To download Realtek High Definition Audio Drivers, you either go to that hardware website, and find the update, a latest version of their drivers for your ReakTek hardware. Or you can get the “customized” version that is made for your motherboard which is offered by your PC manufacturer website. A considered amount of time is required to install a driver and see if it’s working well without any compatibility issues, if not roll back that driver update and try another download. Sometimes the first driver works! Sometimes it doesn’t.

Why update the Realtek drivers?

To enable new features on your Realtek sound card Or the existing one is outdated and has issues like No sound, Blue Screen errors, Application errors etc…

Realtek High Definition Audio driver is corrupt or missing:

“Windows cannot load the device driver for this hardware. The driver may be corrupted or missing. (Code 39)”

Realtek High Definition Audio Driver

 You might be having a corrupt Realtek R2.64 or R2.65 driver. The recommend solution is to uninstall that and reinstall again. If you have R2.64 you can install Realtek R2.65 version which is the latest as of the time of this writing.

To completely uninstall Realtek audio driver follow the steps below. Make sure to do the Backup step. This is the working solution if your unable to uninstall it from the Add/Remove panel.

1. Go to the Start Menu and click on run
2. In the Open box, Type “regedit” and click OK
3. In the Registry Editor Window, Expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, Expand SYSTEM, Expand CONTROLSET001
   Expand ENUM (Expand all these by clicking on [+] or [>])
4. In here you should see a folder related to your device HDAUDIO
5. You need to delete this, But before that, take a backup of that entry/folder. Right click on it, Click export and choose a location to save the .reg file. To restore it, all you need to do is double click on it.
6. Now, when you try to delete this, You will not be allowed to delete it without giving your full access. To do that right click on the folder HDAUDIO, Click on the ‘Permissions’.
7.  Tick the box under ‘allow’ giving yourself  ‘Full Control’. click OK.
8. Close the Registry Editor and Restart your computer.

You can now install the latest version specific for your motherboard. This should fix most of the problems like no sound. As well as this should let you completely uninstall existing Realtek driver and let you install the new one.

To download the latest, working Realtek HD audio driver specific for your motherboard, download this free scan for outdated drivers -> Click here to scan for the latest Realtek Audio Drivers.

Ati2dvag.dll Blue screen – STOP: 0x000000EA – Infinite loop problem.

The problem is the graphics driver is caught in the infinite loop and it replies on the graphics card to end the loop. This is due to the graphics driver is unable to program the graphics card correctly. Or there the graphics card is malfunctioning and can’t respond to the commands of the graphics driver.

Note: For the,

THREAD_STUCK_IN_DEVICE_DRIVER

Symantec’s PCAnywhere can also trigger this stop error (BSOD). The recommended fix is the update to the latest version of PCAnywhere.

The Error Message:

“The driver for the display device got stuck in an infinite loop. This usually indicates a problem with the device itself or with the device driver programming the hardware incorrectly. Please check with your display device vendor for any driver updates.”

“It was a Problem detected. Windows has been shut down so that the computer is not damaged.
The problem was, perhaps, from the following file: ati2dvag
If you received this error for the first time displayed should you restart the computer, if this message persists, they must follow the following steps the device driver is in an endless loop.

Technical Information STOP: 0x000000EA (0x86550B90, 0×86409380,
0x8677DDE8, 0×00000001)”

STOP 0x000000EA THREAD_STUCK_IN_DEVICE_DRIVER

STOP: 0x100000EA THREAD_STUCK_IN_DEVICE_DRIVER_M

Commonly recommended fix:

A common recommended fix on the internet would be to open the update driver and selecting PCI standard PCI-to-PCI bridge. This trick seems to work for a lot of people. The fix is,

Right click-mouse over My Computer
Properties
Hardware(Tab)
Device Manager(button)
Click [+] next to System devices
right-mouse on CPU to AGP Controller (or whatever your controller is called, mine was SiS AGP)
Update Driver(button)

Select Install from a list or specific location (Advanced)
Next(button)
Select Don’t search. I will choose the driver to install.
Next(button)
Select PCI standard PCI-to-PCI bridge
Next(button)
Finish(button)
Reboot.

