DirectX is used for many things in Windows. Most importantly, it allows programmers to standardized video and audio files so that they are compatible with a larger range of computers. DirectX should be backwards compatible allowing programs created for an older version of DirectX to work properly on newer versions of it. However, if a program has been written to work on DirectX 9, it will generally not work on DirectX 8 or lower.
Some of the common DirectX errors you will see include "unable to find file d3d.dll, ddraw.dll or d3d9.dll","cannot initialize dinput9.dll", "This application has failed to start because d3d9.dll was not found…", "dplay.dll has performed an illegal operation", "Fatal Exception error in dplayx.dll", Access violation error in DirectX file D3D8.DLL", "A required .DLL File, D3D9.DLL, was not found", a black or empty display screen or looping audio, pulsing sound or no sound at all.
Most of these problems are a result of an older version of DirectX being installed on your computer. Therefore the first step in trying to solve the issues is to download the latest version of DirectX (currently DirectX 9.0c) which is available from the Microsoft web site. Once you have gotten the file from Microsoft, follow the instructions that they provide to upgrade or install the latest DirectX version onto your computer.
If you want to know what version of DirectX is currently on your computer, you can check it by selecting Start, Run and then typing "dxdiag" and clicking on OK. You will see a window appear on your monitor that will tell you what version of DirectX is installed on your computer. If this version is not the latest, be sure to update your DirectX using the instructions above. When updating to DirectX 9, the installation will overwrite any previous versions and you cannot remove it. However, there are many third party utilities available that will remove DirectX for you. These are useful in the event of a corrupt installation that does not work properly. A quick Google search for DirectX Uninstaller will give you what you need.
When downloading the DirectX program from Microsoft, you will notice that you are unable to save the files to your computer. This prevents you from saving the file and using it to install DirectX on another machine. If you have more than one machine that needs to be upgraded to DirectX 9, you will have to go to the Microsoft web site and download the installation each time you want to run it. If this is going to be a problem for you, there is a "redist" version available that includes all the files in one package.
On a side note, DirectX 9 cannot be updated on Windows NT and the latest version of DirectX that can be installed on Windows 98 or Windows ME operating systems is DirectX 8.1. This means that any programs that have been coded for DirectX 9 will not work on a Windows 98 or Windows ME machine. If this is the case, it may be time to upgrade your operating system.
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