An Unofficial Guide to Special K

An unofficial collection of guides and instructions for Kaldaien's Special K framework/mod.

Introduction

~~~~ Use the Guide Index on the right to easily locate relevant chapters ~~~~

Special K is an extensible game modifying framework created by Kaldaien. This framework can be used to modify graphics related settings of games. The framework supports both local (game-specific) and global (system-wide) injection, whatever matches the user's need the best.

USE SPECIAL K IN ONLINE GAMES AT YOUR OWN RISK! I personally recommend against using it in online games, as that could very well result in an account ban or something similar.

Functionality:

• Global (system-wide) or local (game-specific) installation of the framework.
  
• Custom Steam achievement overlays.
  
• Global injection of third-party plugins (ReShade, DxVoodoo).
  
• OSD Monitor
  
  • Title / Clock
    
  • Frame rate
    
  • GPU Stats (frame render time, GPU/VRAM usage)
    
  • G-Sync Indicator
    
  • CPU/Memory usage
    
  • General I/O Stats
    
  • Disk/Pagefile Stats
• Force borderless mode in games without native support.
  
• Override resolution of games.
  
• Control mouse cursor visibility in games.
  
• Easy-to-access per-channel volume mixer.
  
• Custom frame rate limiter.
  
• Texture caching/dumping/injection.
  
• D3D11 render toolkit.

Injection Methods

Special K supports being injected locally (game-specific) or globally (system-wide in every Steam game/tool using a supported API). There isn't a huge difference between the two methods right now. A local installation of Special K is a bit trickier to set up as it involves more than simply extracting the archive and running a file or two, but it gives the user an assurance that the injection starts automatically with the game and doesn't inject itself into unwanted applications.

Simplified comparison

	Local (game-specific)	Global (system-wide)
Pros	+ Automatic injection on game launch + Ensures injection into only specific games + More stable and better support + Might work in cases where global does not	+ Automatic injection in supported Steam games + Supports delayed injecting into already running games + No additional files needed in game folder + Central folder for all configuration and logs
Cons	- Requires some extra steps setting up	- Might inject the mod in unwanted executables

Prerequisites

These are necessary for Special K and the Installation Manager (SKIM) to work.

Operating System	Package
All	Visual C++ 2017 Redistributable [install both x86 and x64] x64: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=746572 (direct download, open in your browser) x86: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=746571 (direct download, open in your browser)
All	DirectX End-User Runtime [www.microsoft.com] (most likely already installed)
Windows 7	KB2670838 [www.microsoft.com] (aka Platform Update)
Windows 7	KB2533623 [support.microsoft.com] (aka Security Advisory 2269637)

Global (system-wide)

The following subsections are dedicated to the global (system-wide) wrapper installation of Special K.

The global injector only injects itself into games using steam_api or have SteamApps in its path by default. Please see the Enable for non-Steam games subsection for how to enable for non-Steam games.

├ Install (auto)

The below guide will help you install Special K using the automated installer called SKIM (Special K Install Manager).

1. Start by installing the prerequisites for Special K to work. See the Prerequisites chapter above for what's needed.
   
   
2. Download the latest version of Special K Install Manager (SKIM) from GitHub[github.com].
   
   Note: The old version of SKIM64.exe (v 0.7.5.1) is available from here[github.com].
   
   
3. Run the installer from a folder of your choosing.
   
   
4. Confirm that Special K (Global Injector) is the selected product and then click Install:
   
   
   
   
5. Within a couple of seconds the window below will open and show the download progress of the Install DLL file.
   
   
   
   
6. You should now get the following window. Click on Yes to begin the automatic download and install of the latest stable version of Special K.
   
   
   
   If this window doesn't show and SKIM only indicates "Mod Not Installed" at the bottom then something went wrong. Please try the following:
   
   • Click on Uninstall, followed by Install again and see if the window shows up now.
