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MicrosoftInternetExplorer4
Ever wondered
just what that enigmatic name means?
just what that enigmatic name means?
Gaming and
multimedia applications are some of the most satisfying programs you can get
for your PC, but getting them to run properly isn’t always as easy as it could
be. First, the PC architecture was never designed as a gaming platform. Second,
the wide-ranging nature of the PC means that one person’s machine can be
different from another. While games consoles all contain the same hardware, PCs
don’t: the massive range of difference can make gaming a headache.
multimedia applications are some of the most satisfying programs you can get
for your PC, but getting them to run properly isn’t always as easy as it could
be. First, the PC architecture was never designed as a gaming platform. Second,
the wide-ranging nature of the PC means that one person’s machine can be
different from another. While games consoles all contain the same hardware, PCs
don’t: the massive range of difference can make gaming a headache.
To alleviate as
much of the pain as possible, Microsoft needed to introduce a common standard
which all games and multimedia applications could follow – a common interface
between the OS and whatever hardware is installed in the PC, if you like. This
common interface is DirectX, something which can be the source of much
confusion.
much of the pain as possible, Microsoft needed to introduce a common standard
which all games and multimedia applications could follow – a common interface
between the OS and whatever hardware is installed in the PC, if you like. This
common interface is DirectX, something which can be the source of much
confusion.
DirectX is an
interface designed to make certain programming tasks much easier, for both the
game developer and the rest of us who just want to sit down and play the latest
blockbuster. Before we can explain what DirectX is and how it works though, we
need a little history lesson.
interface designed to make certain programming tasks much easier, for both the
game developer and the rest of us who just want to sit down and play the latest
blockbuster. Before we can explain what DirectX is and how it works though, we
need a little history lesson.
DirectX history
Any game needs to
perform certain tasks again and again. It needs to watch for your input from
mouse, joystick or keyboard, and it needs to be able to display screen images
and play sounds or music. That’s pretty much any game at the most simplistic
level.
perform certain tasks again and again. It needs to watch for your input from
mouse, joystick or keyboard, and it needs to be able to display screen images
and play sounds or music. That’s pretty much any game at the most simplistic
level.
Imagine how
incredibly complex this was for programmers developing on the early pre-Windows
PC architecture, then. Each programmer needed to develop their own way of
reading the keyboard or detecting whether a joystick was even attached, let
alone being used to play the game. Specific routines were needed even to
display the simplest of images on the screen or play a simple sound.
incredibly complex this was for programmers developing on the early pre-Windows
PC architecture, then. Each programmer needed to develop their own way of
reading the keyboard or detecting whether a joystick was even attached, let
alone being used to play the game. Specific routines were needed even to
display the simplest of images on the screen or play a simple sound.
Essentially, the
game programmers were talking directly to your PC’s hardware at a fundamental
level. When Microsoft introduced Windows, it was imperative for the stability
and success of the PC platform that things were made easier for both the
developer and the player. After all, who would bother writing games for a
machine when they had to reinvent the wheel every time they began work on a new
game? Microsoft’s idea was simple: stop programmers talking directly to the
hardware, and build a common toolkit which they could use instead. DirectX was
born.
game programmers were talking directly to your PC’s hardware at a fundamental
level. When Microsoft introduced Windows, it was imperative for the stability
and success of the PC platform that things were made easier for both the
developer and the player. After all, who would bother writing games for a
machine when they had to reinvent the wheel every time they began work on a new
game? Microsoft’s idea was simple: stop programmers talking directly to the
hardware, and build a common toolkit which they could use instead. DirectX was
born.
