Hi all,
Just downloading DX8 now as DX7 seems to have screwed up somehow - just
wondering if there were any compatibility issues I need to know about before
I install 8? I use a Sidewinder non-FF wheel and play GPL and MBTR, but I
was also wondering about issues with any other games and programs....
Cheers,
Jim
DX7 **IS** screwed (note no "a" here). There is some fault in
"directplay" that messes up some joysticks, your Sidewinder is one of the
sticks that is messed up. DO NOT install DX7 unless you also install the
revised Direct Play as well. DX7a (note the "a") is fine as the revised
direct play is included.
DX8 has also been revised to DX8a. I dont know what was wrong with DX8
but something was and it was fixed in DX8a. Depending on what video and/or
sound card you have you might want to wait on installing DX8a. There are
some drivers that dont like DX8a. The alergy is not all that common but it
does exist so if you do install DX8a you might find yourself needing to
change other drivers before everything works.
On my machine DX8 is an improvement over DX7 but not that big of an
improvement.
"Jim L" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:dH9p6.1051$[email hidden]...
> Hi all,
>
> Just downloading DX8 now as DX7 seems to have screwed up somehow - just
> wondering if there were any compatibility issues I need to know aboutbefore
Quoted text (9 lines)
> I install 8? I use a Sidewinder non-FF wheel and play GPL and MBTR, but I > was also wondering about issues with any other games and programs.... > > Cheers, > > Jim > > >I would skip DX8 and do DX8a. DX8 played havok on my Win98 SE
installation.
--
Scott B. Husted
PA-Scott
The Pits: PowerSims Magazine (http://www.theuspits.com)
Jim L <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:dH9p6.1051$[email hidden]...
> Hi all,
>
> Just downloading DX8 now as DX7 seems to have screwed up somehow - just
> wondering if there were any compatibility issues I need to know about
before
> I install 8? I use a Sidewinder non-FF wheel and play GPL and MBTR, but I
> was also wondering about issues with any other games and programs....
>
> Cheers,
>
> Jim
>
>
What Joe & Scott said. Plus, you don't need anything more than 7a to play
either GPL *or* N4.
--Steve
Jim L <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:dH9p6.1051$[email hidden]...
> Hi all,
>
> Just downloading DX8 now as DX7 seems to have screwed up somehow - just
> wondering if there were any compatibility issues I need to know aboutbefore
Quoted text (8 lines)
> I install 8? I use a Sidewinder non-FF wheel and play GPL and MBTR, but I > was also wondering about issues with any other games and programs.... > > Cheers, > > Jim > >To run the latest games I would think.
Better yet why not?
This thread came along at an opportune time. A buddy of mind has been
having massive joystick and wheel problems, and I'm no tech genius. He has
a brand-new computer with Windows ME -- but I don't know what version of DX
is installed. Can someone tell me how to determine that?
Thanks!
Kurt
Scott B. Husted wrote in message <42bp6.1774$[email hidden]>...
Quoted text (26 lines)
>I would skip DX8 and do DX8a. DX8 played havok on my Win98 SE >installation. > >-- >Scott B. Husted >PA-Scott >The Pits: PowerSims Magazine (http://www.theuspits.com) > > >Jim L <[email hidden]> wrote in message >news:dH9p6.1051$[email hidden]... >> Hi all, >> >> Just downloading DX8 now as DX7 seems to have screwed up somehow - just >> wondering if there were any compatibility issues I need to know about >before >> I install 8? I use a Sidewinder non-FF wheel and play GPL and MBTR, but I >> was also wondering about issues with any other games and programs.... >> >> Cheers, >> >> Jim >> >> > >Hi Kurt,
If there is no '"DirectX" icon in the Control Panel, check in the C:\Program
Files\DirectX\Setup folder for a shortcut "DXDiag" to double-click on, or
for that matter go directly to the Windows\System\DXDiag.exe program. Start
it up and on the first "System" tab it will show the DirectX version
installed.
Hmmm... I just did that and discovered I'm still using some debug versions
of the DLL's, gotta switch to the final 'retail' versions...
...Klinn
"Kurt Steinbock" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:DFep6.6746$[email hidden]...
> This thread came along at an opportune time. A buddy of mind has been
> having massive joystick and wheel problems, and I'm no tech genius. Hehas
> a brand-new computer with Windows ME -- but I don't know what version ofDX
> is installed. Can someone tell me how to determine that?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Kurt
You want DX8a, or you will lose two buttons on your precision racing wheel
with GPL.
"Jim L" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:dH9p6.1051$[email hidden]...
> Hi all,
>
> Just downloading DX8 now as DX7 seems to have screwed up somehow - just
> wondering if there were any compatibility issues I need to know aboutbefore
> I install 8? I use a Sidewinder non-FF wheel and play GPL and MBTR, but I
> was also wondering about issues with any other games and programs....
>
> Cheers,
>
> Jim
Or simply select run from the start menu and type in dxdiag =)
--
Scott B. Husted
PA-Scott
ICQ# 4395450
"Klinn" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:03fp6.7056$[email hidden]...
