We are going to discuss what DirectX is, why it is needed and why it brings up errors when you try to install it in windows.
What is DirectX?
DirectX is a set of low-level Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that provides Windows programs with high-performance hardware-accelerated multimedia support. DirectX enables the program to easily determine the hardware capabilities of your computer, and then sets the program parameters to match. DirectX allows your multimedia and video applications to quickly set aside large amounts of RAM and Video Memory space and CPU access to allow these applications to run seamlessly. Chief among these are games for which without DirectX, the Windows platform simply would not dominate in gaming as it does.
Prerequisites for installing DirectX
In order to install DirectX, you will need to have installed and enabled Microsoft .NET Framework. Framework execute in a software environment (in contrast to a hardware environment) known as Common Language Runtime (CLR), an application virtual machine that provides services such as security, memory management, and exception handling. Sometimes, it is also necessary to install Visual C++ redistributable. This is an integrated development environment (IDE) product from Microsoft for the C, C++, and C++/CLI programming languages. These Visual C++ redistributable and runtime packages are mostly installed for standard libraries that many applications use.
Reasons it won’t install correctly on windows 10
There are several reasons why DirectX will not install in your computer. Here are some known issues.
You do not have the .NET Framework prerequisite installed/enabled on your PC
DirectX relies on .NET Framework to function. .NET Framework allows programmers to take advantage of DirectX functionality from within .NET applications using compatible languages such as managed C++ or the use of the C# programming language. In windows 10, .NET Framework might have been installed but was not enabled. This poses the same errors that you’d encounter if it was not installed in the first place. Your DirectX installation will exit or it tell you that .NET Framework is needed and you have to install it.
Minimum system requirements
If your PC is able to install windows, then DirectX 9 will also install. However, if you are using an old PC, newer versions of DirectX (11 and 12) will not install. For DirectX 12, you will need these minimum requirements:
Windows 7 32 bit or 64 bitDirectX 12 compatible graphics card (DirectX 12 will be essentially supported on all Kepler and later Nvidia GPUs, on AMD’s GCN-based chips and on Intel’s Haswell and later processors graphics units.).NET Framework 41 GB RAM2 GHZ Duo Core CPU
So depending on the DirectX you are installing, and the system specifications of your PC, you might not be able to install DirectX. You might be notified by the installer if your system requirements don’t meet the minimal threshold for DirectX to install. You might have to reinstall your graphics card drivers if the DirectX installers cannot find it.
You already have that version of DirectX installed
If you have already installed the version of DirectX that you are trying to install, the installer will exit without installing or tell you that that version of DirectX is already available. Some users might take this as a failure to install.
Installing DirectX successfully on windows 10
Make sure that your system requirements are compatible with the DirectX you are installing. If your problem persists, then probably you do not have .NET Framework installed on your PC. Windows 10 comes with a preinstalled .NET Framework 3.5 but it is never enabled till you enable it manually. The methods below will allow you to install and enable .NET Framework and therefore enable you to successfully install DirectX.
Method 1: Enable .NET Framework
A good reason for DirectX is not installing is because .NET Framework is not enabled on your PC. To enable it: Alternatively, Press “Windows Key” + “R”. Type “appwiz.cpl” in the “Run” command box and press “ENTER”. In the “Programs and Features” window, click on the link “Turn Windows features on or off”. Check if the “.NET Framework 3.5 (includes .NET 2.0 and 3.0)” option is available in it.
Method 2: Install .NET Framework using CMD
This method will install (if not already installed) and enable .NET Framework on your PC.
Where D: is the path of your windows installation files. NB: If you do not find .NET Framework or if your Direct X version needs a newer .NET Framework, you can install the version of .NET Framework you need from here. Some applications require older versions of DirectX in order to run properly. This is because a large group of windows users still use the XP operating system. In order to make more sales, video and gaming companies actively use old versions of DirectX in their coding. You have to install these older versions manually. To do that, you can download the installer from here.
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