For further support please contact ATI’s support, http://support.amd.com/us/Pages/AMDSupportHub.aspx

If that doesn’t help, which brings us to the next part of the article.

Other methods to fix Ati2dvag.dll Bluescreen Errors.

1. Install the latest version of ATI video drivers.

You can visit the AMD website to download the latest version of ATI video drivers. There is a detect and install the version, I recommend using that. If you have 3rd party driver installer program, you can also use that. If you have a tool such as DriverAgent it can alert you when there is a new version of any drivers. You don’t need to manually visit the vendor sites to get the updates. And it’s a value service for a small amount.

2. Change the Hardware Acceleration settings.

Turning off Hardware acceleration is the safest option to decrease the occurrence of this error. While you may compromise the performance, I recommend it to troubleshoot to see if the problem lies in the Graphics driver or the Graphics Card. Also disable the “Enable Write Combining” to make sure the graphics driver won’t program the graphics card incorrectly. To do these,

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Display.
2. On the Settings tab, click Advanced, and then click the Troubleshoot tab.
3. Move the Hardware Acceleration slider to None, and then click to clear the Enable write combining check box.
4. Click OK, and then click OK.

3. Get a graphics card cooler (cooling unit).

Ati graphics can heat up pretty quickly. Getting a cooler would be the solution to keep the temperature below 40 C.

4. Upgrade your video card.

If you any of the solutions did not work, it’s the problem with the video card(GPU unit) itself. Your video card is old, or it has been overclocked to its maximum and worn out. So these must help you decide to invest on a totally new video card (other brand) or upgrade and get the latest version from the current vendor.

5. Additional recommendations.

So, lets talk about how to fix DVD drivers.

Recommended Solution: Click Here to Update Your PC Drivers Now

The DVD depends on the drivers that is currently installed for its DVD and CD reading or writing, as well as to support third party software in performing these writing/reading process. So let’s get to troubleshoot the problems with DVD drive.

1. Writing speeds.

If a particular DVD or CD is written with a highest writing speeds, then the DVD drive will have a hard time reading from it. For example, if you are trying to install a software from a DVD. Make sure its burned on the DVD with a good writing speed. Make sure what speed your DVD supports, if that is 1-4x, then don’t burn it at 8x or 16x. Though playback speed is nothing to do with the record speed. Just make sure, what your DVD can support and the maximum drive’s writing speed. I found that at 4x speed gets most of my job done.

2. Windows errors – Your DVD or CD cannot read or write media!

“A class specific or device specific driver is missing or corrupt”

“A CD or DVD drive cannot be found or is not connected”

“The CD or DVD drive is experiencing a problem that prevents it from working properly”

“The CD or DVD drive is not accessible via an assigned drive letter”

“Windows successfully loaded the device driver for this hardware but cannot find the hardware device” (Code 41)

“The device is not working properly because Windows cannot load the drivers required for this device” (Code 31)

“A driver for this device was not required, and has been disabled” (Code 32 or Code 31)

This simple registry quick fix, can resolve error c0de 31,32, 19, 41 and 39. But before you do that backup your registry. You can also use this Microsoft’s quick fix tool if you don’t want to edit registry by yourself.

1. Click “Start.”
2. Click “Run”
3. Type “Regedit.” Click OK.
4. In the Registry Editor, find the following subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\[4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
5. Click UpperFilters in the right pane.
6. Right click on UpperFilters
7. Click Delete
8. Click Yes
9. Do that for LowerFilters, as well.
9. Exit Registry Editor

Now, update your DVD driver if you can get to the vendor site. You can as well use an automatic driver finder program to download the latest driver to your PC. This program finds drivers for all the devices on your PC. I recommend you give it a try.

