BleepingComputer.com: ddraw.dll cannot start

Hi there..

I get that message "ddraw.dll cannot start" when I try to load an editor application.

I've run "dxdiag", did the DirectDraw test and this is what it says...

DirectDraw test results: Failure at step 1 (Loading DirectDraw DLL): HRESULT = 0x887600ff (Not found)


What should I do next?

Thanks!
Liz

are you using version 9.0c of direct x?
that is sometimes a problem - in my opinion, version 8.1 is the best for the w9.x series of os

you could install the particular xx.dll that it is calling for - but usually when this situation occurs - it's a list of them - so the easy way is to just download and reinstall direct x

Which version of DirectX are you using?

Just Run: dxdiag.exe to find the version number. I've never had any problems running DirectX 9.0c on Win98SE or WinME. Download and install DirectX 9.0c and see what happens then.

yes reinstall directx 9.0c
should fix your problem
and as Keithuk i never had problems with DX 9.0c on win98 and winME

Yes as ddraw.dll is missing, you should re-install DirectX 9.0c to replace the missing file.

The latest version of DirectX working with Win 9x is DirectX 9.0c 2006 which you can download from here :
http://www.oldapps.com/directx.php?old_directx=13

You can also download latest working DirectX for your system by looking at the table, from this site:
http://www.falconfly.de/directx.htm

Now then first thing I must ask today is: lizard queen which operating system are you using, you haven't stated?.

I think its wrong to assume on here that all users can read forum titles before posting. Sorry this is nothing personal is just my experience.

Romeo29, on Aug 9 2009, 04:02 AM, said:

Now this Dx compability is a strange thing. The last version I downloaded and installed in Win98/ME without a problem is DirectX 9.0c (Nov 2007) whereas oldapps.com say DirectX 9.0c (June 2006) is the last version. Now I've alway had mine from FileHippo and the newer ones I've downloaded have always had a problem unpacking or when you run Dxsetup.exe it report a problem with the files. Even Microsoft say their Mar 2009 version is compatible with Windows 98 in the System Requirements.

Falconfly's table of compatibility is slightly different they say Dec 2006.

I'm just passing on my experience with DirectX.

First off, my apologies for not stating my operating system... it is Win 98SE.

I did reinstall Direct X 8.1 and it said it installed but when i run "dxdiag" all the files say Version 4.09.

I'm downloading Version 9c now but the latest is from Mar/09. Should i be downloading an earlier one instead?

Thanks again, everyone for your help!!

EDIT: Okay, I've downloaded Jun/06 version, extracted to the WINDOWS/TEMP folder, launched the DXSETUP.exe and it gives me the following error message...

"A cabinet file necessary for installation cannot be trusted. Please verify the Cryptographic Services are enabled and the cabinet file certificate is valid"

Although Microsoft says different, my personal experience is that I could install only DirectX 9.0 Dec 2005 edition on Win98 on a friends computer. So you should go for that. Cryptographic service is available only on NT based systems (Win 2000/Xp/Vista) in my opinion.

lizard queen, on Aug 10 2009, 03:48 AM, said:

try google
comes up with so meny entries

Romeo29, on Aug 10 2009, 01:18 AM, said:

I will give that version a try. Thanks for all your help.

lizard queen, on Aug 9 2009, 05:48 PM, said:

I said you would have trouble with the newer versions thats why I said that Nov 2009 was the last one I could get to work on Win98SE.

The cabinet file couldn't be trusted. The sounds like a virus checker or some other firewall you have reply rather than an installation error.

Keithuk, on Aug 10 2009, 06:02 AM, said:

Yes, and I specifically edited my post to say I downloaded Jun/06 instead...

Yes, it could be the firewall... I'll check that out tonight.

Thanks again everyone! You're a great bunch!!


EDIT: Nope, wasn't the firewall. Downloading Dec/05 version now.

EDIT: Nope, that one didn't work either. And I just tried Version 8 which said it installed okay, but I've still got the original ddraw.dll problem.

could it be some thing to do with your drivers ?

Actually DirectX for some users is a pain in the backside. It has no built in uninstaller (though there are uninstallers for XP). You can't install an older version over the top of a newer version. The reason I'm saying this is because lizard queen is having problems with 9.0. If he installed 8.0 then he installed 9.0 maybe it would correct things.

Keithuk, on Aug 11 2009, 06:57 AM, said:

When I installed Version 8, it said it installed properly but when i checked the files thru "dxdiag" they didn't seem to change at all and still had the "ddraw" problem. But I'll assume it did install and will try to reinstall one of the older Version 9's over top of it this evening.

Oh... and "he" is actually a "she"...