please help, directx problems

i have a friend who's trying to install directx 8.1 on his computer,his computer is listed as having directx 8.0....however, he can run game demos from the maximumpc disk i let him borrow that require directx8.1 (hitman 2, duke nukem3d, august 2002 issue) however, when he tries to run grand theft auto 3, it tells him he requires directx8.1, when firing up directx8.1 the install program crahses. we've tried multiple sources (warcraft3 cd, maximumpc cd, and downloading from microsoft) but each time it crashes...he's running windows ME...any ideas?

ugh, this is driving me crazy, i've been working on it for forever, i've downloaded the latest video drivers (geforce2mx) and soundcard drivers (sound blaster live value) and tried multiple sources for direct x. i tried installing in safe mode too, all to no avail. the system is an old dell one, running a p3 1ghz w/ 128 megs of RAM and the geforce2mx as mentioned above. my friend mentioned something that his dad upgraded the computer a bit, but i think all he means by that is he added a CD-Burner or DVD drive.

Edit: he can also run soldier of fortune 2...and i gave him the grand theft auto 3, which runs perfectly fine on my system.

hydrata said:

ugh, this is driving me crazy, i've been working on it for forever, i've downloaded the latest video drivers (geforce2mx)

Click to expand...

What are "the latest" in your opinion??

And: Isn´t there an official patch for GTA3 , that solves several issues already? GTA3 is really not well programmed!

latest in my opinion are the ones from the nvidia and creative labs website with the most recent release date. but this thread can be considered over, i got it to work through a lot of patience and a little luck.

I think the problem may be the Gf2 card itself.
I believe some features of DX 8 arent supported by it.

You may have to turn off some details or effects in the game.