I am reviewing a tool called Driver Agent. What is this tool? Your PC has about a dozens of devices attached to it. Be it in the desktop or laptop. These devices either sits on the mother board or connected with USB. These are called Devices that make things like sound, video, inputting work. Yes, keyboard, sound card, video card, DVD/CD players/writers, mouse or touch pad are all devices. You can’t use these devices as is. You need something called Drivers to give life to them. These driver programs acts as a translator between your PCs’ OS and the device. The translators need new vocabularies, new features, fix the existing pitfall in them and should keep up with the lingo of your Operating system. That’s the reason they are needed to be kept updated.

Why should You read this review?

Because, I am talking about a tool and reviewing it. The tool is a quick way to update the device’s translator or the drivers. Now, lets talk in detail about Driver Agent and see how it works to keep the device drivers up to date.

Driver Agent: Overview

From the above image showing Driver Agent scan report, you can see that there is a 50% chance that your PC has bad device drivers. Simply put, Driver Agent has 2 utilities – Advanced device driver scan technology and Driver database access to over 8 millions device drivers covering all popular and esoteric device vendors.

DriverAgent: The first Look

When you install the driver agent free scan tool, you don’t have any installation files that comes with it. All you get is a stand alone tool. Which upon running starts to scan immediately. After 2 -5 minutes, you are redirected back to the browser with the scan results that look like the one below. (This is driver scan report of my work laptop)

34 Good Drivers (66%) 18 Bad Drivers (34%)
	GLOPERM-R028U8Z (View system summary)			Good	Bad	Download
		Disk Drives
			WDC WD1600BEVS-22RST0
		Display adapters
			SiS Mirage 3 Graphics
		DVD/CD-ROM drives
			MATSHITA DVD-RAM UJ-850S
		Human Interface Devices
			HID-compliant consumer control device
			HID-compliant device
			USB Human Interface Device
			USB Human Interface Device
		IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers
			SiS PCI IDE Controller
			Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller
		Imaging device
			USB 2.0 1.3M UVC WebCam
			USB Video Device #4
		Keyboards
			HID Keyboard Device
			Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural PS/2 Keyboard
		Mice and other pointing devices
			Microsoft PS/2 Mouse
		Modems
			Motorola SM56 Data Fax Modem
		Monitors
			Plug and Play Monitor
		Network adapters
			Atheros AR5007EG Wireless Network Adapter
			SiS191 Ethernet Controller
		PCMCIA adapters
			Ricoh R/RL/5C476(II) or Compatible CardBus Controller
		Processors
			Intel(R) Pentium(R) Dual CPU T2310 @ 1.46GHz
		Sound, video and game controllers
			Realtek High Definition Audio
		System Devices
			ATK0100 ACPI UTILITY
			OHCI Compliant IEEE 1394 Host Controller
			Ricoh Memory Stick Controller
			Ricoh SD/MMC Host Controller
			SDA Standard Compliant SD Host Controller
			SiS Accelerated Graphics Port
		Universal Serial Bus controllers
			Generic USB Hub
			SiS 7001 PCI to USB Open Host Controller
			SiS PCI to USB Enhanced Host Controller
			USB Composite Device
			USB Composite Device
		Disconnected Devices
			Canon PowerShot A580
			Canon iP1800 series
			Disk drive
			HID-compliant mouse
			MP 330 USB Device
			Seagate FreeAgent Go USB Device
			TSSTcorp CD/DVDW TS-L632D USB Device
			USB Composite Device
			USB Device
			USB Device
			USB Device
			USB Human Interface Device
			USB Mass Storage Device
			USB Mass Storage Device
			USB Mass Storage Device
			USB Mass Storage Device
			USB Mass Storage Device
			USB Printing Support
			Unknown Device
			Ut163 USB2FlashStorage USB Device
			ZTE CDMA Tech
Print Results Download all suggested drivers: >Download All

Key:

GOOD – Your computer has the latest driver for this device, no updates are necessary.

