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Q155641: Games: DirectX 2.0 Notes and Troubleshooting

Article: Q155641
Product(s): Microsoft Home Games
Version(s): 1.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbdisplay kbreadm kbimukbfaq
Last Modified: 08-NOV-2001

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Monster Truck Madness, version 1.0 
- Microsoft Hellbender for Windows, version 1.0 
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SUMMARY
=======

This article contains information from the DirectX 2.0 Notes and Troubleshooting
section of the Monster Truck Madness Readme.txt file.

DirectX Replaces Video Drivers
------------------------------

DirectX is a system component that allows for more efficient hardware access. The
games listed at the top of this article require DirectX 2.0 or later. DirectX is
installed on your computer when you install one of the games listed at the top
of this article.

DirectX 2.0 Setup updates your Windows 95 drivers and your DirectX 1.0 drivers
automatically. In some cases, the latest video drivers from your video card
manufacturer have additional functionality that is specific to your video card.
If these drivers are marked as DirectX 1.0 drivers, DirectX Setup will replace
them with a generic DirectX 2.0 driver. In some cases, this may result in a loss
of the features that are specific to your video card.

If you want to have the additional functionality that you had with your original
video card drivers, you have two options:

- This is the option we recommend: Contact your video card manufacturer to get
  a DirectX 2.0 compatible video driver. See the "To Update Your Video Driver
  With a Directx 2.0 Driver" section below for instructions on how to update
  your driver.

  -or-

- Reinstall your DirectX 1.0 driver. We do not recommend doing this; however,
  in most cases DirectX 2.0 will work with your DirectX 1.0 driver.

  See the "Restoring Your Video Driver with a DirectX 1.0 Driver 2.2" section
  below for instructions on how to restore your DirectX 1.0 driver.

To Update Your Video Driver With a Directx 2.0 Driver
-----------------------------------------------------

First, contact your video card manufacturer and follow the manufacturer's
instructions to get the latest driver. Typically this will be a PKZip file, or a
self-extracting executable.

If the manufacturer of your video card includes specific instructions for
installing the driver, follow them. Otherwise, unzip the files into a temporary
subdirectory on your hard disk, or onto a floppy disk. Then follow the
instructions below:

1. Open the Display Properties dialog box by using your right mouse button to
  click the Desktop and then click Properties from the pop-up menu.

2. In the Display Properties dialog box, click the Settings tab.

3. Click Change Display Type.

4. In the Advanced Display Properties dialog box, click the Adapter tab.

5. Click Change.

6. In the Select Device dialog box, click Have Disk.

7. If you have the latest video driver from your video card manufacturer on a
  disk or compact disc, select the appropriate drive and click OK. Otherwise
  click Browse and from the temporary subdirectory you created for your video
  card manufacturer's files, open the file called Display.inf.

8. In the Select Device dialog box, choose the driver that matches your video
  card and then click OK.

9. Click OK as many times as necessary to accept the changes.

10. Click Yes in the System Settings Change dialog box to restart your computer.

Restoring Your Video Driver with a DirectX 1.0 Driver
-----------------------------------------------------

You should have a disk that has the video drivers that shipped with your system.

These disks should contain a video driver that works with your system. You may
also get a DirectX 1.0 driver by contacting your video card manufacturer.

If you have specific instructions from your video card manufacturer for
installing the DirectX 1.0 driver, follow them. Otherwise, do the following:

1. Open the Display Properties dialog box by using the right mouse button to
  click the Desktop and then select Properties from the pop-up menu.

2. In the Display Properties dialog box, click the Settings tab.

3. Click Change Display Type.

4. In the Advanced Display Properties dialog box, click the Adapter tab.

5. Click Change.

6. In the Select Device dialog box, click Have Disk.

7. If you have the latest video driver from your video card manufacturer on a
  disk or compact disc, select the appropriate drive and click OK. Otherwise
  click Browse and from the temporary subdirectory you created for your video
  card manufacturer's files, open the file called Display.inf.

