DirectX ABCs
Current available version = 9.0c
Windows Vista
and 7 users = 11
First released in 1995, DirectX is a set of APIs (Application Program Interface) developed by Microsoft to allow all programs to write instructions for hardware without knowing exactly what hardware is within the computer. Games that include DirectX, will have the capability of utilizing multimedia and graphics accelerator features more efficiently.
The original releases of Windows 95 did not ship with DirectX; Windows 95 OSR2 however did included DirectX 2.0. If you don't know what version of Windows you are using make sure to see the information about determining Windows Versions page.
Windows NT shipped with DirectX 2.0. Upgrading to Service Pack 3 or higher will install DirectX 3.0. However, there are no higher versions of DirectX available for Windows NT. Installing Service Pack 4 or higher will install later versions of DirectPlay, however.
The latest version of DirectX can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/directx.
DirectX versions
DirectX has been included on several different releases of programs, drivers, and games. Below is a listing of each of the DirectX versions and their associated versions.
Click here for information about determining your DirectX version.
| Version Number | DirectX Version |
| 4.02.0095 | DirectX 1.0 |
| 4.03.00.1096 | DirectX 2.0 and 2.0a |
| 4.04.0068/69 | DirectX 3.0 and 3.0a |
| Never Released | DirectX 4.0 |
| 4.05.00.0155 | DirectX 5.0 |
| 4.05.01.1721/1998 | DirectX 5.0 (Released with Windows 98) |
| 4.06.02.0436 | DirectX 6.0 |
| 4.07.00.0700 | DirectX 7.0 |
| 4.07.00.0716 | DirectX 7.0a |
| 4.08.00.0400 | DirectX 8.0 |
| 4.08.01.0810 4.08.01.0881 |
DirectX 8.1 |
| 4.09.0000.0900 | DirectX 9.0 |
| 4.09.0000.0901 | DirectX 9.0a |
| 4.09.0000.0902 | DirectX 9.0b |
| 4.09.0000.0904 | DirectX 9.0c |
| 6.00.6000.16386 | DirectX 10 (Released with Windows Vista) |
| 6.00.6001.18000 | Direct X 10 under SP1 in Vista and Windows Server 2008 |
DirectX Troubleshooting
How to determine version of DirectX
Error Messages, lockups, or crashes
Losing Sound during game play
Losing video during game play
Losing video when getting into Windows
Losing TV Card
Checking video card
and sound card compatibility
Windows NT and DirectX
Errors with ddraw.dll
DirectX Utilities
How to install DirectX
Reinstalling DirectX
Uninstalling DirectX
How to determine version of DirectX
Users running Microsoft Windows ME, 2000, or XP, or know they are using versions higher than DirectX 5.0 can click Start, Run, and type dxdiag and press enter to get full information about your system, DirectX, and other related helpful information. Other users may find the DirectX information by using one of the included tools listed in the below DirectX utilities section.
Computer shutdown and restart
A lot of issues that DirectX may cause, such as error messages, lockups, or crashes, can be resolved by completely shutting down the computer, waiting a couple seconds, and turning the computer back on.
Losing sound during game play
Because DirectX installs a new set of extensions for the sound drivers, it is possible to lose sound, which can either come back after restarting the computer, restarting the game, or never come back. It is recommended that you first ensure that your sound card manufacturer does not have a proprietary set of DirectX drivers that may be required to be used for the sound card to properly work. If the manufacturer does not have a proprietary set of drivers, it is recommended that you download the latest version of DirectX.
Losing video during game play
If you are losing video when running a computer game or program that uses DirectX, it is a good possibility that DirectX may not be correctly switching the resolution. Most games use 640 x 480 256 colors; try manually setting the display by going into into Start, Settings, Control Panel, and double-clicking on Display icon under Display Adapters, click on the settings tab and ensure that the desktop area is set to 640 x 480. If not, drag the slider all the way to the left. Also ensure that the Color Palette says 256 color; if not, click the down arrow next to the current color and select 256 Colors. Once this has been done, click Apply (restart the computer if needed) and attempt to run the program again. If the above does not work or you already had the above settings, ensure that your hardware is DirectX Compliant and that you are utilizing the latest version of DirectX.
Losing video when starting Windows after installing DirectX
Get the computer into Safe Mode.
Click Start, Settings, Control Panel, double-click the System icon
Click the Device Manager Tab
Click the + (plus) next to Display Adapters and remove all Display Adapters beneath this category.
Once Display Adapters is no longer present within Device Manager, close out of all windows and restart the computer. When the computer is booting back into Windows, the video adapter should be re-detected and re-initialized.
If the above method does not resolve the issue, attempt to resolve the issue by following the below steps.
Get the computer into Safe Mode.
In Safe mode, click Start, Settings, Control Panel, and double-click on the display icon.