     
   • Run the following command in CMD/Run to clear your Internet Explorer cache:
     

     RunDll32.exe InetCpl.cpl,ClearMyTracksByProcess 4

   • If any of the above didn't work then read the chapter Manual Installation on how to install the global injector manually.
   
   
7. After the download and install have been completed, click on Finish Install.
   
   
   
   
8. SKIM defaults with Start With Windows enabled. Uncheck it if you don't want it to autostart when Windows starts up. Then click on OK.
   
   I recommend disabling autostarting with Windows if you play an online game that might not like having Special K injected into it, as that could very well result in an account ban of said game. Use Special K in online games at your own risk.
   
   
   
   
9. SKIM will now enable global injection and minimize itself to the notification area of Windows.
   
   
   
   
10. Launch a game through Steam.
    
    
11. If everything works correctly you should have a yellow On-Screen Display in the upper left corner of the game you launched.
    
    
    
    If the OSD doesn't show up then something is interfering with Special K. Navigate to Documents\My Mods\SpecialK\Profiles\[game_executable].exe and paste copies of:
    
    • logs/SpecialK.log
      
    • logs/modules.log
      
    • logs/crash.log (may be empty)
    to pastebin.com and provide a link to these logs in a new thread on the Game Compatibility forum. It will hopefully allow the community to help you find and resolve the issue.
    
    
12. While in-game, use the control panel of Special K (Ctrl + Shift + Backspace) to tweak the settings to your liking.
    
    

13. Closing Notes:

    
    
    • The Enable for non-Steam games section of this guide might be relevant to some.
      
      
    • Right click on SKIM in the notification area to quickly toggle injection status.
      
      

├ Install (manual)

The below guide will allow you to install the global injector of Special K manually if the automated installer doesn't work as intended.

1. Start by installing the prerequisites for Special K to work. See the Prerequisites chapter above for what's needed.
   
   
2. Download the latest stable version listed in the official forum thread.
   
   You can also download the SpecialK_x_y_z.7z archives manually from GitHub's release tab[github.com], however doing so will not give you any insight in what branch (testing/stable) the versions are in.
   
   Please note that on GitHub, the oldest version of the current release is just called "SpecialK.7z."
   
   
3. Open your Documents folder and create the folders My Mods\SpecialK. If you've done it correctly you should have an empty folder and a folder structure that looks like this:
   
   
   
   
4. Extract the archive you downloaded previously to the newly created SpecialK folder:
   
   
   
   
5. Launch SKIM64.exe and select the product Special K (Global Injector).
   
   
6. Click on Start Injecting to enable the global injection.
   
   
   
   
7. Minimize the window to put SKIM in the notification area of Windows.
   
   
   
   
8. Launch a game through Steam.
   
   
9. If everything works correctly you should have a yellow On-Screen Display in the upper left corner of the game you launched.
   
   
   
   If the OSD doesn't show up then something is interfering with Special K. Navigate to Documents\My Mods\SpecialK\Profiles\[game_executable].exe and paste copies of:
   
   • logs/SpecialK.log
     
   • logs/modules.log
     
   • logs/crash.log (may be empty)
   to pastebin.com and provide a link to these logs in a new thread on the Game Compatibility forum. It will hopefully allow the community to help you find and resolve the issue.
   
   
10. While in-game, use the control panel of Special K (Ctrl + Shift + Backspace) to tweak the settings to your liking.
    
    

11. Closing Notes:

    
    
    • The Enable for non-Steam games section of this guide might be relevant to some.
      
      
    • Right click on SKIM in the notification area to quickly toggle injection status.
      
      

├ Autostart with Windows

1. Launch SKIM64.
   
   
2. Right click on the SKIM icon in the notification area of Windows.
   
   
3. Enable Start With Windows.
   
   

├ Convert to local install

See the following chapter: Local (game-specific) -> Install (auto).

├ Disable for certain executables

You can disable Special K auto-injection by one of the following methods:

• Hold down Ctrl + Shift while the process is starting up. This should open the Special K Injection Compatibility Options where you can disable the auto-injection.
