Direct3D initialization error when starting the game. What to do?

One of the typical questions

Hello.

In Windows 10, when I launch some games, I get a "Direct3D initialization error" error. Windows came with a laptop, a version of "Home for one language". Tell me, can this error be due to the Windows version, and how to fix it?

Good day!

In general, such an error is not uncommon, especially after reinstalling Windows (in your case, after buying a laptop, since all the necessary libraries and drivers necessary for the comfortable operation of the device are rarely installed in stores). It appears, as a rule, after trying to start some game - either right away, or the game will just have a black screen, and when you minimize it, you will see this window.

In this article, I will focus on the main reasons for the appearance of such an error, and show with an example how to get rid of it ...

Typical error

Dealing with Direct3D Error ...

DirectX update

The most common reason for this error is due to the lack of a DirectX library. Moreover, it is not necessary that you do not have it installed, perhaps you simply do not have a specific file from the library.

DirectX is a special library for programmers. Used in most cases in game development. The package is available for installation and update on the official Microsoft website. You can find out more about this on the Wikipedia website.

The page on the Microsoft website for downloading the modern version of DirectX - //www.microsoft.com/ru-ru/Download/confirmation.aspx?id=35

An older version of DirectX 9.0c is available at the link - //www.microsoft.com/ru-ru/download/details.aspx?id=34429

Therefore, I recommend watching the requirements the game you launch and see which version of DirectX is installed on your PC.

To find out what DirectX you have on your PC, click:

combination of buttons Win + Rto open the " Execute ";
then enter the command dxdiag and press Enter (see screenshot below).

Run DirectX Diagnostic Tool (DxDiag)

Further in the tab "System" all the necessary data will be presented: the version of your Windows OS, your video card, sound device, BIOS version, and DirectX version (see the red square on the screenshot below).

DirectX Diagnostic Tool / Clickable

To update DirectX Microsoft has a dedicated web installer. Go to the page you want and download it. Next, run, agree to the terms of the license agreement, and wait while the wizard works.

Acceptance of the terms of the persons. DirectX agreements

At the end of the operation, you should see a message that the DirectX installation is complete, the required packages have been updated, etc. Or, alternatively, the wizard will inform you that the new version of DirectX is already installed and does not need to be updated. After that, I recommend restarting your computer and then trying to start the game.

DirectX installation complete

As a rule, after such an update, the game starts working as it should.

ADDITION!

If you do not have the Internet (or it is slow or the Microsoft site is not available, gives an error, etc.), DirectX can be updated using games: almost half of the game discs have a new version of DirectX (note: new at the time of launch, of course) ... Therefore, you just need to take a more or less modern game and, after installing it, update DirectX.

Video driver problem

If the error still appears, perhaps your video card is disabled in the device manager (this can be, for example, in laptops with 2 video cards), or you simply have not updated / installed drivers on the video card.

How to check for drivers and if the video card is enabled

The easiest way is to use Device Manager. To open it:

press the buttons Win + R;
then enterdevmgmt.msc and press Enter.

Launching Device Manager - devmgmt.msc

Next open the tab "Video adapters" , and see if all the video cards are turned on, and if the yellow exclamation mark is lit opposite them (indicating problems with the drivers, for example - ).

The screenshot below shows that one video adapter is disabled and not in use. Often the error with Direct3D is related to this.

Intel HD enabled, NVIDIA disabled

To enable the adapter, simply right click on it and select the function "Engage" ... An example is shown below.

Use the video card

After that, restart your computer, then try opening the game.

ADDITION!

In some cases, one of the video cards may be disabled in the computer BIOS (for example, if you have a discrete and integrated video card on your laptop). To check if this is the case, go to the BIOS, usually in the section MAIN you can find the Graphic mode. An example is shown in the photo below.

How to enter BIOS - //ocomp.info/kak-voyti-v-bios.html

BIOS buttons for different laptop / PC manufacturers - //ocomp.info/goryachie-klavishi-dlya-vh-bios-boot-menu.html

How to update the drivers for the video card:

Method number 1: go to the official website of your laptop manufacturer and download them from there. If you do not know the exact model of the laptop, use the programs to determine the characteristics of the computer - //ocomp.info/harakteristiki-kompyutera.html
Method number 2: use special programs to automatically search for and update drivers. The easiest and fastest option, in fact. In addition, the programs will check the necessary libraries for games (for example, Drive Booster, I recommend) - //ocomp.info/update-drivers.html
Method number 3: work in manual mode through the device manager. For more details see here: //ocomp.info/kak-nayti-i-ustanovit-drayver-dlya-neizvestnogo-ustroystva.html

Use Compatibility Mode

I recently tested a laptop with a relatively new AMD Ryzen 5 2500U processor and came across an interesting quirk ...

I updated DirectX, installed all the necessary drivers, various packages and add-ons for games - however, some games did not start, showing a Direct3D error ... (feature: all games were old, which suggested different thoughts ...).

I was pretty surprised when I opened properties the executable file of the game, went to the tab "Compatibility" and put a tick in front of the item "Run the game in compatibility mode for Windows XP SP 2" - the game began to work normally, there were no more errors related to Direct3D ...

Examples of what to do are shown in the screenshots below ...