How it works
At the most basic
level, DirectX is an interface between the hardware in your PC and Windows
itself, part of the Windows API or Application Programming Interface. Let’s
look at a practical example. When a game developer wants to play a sound file,
it’s simply a case of using the correct library function. When the game runs,
this calls the DirectX API, which in turn plays the sound file. The developer doesn’t
need to know what type of sound card he’s dealing with, what it’s capable of,
or how to talk to it. Microsoft has provided DirectX, and the sound card
manufacturer has provided a DirectX-capable driver. He asks for the sound to be
played, and it is – whichever machine it runs on.
level, DirectX is an interface between the hardware in your PC and Windows
itself, part of the Windows API or Application Programming Interface. Let’s
look at a practical example. When a game developer wants to play a sound file,
it’s simply a case of using the correct library function. When the game runs,
this calls the DirectX API, which in turn plays the sound file. The developer doesn’t
need to know what type of sound card he’s dealing with, what it’s capable of,
or how to talk to it. Microsoft has provided DirectX, and the sound card
manufacturer has provided a DirectX-capable driver. He asks for the sound to be
played, and it is – whichever machine it runs on.
From our point of
view as gamers, DirectX also makes things incredibly easy – at least in theory.
You install a new sound card in place of your old one, and it comes with a
DirectX driver. Next time you play your favourite game you can still hear
sounds and music, and you haven’t had to make any complex configuration
changes.
view as gamers, DirectX also makes things incredibly easy – at least in theory.
You install a new sound card in place of your old one, and it comes with a
DirectX driver. Next time you play your favourite game you can still hear
sounds and music, and you haven’t had to make any complex configuration
changes.
Originally,
DirectX began life as a simple toolkit: early hardware was limited and only the
most basic graphical functions were required. As hardware and software has
evolved in complexity, so has DirectX. It’s now much more than a graphical
toolkit, and the term has come to encompass a massive selection of routines
which deal with all sorts of hardware communication. For example, the
DirectInput routines can deal with all sorts of input devices, from simple
two-button mice to complex flight joysticks. Other parts include DirectSound
for audio devices and DirectPlay provides a toolkit for online or multiplayer
gaming.
DirectX began life as a simple toolkit: early hardware was limited and only the
most basic graphical functions were required. As hardware and software has
evolved in complexity, so has DirectX. It’s now much more than a graphical
toolkit, and the term has come to encompass a massive selection of routines
which deal with all sorts of hardware communication. For example, the
DirectInput routines can deal with all sorts of input devices, from simple
two-button mice to complex flight joysticks. Other parts include DirectSound
for audio devices and DirectPlay provides a toolkit for online or multiplayer
gaming.
DirectX versions
The current
version of DirectX at time of writing is DirectX 9.0. This runs on all versions
of Windows from Windows 98 up to and including Windows Server 2003 along with
every revision in between. It doesn’t run on Windows 95 though: if you have a
machine with Windows 95 installed, you’re stuck with the older and less capable
8.0a. Windows NT 4 also requires a specific version – in this case, it’s
DirectX 3.0a.
version of DirectX at time of writing is DirectX 9.0. This runs on all versions
of Windows from Windows 98 up to and including Windows Server 2003 along with
every revision in between. It doesn’t run on Windows 95 though: if you have a
machine with Windows 95 installed, you’re stuck with the older and less capable
8.0a. Windows NT 4 also requires a specific version – in this case, it’s
DirectX 3.0a.
With so many
versions of DirectX available over the years, it becomes difficult to keep
track of which version you need. In all but the most rare cases, all versions
of DirectX are backwardly compatible – games which say they require DirectX 7
will happily run with more recent versions, but not with older copies. Many
current titles explicitly state that they require DirectX 9, and won’t run
without the latest version installed. This is because they make use of new
features introduced with this version, although it has been known for lazy
developers to specify the very latest version as a requirement when the game in
question doesn’t use any of the new enhancements. Generally speaking though, if
a title is version locked like this, you will need to upgrade before you can
play. Improvements to the core DirectX code mean you may even see improvements
in many titles when you upgrade to the latest build of DirectX. Downloading and
installing DirectX need not be complex, either.
versions of DirectX available over the years, it becomes difficult to keep
track of which version you need. In all but the most rare cases, all versions
of DirectX are backwardly compatible – games which say they require DirectX 7
will happily run with more recent versions, but not with older copies. Many
current titles explicitly state that they require DirectX 9, and won’t run
without the latest version installed. This is because they make use of new
features introduced with this version, although it has been known for lazy
developers to specify the very latest version as a requirement when the game in
question doesn’t use any of the new enhancements. Generally speaking though, if
a title is version locked like this, you will need to upgrade before you can
play. Improvements to the core DirectX code mean you may even see improvements
in many titles when you upgrade to the latest build of DirectX. Downloading and
installing DirectX need not be complex, either.