  
  
• Create an empty file called SpecialK.deny.[executable_name] in the same folder as the executable file you want to disable injection for.
  
  Examples:
  
  • To disable injection for ui32.exe we'll create an empty file called SpecialK.deny.ui32

├ Enable for non-Steam games

The global injector only injects itself into games using steam_api or have SteamApps in its path. The below steps are required to get the injector to inject into non-Steam games launched outside of Steam.

1. Install the global injector of Special K.
   
   
2. Browse to the folder of the executable file of the game you want to opt-in the global injector for.
   
   If you need help locating the folder do the following:
   
   1. Launch the game you want to install the local injector for.
      
   2. Alt+Tab out into Windows and open the Task Manager.
      
   3. Navigate to the Processes (Win7) or Details (Win8+) tab.
      
   4. Right click on the game process anc click Open file location.
      
   5. A File Explorer window will now open to the folder of the executable file.
   
   
3. Create a new empty file called SpecialK.[GraphicsAPI] according to the graphics API the game uses, see below for a
   
   

   Graphics API	Filename to Use
   DirectX 9	SpecialK.d3d9
   DirectX 11	SpecialK.dxgi
   OpenGL	SpecialK.OpenGL32

   
   Examples:
   
   • HuniePop is a DirectX 9 game, hence we'll create an empty file called SpecialK.d3d9
     
   • Overwatch is a DirectX 11 game, hence we'll create an empty file called SpecialK.dxgi
   
   Be sure to disable Hide exentions for known file types[www.thewindowsclub.com] in File Explorer to be sure that the file is named correctly.
   
   
4. Launch your game with the global injector enabled.
   
   
5. If everything works correctly you should have a yellow On-Screen Display in the upper left corner of the game and a new folder matching the name of the executable of the game will be created in Documets\My Mods\SpecialK\Profiles. Game-specific settings and logs will be stored in this folder.
   
   If the OSD doesn't show up then something is interfering with Special K. Navigate to Documets\My Mods\SpecialK\Profiles\[executable_name.exe] and paste copies of:
   
   • logs/dxgi.log
     
   • logs/modules.log
     
   • logs/crash.log (may be empty)
   to pastebin.com and provide a link to these logs in a new thread in the Game Compatibility forum. It will hopefully allow the community to help you find what's causing Special K not to work.
   
   
6. While in-game, use the control panel of Special K (Ctrl + Shift + Backspace) to tweak the settings to your liking.

└ Uninstall

Steps to uninstall the global (system-wide) wrapper of Special K.

1. Navigate to Documents\Mods\SpecialK and run SKIM64.exe.
   
   
2. Verify that Special K (Global Injector) is selected in the product list.
   
   
   
   
3. Click on Uninstall.
   
   
   
   If Uninstall is not available then continue on to the next step.
   
   
4. Remove the Documents\Mods\SpecialK folder to remove any data that might be remaining.

Local (game-specific)

The following subsections are dedicated to the local (game-specific) wrapper installation of Special K. This method works for non-Steam games without any additional tweaks.

├ Install (auto)

Newer versions of the global (system-wide) wrapper of Special K includes an option to easily install a local (game-specific) wrapper for a game.

1. Ensure that SKIM is running and that global injection has been started.
   
   
2. Launch the game you want to convert to a local wrapper.
   
   
3. While in-game, open the control panel of Special K (Ctrl + Shift + Backspace).
   
   
4. Open the File menu and click on Install wrapper DLL for this game:
   
   
   
   
5. What this does is automatically create the appropriate [graphicsAPI].dll file in the folder of the game executable as well as a SpecialK.central file that tells the local wrapper to use the game profile in the Documents\My Mods\SpecialK\Profiles\[executable].exe folder.
   
   
6. Restart the game to use the new local wrapper instead.

├ Install (manual)

The below guide will allow you to install the local injector of Special K for a specific game.