BAD – DriverAgent has a newer or better driver for this device.

NOTES – Information for device driver connoisseurs.

DOWNLOAD – Click on this icon to download the device driver package.
NOTE: In the event you see this icon next to a ‘green check’ you do not need to download the driver. However, you can use the download as a back-up.

Ok, that’s one lengthy scan report!

That explains very much about the scan technology employed in Driver Agent.

Now, let’s make this report work for you – what you can do with it.

Driver Agent: Making sense of scan report

Okay, the report table has list of devices on the left and its status on the right. The green Good, indicates that the drivers for that particular device is up to date which is good. You can also click on the green to download a backup of that driver.

But, the red X mark, means the drivers are out of date for that device just to its left row. We only need to look into this. You can click on to download the latest version of it to update the driver and get it to green. All problems associated with that bad drivers are all gone with this little clicky goodness.

You might also see for the drivers that are already good in some case. Click that to download the backup of that driver in case if you need it.

The coolest thing is, the drivers of all devices are accurate for my system configuration – The motherboard, device brand and model and the current operating system which is Windows Xp Professional.

What I did with the report?

I would scroll down to the end of the report, and click the link near, Download all suggested driver. I would not care about disconnected devices. I will just make sure all the drivers are selected by clicking the toggle button driver filtering to see status is ON and click Download all which takes me to the bulk download page that looks like exactly as below.

Click on it to view full size.

This is really cool. Driver Agent has accumulated all the bad driver’s update into one link which saves a lot of time downloading drivers one by one. I would select all and download the entire 395 MB zip file to the location I want, unzip them. There are some drivers that I don’t need for example 56kbps Modem etc… You can select all you want and then let them all get zipped into one big zip file. In case you have lost your mother board CD this download can replace that. I would then install them one by one, and pass on the restart system after each install and save it for the last install. That’s it! All the device drivers are up to date. When I run the scan again, I would get all Greens and with 1 or 2 notes for some devices.

ARGH! It seems I need to get a one year subscription before downloading it!?!?

Before you are disappointed, this is not a SCAREWARE to get you to buy their service. This is a modest fee for the kind of service they are offering. $30 is fine if you ask me. With their 30 day money back guarantee it’s safe and easy to try this service out. I have a membership and their support is fast and with applicable solutions to problems or other issues. You also get to use one membership for up to 10 PCs, which is total awesome.

Closing Thoughts

I have been using a similar tool to get my driver updates. But I always had to manually search for 2-3 unrecognized drivers by that tool as their database is limited. Driver Agent, has a huge database enough to get all my drivers in one go and in one zip file. The best part about DA is that – only Scan is run on my PC, the reporting and what I get to do with the report, and how I get to download the drivers is all on their secured server. I also noted that they host the drivers, so even if the device merchant site is down, you can still get the drivers. You also get to see what files (with their sizes) come with an installation, as that details down to each driver installation is also maintained by DA.

Now, Why not Run a Free scan to see what your PC’s device driver report looks like?

For a normal user that watches videos online, play games occasionally, maybe use a couple of Open GL or Direct3d application, it doesn’t make sense to spend your time keeping update with drivers to fix critical technical issues.

This is where a tool like Driver Agent comes into the picture. Even for the gaming connoisseurs that turned to ATI card from Nvidia, the tool comes in handy.

ATI Video Drivers & AMD Crystal™ Display Driver

ATI is a product from AMD, (Advanced Micro Devices, inc) and is a trademark of AMD. You get ATI video drivers from AMD website. The website has cool interface to find the right kind of driver based on the type of computer you have (notepads, desktop, etc…),  the graphics product line, product model and OS the driver installation supports.

If it’s desktop graphics, you have

and if it’s Mobile graphics you have,

The interface on AMD website, lets you choose from all these data above and then takes you to the download page to download the drivers from.