8. In the Select Device dialog box, choose the driver that matches your video
  card and then click OK.

9. Click OK as many times as necessary to accept the changes.

10. Click Yes in the System Settings Change dialog box to restart your computer.

Microsoft DirectX 2.0 General Questions and Answers
---------------------------------------------------

Q. What is Microsoft DirectX?

A. Microsoft DirectX is a set of drivers that is available with the Microsoft
Game Software Development Kit (SDK).

Q. What components make up Microsoft DirectX?

A. DirectX components include DirectDraw, DirectInput, DirectPlay, and
DirectSound. DirectDraw and DirectSound components replace current Windows 95
and DirectX 1.0 display and sound drivers with DirectX 2.0 drivers.

Q. How do I obtain Microsoft DirectX?

A. If you develop computer games and you want to provide DirectX functionality
within your game, you need the Microsoft Game SDK. The Game SDK is available on
the Microsoft Developer's Network (MSDN) Level 2 CD-ROM.

Independent software vendors (ISVs) who use these components in their games can
redistribute them.

Q. What is DirectDraw?

A. DirectDraw allows direct access of video display memory, hardware blitters,
hardware overlays, and page flipping. DirectDraw provides this functionality
while maintaining compatibility with existing Windows 95-based programs and
device drivers.

Essentially, DirectDraw is a memory manager for video memory. Using DirectDraw, a
program can manipulate video memory with ease, taking full advantage of the
blitting and color decompression capabilities of different types of video
hardware without becoming dependent on a particular piece of hardware.

Q. What is DirectInput?

A. The Microsoft DirectInput application programming interface (API) provides
fast and consistent access to analog and digital joysticks. The DirectInput API
maintains consistency with the joystick APIs of the Microsoft Win32 Software
Development Kit (SDK), but has improved responsiveness and reliability by
changing the device driver model. DirectInput device drivers also use the
registry to store settings for standard joysticks, calibration information for
previously configured joysticks, and settings for OEM-supplied joysticks.

Q. What is DirectPlay?

A. The Microsoft DirectPlay application programming interface (API) for Windows
95 is a software interface that simplifies game access to communication
services. DirectPlay provides a way for games to communicate with each other
that is independent of the underlying transport, protocol, or online service.

Q. What is DirectSound?

A. The Microsoft DirectSound application programming interface (API) is the audio
component of the Microsoft Windows 95 Game SDK that provides low-latency mixing,
hardware acceleration, and direct access to the sound device. DirectSound
provides this functionality while maintaining compatibility with existing
Windows 95-based programs and device drivers.

Q. What do I do if I have problems with the DirectX drivers that replace my
Windows 95 video and sound drivers?

A. If you experience problems with the DirectX video or sound drivers, you can
remove them by running Dxsetup.exe. Dxsetup.exe is on the compact disc of the
games listed at the top of this article.

To run Dxsetup.exe:

1. Insert your the compact disc (from the game listed at the top of this
  article) in your CD-ROM drive.

2. Open Windows Explorer, and then select your CD-ROM drive.

3. Open the Setup folder on the CD of the game listed at the top of this
  article.

4. Double-click the DirectX folder, which is inside the Setup folder.

5. Double-click the file DXSetup.exe to run DirectX Setup.

NOTE: After you run Dxsetup.exe, some DirectX files remain in the Windows\System
folder. These files do not affect the Windows 95 video or sound drivers. To
remove these files, restart your computer to an MS-DOS prompt and remove the
following files from the Windows\System folder:

  Dsound.*
  Ddraw.*
  Ddhelp.exe
  Dplay.dll
  Dpserial.dll
  Dpwsock.dll

Q. Who supports Microsoft Game SDK and DirectX?

A. Microsoft Game SDK is supported by Microsoft Developer Support. The DirectX
drivers, such as video and sound drivers, are supported by the Desktop Systems
group. If your DirectX drivers are provided by an original equipment
manufacturer (OEM), the drivers are supported by that manufacturer.

Additional query words: 1.00 hell bender hell-bender mtm direct-x

======================================================================
Keywords          : kbdisplay kbreadm kbimu kbfaq
Technology        : kbGamesSearch kbZNotKeyword kbMonsterTMSearch kbMonsterTM kbHellBender
Version           : :1.0
Issue type        : kbinfo

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