1. Start by installing the prerequisites for Special K to work. See the Prerequisites chapter above for what's needed.
   
   
2. Download the latest stable version listed in the official forum thread.
   
   You can also download the SpecialK_x_y_z.7z archives manually from GitHub's release tab[github.com], however doing so will not give you any insight in what branch (testing/stable) the versions are in.
   
   Please note that on GitHub, the oldest version of the current release is just called "SpecialK.7z."
   
   
3. Browse to the folder of the executable file of the game you want to install the local injector for.
   
   If you need help locating the folder do the following:
   
   1. Launch the game you want to install the local injector for.
      
   2. Alt+Tab out into Windows and open the Task Manager.
      
   3. Navigate to the Processes (Win7) or Details (Win8+) tab.
      
   4. Right click on the game process anc click Open file location.
      
   5. A File Explorer window will now open to the folder of the executable file.
   
   
4. Extract the archive you downloaded to the folder of the game executable you located.
   
   

   Do not extract any steam_api[64].dll file contained within the archive to the game folder! If you happen to do as much, revalidate the game file through Steam to get the original back.

   
   You should now have the following selected files and folders in the folder of the game executable:
   
   
   
5. Rename the appropriate Special K DLL file according to the game architecture and graphics API it uses.
   
   

   Game	DLL To Use
   32-bit	SpecialK32.dll
   64-bit	SpecialK64.dll

   
   

   Graphics API	Rename DLL To	Comment
   DirectX 8	d3d8.dll	Requires Plug-In: dgVoodoo installed
   DirectX 9	d3d9.dll
   DirectX 11	dxgi.dll or d3d11.dll	Newer versions supports injection through d3d11.dll
   OpenGL	OpenGL32.dll
   DInput8	dinput8.dll	Alternative injection method for titles that uses DirectInput 8.

   
   Examples:
   
   • HuniePop is a 32-bit DirectX 9 game, hence we'll rename SpecialK32.dll to d3d9.dll
     
   • Fallout 4 is a 64-bit DirectX 11 game, hence we'll rename SpecialK64.dll to dxgi.dll
   
   If you're unsure what CPU architecture and/or graphics API the game uses please use Google or the PCGamingWiki[pcgamingwiki.com] to look that up.
   
   
6. Launch your game.
   
   
7. If everything works correctly you should have a yellow On-Screen Display in the upper left corner of the game and one additional file (an ini file matching the DLL file) as well as two folders (logs and Version) will be created in the game folder.
   
   If the OSD doesn't show up then something is interfering with Special K. Navigate to the game folder and paste copies of:
   
   • logs/[GraphicsAPI].log
     
   • logs/modules.log
     
   • logs/crash.log (may be empty)
   to pastebin.com and provide a link to these logs in a new thread in the Game Compatibility forum. It will hopefully allow the community to help you find what's causing Special K not to work.
   
   
8. While in-game, use the control panel of Special K (Ctrl + Shift + Backspace) to tweak the settings to your liking.
   
   
9. Optional: Remove unnecessary Special K files from the game folder:
   
   • ReadMe (folder)
     
   • inject.bat
     
   • SKIM64.exe
     
   • SpecialK[32/64].dll (not the renamed DLL file necessary for the injection to work)
     
   • SpecialK[32/64].pdb (only if you've downloaded the Debug Symbols archive)
     
   • uninject.bat

├ Store config/logs in Documents

A local installation will by default store its configuration and logs in the game folder itself. However it's possible to tell Special K to use the same folder as the global installation uses.

1. Navigate to the folder of the game executable that the local install of Special K resides in.
   
   
2. Create a new file called SpecialK.central in that folder.
   
   
3. Special K will now look for its configuration and logs under the Documents\My Mods\SpecialK\Profiles\[executable_name].exe folder instead.
   
   
4. If you have customized the settings of Special K for the game then move the configuration file for Special K ([graphicsAPI].ini, e.g. d3d9.ini, dxgi.ini etc) to the new folder under Documents.

└ Uninstall

Steps to uninstall the local (game-specific) wrapper of Special K.