Click the Settings tab and then choose the button for Change Display Type or Advanced properties
Click the Change button under the Adapter or Adapter type tab and manually change the display adapter.
Losing TV card functionality after installing DirectX
When installing DirectX, this installs newer video and sound card drivers; when doing this, your video drivers will usually have the TV card drivers integrated within them will get over written, causing the card not to work or not work properly. To resolve this issue, first attempt to reinstall your video drivers and TV card drivers. If this does not resolve the issue or you then lose the capability of using DirectX, we would then recommend that you contact your Manufacturer of your TV card or Computer to see if there are DirectX compatible drivers that will be compatible with your TV card as well as third-party software.
Checking sound card and video card DirectX support
Run dxsetup and refer to the above information on Dxsetup on how to indicate if certified or not. If you have DirectX 6.0 or higher you will need to run dxdiag.exe
Windows NT 4.0
Windows NT shipped with DirectX 2.0. Upgrading to Windows NT 4.0 service pack 3.0 will install DirectX 3.0. However, there are no higher versions of DirectX available for Windows NT. Installing Service Pack 4 or higher will install later versions of DirectPlay, however.
DirectX utilities
When installing DirectX 5.0 and below, you should get one of the utilities listed below that will help in the installation and troubleshooting of DirectX.
- Dxinfo - To find this tool search the C:\> drive for dxinfo*.* which should find dxinfo.exe. When running this program you will find a lot of useful information such as the DirectX versions currently installed on your computer for video, sound, and other DirectX components.
- Dxtool - This will not go into such great detail and just give you the DirectX version.
- Dxsetup (dxsetup.exe) - This will allow you to see the version as well if the hardware is Certified or not and other useful information. If you see:
Certified - Indication that your hardware was tested and approved by Microsoft. Any difficulties you are having with the device are not related to this driver.
No Hardware Support - The driver does not support DirectX, therefore a hardware emulation will be preformed to attempt to allow the driver to work. These drivers will usually work but may run into difficulties. It is recommended that you check with your computer manufacturer for updated drivers
and support.
Blank with driver - Driver has DirectX support, however was not included with the version of DirectX, which is currently on the system. These drivers will usually work but may run into difficulties. It is recommended that you check with your computer manufacturer for updated drivers
and support.
Blank with no driver - The performance and stability of this certification is unknown. It is recommended that you contact your computer manufacturer for updated drivers
and support.
After installing DirectX 6.0 you will now be able to get additional support with Dxdiag.exe often located in the below directory.
c:\program files\directx\setup.
Installing DirectX
Visit Microsoft's DirectX page at: http://www.microsoft.com/directx and download and double-click to run the install. Running this file will setup and install DirectX on your computer.
Tip: If you have a game that requires Microsoft DirectX, the game will either prompt to install DirectX on the computer and will have a folder called DirectX on the CD or DVD that DirectX can be installed from. Keep in mind of what version the game is attempting to install on the computer; some games may want to install an older version of DirectX on the computer, but you should always use the latest version of DirectX.
Reinstalling DirectX
To reinstall DirectX, place the CD in that has the DirectX that you wish to attempt to install and search that CD. Usually D: E: or Q: for Dxsetup. Once found, double-click and choose the option to reinstall. We do not recommend that you attempt to install a lower version of DirectX onto a higher version unless it is completely uninstalled.
Tip: All new games with DirectX support also include a DirectX setup on them, browsing the files on a recent game CD will also enable you to install DirectX.
How to uninstall DirectX
DirectX is a DirectX extension of the Video and Sound drivers and it is recommended that they not be uninstalled as it could cause additional issues to the computer system.
It is possible that uninstalling DirectX could cause your system not to boot properly if uninstalled. Some video adapters are reliant on DirectX, and when uninstalled or manually deleted, can cause the video card to no longer work.
If you are encountering issues with DirectX it is recommended that you update or reinstall the latest version of DirectX.
Errors with ddraw.dll
Ddraw.dll is dll file associated with Microsoft DirectX Direct Draw and if corrupted or the incorrect version in comparison with the DirectX version existing on your hard drive, you can receive errors with this file when attempting to run games or other software.
To resolve this issue it is recommended that you download the latest version of DirectX from Microsoft's website.
If you have downloaded the latest version of DirectX and you are still encountering issues with DirectX, we recommend that you follow the below steps.
- Click Start, Find, click Find File or Folders
- In the Name box, search for ddraw.dll and click Find Now
- You should find at least one file located in the C:\Windows\SYSTEM directory.
- Right-click and choose properties on the ddraw.dll file.
- Click the Version tab.
- Within version, verify that the file version matches the version of your DirectX.
- If you do not have a matching version, it is recommended that you delete this file and again attempt to reinstall the latest version of DirectX.
