find out more info on the virus and how to remove it, visit the following website:
If an error appears that mentions "Bad Surface Extents":
This is usually not good. It is typically some kind of problem with a piece of hardware on your system. It could be Ram, hard drive, video memory, motherboard, we've been unable to consistently narrow it down. You can try disabling different pieces of hardware, try switching the RAM SIMMs around or replacing them, etc. but do so at your own risk. Also if you have on board hardware, this can cause a conflict with any add-on cards you may have added such as better sound or video cards.
If you get an "SIGNOFP" error while launching Quake:
This error indicates that Quake has not detected a Floating-Point Processor, which is in essence a Math Co-processor. Normally this is built in
on most Pentium and DX CPU's. However, the SX and NEXT GEN chips do not include the FPP and will not be able to run Quake.
If you are getting "Invalid Page Fault" errors and have QEMM on your system:
More than likely you are running an older version of QDPMI, which is QEMM's version of MS-DOS's, DPMI. You may be unaware that this is running, because during QEMM's installation it was automatically installed. Quake comes with a DPMI memory manager, and thus you do not need to run QDPMI with Quake. To disable it, from the command prompt type: 'QDPMI OFF' and press ENTER (without the quote marks),or you can run QEMM's setup routine and disable it.
Consult QEMM's documentation if you are not familiar with this command. Also, if you want to continue using QDPMI, you will need to
upgrade to version 8.01, which is the most current version of QEMM as of this writing. It's available at your favorite software store.
If you're receiving a "broken file error" when installing Quake and you have a Toshiba 8X CD-ROM drive:
The "Broken File Error" has been directly linked to the Toshiba 8X CD-ROM drive. The following is an un-tested fix. If you have a SCSI CD-ROM drive this may not work, but try it anyway.
Go to the "Control Panel".
Go to the "System" icon.
Choose the "Device Manager" tab.
Click on the "+" (plus) next to CD-ROM.
Select your driver and click on the "Properties" button.
Choose the "Settings" tab.
Remove the check from "Disconnect".
Put a check in "Sync Data Transfer".
Click on "OK" twice and restart the computer.
Try to install again.
You may also set the caching and Read Ahead Optimization to none. To do this, perform the following steps:
Go to the "Control Panel".
Go to the "System" icon.
Choose the "Performance" tab.
Click on the "File System" button.
Drag the "Read Ahead Optimization" slide to "None".
Choose the "CD-ROM" tab.
Drag the "Supplemental Cash Size" slide to "Small".
One way to help prevent system hangs is to use what is called a clean boot configuration.
If You Are Using DOS 5.X Or Higher:
When you see the message Starting MS-DOS, after rebooting your computer, press the F5 key. This bypasses your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files.
If you are running Windows 95:
Press F8 when you see Starting Windows 95, after rebooting your computer. This brings up the Boot Menu.
Select "Safe Mode Command Prompt Only". This will bypass your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files.
If quake reports that you are running the shareware version, but the box says it's the "Full Registered Version":
Make sure that you are running Quake directly from the Quake folder, and not from a shortcut. You may also safely run the program by clicking on Start, then on Run, and entering 'C:\QUAKE\QUAKE.exe' into the space provided.
If you have uninstalled Quake, but it still appears in the 'Add/Remove programs' list box:
This is a known issue with Quake. At this time we do not have a remedy for this problem. You can use programs such as Tweakui from Microsoft to remove it from your Add/Remove list manually.
If you need to make a floppy boot disk that automatically launches Quake:
All you have to do is perform the following steps:
Insert a blank floppy disc into drive A: (or whatever your floppy drive label is)
Type 'format a: /s' ENTER 3. Hit ENTER for no label and 'n' (for no) to not make another.
Type 'copy c:\autoexec.bat a:' ENTER
Type 'copy c:\config.sys a:' ENTER
Type 'a:' ENTER
Type 'edit autoexec.bat' ENTER
Remove all unnecessary lines from this file. All we need is the SET BLASTER line, the Path line and the CD-ROM and Mouse drivers.
Remove all other lines unless it is important to the proper functioning of your computer (i.e. drive overlay programs).
If you want this disk to automatically launch Quake, add these three lines to the end of the autoexec.bat file (FLOPPY) with no quotes:
'c:'
'cd\quake'
'quake'
Save and Exit.
Type 'edit config.sys' ENTER
The only lines you will need in here are the CD-ROM device, as per the example:(DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\IDECD.SYS /D:MSCD001) and possibly the mouse driver and hard drive utilities (SCSI controllers or compression utilities).
Save and Exit.
Reboot with disk in the a: drive.
Type 'cd\quake' ENTER(no quotes) or wherever you have it installed.
Type 'quake' ENTER (no quotes)
Enjoy!
To return to your original startup, eject the disk and reboot your computer.
Please keep in mind that Infogrames, Inc. does not support any of the mission packs or other add-on packages that modify gameplay in Quake. Please do not call or e-mail GT technical support for help with any Quake add-on package.
If you are having any trouble with a Quake add-on pack you should contact the
people who made the pack. Since they made the pack they will be able to provide you with better support than we can. If you have downloaded and unzipped Ultimate Quake to the directories that we have specified here you can just copy and paste the .exe calls right into the Run Field off of the Start Button.
Where can I get these add-ons and what do they do to Quake?:
You can find these add-ons all over the Internet. Just do a search on your favorite search engine and use some keywords like 'Quake', 'Add-on', 'Game files', and 'Progs'.
You can also search for specific Add-ons like Ultimate Quake, Team Fortress, and Future vs. Fantasy. Stomped is also a very good place to look for Game files. Check out www.stomped.com.
The add-ons change everything from weapons to movement. Some even give your Quaker super powers or magical abilities.
How do I load an add-on onto my system?
Most add-on's just need you to unzip the file into the Quake directory. Basically make the unzip path look like this:
C:\QUAKE
For Add-on's like Ultimate Quake or FvF you want to create a new directory. You can do this by adding the directory name that you want to the unzip path like this:
'C:\QUAKE\UQUAKE' or 'C:\QUAKE\FVF'
WinZip might prompt you for a directory creation, just click the Yes button.
How do I launch the add-on?
Just use the -game switch. Make sure are launching the Add-on by clicking on the Start Button, then Run, and then entering the call into the Run Field. Lets say you downloaded Ultimate Quake and you unzipped it to C:\QUAKE\UQUAKE. You would use the following command line to launch Ultimate Quake:
C:\QUAKE\quake.exe -game uquake
This might run slow on some systems so you can lock more RAM away for Quake with the following line:
## is the amount of RAM you wish to lock for Quake. Generally you want to leave at least 4 Megs of RAM for your Operating System. Say
you have 32 Megs of RAM you could safely lock 28. Such as:
