MAJOR DirectX Problems

I am running Windows XP Service Pack 2 and DirectX 9.0c. Recently, I tried to use my joystick on my computer... it didn't work, yet it works on a friends computer. I ran dxdiag and I am missing a DLL file, Microsoft recommends that I reinstall DirectX.

I found out a little secret, YOU CAN'T *$&%^#* REINSTALL DIRECTX!!!!

Oh, and I found that DLL in the cab files of the DirectX 9.0c installer... no dice, apparently I have more file issues than just that one file...

So, I am stuck with three options. First off, if I can find a DirectX rollback utility that actually works with Service Pack 2... or... well... ACTUALLY WORKS... and doesn't toast my system, I suppose I can go that route. However, as I continue to search, this seems like a VERY stupid idea.

Second idea is a repair reinstall of Windows XP. "Reinstall DirectX" seems pretty catastrophic, eh?

Third... I can do a full elimination of Windows XP and do a complete reinstall... no prior registry and no prior issues... back to squeeky clean... although this seems similar in pain to the world ending.

So, I ask you, the forum members... two questions. First off, who the $*#( at Microsoft decided that it would be a lovely idea to make reinstalling DirectX IMPOSSIBLE!?!? Second... what should I do? Should I go for the repair install or the full squeeky clean blowing away of XP?

... heck... I almost want to upgrade my system to Athlon 64 to justify a reinstall... grrrrr...

Have you kept your restore function running, if so you can just restore it to before you lost the dll file. Is this what your getting?
The file system.dll is missing!
The file directx.cpl is an old version, which could cause problems.
You should renstall DirectX to get the latest version.

That's from my system but my joystick still works fine. Did you add the joystick in on the control panel?

Have you tried the latest redistributable from Microsoft?

DirectX End-User Runtimes (December 2005) Full Download

Also, are you sure it is DirectX borking, or possibly a corrupt driver installation from the joystick? I would try reinstalling that as well to see what happens.

dark_15 said:

Have you tried the latest redistributable from Microsoft?

DirectX End-User Runtimes (December 2005) Full Download

Also, are you sure it is DirectX borking, or possibly a corrupt driver installation from the joystick? I would try reinstalling that as well to see what happens.

Click to expand...

None of my System Restore points has that file intact. I knew I should have used my joystick more...

Well, I did reinstall my joystick drivers, yes. Initially, I thought I had a dead joystick as well. I also decided to do some house cleaning and updated my motherboard drivers as well as my video card drivers (why not?).

I tried that file... do you know it is the SDK? Anyways, it installed, now DxDiag is screaming that some files are debug versions and that my performance will be really slow. Furthermore, it did not fix my joystick problems.

The normal DirectX installer didn't work, it simply exits saying that I have the latest DirectX version. Oh, lovely.

At the following link, the bottom post recommends going into the registry, changing the DirectX version number by hand, and then installing DirectX. It thinks, incorrectly, that you are still using DirectX and therefore installs.
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cach...html+reinstall+directx&hl=en&client=firefox-a

Dead easy, just tell windows that the current version installed is a
lower version.

Regedit

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
SOFTWARE
Microsoft
DirectX
Version
For 9.0c I have a version number of 4.09.0000.0904
Change it to 4.08 and windows (and direct X installers) will believe you
have directX 8 installed.

I had directX 9.0B installed and 9.0c refused to install until I pulled
this trick on it.

Xocyll

Click to expand...

I will try that next (after making a restore point and uninstalling the SDK).

<< UPDATE >>

Yeah, it would have been nice if that worked. Now, directx installs INSTANTLY and acutally does nothing.

I'm facing the music, I'm doing a repair install... grrrr

<< UPDATE 2 >>

Stick in the Windows XP disk, do an install, it reboots... my disk is not detected. WHAT? Well, some of my friends had issues with Lite-ON drives randomly deciding to not work... and, yep, I have a Lite-ON drive and an NEC drive as well. The NEC is on my RAID card, the Lite-ON is on my motherboard. I had to swtich the two drives... because now my NEC is the only one that is working properly...

The install continues. Detecting drivers... wait a minute, your Logitech Keyboard driver for your all in one keyboard/mouse combo isn't signed by Microsoft... should setup continue? I would say yes BUT MY KEYBOARD AND MOUSE NO LONGER FUNCTION!!!

Now I am going through setup again with a keyboard and mouse I borrowed from somebody else, both of them PS2.

I am beginning to really hate Microsoft right now. It seems like nothing can simply work with XP, now can it?

By the way, I am typing this on my laptop which I got last summer. Thank goodness I decided to make this purchase, else I would be out of a computer....

<< Another Update >>

I can't do a repair install. I am getting phantom copy errors all over the place and my XP disk is fine... plus I tried 3 different known to be perfectly working CD drives. I think the installer is enraged at my previous Windows install...

sigh...

So, soon, I shall try a full reinstall. I wish it didn't have to come down to this...

gt24 said:

I am running Windows XP Service Pack 2 and DirectX 9.0c. Recently, I tried to use my joystick on my computer... it didn't work, yet it works on a friends computer. I ran dxdiag and I am missing a DLL file, Microsoft recommends that I reinstall DirectX.

I found out a little secret, YOU CAN'T *$&%^#* REINSTALL DIRECTX!!!!

Oh, and I found that DLL in the cab files of the DirectX 9.0c installer... no dice, apparently I have more file issues than just that one file...

So, I am stuck with three options. First off, if I can find a DirectX rollback utility that actually works with Service Pack 2... or... well... ACTUALLY WORKS... and doesn't toast my system, I suppose I can go that route. However, as I continue to search, this seems like a VERY stupid idea.

Second idea is a repair reinstall of Windows XP. "Reinstall DirectX" seems pretty catastrophic, eh?

Third... I can do a full elimination of Windows XP and do a complete reinstall... no prior registry and no prior issues... back to squeeky clean... although this seems similar in pain to the world ending.

So, I ask you, the forum members... two questions. First off, who the $*#( at Microsoft decided that it would be a lovely idea to make reinstalling DirectX IMPOSSIBLE!?!? Second... what should I do? Should I go for the repair install or the full squeeky clean blowing away of XP?

... heck... I almost want to upgrade my system to Athlon 64 to justify a reinstall... grrrrr...

Click to expand...

The full squeaky clean blowing away of XP, reformatting the HDD, reinstalling Windows XP
and then INSTALL THE DRIVERS IN THE FOLLOWING ORDER:

1. The chipset drivers.

2. If you don't have Windows XP SP2, You're required to install DirectX 9x yourself.

3. The video card drivers.

4. Now you're free to install other drivers.

5. Install third party applications.

RJARRRPCGP said:

The full squeaky clean blowing away of XP, reformatting the HDD, reinstalling Windows XP
and then INSTALL THE DRIVERS IN THE FOLLOWING ORDER:

1. The chipset drivers.

2. If you don't have Windows XP SP2, You're required to install DirectX 9x yourself.

3. The video card drivers.

4. Now you're free to install other drivers.

5. Install third party applications.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the help! Now that I got some time today, I am going in to do this lovely reinstall.

I have a new hard drive actually, a Hitachi Deskstar 7K250, which is supposed to be rather speedy. So, rather than my original plan of copying over my Windows partition to this drive... this drive WILL be the new Windows while my old Windows turns into a slave. This way, I hope I can recover files and bookmarks and settings from my old install as needed.

Wish me luck.

Try this for DirectX.

1. Download the redistribute version.
2. Extract it into a temp folder.
3. Open up the DirectX.cab file.
4. Extract it into the same folder.
5. Select all of the *.inf files
6. Right click and hit install

that is how you force a reinstall of direct-x