# DirectX 3D Acceleration Problem



## BJ1987 (Jan 3, 2004)

Hi! This appears to be a great site but I've not found that anybody else has the same problem. 
 
I am having trouble getting a game to run and believe that the problem is with my DirectX.

I have downloaded and installed DirectX 9. (The game requires 8.1b or higher.) When I attempted to run the game I received the message "Failed to initialize Direct 3D. Please ensure DirectX 8.1b is installed and DirectX 8.1b drivers for your video card." 

I then ran a test of DirectX 3d Acceleration and received the message "The test to use hardware accelerated DirectX 3D9 was skipped because the display driver does not support it."

I checked the Windows Update and it does not show that I need any driver updates.

I'm not sure what info you need except that I am running Windows98 on this PC. 

The game worked fine on my new PC so I don't expect there to be a problem with installation.

Any assistance you can provide would be greatly appreciated!


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## brianF (Dec 2, 1999)

You need to check with the manufacturer of your video card for updated drivers


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## BJ1987 (Jan 3, 2004)

Sorry, but I haven't a clue how to go about doing that.

Can you advise me how?


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## BJ1987 (Jan 3, 2004)

Here is another message I found after attempting to test DirectX 3d Acceleration.
Direct3D 9 test results: Display driver does not support API (DDI version too low)

What is DDI version?


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## TOGG (Apr 2, 2002)

This is a rather long winded way to possibly solve your problem but, if you don't get any better suggestions, you could always d/l and install AIDA32;http://www.aida32.hu/aida32.php

It is a free program which, when run, will give you details of all the software and hardware installed on your computer and (probably) provide you with a link to your video card makers' website so that you can get the latest drivers for it.


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## TOGG (Apr 2, 2002)

DDI may (and I stress the 'may') stand for Direct Draw Interface;
http://cwdixon.com/support/win98_support/direct_draw.htm

I have Win 98 and, following a security scare last year, I updated to DX 8.1 at a time when MS were suggesting that everyone should upgrade to 9.0b. I didn't install 9.0b because I have onboard sound and graphics and didn't need the bells and whistles included in 9.0b.

What I installed was a specific patch for 98 users who already had DX 8 and that seems to have worked OK for me. I didn't want to risk 9.0b because, if anything goes wrong, you have to reinstall your OS to use an earlier DX version. (There is an unofficial removal tool for DX but I don't know if it is safe to use).


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## BJ1987 (Jan 3, 2004)

Sadly, I've already installed 9.0. I'm at a loss here. The boys really want to play their game (Jurassic Park Operation Genesis). But I've spent so much time trying to find out what to do to fix it!!

I also believe that I have onboard graphics.


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## TOGG (Apr 2, 2002)

It may be that your computers' specification is not up to running that particular game but if you run the AIDA32 program that should provide full details of everything installed so that you can check it against the small print on the games box!. 

I have been caught out in this way too but, even if you don't have the full requirements, some games will still run on older machines. That is why it's worthwhile trying to find some new drivers for your onboard sound/video.

In your first post you said that this game installed and ran OK on a newer computer. Do you know anything about the sound and graphics in that computer?


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## TOGG (Apr 2, 2002)

Just seen a thread on another forum which could help you get details of your graphics etc without using AIDA.

Click on 'Start' then 'Run' and type DXDIAG in the box that should open and hit 'Enter'. The DX Diagnostic tool should open and confirm what version of DX you have and, if you click on the 'Display' tab, you should get details of your video card maker and the drivers it is using.

Assuming that works, write down the details as you will then have to go online to search for the makers website and see what drivers are available for your card. 

Unfortunately, I have never updated drivers online so I don't know exactly what to expect but I think the site should guide you through the process. The important thing is to be certain that you get the exact details of your card and follow any instructions on backing up the current drivers so you can reinstall them if the updated ones don't work for some reason.


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## Martono (Jun 7, 2008)

OK HERE IT IS right click on your screen; it pulls up display properties 
go to settings 
go to advanced 
go to troubleshooting tab 
move the hardware acceleration all the way to the right; it will say that all accelerations are enabled.
hit apply and okay 

just for the fun of it enable the write combining too. I don't know if it controls anything and I don't care to check; you'll have to restart your computer.


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