Installing DirectX 9 in Windows 7

[ndicki]

Has anybody tried it?

I found this article:

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_other-gaming/use-of-directx-9-in-windows-7/4e3a469a-35c6-45f4-83ab-d5147a8205a7

so I did as it said and installed DX9.

The MOS Editor still wouldn't work, so I added the old Managed DX9 file that's been around for ages, and lo and behold, when I tried the MOS Editor, it worked - and when I tried CFS3, the specular textures were working normally, as they used to with Windows XP.

Have I doscovered something, or is this all old hat?

[gecko]

I'm trying this as soon as I get home. Sadly, that won't be till tomorrow. Sounds very interesting, I hope I can replicate your results. My earlier attempts gave me the same results as some reported in that thread, but they got theirs worked out so hopefully I can too.

[ndicki]

Ok, 2nd try - it doesn't work after all... The reflective layer works, but not the specular. Back to the drawing board...

[gecko]

If you can use a hex editor you can try my tutorial. A bit labor intensive, but if you really want those specular effects (not the washed out shaders.xml tweak) it will get you (mostly) there.

[popsaka]

Though I've been in possession of "the old Managed DX9 file that's been around for ages" many times through the years, alas
I seem unable to procure it now... (and I'm not even sure I need it :mixed-smiley-027:)

What do y'all think my best next move should be?

...only here at ye old 'outhouse can one have all the answers one moment and be clueless the next...

[hairyspin]

Though I've been in possession of "the old Managed DX9 file that's been around for ages" many times through the years, alas
I seem unable to procure it now... (and I'm not even sure I need it :mixed-smiley-027:)

What do y'all think my best next move should be?

...only here at ye old 'outhouse can one have all the answers one moment and be clueless the next...

If you would care to glance at the stickies above, you might find some answers! Managed DirectX is in the downloads here at SOH, CFS3 Utilities (http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/local_links.php?catid=159) section.


@Nigel, I've had DirectX 9 on my Win7 rig since Win7 was first installed - as well as CFS3, I also run FSX. Unless you use Daniel's m3d tweak you won't get specular textures showing in CFS3, they rely on a DirectX 8 shader afaik which Win7 doesn't support. So we keep an XP drive going for product testing!

[MajorMagee]

I've been modifying all of my m3d files for compatibility with Win 7 Specular turned on and AnKor's new d3d8.dll. What I don't know is what they would look like back in XP. If they still looked fine, then we could just update everyone to the new standard, but if they go all dull and flat then we'd have to keep two versions of every aircraft. If there is someone still running XP I could send you a test file or two for a side-by-side comparison.

[HouseHobbit]

Okay even with my Secret decoder ring, I still haven't a clue.. :banghead:

But. I am very interested if possible to get the shine back on My beloved CFS3 sims with my Win 7 machine.
I often use my (old) E-machine, with XP because it all looks better..
if possible to set up Win 7 for this.
I am interested..
Not that I am completely sure I have a grasp of this yet..
:dizzy:

[ndicki]

I've given up. In W7, the graphics look flat and charicatural, and so I've gone back and reinstalled XP. I can't do a dual-boot in the end, because of the BIOS settings - in XP it has to be set to IDE mode, while in W7, it's AHCI. There are no SATA AHCI drivers for XP for H87 boards, so I can't slipstream them.

On another tack - has anybody tried using a virtual XP machine?

And as for hand-editing the aircraft - have you seen how many I have? Perhaps it would be a viable idea to upload pre-hacked m3ds. I don't expect anybody would get upset if the originals have been released through or for SOH...

[MajorMagee]

I've been working on mine since Christmas break and I still have quite a few left to convert, so I agree it's a daunting task. I have the advantage at this point of being able to see just what to change without having to think about it too much so each one goes pretty fast. There is a bit of overhead to the process of making a back-up, opening the file, edit, save, run the game and check the result. For some, both the main textures and the cockpits need changing, and now with the self-shading dll there are some additional edits required to prevent a new graphics problem with reflective layers. The results are worth it, but I realized this amount of work is not for everyone.

The idea of uploading everything I've already done so others can use it makes sense, but I'm cautious about getting the permissions involved for a public posting of so many other people's work. That and it's almost just as much work to go back into every folder again and grab a copy of the m3d files as it was do do the edits. Perhaps I can just provide some select ones to individuals to address a particular situation.

[hairyspin]

There are no SATA AHCI drivers for XP for H87 boards...

Ouch! :banghead:

[ndicki]

Ouch! :banghead:

My words exactly. It didn't even occur to me to look...

In the end, I suppose I will have to admit defeat. This computer runs nicely in XP/IDE mode, but it doesn't run as well as it might.

[MajorMagee]

I've sent some files to Owen for an XP versus Win7 comparison.

What we're looking at is:
XP Specular Rendering with original files
Win 7 Specular Rendering with original files
XP Specular Rendering with modfied files
Win 7 Specular Rendering with modified files
XP Specular Rendering with modified files and AnKor's Self-Shadowing Shaders
Win 7 Specular Rendering with modified files and AnKor's Self-Shadowing Shaders

[ndicki]

Meanwhile, back in XP land, I'm getting 60+ FPS low over central Paris with seven or eight aircraft up including AH Spitfire Is*, some clouds and all sliders on 5 except clouds on 3. Why complain...

Interested to hear what Owen says after comparing the two methods...

*The AH Spitfire I is not very FPS friendly, and used to cause me trouble. Once. :a1310:

[HouseHobbit]

Have the files, Thanks Andy..
I will give this a go.
And see the difference between the XP (direct X 9) and
the Win 7 machine,
anything that would improve the Win 7 shine/appearance would be welcomed..
:applause:

[gecko]

Please post some screenshots Owen so we can see how each one looks.