DirectX Support In Windows NT/2000/XP/2003
Last Updated: 24 Jul 2003
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*** PLEASE NOTE: Link(s), If Provided, May Be Wrapped ***
DirectX is the multimedia Windows API for games and 3D
graphics, and to a large degree, competes with OpenGL.
Until Windows 2000, support for DirectX was spotty under
the NT-family of OSes. You could only install DirectX in
Windows 9x/ME.
Make sure to backup your system before installing a new
verion of DirectX, as it is notoriously difficult to
uninstall.
To obtain the latest version of DirectX, and to find out
more information concerning this multimedia API suite,
see the following:
• http://www.microsoft.com/directx/
• http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/downloads/list/directx.asp
VERSIONS OF DIRECTX
• Current DX version ..... DX9b
• Default for 2003 ....... DX8.1
• Default for XP ......... DX8
• Default for 2000 ....... DX7
• Default for NT4 ........ DX3 (SP3 or Later)
DIRECTX DOWNLOADS
• 9.0B - http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=A6DEE0DB-DCCE-43EA-87BB-7C7E1FD1EAA2&displaylang=en
• 9.0A - http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=c46234ca-2695-4270-8e21-8a18684396b3&DisplayLang=en
WHITEPAPERS & TECH DOCUMENTS
• http://support.microsoft.com/?KBID=277012
• http://msdn.microsoft.com/Downloads/samples/Internet/imedia/wmrmedia/transformwizard/wizard_dxtransforms.htm
• http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/welcome/dsmsdn/directx112000.htm
• http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/techart/directxovrvw.htm
• http://support.microsoft.com/?KBID=249867
• http://support.microsoft.com/?KBID=263116
• http://support.microsoft.com/?KBID=278652
• http://support.microsoft.com/?KBID=277649
• http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/techart/d3dpu.htm
PERSONAL NOTES
• I always wait a month or so after a new version of
DirectX is released, as there are often problems that
crop up with the intial version or with video card
drivers. Overall, DX issues have decreased in the
last few revisions.
RELATED TOPICS (ALSO IN THIS ARCHIVE)
• http://KB.UltraTech-llc.com/?File=Hardware.TXT
• http://KB.UltraTech-llc.com/?File=Diagnose.TXT
• http://KB.UltraTech-llc.com/?File=Troubleshoot.TXT