DirectX - Complete install ?

FatRakoon

FatRakoon

FatRakoon

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Of course, im sure that we have all noticed that so often, you install a game and it requires you to install DirectX. Doesnt matter what version, it just makes sure that it has the bits of DX that the game you are installing needs.

Some time later you install another game and once again it installs DX

Now, when you look at the DX files, with Game A you might have oh, say files 30 to 40 for example, and thjen with game B you might have 35 to 40 perhaps!

Ok, so, I was wondering... Is there a complete and full version of DirectX out there? If not, then could I simply make one up?

I have a fair handfull of copies of DX9 & DX10 from various sources that I have grabbed over the years and I have copied them into themselves for kicks and I have had had simply no real bonus in doing that, so, I am assuming that one of the files it uses has a list of which ones to use to install, but again, Im really only piddling into the wind.

I know its a useless request pretty much, but I just fancy the idea thats all.
 
dx10 is done by Windows update (if ever updated)

dx9, google for.. dxwebsetup.exe , run it from Microsoft, it'll update your dx9, you can get dx9redist too, which is the same thing but in an offline installer.
 
Each application/game that is written with a specific DirectX version requires the exact files supplied with that version - they can all co-exist alongside each other.

As part of the requirements to put a game on Steam, all the relevant DirectX/C++ Runtime libraries etc must be downloaded and the installer ran - there is absolutely no harm in doing so (the installers are sensible enough to detect whether the files already exist) - but it prevents a huge number of potential issues to force this on all games.

There's a more in depth explanation of the above posted on the Steam forum
 
It's a big mess in Steam though, they should just force all users to have DX9 and latest C++ runtimes installed (since these cover all old ones) and keep game installs seperate.
 
But having the latest doesn't necessarily mean that you'll have the correct version for the software/game you want to run.

It's like .NET Framework - if the application is written with 3.5, then it doesn't matter if you've got 4.0 installed - you MUST also install 3.5, and they're all designed to co-exist with each other.

By simply ensuring that the game/software comes with the correct version, the number of support issues is going to be dramatically reduced.
 
With DX9, yes it does, when you run DX9 setup, it checks that all previous updates are in place and all availiable ones. So it installs the whole lot.

.NET is a whole other shambles of a mess. They should have updated that the same way they did with direct X.
 
To be fair on STEAM, if I do a fresh install of Windows, I do simply re-run Steam, and for it, or any games that I then run, if they need any specific DX files, it simply grabs them again. I do like that.

I recently installed a game, a new one... Not sure which, but it wanted to install DX twice ? What the?

Yeah, as for .NET

But again, I have those, however I did think that the later versions also gave us the earlier ones. This turns out not to be so.

I kind of wish that these all came with Windows updates not just DX10 ( I never knew DX10 did I admit )
 
FatRakoon said:
To be fair on STEAM, if I do a fresh install of Windows, I do simply re-run Steam, and for it, or any games that I then run, if they need any specific DX files, it simply grabs them again. I do like that.

I recently installed a game, a new one... Not sure which, but it wanted to install DX twice ? What the?
Click to expand...

It's a dirty method of doing it though, Steam itself should do the DX9 update. Currenly every game that wants DX9 will run the installer on first launch. Which is crap for the end user.
 
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