Can't install client. Error citing outdated DirectX version

Hi, so, I’m something of a veteran player but I want to install the game on a new computer. The computer itself isn’t new but the Windows 10 install is because I just upgraded it to an SSD from an HDD. It’s a clean installation, not a clone or an upgrade, and the installation (and SSD) are about two months old.

I have downloaded the installer program from your site, but when it comes to actually install the game, I run into a problem. The error tells me my DirectX version is out of date and that I should click OK to update. So I do, and the DirectX installer tries to update, but can’t find a file to download. It kicks me back to the game’s installer, which then again tells me I can’t install the game because my DirectX version is out of date, and I should click OK to–well, I already told you that part. It’s a loop of failures that happens a couple times until the client itself crashes and gives me a report window. I never reach the client updater, let alone the game itself.

The kicker is, my version of DirectX is up to date, based on the version number when I run DxDiag. And Microsoft doesn’t allow you to download the installer package from its site anymore–Microsoft delivers DirectX to Windows 10 computers via Windows Update, so I can’t even reinstall it like people tell me I should.

I suspect what’s actually happening is my version of DirectX is too new for the installer itself to recognize, not the opposite, and then the downloader tries to get the package from Microsoft’s site, which now only returns a 404, which is why it’s failing. I do not have the slightest idea how to remedy this but I would like to play the game on this other computer sooner rather than later.

Help?

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Bad luck, Microsoft looks to have had a purge of earlier DX versions from their site (or at least a re-org).

I also had a look for the “full” installers in all of my existing game folders in steam, but it looks like most use the dxwebsetup.exe that Secret World uses. Only one that didn’t was “XCom-Enemy-Unknown”.

Might be worth you haveing a search through any game install packages you have to see if there are any that have a “redist” folder that might contain a DX installer.

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You’re going to want to download the DirectX 9 offline installer, e.g. from the website rephaim linked.

The problem isn’t that your DirectX version is too new, but that (broadly speaking) DirectX isn’t backwards compatible. Several versions can coexist on the same system. A lot of older games require DirectX 9 to run, but that’s not included in Windows 10 and has to be installed separately. SWL requires it for the patcher to work even if you run the game itself in DirectX 11 mode.

If Microsoft intentionally removed those downloads from their own website, that’s going to “break” a lot of games…

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I rebuilt my computer last weekend with new parts (yay), and as a consequence of this I had to install Windows 10 (which I don’t like at all) because the CPU didn’t support Windows 7. Anyway, I installed the game without any problems at all. The DX install went on without any hitches, even if Windows 10 runs with DX12.

However, I had two differences from OP. 1: I installed the game on an NVMe M.2 harddisk, and 2: I had already downloaded the installer while running Windows 7 on an SSD, but unless Funcom have a different installer if you download on Windows 10 this shouldn’t have any impact.

As far as I know, Windows 12 should have all the files necessary for running applications that rely on DX9, 10, and 11 without you needing to do anything. Chances are that installing older DX versions will only make them run and finish without actually really doing anything.

This suggests to me there might be another issue somewhere on the OPs computer.

But, this is Funcom we’re talking about… :wink:

Edit: minor spelling corrections

This site just links to the DirectX download links at Microsoft dot com which have been purged. Every relevant link on the page returns a 404.

This one should work.

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Oh wow they still exist?!

It’s the internet, of course they exist :wink:

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I’m more surpised CNET hadn’t spun it off again.

Edit: Even more surpised they actually founded it and it was just an internal rebrand to let people know it was always a CNET venture.