Redistribution Information

The Microsoft® DirectX® Media Software Development Kit (SDK) contains seven different redistributable packages under the Redist directory. Six of the packages are designed specifically for redistribution of the Microsoft Windows Media™ Player. The remaining package is the DirectX media redistributable package.

Which Package Should I Use?

The package you should use depends on your application's needs. If your application is focused on streamed media such as ASF and RA formats, then one of the Windows Media Player packages will work best. If your application is focused on DVD or Capture, then the DirectX media run time is more ideal. For more information on the Windows Media Player redistribution package, see Windows Media Player Redistribution Information.

DirectX Media Redistribution Information

The DirectX Media SDK includes a redistributable package under the Redist directory. The DirectX media redistributable package is Dxmedia.exe.

Note The DirectX media redistributable package no longer takes over file extensions. The run time has been changed such that AVI, WAV, and all other file types will not be taken over by the Windows Media Player. If you would prefer the Windows Media Player to take over the extensions for playback, you will also need to install one of the Windows Media Player Packages.

DirectX Media Redist Installation Information

Dxmedia.exe supports two command-line switches, which are: -NQ and -id:. The required -id: switch must be followed by a unique identifier for the application. The optional -NQ switch enables the user interface. If used, the -NQ switch must come before the -id: switch on the command line, and the letters "N" and "Q" must be capitalized. If the -NQ switch is not used, the installation is totally quiet, and no dialog boxes appear.

An example is shown in the following command line.

dxmedia.exe -NQ -id:identifier

The identifier should uniquely identify your application. The identifier can be the GUID of your registered application or a unique string. You should not use a string such as "game", but instead use a more distinctive string. For example:

dxmedia.exe -NQ -id:myrocketgame

- or -

dxmedia.exe -NQ -id:my_GUID

- or -

dxmedia.exe -id:my_GUID

The identifier is required. If you run Dxmedia.exe without using any switches, or double-click the Dxmedia.exe icon, nothing will be installed.

The same syntax is used for all platforms: Microsoft® Windows® 9x, Windows 2000, and Windows® NT® x86.

If successful, the installation returns one of the following success codes.

ERROR_SUCCESS—installation was successful.
ERROR_SUCCESS_REBOOT_REQUIRED—installation was successful, but changes will not be effective until the system is rebooted.

If unsuccessful, the installation returns an HRESULT describing the error. Possible common errors include the following.

E_FAIL—failure. A possible reason might be a corrupt file.
ERROR_MEMBER_NOT_IN_GROUP—the user must be logged in with administrator privileges to install on Windows NT 4.x or Windows 2000.
ERROR_OLD_WIN_VERSION—the Windows NT operating system version must be at least version 4.0 service pack 3.

The install package automatically handles different versions during installation. Files are only overwritten if they are older than the files about to be installed.

In addition to installing the core DirectX media run time, the DirectX media redistributable package installs a minimal version of DirectX foundation version 3.0 on systems that do not meet the minimum DirectX media requirements. The application can install DirectX foundation separately if the full installation is needed after the redistributable package has been installed.