What is DirectX?

DirectX is a series of software technologies developed by Microsoft. Their purpose was to enable compelling game experiences on the PC. The actual range of technologies is far reaching but the core ones are:

  • Direct3D - Allows fast access to 3D accelerators
  • DirectSound - Allows playing and mixing of sounds
  • DirectPlay - Allows fast network gaming
  • DirectInput - Allows connection and use of a wide variety of devices (like steering wheels, force feedback joysticks)

For more details on DirectX go to the DirectX homepage on the Microsoft site. You can find Microsoft's description of DirectX here..

What version should I use?

Generally you should use the latest version of DirectX.

NOTE: If you are not familiar with DirectX, we advise you not to install newer versions of the technology without assistance from someone who can configure PCs, since it can misconfigure your machine.

There have so far been three major releases of DirectX:

  • DirectX3 - First version with Direct3D. First useful version
  • DirectX5 - Sweeping updates. The first good version of DirectX
  • DirectX6 - Updates and upgrades particular in the area of 3D Special FX
DirectX7 is the very latest version, and is the only release currently available for download from Microsoft.

Microsoft has developed this technology such that products using older versions of the system should work fine on newer versions of the system.
For example, a game requiring DirectX5 should work fine (or maybe even better) on DirectX6. So generally it's a good idea to have the latest release (non-beta) version of DirectX on your machine.

How do I know if I have DirectX?

If you bought a new multimedia PC in the last 18 months then it will come pre-installed with a version of DirectX. If you want to check if it's installed, and/or you want to know which version it is, then you should run 'dxdiag'.

To do this:

  • Click on the Windows 'Start' button
  • Select the 'Run...' option from the menu
  • Type in 'dxdiag' in the open box
  • Either press return or click 'ok'
This will bring up a page of information on DirectX. At the bottom of the page the current DirectX version will be listed. If this page does not appear there is a good chance that DirectX is not installed on your machine.

If you are still not sure if you have DirectX installed you may want to just download and install the latest version.

Where do I get it from?

Warning! Installing DirectX is usually a simple and painless experience - but be warned it is not always this way, and sometimes it can badly configure your machine.

We recommend you only install a new version of DirectX if you really have to or you have enough PC knowledge to know how to fix things if it goes wrong. Generally it's a good idea to back up any important work on your machine before attempting to install a new version of DirectX.

Go to the Microsoft DirectX Download pages.
Download DirectX 7 from Microsoft.