The drivers you download is called the ATI Crystal™ Display Driver with the possible latest version for the Product line and model compatible to your OS.

There is a catch though, ATI Crystal™ Drivers are being developed for the most latest product line of ATI, and old ATI models are pushed down to its legacy status, where the drivers are updated only for the critical fixes with no new addition to is features.

Using Driver Agent to automate everything!

Knowing what Video device you have on your computer is a good knowledge, but it’s hard to remember all the device name and model number. This is where Driver Agent‘s accurate scanning comes into the picture. With over 8 Million drivers on its database it hardly ever fails.

Be it radeon 6870 drivers for Xp or radeon hd 5770 drivers for vista, the driver agent gets the job done. Even If the AMD site is busy, the driver agent has its own driver server to get you drivers 24/7/365!

With over 10 million downloads already, I would recommend you to give this free scan download a chance.

Click Here to Download Free Scan of Drivers with Driver Agent™

This is what we commonly do. Search online for driver updates for devices that doesn’t work well or has other issues.  The issues can be annoying error messages or other annoyances, lack of performance and capabilities, or not being able to use the device itself when the hardware is alright. (If the hardware is being recognized by the Windows, its alright)

The conventional way would be searching for the recent version of driver, with the information on device you already have. The information needed are current driver version and the device brand and model number. You might be using a system benchmarking tool like aida64 (formerly known as Everest) to get that information.

Finding the right driver takes some time, unless you are so sure about the manufacturer website and has already done for other devices before to use that knowledge to find the driver you are looking for.

You can find it immediately, download, install it and then be done with it, or stuck somewhere – be it getting the installation to work without any hassles, or creating and restoring from restore points, over and over again, couple of times before you get it to work…

This is the conventional way!

Using a Tool for finding and downloading drivers

Some services with a database of over several hundred thousand device drivers that keep up with the latest updates from various device manufacturers. These service offer the updates through a desktop utility as well as web based. The web based service lets you search for a device driver with device brand name and model number eg. Realtek Ac’ 97, and then list pages of downloads to choose from. You can then download the installation file that is compatible with your version of Windows OS.

The desktop utility on the other hand, is the one that gets the job done most of the time. It lets you search their online database or sometimes from a database file that is stored on your PC for a  brand and model number of your device and displays the most recent update. You can download it and then run the installation. It’s as easy as 1-2-3.

Another feature which web based tool can’t do, but a desktop utility can is to scan for all outdated drivers for all devices, automatically presenting you the list of all the new updates for all outdated ones precisely for their brand and model number while the driver installation being compatible with your Windows OS. You can choose what you want to download, and it gets all downloaded automatically from the trusted source. You can then launch these installations from within the utility interface.

The catch is, the web based service tempt you to try the desktop utility with their Ads which we all end up doing so. Which brings us to the next question, the question this article answers!

What is best software for finding and downloading drivers?

The one that is,

1. safe and secure to download and easy to use.
2. with a database of hundreds of thousands of device drivers keeping the driver integrity and is updated 24/7/365.
3. being used widely and continually updated – interface as well as database.
4. versatile – has efficient scanning catering to all known and esoteric device brands & model numbers and automatic installation compatible with all versions of windows OS.
5. offered a good customer support.
6. the best value for your money!

The one that I personally use for a long time now and recommend with a confident is Driver Finder Pro. This is the one that I personally believe meets all the above criteria. There is one another driver tool, Driver Agent. I use that as well to find esoteric drivers that are hard to find with Driver Finder Pro.

You can download the free scan version of the tool from here – Download Driver Finder Pro.

Many computer users experience problems with their USB devices and connections. There are actually a number of different reasons why these problems may occur. In order for your devices to operate properly, all of the USB Controllers on your computer need an updated and functional USB drive. Controllers are tiny pieces of hardware that allow your system to establish and manage USB connections.

