Microsoft KB Archive/179291

DirectX: Game Stops Responding When You Attempt to Start Program

PSS ID Number: Q179291 Article last modified on 04-14-1999

WINDOWS:1.0,1.5,2.0

WINDOWS

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The information in this article applies to:

 DreamWorks Interactive, Dilbert’s Desktop Games, version 1.0 DreamWorks Interactive, Lost World: Jurassic Park Chaos Island, version 1.0 DreamWorks Interactive, Scholastic’s Goosebumps Series: Attack of the Mutant, version 1.0 Microsoft Age of Empires, version 1.0 Microsoft CART Precision Racing, version 1.0 Microsoft Close Combat: A Bridge Too Far, version 2.0 Microsoft Fighter Ace version 1.5 for MSN Gaming Zone == Microsoft Flight Simulator 98 == </li></ul>

= SYMPTOMS =

When you attempt to start one of the programs listed at the beginning of this article, the computer may stop responding (hang).

= CAUSE =

This issue can occur any of the following conditions are true:


 * Your computer’s graphics hardware acceleration settings are incorrect.
 * The DirectX files installed in your computer are mismatched or the wrong version.
 * The DirectX files are not updated properly when you install the program.

= RESOLUTION =

To resolve this issue, use the following troubleshooting methods in the order in which they are presented. When you complete each method, start the program to test if the issue is resolved. If the issue continues to occur, restart the computer, and then proceed to the next troubleshooting method.

Disable Direct3D Hardware Acceleration
To disable Direct3D hardware acceleration, follow these steps:

<ol style="list-style-type: decimal;">  Restart the computer. </li>  Insert the CD-ROM for the game. Press and hold down the SHIFT key when you insert the CD-ROM to prevent the program from starting automatically. </li>  Click Start, and then click Run. </li>  In the Open box, type the following line, and then press ENTER <cd-rom>:.exe where <cd-rom> is the drive letter of your CD-ROM drive. </li>  Click to clear the Direct3D Hardware Acceleration Enabled check box. </li>  Click OK. </li></ol>

Reduce the Graphics Hardware Acceleration
To reduce the graphics hardware acceleration, follow these steps:


 * 1) Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
 * 2) Double-click System.
 * 3) On the Performance tab, click Graphics.
 * 4) Move the Hardware Acceleration slider until it is one notch to the right of None (the Basic acceleration setting).
 * 5) Click OK, and then click OK again.
 * 6) When you are prompted to restart the computer, click Yes.

Verify That the Correct Version of the Ddraw.dll File Is Installed
To verify that the correct version of the Ddraw.dll file is installed, follow these steps:

<ol style="list-style-type: decimal;">  Click Start, point to Find, and then click Files Or Folders. </li>  In the Named box, type “ddraw.dll” (without the quotation marks). </li>  In the Look In box, click My Computer, and then click Find Now. </li>  In the list of found files, verify that the Ddraw.dll file is installed in the Windowsfolder, and then rename any copies of the Ddraw.dll file that are not in the Windowsfolder. For more information about how to rename a file, please see the “More Information” section later in this article. </li>  Verify that the Ddraw.dll file in the Windowsfolder is the correct size and file version for your version of Microsoft Windows. To do this, follow these steps: <ol style="list-style-type: lower-alpha;">  In the list of found files, right-click the Ddraw.dll file, and then click Properties. </li>  On the General tab, verify that the Size is 264 kilobytes (KB) (Microsoft Windows 95) or 276 KB (Microsoft Windows 98). </li>  On the Version tab, verify that the File Version is 4.05.00.0155 or later (Windows 95) or 4.05.01.1998 or later (Windows 98). </li>  Click OK. </li></ol> </li>  If the Ddraw.dll file is not the correct size or is an older version, rename the file, and then proceed to the “Rename and Reinstall the DirectX Files” method later in this article. For more information about how to rename a file, please see the “More Information” section later in this article. </li></ol>

Rename and Reinstall the DirectX Files
Rename the Dsetup16.dll and Dsetup32.dll files, and then reinstall DirectX. To do this, follow these steps:

<ol style="list-style-type: decimal;"> <li> Click Start, point to Find, and then click Files Or Folders. </li> <li> In the Named box, type “dsetup16.dll dsetup32.dll” (without the quotation marks). </li> <li> In the Look In box, click My Computer, and then click Find Now. </li> <li> In the list of found files, rename the Dsetup16.dll and Dsetup32.dll files to “Dsetup16.bak” (without the quotation marks) and “Dsetup32.bak” (without the quotation marks). For more information about how to rename a file, please see the “More Information” section later in this article. </li> <li> Insert the CD-ROM for the game. Press and hold down the SHIFT key when you insert the CD-ROM to prevent the program from starting automatically. </li> <li> Click Start, and then click Run. </li> <li> In the Open box, type the following line, and then click OK <cd-rom>:.exe where <cd-rom> is the drive letter of your CD-ROM drive. </li> <li> Click Reinstall DirectX. </li> <li> Follow the instructions on the screen to reinstall DirectX. When you are prompted to restart the computer, click OK. </li></ol>

Copy DirectX to Your Hard Disk and Reinstall the Files
If the issue continues to occur, your computer may have problems copying files from the CD-ROM drive. To resolve this issue, copy the DirectX installation files from the CD-ROM to your hard disk, and then install the program in Safe mode. To do this, follow these steps:

<ol style="list-style-type: decimal;"> <li> Insert the CD-ROM for the game. Press and hold down the SHIFT key when you insert the CD-ROM to prevent the program from starting automatically. </li> <li> Click Start, and then click Run. </li> <li> In the Open box, type the following line, and then click OK <cd-rom>:

where <cd-rom> is the drive letter of your CD-ROM drive. </li> <li> If the DirectX folder is not present in the CD-ROM drive window, double-click the Setup folder. </li> <li> Right-click the DirectX folder, and then click Copy. </li> <li> Close the CD-ROM drive window. </li> <li> Right-click an empty area of the Windows desktop, and then click Paste. </li> <li> Restart the computer in Safe mode. To do this, use the appropriate method for your version of Microsoft Windows. Windows 95: Restart the computer. When you see the “Starting Windows 95” message, press the F8 key. On the Startup menu, select Safe Mode, and then press ENTER. Windows 98: Restart the computer. When the computer completes the Power On Self-Test (POST), press and hold down CTRL until you see the Startup menu. On the Startup menu, select Safe Mode, and then press ENTER. </li> <li> When Windows starts in Safe mode, click OK. </li> <li> On the desktop, double-click the DirectX folder. </li> <li> In the DirectX window, double-click the Dxsetup.exe file. </li> <li> Click Reinstall DirectX. </li> <li> Follow the instructions on the screen to reinstall DirectX. When you are prompted to restart the computer, click OK. </li></ol>

= MORE INFORMATION =

Renaming a File in Windows
To rename a file in Windows, follow these steps:


 * 1) Right-click the file you want to rename, and then click Rename.
 * 2) Press the END key, press the PERIOD (.) key, type “disable” (without the quotation marks), and then press ENTER.

If you receive an error message stating that the file is in use, click OK, and then proceed to the next method.

Renaming a File at a Command Prompt
<ol style="list-style-type: decimal;"> <li> Note the location of the file you want to rename. </li> <li> Click Start, and then click Shut Down. </li> <li> Click “Restart the Computer in MS-DOS mode,” and then click Yes. </li> <li> If the file you want to rename is located on a different disk, type the following line, and then press ENTER : where is the drive letter of the disk on which the file is located. </li> <li> At the command prompt, type the following line, and then press ENTER cd where is the path to the folder that contains the file you want to rename. </li> <li> At the command prompt, type the following line, and then press ENTER ren. *.pss where is the name of the file, and is the original extension of the file name. </li></ol>

Additional query words: 1.00 1.50 2.00 aoe ror kbdw dwi ddg splash opening introductory sound stops msgame

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========================================================= Keywords : kbenv kbsetup goosebumps kbtlc mutant dwi kbdw aoe ccabtf fs98 kbimu msgame kbfaq Version : WINDOWS:1.0,1.5,2.0 Platform : WINDOWS Issue type : kbprb ============================================================================= Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1999.