1. Navigate to the folder of the executable file of the game you installed the local wrapper in.
   
   
2. Remove Special K related files and folders:
   
   
   • /CEGUI/
     
   • /logs/
     
   • /Version/
     
   • d3d9.[dll/ini], dxgi.[dll/ini], or OpenGL32.[dll/ini]
     
   • SpecialK.central
     
   • SpecialK.[d3d9/dxgi/OpenGL32] (only exists for non-Steam games using the global injector)
   
   
3. If a file called SpecialK.central existed, remove the Documents\My Mods\SpecialK\Profiles\[executable_name].exe folder as well as all of its contents.

Functionality

A section that tries to describe the various common functions of Special K and how to use them.

├ G-Sync Indicator

Please note that the framerate must be 2-4 FPS below the configured refresh rate for G-Sync to actually sync the monitor to the game. Keeping the framerate at the configured refresh rate will either introduce tearing or (if enabled) make use of V-Sync to eliminate the tearing, adding additional input latency.

1. Toggle the G-Sync indicator through the Display menu of Special K.
   
   
   
   
2. You'll then have an additional item on the top of the control panel:
   
   
   
   
3. Possible values and their meaning:
   
   

   Value	Description
   Unsupported	G-Sync not supported or enabled (e.g. not enabled for windowed mode)
   Supported + Active	G-Sync enabled and will sync the monitor to the game if it goes 2-4 FPS below the refresh rate
   Supported + Inactive	G-Sync enabled but will not sync the monitor to the game

Notes

For more information about how G-Sync works, and its limitations, please see Battle(non)sense's excellent YouTube video on the subject:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8bFWk61KWA

└ Override Resolution

Override the resolution of a game. Please note that this only works in window mode.

1. Install the local wrapper of Special K for the game to ensure maximum compatibility.
   
   
2. Configure the game to run in window mode.
   
   
3. On top of the Special K control panel you can see the current resolutions in-use:
   
   
   
   
4. Clicking on one of those stores it as an override resolution:
   
   
   
   You can also manually tweak the override resolution under Window Management:
   
   
   
   
5. Enable Borderless and Center under Window Management.
   
   Do not enable Fullscreen (Borderless Upscale) as that will disable the override resolution.
   
   
6. Restart the game to see the difference.
   
   
7. To remove the override resolution, just click on it in the control panel.
   
   

Plugins

Plugins that can be installed and used with Special K to extend the functionality.

├ dgVoodoo

dgVoodoo 2[dege.fw.hu] is a wrapper for legacy graphics APIs (DirectX 1-8 and 3DFX Glide) that translates calls made for those APIs into DirectX 11 calls. Special K can use dgVoodoo to automatically translate DirectX 8 games into DirectX 11, which Special K can then inject into and work its magic on.

1. Follow the instructions above to install Special K using a local installation.
   
   A global installation generally isn't going to work and as such is not recommended.
   
   
2. Create these folders under Documents if they don't already exist:
   

   My Mods\SpecialK

   
   
3. Download the PlugIns_x86 archive from this page: https://gitlab.com/Kaldaien/SpecialK/tags/sk_0_8_12
   
   
4. Extract the plugins archive you downloaded to the Documents\My Mods\SpecialK folder. You should now have a folder structure and files that looks like this:
   
   
   
5. dgVoodoo is now installed as a Special K plugin. When you launch a DirectX 8 game with Special K installed locally it should automatically detect and run dgVoodoo. You can verify that dgVoodoo is working by the inclusion of the dgVoodoo logo in the bottom right corner of the game:
   
   
   
6. While in-game, use the control panel of Special K (Ctrl + Shift + Backspace) to tweak the settings to your liking.

├ ReShade (Official)

ReShade[reshade.me] is an advanced post-processing injector for games, allowing the player to add custom shaders and filters to the game. All kinds of effects can be injected, from FXAA/SMAA, depth of field effects, film grain, and much more. Special K includes support for loading the official ReShade DLL files globally for those wanting to use it in a game or two.