One of the first things you should do when trying to resolve the issue is make sure you have the latest USB driver on your PC. These days, most operating systems come with an up-to-date USB driver. However, if your computer is running on an older operating system, such as Windows 98, you may need to contact the manufacturer or search the web in order to find the most recent USB driver.

Also, keep in mind that some devices require a vendor specific USB driver, while other peripherals don’t specify a given class code. Either way, a USB driver is needed to communicate with the device so that it can be set to a configured state. If the vendor does recommend installing a particular USB driver as part of the troubleshooting process, then you should definitely do so. This might just be the answer to your problem.

Troubleshooting

So, how do you find out if the problems you’re encountering are related to your USB driver? If your computer is running on a Windows XP or Windows 2000 operating system, you can follow these simple steps to see if there are any issues affecting the USB driver.

1. Open Windows Explorer and right-click on My Computer.
2. Click on the Hardware tab and then hit the Device Manager Button.
3. Near the bottom of that list, there should be a heading titled Universal Serial Bus Controllers. Click on the little plus sign that’s located next to it.
4. If there’s a yellow exclamation point next to the line that reads USB Controller (or a variation of that), then there’s a problem with the USB driver on your system. If there’s no entry for a “USB Controller,” that usually means your system does not have a USB driver installed on it. In this case, you’ll need to download the Service Pack that’s compatible with your Windows operating system.
5. When you do see an exclamation point next to the “USB Controller” listing, you can right-click on the entry and hit Properties.
6. Select Troubleshoot and just follow the prompts.

More often than not, this will help you fix any problems you are having with the USB driver or the device. If this does not fix the issue, then you probably need to update to a new USB driver.

You can do this manually by identifying your USB device and its current version, taking note of your existing Windows OS version, and then going online to try and find a new driver. You can also automate this whole process and find the driver you need after just a few clicks by using a highly-rated driver update tool such as DriverFinder™.

1.) Paper Jam

The most common problem inflicted on any brand of printer is the dreaded paper jam. This is one issue that can occur for a number of reasons but in most cases, it has something to do with the construction of the actual machine. For example, different HP inkjet models have rollers situated in different locations. What this essentially means is that you could either have an easy or difficult time reaching the offending rollers when trying to remove the trapped paper causing the jam. Regardless of where the rollers are located in the machine, you should always pull the paper out in the same direction as the path it will be printed out in. Pulling it the wrong way could cause the paper to rip and also damage your HP printer.

2.) Ink Issues

If you have printed several documents after recently changing your printer cartridge, you may notice that the ink begins to appear faded, even though only a handful of pages have actually gone through. When this problem occurs, the first step you should take is cleaning the heads of your HP printer. We recommend that refer to the manual for specific details on how to perform this action on your particular printer. If this only temporarily fixes the issue or doesn’t solve it at all, you should return and replace the cartridge as this is the likely culprit.

3.) Bad or Outdated Printer Drivers

If you want to enjoy all the functionality your HP printer has to offer, then you need to have the correct driver installed for that particular machine. If you do not, some of the features may not work correctly or the printer might not function at all. Locating the appropriate drivers online can be difficult when you don’t know where to look. Luckily, there are 3^rd party utilities such as DriverFinder™ that can get the HP drivers you need in just a few clicks.

4.) Printer Error Messages

If you receive a printer error message every time you try to print, it is recommended that you perform simple troubleshooting steps, like the ones above, rather than instantly assuming there is a problem with your HP printer. In addition, you should make sure the device is properly connected and turned on. It would also be wise to check the printer settings to be sure that you have selected the correct device from the printer menu. Unless your HP printer has exhausted its life span, getting it back on track is often as easy as a little troubleshooting.

If you are looking for an easy way to download audio drivers for your computer, you can visit any major search engine, as they will explore the Internet for you and return all the relevant results. Although your search query will turn up thousands of matches for “download audio driver,” it’s important that you install the latest, most up-to-date version of the driver. Manufacturers in the audio technology industry tend to release product updates quite often. Without the latest software, you might run into compatibility issues, or you may even miss out on hot new features.

