DirectX

[Skybird]

I recently got confused a bit about updating DirX. So far I lived in the belief that DirX10 and 11 are downward compatible and so when you run update DirX you automtically get the highest and latest version of DirX, even if you need just DirX9 for compatability with your games . But some readings today gave me the idea that I may be wrong there, and that actually you could end up needing to have DirX 9, 10 and 11 installed parrallel to each other, and update each of them?

[Gerald]

In the case DirX so usually it adapt, my video card takes all versions and is the only version 9.0c as valid as it runs, without having to put energy into updates.

[Skybird]

I'm sorry...?

[Gerald]

OK! I am sorry if I misunderstood you, but you can download any version of a directX if that was what you wanted to know

[Feuer Frei!]

Originally Posted by Skybird

I recently got confused a bit about updating DirX. So far I lived in the belief that DirX10 and 11 are downward compatible and so when you run update DirX you automtically get the highest and latest version of DirX, even if you need just DirX9 for compatability with your games . But some readings today gave me the idea that I may be wrong there, and that actually you could end up needing to have DirX 9, 10 and 11 installed parrallel to each other, and update each of them?

DirectX 11 is incorporated and bundled in Windows 7 so you don’t need to do anything with this.
Direct X 11 also has full backward-compatibility with DirectX 9, DirectX 9Ex, DirectX 10 and DirectX 10.1.
When you install DX, it installs all DX versions 9/10/10.1/11 etc. Then it is up to the OS to decide what the OS can handle, eg. XP DX 9 Vista 10/10.1, 11 WIN 7.
dx7-9 are all in the same runtime. dx10 and 11 are a seperate.
If your GPU is DirectX 11 compatible, it will use 11, if it's 10 compatible only, it will use 10, even though you have 11 installed.
In relation to older games and running them on WIN 7, it is almost always a better fix to run game in compatibility mode, sometimes older games will spit up a error message with a missing .dll file, which is needed to run it.
If that is the case, you can manually install the .dll and game will work.
You don't need to have all versions installed seperately, or parallel.
Verstehen Sie das, Kaleun?

On a sidenote, by running dxdiag.exe you can check the status of your DirectX installation to find any problems and details related to the problem. You can run the command from the Start menu in Windows, just type it in the search box or run command option.

So, summing up:
Windows 7, with DirectX 11 pre-installed, will handle any features that would have been found in DirectX 9.0b, for instance, so you don’t need to install it.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Feuer Frei!

DirectX 11 is incorporated and bundled in Windows 7 so you don’t need to do anything with this.
Direct X 11 also has full backward-compatibility with DirectX 9, DirectX 9Ex, DirectX 10 and DirectX 10.1.
When you install DX, it installs all DX versions 9/10/10.1/11 etc. Then it is up to the OS to decide what the OS can handle, eg. XP DX 9 Vista 10/10.1, 11 WIN 7.
dx7-9 are all in the same runtime. dx10 and 11 are a seperate.
If your GPU is DirectX 11 compatible, it will use 11, if it's 10 compatible only, it will use 10, even though you have 11 installed.
Verstehen Sie das, Kaleun?

Almost. When I google for the directX update site, and find it (that's what I did when I updated it manually when updated DirX 9.0c was needed for SBP) and then launch the updater there, will it then automtaically update both the 10-11 package, and also the 9-and-below package, yes? Sop that any games of more modern klind that needs an updated 9.0c will be satisfied?

I am currently with an old system still XP 32 bit and DirX.90c graphics. But the new will be Win7 64 Bit and a DirX.11 compatible GFX board. So, so far I never needed to bother for having to parallel DirectX installations. Thus my confusion.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Vendor

OK! I am sorry if I misunderstood you, but you can download any version of a directX if that was what you wanted to know

Nööö, I fear that was not my question. Never mind!

