How to Troubleshoot DirectX Video Problems

Last reviewed: March 16, 1998
Article ID: Q178098

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows 95

SUMMARY

This article describes how to troubleshoot problems related to the video components of DirectX, which include DirectDraw and Direct3D. DirectX is a suite of components that helps multimedia programs achieve higher performance by accessing hardware features directly. DirectDraw is used to directly access video adapter hardware. Direct3D is used to directly access 3D rendering features built in to many video adapters.

DirectX may be installed by programs such as a game, or you can download DirectX 5.0 as a separate component from the following Microsoft Web site:

   http://www.microsoft.com/directx/download.asp

MORE INFORMATION

Certification of DirectX Components

Microsoft supports all certified DirectX drivers. If a driver is not certified, contact your hardware manufacturer for support.

To determine if your DirectX drivers are certified, run the Maintenance-Mode DirectX Setup program (Dxsetup.exe). If you installed DirectX 5, Dxsetup.exe is located by default in the Program Files\Directx folder. If it is not located in this folder, find the file. To do so, follow these steps:
a. Click Start, point to Find, and then click Files Or Folders.
b. Type the following line in the Named box, and then click Find Now:
```
         dxsetup.exe

   c. Double-click Dxsetup.exe.
```

NOTE: Some non-certified drivers may work with DirectX. It is not necessary for the driver to be listed as certified to work with DirectX programs.

DirectX Setup displays a list of DirectX core components, the version number for each component, and whether the component is certified. For more information about the Dxsetup.exe program, see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q158957
   TITLE     : Description of DirectX 1.0, 2.0 Maintenance Setup Dialog
               Box

   ARTICLE-ID: Q158958
   TITLE     : Description of DirectX 3.0 Maintenance Setup Dialog

For more information about the files installed for each version of DirectX, see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q158959
   TITLE     : Files Installed by DirectX 1.0

   ARTICLE-ID: Q158960
   TITLE     : Files Installed by DirectX 2.0a

   ARTICLE-ID: Q158961
   TITLE     : Files Installed by DirectX 3.0

   ARTICLE-ID: Q173479
   TITLE     : Files Installed by DirectX 5.0

Note that there is no DirectX 4.0.

DirectX Compatibility with Your Display Driver

Contact your hardware manufacturer to verify that the driver for your display adapter is DirectX-compatible.

A list of the updated display adapter drivers for DirectX 1.0-5.0 is available from Microsoft. For more information, see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q158953
   TITLE     : Updated Display Drivers Included with DirectX

   ARTICLE-ID: Q175894
   TITLE     : Video Adapter Drivers Included with DirectX 5

For the most recent list of supported adapters for DirectX 5.0, see the following Microsoft Web page:

   http://www.microsoft.com/directx/default.asp

Some display adapters may be compatible with either DirectDraw or Direct3D, but not both.

Known Problems with DirectX and Your Display Adapter

When you attempt to install a program that uses DirectX, you may receive error messages or experience display problems. Upgrade to the latest display drivers and, if necessary, reinstall any programs that require DirectX.

For more information, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q161406
   TITLE     : Video Display Problem after Installing Program

Contact your software manufacturer to determine if there are known issues using DirectX with your adapter and their driver software. Microsoft recommends upgrading to an updated driver if they have one available.

You can also check Microsoft Support Online on the Internet to access the Microsoft Knowledge Base at the following Web page:

   http://support.microsoft.com/support/

Unable to Complete DirectX Installation Due to Display Problems

If your manufacturer is not aware of any issues and you experience problems during DirectX Setup, temporarily change your video settings to standard Video Graphics Adapter (VGA), and reinstall DirectX. To do so, follow these steps:

Right-click the Desktop, and then click Properties.
Click the Settings tab, and then click Change Display Type or Advanced Properties. Note the name of your display driver.
Click Change in the Adapter Type section, and then click Show All Devices.
In the Manufacturers box, click (Standard Display Types).
In the Models box, click Standard Display Adapter (VGA), click OK, and then click Close.
Click OK, and then click OK.
Click Yes if you are prompted to restart your computer.
Reinstall DirectX.
Follow steps 1-3, change to your original display adapter in steps 4-5, and then follow steps 6-7.
Reinstall any DirectX programs that are having problems.

Display Problems After Installing DirectX

If you cannot start your computer normally after installing DirectX, restart your computer in Safe mode. To do so, press the F8 key when you see the "Starting Windows 95" message, and then choose Safe Mode from the Startup menu. Follow the steps listed in the section above.
If you still cannot start your computer normally after installing DirectX, change to your original Windows 95 display drivers in Safe mode. Press the F8 key when you see the "Starting Windows 95" message, and then choose Safe Mode from the Startup menu. Install your display drivers. To do so, follow these steps:
a. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
b. Double click Add New Hardware, and then click Next.
c. Click No when you are prompted whether you want to detect new
```
      hardware, and then click Next.
```
d. Click Display Adapters, and then click Next.
e. If your display drivers are available on a disk, click Have Disk,
```
      click Browse, navigate the path to your display drivers, and then
      click OK. If your display drivers were originally installed by
      Windows 95, click the correct manufacturer to select it in the
      Manufacturers box, click the correct model in the Models box, and
      then click Next.
```
f. Click Finish, and then click Yes when you are prompted to restart
```
      your computer.
```