The following section is most likely outdated, and was written for older versions of Special K and ReShade. ReShade in particular has undergone major changes that most likely made it incompatible with newer versions of Special K.

1. Follow the instructions above to install Special K and confirm that it is working correctly.
   
   
2. Create these folders under Documents\My Mods\SpecialK:

   PlugIns\ThirdParty\ReShade

   
   
3. Download ReShade[reshade.me] and move the setup file to the ReShade folder you created previously.
   
   
4. Run the setup file, then hold down CTRL and click on the "Select game" prompt.
   
   
5. If you did it correctly you should now have two new files in the ReShade folder as shown below. Feel free to remove/move the setup file as we won't be using it anymore.
   
   
   
6. Download the ReShade FX shaders[github.com] repository and extract the Shaders and Textures folders contained within to the ReShade folder you created previously.
   
   
7. If you did it correctly you should now have two new folders in the ReShade folder as shown below.
   
   
   
8. The following steps must be done once per game you want to use ReShade in.
   
   
9. Launch a game of your choosing.
   
   
10. While in-game, open the control panel of Special K (Ctrl + Shift + Backspace) and expand the section called "Plug-Ins". Enable the ReShade plugin by clicking on the box to the left of 'ReShade'.
    
    
    
11. Restart the game.
    
    
12. ReShade will now be loaded into the game and you should see a notice in the top left corner. Please note that this notice might be partially hidden by the OSD of Special K if you have it enabled.
    
    
    If the ReShade OSD doesn't show up then something might be wrong. Please try the following:
    
    
    1. Open the control panel of Special K (Ctrl + Shift + Backspace) and expand the section called "Plug-Ins".
       
    2. Change Load Order for ReShade to Early.
       
    3. Restart the game and see if ReShade loads into the game.
       
    4. If ReShade still doesn't work then navigate to Documets\My Mods\SpecialK\Profiles\[game_executable].exe and paste copies of:
       
       • dxgi.ini
         
       • logs/dxgi.log
         
       • logs/modules.log
         
       • logs/crash.log (may be empty)
       to pastebin.com and provide a link to these logs in a new thread in the Game Compatibility forum. It will hopefully allow the community to help you find what's causing ReShade not to work. Please note that the community might not be able to fully help you as ReShade is ultimately a third-party plugin that Special K merely tries to load automatically.
    
    
13. The following steps only needs to be done once on your first use of ReShade for the changes to take effect in all future games you use ReShade in:
    
    
14. While in-game, open the control panel of ReShade (Shift + F2) and click on the Settings tab.
    
    
15. You should have two Paths mentioned there, one for Effect and one for Texture. Add the missing subfolders to these paths so you have paths that looks something like the ones below:
    
    

    Path	Value
    Effect	<path to your Documents>\My Mods\SpecialK\PlugIns\ThirdParty\ReShade \Shaders
    Texture	<path to your Documents>\My Mods\SpecialK\PlugIns\ThirdParty\ReShade \Textures

    
    
16. Restart the game one final time.
    
    
17. While in-game, open the control panel of ReShade (Shift + F2) to tweak the settings to your liking.

Note: You can remove unnecessary or unwanted FX files from the Shaders folder to speed up the loading of ReShade.

├ ReShade (Custom)

A custom version of ReShade bundled with newer SpecialK versions. More information to come.

└ Other

Please note that compatibility with every single third-party DLL mod can not be guaranteed. This might work, or it might not.

1. Install the local wrapper of Special K for the game to ensure maximum compatibility.
   
   
2. Add the following to the end of the configuration file (SpecialK.ini or [GraphicsAPI].ini):
   
   

   [Import.NameOfPlugin]
   Architecture=x86/x64 (should match the DLL file and the game itself)
   Role=ThirdParty/ThirdParty
   When=Early/PlugIn
   Filename=Relative or absolute path to mod file

   
   Example of ReShade with a 64-bit game:
   
   

   [Import.ReShade64]
   Architecture=x64
   Role=ThirdParty
   When=PlugIn
   Filename=E:\Aemony\Documents\My Mods\SpecialK\PlugIns\ThirdParty\ReShade\ReShade64.dll

   
   
3. Launch the game and see if the third-party mod is loaded in.
   
   If it doesn't load then try changing the When property.

