The computer I’m using is running the most recent version of DirectX, but I’m having issues with a game (an older game) and a fix I’ve found is to run it using DirectX 9.
1.) Is there a way to run a program in DirectX 9, sort of like using compatibility mode or running as an administrator?
And, if not:
2.) How do I go back to an older version of DirectX? The installer that’s on the game disc just tells me that my DirectX is already fully updated.
Thanks in advance.
DirectX 9 is independent of DirectX 10 and beyond. You can have them both installed concurrently. To make sure you have all of DirectX 9, run this installer from Microsoft.
As for how to force your game to run using DirectX 9, try putting it in compatibility mode for Windows XP. Right click on the shortcut, choose properties, and go to the Compatibility tab. From there it should be obvious.
(DirectX 9 is the latest version that runs on Windows XP, hence the suggestion.)
Already doing this, as well as running it as an admin.
I’ll try the link and let you know if it works. Thanks.
That seems to have done the trick. 
Thanks T.
DirectX 9 should have been on the same floppy the game installation file.
:3
Yip. That’s why Microsoft created that file. You see, Windows Vista and Windows 7 both have an incomplete version of DirectX 9, but it’s enough that some programs think it’s installed.
Also, using the DirectX installer that comes with the game is risky, even if it does detect a problem. Overwriting the files can actually mess up DirectX 10 or 11. The installer I linked is special: it will not install files that you already have.
To further confuse things Microsoft maintain the visible version information at Direct X 9.0c, despite “refreshing” it every few months to supply newer actual files such as d3dx9_35.dll, d3dx9_41.dll, d3dx9_42.dll and so on.
Things are working a lot better than they did before but there are still occasional issues that I’m convinced are because of DirectX.
Are there any additional steps I can take? I know that’s really vague, considering you don’t know the game, my specs or the issues I’m encountering, but are there any common DirectX 9 issues on Vista that might be causing problems? Or something?
The most common cause of graphics problems in Vista is video drivers. The original generation were simply awful. Make sure you have the latest available from the video card vendor.
That aside perhaps you can describe the nature of the problem more expansively? Why are you convinced you have DX issues? Have you updated 9.0c to the latest refresh? you have to download the installer (dxwebsetup.exe), save it to a local directory, and then run it.
I’m using NWN’s toolset to make custom content and I get access violations (typically when attempting to edit the properties of a creature or item) that cause the program to crash. This has always been an issue for Vista users trying to use the toolset. I have an XP computer but it’s old and I’d prefer to use the one that runs Vista.
Thankfully T’s help cut down on 90% of the access violations and I’ve been able to use the toolset. But I still get them every now and then. The problem isn’t restricted to specific actions I attempt to perform… it just seems like the toolset will have an access violation every half an hour to an hour or so and I’ll need to restart it.
They’re the same issues I was having with much greater frequency before implementing T’s fix.
I did a brief search, and there doesn’t seem to be a general problem with getting NWN running in Vista, so it’s probably driver specific.
What graphics card do you have? You may need to experiment with newer or even older drivers for your card. Seeing as DirectX uses interfaces with your graphics drivers, bad driver could cause similar symptoms.
Also, I specifically noticed one person saying that Nvidia drivers had problems. A 2007 post recommends using version 163 or earlier. While I’d try the latest and greatest first, it wouldn’t hurt to try earlier versions if that doesn’t work.
Just be sure to set a restore point before starting–just in case.
I could post a dozen links showing otherwise- just typing “NWN vista problems” into Google nets a bunch. But in any case, I don’t have a problem playing the game. It runs fine (though I did have to disable the intro movies). It’s the toolset that gives me errors. And it’s been this way on every Vista computer I’ve tried with it (three total) while I ran the toolset for nearly ten years on an XP computer without any problems.
In any case, like I said, your last link solved the vast majority of the access violation errors (thanks again!) but I’m still getting a few intermittently and I’d like to clear them up if I can.
The computer I’m using currently is using the “Mobile Intel(R) 4 Series Express Chipset Family”, whatever that means.
Sorry, I misspoke. What I meant was that I couldn’t find a single problem that plagued everybody using the NWN editor. In fact, I found quite a few posts of people talking about the editor like it works perfectly fine with Vista. So I think it’s likely a hardware-specific problem. What you just told me makes me suspect that even more.
Intel is quite notorious for having buggy drivers, I’m afraid, especially on its weaker chips. The 4 series is just slightly better than the graphics chip on netbooks, so it’s pretty weak. I’m surprised that the game itself works without problems, let alone an editor, which probably uses esoteric features that weren’t really tested.
Like I said, you can try downloading new drivers for the card. Just be sure to create a restore point so you can roll back if it makes things worse. You can also try older drivers or user modded drivers, but you’ll have to Google around or ask someone else, as I’m running late for something.