Display Problems Running DirectX Programs

If you experience problems with your display when you are running programs that use DirectX, verify that your color palette is set to at least 256 colors. To do so, follow these steps:
a. Right-click the Desktop, and then click Properties.
b. Click the Settings tab, and view the Color Palette setting. If it
```
      is set to 16 Color, click 256 Color in the Color Palette box.
```
c. Click OK.
d. Click Yes if you are prompted to restart your computer.
If you still experience problems, disable screen savers. To do so, follow these steps:
a. Right-click the Desktop, and then click Properties.
b. Click the Screen Saver tab, click None in the Screen Saver box, and
```
      then click OK.
```
If you still experience problems, reduce the graphics acceleration setting. To do so, follow these steps:
a. Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
b. Click the Performance tab, click Graphics, and then move the
```
      Hardware Acceleration slider to one notch from the left.
```
c. Click OK, and then click Close.
d. Click Yes when you are prompted to restart your computer.
If you still experience problems, and if the option is available, change the refresh rate for your monitor. To do so, follow these steps:
a. Right-click the Desktop, and then click Properties.
b. Click the Settings tab, and then click Change Display Type.
c. Click the Adapters tab. If a setting is available, change the
```
      refresh rate, and click OK.
```
If you still experience problems, turn off Direct3D hardware acceleration. You can find the Dxtool.exe file in the Program Files\Directx\Setup folder. If the file is not located in this folder, look for the file. To do so, follow these steps:
a. Click Start, point to Find, and then click Files Or Folders.
b. In the Named box, type the following line, and then click Find Now:
```
         dxtool.exe

   c. Double click Dxtool.exe.

   d. Click the Use Direct 3D Hardware Acceleration check box to clear it,
      and then click OK.
```
If you are still experiencing problems, you may want to turn off DirectDraw hardware acceleration in Dxtool.exe. To do so, click the Use DirectDraw Hardware Acceleration check box to clear it, and then click OK.

Display Problems Due to Conflicting Versions of DirectX

If you still have problems running programs that use DirectX, check the version of DirectX running on your computer. To do so, follow these steps:

If you are running DirectX 5.0, use the DirectX Driver Tool (Dxtool.exe) to display version information for each DirectX component.

If you do not have DirectX 5.0 or the DirectX Driver Tool is unavailable, check the file versions of specific files. For more information, see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

      ARTICLE-ID: Q158959
      TITLE     : Files Installed by DirectX 1.0

      ARTICLE-ID: Q158960
      TITLE     : Files Installed by DirectX 2.0a

      ARTICLE-ID: Q158961
      TITLE     : Files Installed by DirectX 3.0

      ARTICLE-ID: Q173479
      TITLE     : Files Installed by DirectX 5.0

If you are using DirectX 5.0, you can also use DirectX Information (Dxinfo.exe) to determine which DirectX files are installed. Dxinfo.exe is located in the Program Files\Directx\Setup folder and lists each file installed with DirectX, including the file version number, file date, and file size. This information can also be saved as a text file. If the file is not located in this folder, look for the file. To do so, follow these steps:
a. Click Start, point to Find, and then click Files Or Folders.
b. In the Named box, type the following line, and then click Find Now:
```
         dxinfo.exe

   c. Double click Dxinfo.exe.
```

If you have conflicting versions installed, rename any files from the older version of DirectX. To do so, follow these steps:

a. Click Start, point to Find, and then click Files Or Folders.

b. In the Named box, type the following line, and then click Find Now

         <dxdriver>

      where <dxdriver> is the name of one of the older DirectX drivers.

   c. Click a file, and then click Rename on the File menu.

   d. Type the name of the file as follows

         <dxdriver>.xxx

      where <dxdriver> is the name of the DirectX driver file.

   e. Repeat steps 1-2 for each older DirectX file.

   f. Reinstall the more recent version of DirectX.

   g. Test the DirectX program and verify that the problem no longer
      occurs.

   h. If the problem no longer occurs, click Start, point to Find, and
      then click Files Or Folders.

   i. In the Named box, type the following line, and then click Find Now

         <dxdriver>.xxx

      where <dxdriver> is the name of one of the renamed DirectX drivers.

   j. Click Delete on the File menu.

   k. Repeat steps I-J for each file renamed in steps C-E.

If you still experience problems, you may want to reinstall DirectX. You may receive the following error message attempting to reinstall DirectX:

      Insert Disk
      The disk labeled 'DirectDraw Drivers' is now required
      This disk is provided by your computer manufacturer.
      Click OK to continue.

If you receive this error message, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

      ARTICLE-ID: Q170184
      TITLE     : Err Msg: DirectSound or DirectDraw Drivers Disk Is Now
                  Required

If you did not experience problems with an earlier version of DirectX, you may want to revert to the earlier version of the DirectX driver. To do so, follow these steps:
a. Click Start, point to Find, and then click Files Or Folders.
b. In the Named box, type the following line, and then click Find Now:
```
         dxsetup.exe

   c. Double click Dxsetup.exe.

   d. Click Restore Display Drivers, and then click OK.
```

NOTE: Some drivers overwrite previous drivers or rename driver files. This option may not be available in this case.

Additional query words: corrupt game download
Keywords : win95 kbdisplay kbenv kberrmsg kbsetup
Version : WINDOWS:95
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbtshoot

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Last reviewed: March 16, 1998
© 1998 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of Use.