Certain online companies also give you the option of downloading “high-definition” audio drivers, which provide you with multichannel sound capabilities, such as Dolby, DTS and Surround Sound. So, if you want to transform your living room into a movie theatre or entertainment room, you should download audio drivers with highly-advanced features. Remember, though, audio quality also depends on the type of sound system you have attached to your computer. If you don’t have the proper speaker system connected to your PC, then it doesn’t make much sense to download an audio driver of this type.

For those who already have a driver installed on their system, you are advised to check for driver updates on a regular basis. You can also download audio driver packages, which typically consist of setup files, mixer applications, updates, plugins, and various other features. Generally speaking, when you download audio driver packages, or opt for an upgrade, you should be able to enjoy the following advantages:

• Increased system stability
• Easier installation of audio peripherals
• Improved performance
• Glitch-free audio
• Guaranteed support for compatible devices
• Increased security

If you prefer not to use a search engine to help you find a driver, you should look into an automatic driver update tool such as DriverFinder™. It automatically detects driver updates that are relevant to your PC’s needs and it can also guide you through the installation process.

The Bottom Line

Whether you’re trying to convert your PC into a mini home theater system or you simply wish to enhance your system’s sound capabilities, downloading an audio driver might be the perfect solution for you. It doesn’t take much time or effort to download an audio driver, so you should certainly consider it if you meet the necessary requirements. As always, should you encounter problems or need technical support for any reason, you can contact either your audio card manufacturer or your system’s manufacturer.

Why You Need to Update DirectX Drivers

Various versions of DirectX drivers have been released over the years. The latest, DirectX 10, is available as standard with Windows Vista. It is an integral part of the operating system and so cannot be uninstalled.

For other Windows operating systems, earlier versions of DirectX may be installed. You can check the version you have by clicking the Start button, typing ‘dxdiag’ in the Search box and pressing Enter. Select the System tab and you will see the version number under System Information.

DirectX is designed to be backward compatible so that games should run on a later version than the one for which they were written. However, you may hit problems trying to run a new game with an older version of DirectX, which does tend to have small incremental releases. This means that those showing versions 9.0, 9.0a, 9.0b and 9.0c may have significant differences that can result in incompatibility. Errors may occur, often reporting that a required dll (dynamic link library) cannot be found, initialised or has caused a problem. You may also experience poor sound quality, no sound or a blank screen.

If you do have problems, the usual solution is to update DirectX drivers so you have the latest version installed. This version will have security and performance updates, new features and will allow more games to be run.

How to Undertake Driver Downloads

For all but Windows Vista users, the latest version is DirectX 9.0c, which was released in November 2008. This will work on most editions of Windows, but not Windows 98 or ME, where DirectX 8.1 is the latest suitable version. Additionally, you cannot update DirectX on Windows NT.

If you want to update DirectX drivers, downloading the latest version 9 from the Microsoft website and installing it will overwrite the previous version. Once this occurs, you can’t officially remove it. You should therefore ensure that you create a restore point first in case you encounter problems and need to revert to a working version. You will only be able to undertake driver downloads if you have a genuine version of Microsoft Windows.

A driver download of version 9 is an active download that is installed without the files being saved. The main drawback to this is that, if you also want to update any other computers, you will have to download drivers separately to each one.

DirectX 9.0c, on the other hand, is a redistribution version that is provided so that developers can distribute it with their products. This means that you download all the files in one package, which you can save, and then update DirectX drivers on as many machines as necessary. Having downloaded the package and created your restore point, double-click the package to extract its files to a temporary folder. Then run DXSETUP.exe, complete the installation and restart your computer if required.

Note too that just updating your DirectX drivers may not be enough to solve all your multimedia problems. Often, you need to download related video and audio drivers too for that overall heart-thumping multimedia experience. To easily do this, you can use a 3^rd party driver update tool such as DriverAgent™.