Configuration

Property	Value	Description
Architecture	x64 Win32	Architecture of the mod DLL (should match the game)
Role	ThirdParty	Third-party (non-Special K) DLL files.
Role	Unofficial	Only used for Kaldaien's Custom ReShade package.
When	Early PlugIn	Load time for the plugin, should it be loaded before Special K (Early) or after (PlugIn). Loading before Special K means that all effects etc will be applied to Special K as well.
Filename	Relative Path Absolute Path	Path to the DLL file to load

Keybindings

Basic

Keybinding	Function
Ctrl + Shift + O	Toggle On Screen Display (OSD)
Keyboard: Ctrl + Shift + Backspace Controller: Back / Select + Start	Toggle Control Panel
Hold Ctrl + Shift while launching the game	Opens the Injection Compatibility Options

Control Panel

Unless otherwise noted, W/A/S/D can substitute the arrow keys.

Keybinding	Function
Keyboard: Caps Lock Controller: Hold Back / Select for 0.5 seconds	Toggle Exclusive Input Mode (game vs. control panel)
Keyboard: ↑, ↓, ←, → Controller: D-pad	Cycle Through UI Items
Keyboard: Enter Controller: A / ×	Activate Selected Item
Keyboard: Ctrl + Shift + Backspace Controller: B / ○	Exit Menu
Exclusive Keyboard Mode: Ctrl + Alt + ↑, ↓, ←, → Controller: X / □ + Left Analog Stick	Move the Control Panel

On-Screen Display (OSD)

Color and scale config is stored in Documents\My Mods\SpecialK\Global\osd.ini

Keybinding	Function
Ctrl + Shift + O	Toggle On Screen Display (OSD)
Ctrl + Shift + +/-	Resize
Ctrl + Shift + F	Toggle Framerate Counter
Ctrl + Shift + T	Toggle Clock / Version
Ctrl + Shift + G	Toggle GPU Monitor
Ctrl + Shift + C	Toggle CPU Monitor
Ctrl + Shift + M	Toggle Memory Monitor
Ctrl + Shift + I	Toggle I/O Monitor
Ctrl + Shift + D	Toggle Disk Monitor
Ctrl + Shift + P	Toggle Page File Monitor
Ctrl + Shift + R	Toggle D3D11 Shader Analytics

Advanced

Keybinding	Function	Comment
Ctrl + Shift + Tab	Command Console	See documentation [gist.github.com] for commands

Known Issues

Unsupported Games

- All DirectX 10 games.
- League of Legends

Special K causes all kinds of havoc with Windows 10 Creators Update even when closed

See The old Special K global injection method is incompatible with Windows 10 Creators Update.

SpecialK64.dll not a valid Win32 application.

Something on the system is preventing SKIM/inject.bat from loading the DLL file. A workaround is to do a local installation of Special K, which seems to bypass the issue for most.

There was a problem starting SpecialK[32/64].dll - The specified module could not be found.

You're missing one or both of the Visual C++ 2017 Redistributable. See chapter Prerequisites for download links.

The code execution cannot proceed because VCOMP140.DLL was not found.

You're missing one or both of the Visual C++ 2017 Redistributable. See chapter Prerequisites for download links.

The old Special K global injection method is incompatible with Windows 10 Creators Update

Special K v0.8.1 (and later) uses a new injection method, but it's possible that traces of the old method still remain on the system and can cause issues even with newer versions of the mod.

Remove the path to the Special K DLL files from these registry keys:

• HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows\AppInit_DLLs
  
• HKLM\Software\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows\AppInit_DLLs

Troubleshooting

• Hold down Ctrl + Shift while launching a game to access the Special K Injection Compatibility Options, with the following features:
  
  • Disable/re-enable auto-injection of Special K into the game.
