NOTE: This guide is old and I no longer have the means to test or update the method described. Not all steps may work the same as they did when originally written (~March 2021).

TODO: Add screenshots clarifying individual steps, improve formatting

Special K is a framework allowing extensive tweaks to the functionality of various games, particularly with regards to graphics. One of these tweaks is the ability to force games to run in windowed mode that otherwise do not have the option, such as Cars. Having Cars run in a window is incredibly useful for speedrunning, as it prevents the game from "taking over" a monitor and will allow other programs to display alongside the game during gameplay (e.g. OBS, timer, etc.). This is particularly useful for those who only have one monitor for their computer.

For more general information about Special K, see PCGamingWiki. This guide will focus on setting up a standalone version of Special K exclusively for Cars, leaving any other games on your computer untouched. The use of the global Special K injector is untested.

Getting started

You will need a few things to get Special K up and running:

1. The latest release of Special K
2. 7-Zip (or other software capable of opening .7z files) You will also need Cars installed. This guide was tested using the Steam version, but in theory retail versions should also be compatible.

Start by downloading Special K either from the link in the above table or from the official website, linked at the top of the guide. Using your archive software of choice (such as 7-Zip), extract the contents of SpecialK.7z to a new folder somewhere on your computer. There is only one file in this folder that you need: SpecialK32.dll. Copy it to your clipboard.

Navigate to the directory where Cars is installed. (By default, on Windows, this will be "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Cars".) Paste SpecialK32.dll into this folder, so that it appears alongside Cars.exe and the other files in the folder. Rename SpecialK32.dll to d3d9.dll.

Launch Cars via Steam. If you followed the above steps correctly, you should see a pop up within the game window indicating that Special K has loaded. Great! Now all that needs to be done is configure it.

Important note: Before configuring Special K, set your in game resolution to something suitable for your display, as we will later force the window to be that exact size. Resolutions with a 4:3 aspect ratio are preferable, as other aspect ratios (especially widescreen) zoom the camera in in a way that makes it difficult to see. You may need to add a custom resolution via your graphics card driver to get the resolution you want; see the Making Cars Compatible with Modern Systems guide for instructions on how to do that.

Configuring Special K

With Cars open and Special K loaded, press Ctrl+Shift+Backspace on your keyboard to open the Special K menu. There are a few configuration changes you need to make:

1. Open the "Display" menu at the top. There are two dropdown boxes; set the top one to "Windowed Mode", check the "Force Override" box next to it, and set the dropdown below it (labeled "Window Style") to "Borderless".
2. Close the "Display" menu and scroll down to the "Window Management" tab. Click on it to expand the options.

• If the "Borderless" checkbox is unchecked here, check it.
• Set the "Override Resolution" option to match the resolution you set in game.
• Check the "Center" checkbox. Without it the game will sometimes not window correctly. If you want to reposition the window, use the "X Offset" and "Y Offset" sliders. (The window will not go past the edge of your screen.) The position you set here will be retained every time you launch the game.

3. Close the Special K menu, close Cars, and reopen it.

If everything worked correctly, the game will launch, Special K will load, and the game will be forced to the position you previously set it to in a borderless window! You now have the game running in a window, with full freedom to reposition other windows, have them on top of the game window, and Alt-Tab as you please. Congratulations!