Before updating DirectX, you need to find out which version you currently have installed. In order to find out the version of DirectX installed, you need to run the diagnostic utility.
Find out the version
We call the window "Run". There are two ways to do this.
The first way: click on the "Start" menu, and there we find the "Run" item.
The second way: press the keyboard shortcut "Windows + R" on the keyboard.
In the window that appears, enter the command “dxdiag” and press Enter or Ok. In the new window that appears at the bottom, the version of your DirectX will be indicated. If it is old, then you can update it.
In which cases you need to update:
• version is outdated;
• some games do not start due to the absence of any libraries (files ending in .dll);
• applications do not start (for the same reason).
If everything is fine with you, then before you upgrade DirectX, you need to know what it is for. After all, everything works for you, and you may not see the difference after updating.
What is DirectX
Speaking in the language of a simple user, this is a set of some special programs that are needed to speed up games and various applications.
In a programmer’s language, this is a set of different drivers that form the connection between software and hardware.
If you approach the issue from the point of view of Microsoft developers, then this is a set of low-level interfaces required for various games and multimedia applications. Moreover, DirectX supports 2D-3D graphics, sound and various input devices.
In other words, if DirectX is not available on the computer, then you cannot play weak games normally. Strong (demanding a large amount of resources) games simply will not start. There will also be difficulties with multimedia applications and 3D graphics.
Installation
Imagine a situation when you just installed the operating system. You need to install the DirectX package. It can be downloaded on the Internet without difficulty. Just enter the desired query in the search engine and download. It can also be downloaded from the official Microsoft website. Next, this method will be described.
How to install (how to upgrade) DirectX 9
We go to the download center from Microsoft: DirectX technology. From the proposed list, select the latest version. To do this, click on the link and go to the download page. Next, click "Download." Now run the file direct_XXXX_redist.exe. Instead of xxxx, the version is written there. Most often this is the month and year of release.
After that, in the window that opens, you will be asked to agree to the license agreement. If you want, you can read and then agree. But it’s better to just click the “Ok” or “Yes” button right away. Then you will be prompted to select a temporary folder to extract the installation files there. You can select it by clicking on the “Browse” button. Click “OK” to extract. At the end of the unzipping process, open the folder that you specified earlier. We find there the file DXSETUP.exe. Now the Microsoft DirectX installer window opens. Again we agree with the license agreement. We wait until the installation is completed. We reboot the computer and enjoy the new version or just the installed package of drivers and libraries.
How to update DirectX 11
In theory, for Windows there is no official package from Microsoft over version 9. But there are sets of libraries and drivers versions 10 and 11 that can somehow help with the compatibility of new games and various programs for XP.
Officially, DirectX 10 and 11 are packages for Windows Vista and 7. That is, if you have Windows XP and the game requires some libraries that are not in version 9, then updating the above method will not work for you.
Download on the Internet on extraneous resources. Enter in a search engine something like DirectX 10 for Xp.
Install everything the same way, just instead of downloading from a resource from Microsoft, you download the file from another site. Further, everything will be exactly the same. There are no differences. But, depending on the assembly, it happens that after installation, special additional files for some games appear on the desktop.