Upgrading DirectX
All available
versions of Windows come with DirectX in one form or another as a core system
component which cannot be removed, so you should always have at least a basic
implementation of the system installed on your PC. However, many new games
require the very latest version before they work properly, or even at all.
versions of Windows come with DirectX in one form or another as a core system
component which cannot be removed, so you should always have at least a basic
implementation of the system installed on your PC. However, many new games
require the very latest version before they work properly, or even at all.
Generally, the
best place to install the latest version of DirectX from is the dedicated
section of the Microsoft Web site, which is found at
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/directx. As we went to press, the most recent build
available for general download was DirectX 9.0b. You can download either a
simple installer which will in turn download the components your system
requires as it installs, or download the complete distribution package in one
go for later offline installation.
best place to install the latest version of DirectX from is the dedicated
section of the Microsoft Web site, which is found at
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/directx. As we went to press, the most recent build
available for general download was DirectX 9.0b. You can download either a
simple installer which will in turn download the components your system
requires as it installs, or download the complete distribution package in one
go for later offline installation.
Another good
source for DirectX is games themselves. If a game requires a specific version,
it’ll be on the installation CD and may even be installed automatically by the
game’s installer itself. You won’t find it on magazine cover discs though,
thanks to Microsoft’s licensing terms.
source for DirectX is games themselves. If a game requires a specific version,
it’ll be on the installation CD and may even be installed automatically by the
game’s installer itself. You won’t find it on magazine cover discs though,
thanks to Microsoft’s licensing terms.
Diagnosing
problems
problems
Diagnosing
problems with a DirectX installation can be problematic, especially if you
don’t know which one of the many components is causing your newly purchased
game to fall over. Thankfully, Microsoft provides a useful utility called the
DirectX Diagnostic Tool, although this isn’t made obvious. You won’t find this
tool in the Start Menu with any version of Windows, and each tends to install
it in a different place.
problems with a DirectX installation can be problematic, especially if you
don’t know which one of the many components is causing your newly purchased
game to fall over. Thankfully, Microsoft provides a useful utility called the
DirectX Diagnostic Tool, although this isn’t made obvious. You won’t find this
tool in the Start Menu with any version of Windows, and each tends to install
it in a different place.
The easiest way
to use it is to open the Start Menu’s Run dialog, type in dxdiag and then click
OK. When the application first loads, it takes a few seconds to interrogate
your DirectX installation and find any problems. First, the DirectX Files tab
displays version information on each one of the files your installation uses.
The Notes section at the bottom is worth checking, as missing or corrupted
files will be flagged here.
to use it is to open the Start Menu’s Run dialog, type in dxdiag and then click
OK. When the application first loads, it takes a few seconds to interrogate
your DirectX installation and find any problems. First, the DirectX Files tab
displays version information on each one of the files your installation uses.
The Notes section at the bottom is worth checking, as missing or corrupted
files will be flagged here.
The tabs marked
Display, Sound, Music, Input and Network all relate to specific areas of
DirectX, and all but the Input tab provide tools to test the correct
functioning on your hardware. Finally, the More Help tab provides a useful way
to start the DirectX Troubleshooter, Microsoft’s simple linear problem solving
tool for many common DirectX issues.
Display, Sound, Music, Input and Network all relate to specific areas of
DirectX, and all but the Input tab provide tools to test the correct
functioning on your hardware. Finally, the More Help tab provides a useful way
to start the DirectX Troubleshooter, Microsoft’s simple linear problem solving
tool for many common DirectX issues.
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TECHnical Era 