> Hi Kurt,
>
> If there is no '"DirectX" icon in the Control Panel, check in the
C:\Program
> Files\DirectX\Setup folder for a shortcut "DXDiag" to double-click on, or
> for that matter go directly to the Windows\System\DXDiag.exe program.
Start
> it up and on the first "System" tab it will show the DirectX version
> installed.
>
> Hmmm... I just did that and discovered I'm still using some debug versions
> of the DLL's, gotta switch to the final 'retail' versions...
>
> ...Klinn
>
> "Kurt Steinbock" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
> news:DFep6.6746$[email hidden]...
> > This thread came along at an opportune time. A buddy of mind has been
> > having massive joystick and wheel problems, and I'm no tech genius. He
> has
> > a brand-new computer with Windows ME -- but I don't know what version of
> DX
> > is installed. Can someone tell me how to determine that?
> >
> > Thanks!
> >
> > Kurt
>
>
>
Here is what I found at Microsoft:
Migration of Microsoft DirectDraw into Microsoft Direct3D:
In version 8.0 of DirectX, DirectDraw is fully integrated into Direct3D to
enable drastically simplified application initialization, improved data
allocation and management performance, and reduced memory footprint.
So, if you still have games that uses 2D DirectX, I bet it is better to stay
with DX 7a for now as I think a lot of older games will have problems with
this.
Brian
"Jim L" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:dH9p6.1051$[email hidden]...
> Hi all,
>
> Just downloading DX8 now as DX7 seems to have screwed up somehow - just
> wondering if there were any compatibility issues I need to know aboutbefore
Quoted text (8 lines)
> I install 8? I use a Sidewinder non-FF wheel and play GPL and MBTR, but I > was also wondering about issues with any other games and programs.... > > Cheers, > > Jim > > A bad version of Direct X would take out *some* things but it sounds
like you buddy has lost everything. If your buddy is having trouble with
joystick, wheel and everything else my first guess would be sound card
drivers (if the controls are plugged into the sound card joystick port) or
perhaps his USB setup if he uses USB controlers. Windows ME screwed a LOT of
people's controlers and USB devices because it is a new OS and most of the
drivers out there were incompatable. Happens every time a new OS comes out.
First step is to go to the web sites of whoever made your soundcard and
controllers and see if there are new drivers that are "Windows ME
compatable"
Windows ME *might* have come with DX7a. I *think* ME comes with DX8 but
it is near certain it did NOT come with DX8a as this came out after ME hit
the streets. Whatever version is on there now installing DX8a might not help
but it should do no harm. This link should take you to the Microsoft site
where you can get it.
http://www.microsoft.com/directx/homeuser/downloads/default.asp
If your buddy is still screwed after all of this let me know what soundcard,
controlers, motherboard, chipset and CPU he has. I am no expert either but
having one more guy looking for a fix wont hurt. I am especially anxious to
get your friend on the track if he is new at this online racing stuff. I am
desprately looking for someone I can actually beat.
"Kurt Steinbock" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:DFep6.6746$[email hidden]...
> This thread came along at an opportune time. A buddy of mind has been
> having massive joystick and wheel problems, and I'm no tech genius. Hehas
> a brand-new computer with Windows ME -- but I don't know what version ofDX
I
Quoted text (25 lines)
> is installed. Can someone tell me how to determine that? > > Thanks! > > Kurt > > > Scott B. Husted wrote in message <42bp6.1774$[email hidden]>... > >I would skip DX8 and do DX8a. DX8 played havok on my Win98 SE > >installation. > > > >-- > >Scott B. Husted > >PA-Scott > >The Pits: PowerSims Magazine (http://www.theuspits.com) > > > > > >Jim L <[email hidden]> wrote in message > >news:dH9p6.1051$[email hidden]... > >> Hi all, > >> > >> Just downloading DX8 now as DX7 seems to have screwed up somehow - just > >> wondering if there were any compatibility issues I need to know about > >before > >> I install 8? I use a Sidewinder non-FF wheel and play GPL and MBTR, butQuoted text (12 lines)
> >> was also wondering about issues with any other games and programs.... > >> > >> Cheers, > >> > >> Jim > >> > >> > > > > > > >Since DirectX uses COM, the DirectX 7 interfaces (used to call functions)
are still there in DirectX 8, as are the interfaces from DirectX 3 to 6.
DirectX 8 adds it's own set of interfaces, and true they do have reduced 2d
capabilities, but a program written for DirectX 7 won't use any of the DX8
functions, it will just use the DX7 functions as it did when run with
DirectX 7.
Basically, because DirectX is built on the COM model, new interfaces are
added instead of upgrading the old ones. The theory behind this is that it
should give extremely good backwards compatibility, which I guess it does
overall (I think without this method (adding new code instead of updating
the old code) there would be ten times the amount of DirectX problems), .
Of course, when MS release DirectX 8, they also streamline and fish out bugs
from the DX7 code, which can introduce new problems with old games.
It's quite possible that the majority of people who have DirectX8 have never
even seen the DX8 code in action, since there isn't many DX8 games about
yet.
"Brian" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:985iuo$ckur$[email hidden]...
stay
I