    
  • Force specific API injection of Special K.
  
  
• Test both the global and local injection method to see if the issue can be resolved through one of those methods.
  
  
• If both of the above steps didn't solve the issue then do the following:
  
  
  1. Navigate to relevant folder depending on the injection method you've used:
     
     

     Injection	Path
     Local (normal)	[folder of game_executable.exe]
     Local (SpecialK.central) Global	Documets\My Mods\SpecialK\Profiles\[game_executable].exe

     
     
  2. Paste copies of:
     
     • logs/SpecialK.log (called [GraphicsAPI].log if you're using the local wrapper)
       
     • logs/modules.log
       
     • logs/crash.log (may be empty)
     to pastebin.com and provide a link to these logs in a new thread in the Game Compatibility forum. It will hopefully allow the community to help you find what's causing your issue and how to fix it.

[Aemony]

@One Eyed Leftist: You probably had rundll32.exe processes running in the background that were responsible for the global injection.

SKIM64.exe and the new SKIF.exe tool in the Steam release is basically just frontends that loads the DLL files through rundll32.exe processes that runs in the background. Often times, when a user is unable to remove the Documents\My Mods\SpecialK folder, its because either one of those processes are running with a lock on the Special K DLL files, or the DLL file is injected in a process which then retains a lock on the files.

The usual recommendation I have to work around this is the following

1. Disable auto-start in SKIM (or SKIF, if that's being used).
2. Restart your system.
3. Remove the SpecialK folder.

[One Eyed Leftist]

I don't know if there is a virus (I just read down and saw somebody had a positive, and the explanation of it), but I only got the virus notification after I was trying to uninstall it and nothing I did would get rid of it. This made me think it was a virus, because it kept loading after I thought it was uninstalled!

It seems until I told Windows Defender to delete something, Special K was welded to my system. Once I did that and found the Special K directory and deleted that it seemed to get rid of it. I still want to use it but I'm using the Steam version instead... Trying to run that one with SKIM64 stuck was causing a nasty issue of Special K trying to run in Special K, which nearly ripped a hole in the space/time continuum!!

[Jake Malone]

Also, yes the message at the bottom of install manager doesn't saying anything about the mod not being installed.

[Jake Malone]

I've been trying to get this to work for Resident Evil HD Remaster, but this makes zero sense to me. I've followed the guide and have tried both auto and manual install and nothing works. I'm not sure if it's because I need to download an archive for the manual version or what. Only reason I didn't download the archive is because it's just a link to a page with over a dozen different downloads without any instructions on what to do there. I'm also not getting some of these folders you guys are getting made in your my mods folder. I'm seeing folders like "CEGUI and "profiles" which for some reason are appearing for me. I've tried running the game once to get the file made for it but it never generates that profile folder at all. I hope I don't seem rude here, just really confused and frustrated.

[Slix]

Yeah, might've just been a false positive, still surprised that I couldn't remove it that easily. x)

[Aemony]

@Slix: Official prepackaged archives with Special K don’t include malware. It’s either a false positive or you might’ve used a third-party package that bundled malware together with the tool.

If I am not wrong though I believe the “!ml” in the unique identifier stands for machine learning, and basically means that some neural network has determined the file to be malicious based on some recognized behavior or pattern found in actual malware.

Machine learning can be a hit or miss, so it is possible that it is the result of a possible false positive. None the less, glad you were able to remove whatever infection Defender supposedly detected on your system.

[Slix]

Program:Win32/Uwamson.A!ml btw

[Slix]

I'm drunk but I'm sure SpecialK gave me a virus which I could only remove via windows defender in offline mode lmao

[Aemony]

@evergarden, ensure that there's no SKIM64.exe running in the background, then remove that file from Documents\My Mods\SpecialK. If you still can't remove the rest of the folder restart your computer and then try to remove the folder again.

[monogatari]

cant uninstall mod folder help