[Gerald]

Originally Posted by Skybird

Almost. When I google for the directX update site, and find it (that's what I did when I updated it manually when updated DirX 9.0c was needed for SBP) and then launch the updater there, will it then automtaically update both the 10-11 package, and also the 9-and-below package, yes? Sop that any games of more modern klind that needs an updated 9.0c will be satisfied?

I am currently with an old system still XP 32 bit and DirX.90c graphics. But the new will be Win7 64 Bit and a DirX.11 compatible GFX board. So, so far I never needed to bother for having to parallel DirectX installations. Thus my confusion.

Had you said that you are using XP 32 bit, then had my answer been different and not wrong interpreted by you, good luck

[Feuer Frei!]

Originally Posted by Skybird

Almost. When I google for the directX update site, and find it (that's what I did when I updated it manually when updated DirX 9.0c was needed for SBP) and then launch the updater there, will it then automtaically update both the 10-11 package, and also the 9-and-below package, yes? Sop that any games of more modern klind that needs an updated 9.0c will be satisfied?

If you are or will be using your new pc, you don't need to update anything, DirectX 11 is automatically included in Win 7, however, if you are still using Win Xp, Direct X 9 only is used, 10 and 11 are used by Vista and Win 7 respectively.

[Skybird]

So some older games that do not go beyond DirX 9, but that are said to sometimes raise problems with Win7 if there DirX 9 is not the latest, will be taken care of automatically by the system running already using 11 ?

DirX never has given me problems in the past, but the migration I am doing now is quite a jump over two versions, and compatability problems really worry me a bit. I want to avoid them as much as possible from the very beginning.

Currently collecting all new W7-64Bit-drivers, and sorting old data files.

[Feuer Frei!]

Originally Posted by Skybird

So some older games that do not go beyond DirX 9, but that are said to sometimes raise problems with Win7 if there DirX 9 is not the latest, will be taken care of automatically by the system running already using 11 ?

Most of the times yes, however there may be occasions where a game will not run due to a missing .dll file, which may not be included with DirectX 11, you would then need to go here: http://www.dll-files.com/ d/l the missing file and install.
Me personally i have never really had a problem running older games on Win 7, and when i did, it was a missing .dll file.
You can of course run in XP compatibility mode too, don't forget this, when attempting to run certain games.
For even older games, Skybird, you may want to check out this:
http://www.dosbox.com/information.php?page=0

It is a emulator for the PC, which i use to run old(er) games also, it works great!
Check the compatibility list for a extensive list of games supported!

On a sidenote: DirectX, whichever O.S. you are using will be automatically updated through 'Automatic Updates' so normally you wouldn't need to do anything.

[Skybird]

DOS Box, oh dear, THAT old the games I use are not! Used it only once to get Speedball 2 running, but that was the only opportunity.

As I said, I do not rule out to install a second drive with XP, if the need arises. Means: if titles of major interest fail to work under W7.

But I hope the best. Thanks for the help. Maybe there will be more questions by me in the coming 2 weeks.

[Feuer Frei!]

Originally Posted by Skybird

As I said, I do not rule out to install a second drive with XP, if the need arises. Means: if titles of major interest fail to work under W7.

Any games in particular you are looking at?
Or just in general at this stage?
Have faith mein Kamerad! Win 7 and the 'leap' to it from XP is in fact a big positive. Trust me, i was in a similar situation, thinking of the major compatibility issues that could arise out of upgrading to Win 7m however i haven't looked back at all.

Thanks for the help.

Kein Problem

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Feuer Frei!

Any games in particular you are looking at?
Or just in general at this stage?

Both. I know that not few people have problems with FS9 and FSX under Win-7, especially on 64 Bit systems. But i have a heavily modded FS9 with plenty or airports and scenery for Germaany and a detailed global mesh and global graphics updates and traffic, over 40 GB, I have no intention to give up on that.

Falcon and Oblivion also can be problematic, if I am unlucky. Nascar 2003.

I do not expect problems with the cosims I have, but these are the type of games I play most of these days.

And my GTR-2 folder also includes almost 200 tracks now. That makes me a collector, I think.