• DirectX 9.0, a graphics boosting program designed by Microsoft for the Windows operating system, includes several features, including pixel shading, 3-D image enhancers and support for both 64 bit and 32 bit computers. Still, none of these features are very helpful when experiencing problems during installation. Fortunately, there are several solutions to some of the most common problems encountered when installing DirectX 9.0 for Windows.
  
  

No Video

• Although DirectX 9.0 is designed to enhance and accelerate video playback, on rare occasions, the reverse can happen and the computer will lose video or graphics capability. This can suspend video playback or even stop the graphic interface altogether, leaving a blank screen. Should this happen, restart the computer and put it in "Safe Mode" by pressing the F5 key at the BIOS introduction screen. Once in "Safe Mode," select "Start" then "Settings" and then "Control Panel." In the "Control Panel" Menu, select the "System" icon then the "Device Manager" heading. In "Device Manager," expand the "Display Adapters" heading and remove all display adapters within the category. When complete, restart the computer in normal Windows mode. The computer will redetect these display adapters and re-determine their interaction with DirectX 9.0.
  
  

Game Play

• One feature of DirectX 9.0 is the ability to change the resolution of the screen to adapt to the media playing. This means heightening the resolution during video playback, but lowering it during simpler functions such as word processing. During game play, matching the resolution level is vital, and a disagreement between the game and the computer's resolution level can result in loss of video during game play, even if other programs are not malfunctioning. If loss of video should occur during playback, try restarting the computer. If the problem persists, change the default resolution manually by right-clicking on the program icon and selecting "Properties." In the "Properties" menu, select the "Display Settings" tab and set the resolution to "640 x 480 256 colors" and restart the game.
  
  

Conflict

• Programs such as Cakewalk music editor and other video or music editing tools sometimes encounter problems interacting with DirectX 9.0. This is because these products were designed to operate on drivers included with a previous DirectX and do not understand the updated video and audio drivers. Solve this problem by inserting the install disc for the program you are trying to install on the system. Right-click on the CD or DVD icon and click "Explore." In the Explorer pop-up, select the DirectX directory and install the earlier version of DirectX drivers for this program. This will reset the programs drivers to their original conditions and allow the program drivers to function without having to uninstall the entire DirectX 9.0 version.