D3D9Drv.dll

[JohnDoe641]

There was a reason that the dx9 driver was removed in the previous patch. It was unfinished and not supported. Plus it had quite a few bugs in it.

Giving out links to it will probably just create more problems than it's worth.

 

[Seyiji]

This thread is almost 7 months old!! I'm not surprised the link dosn't work anymore

If you really wanna try it you can get the dll somewhere in this message use at your own risk!!

Mods plese feel free to delete the link if need be

 

[Slyrr77]

I just wanted to try it. I keep getting random system crashes with my current video card and drivers, so even if this other DLL turns out faulty, it'll still probably be more stable than what I've got now.

I've got an ATI 9800, which works perfectly for every game I've ever tried - EXCEPT any game made using the UT2 engine. This includes UT2003, UT2004, and Raven Shield. With all these games, and ONLY these games, my computer will simply undergo a spontaneous reboot. Nothing seems to trigger it, it just happens. Sometimes just before a map starts. Sometimes in the middle of playing a map. Sometimes in team games. Sometimes in non-team games. It happens at every resolution - every concieveable setting in the display panels. There is no predicting it. This error has pursued me through two operating systems (WinMe and WinXP), two hard drives, three reformattings, and two computers. The only thing remaining is that it's a problem this specific game engine has with this specific video card.

And so far, no one at EPIC, nor anyone at ATI, has made any effort whatsoever to explain it, never mind fixing it. I think they've just made a collective decision to hope that I stop complaining and go away. And so I might.

While my ATI card has performed well with almost every game, I enjoy unreal games above all else. And if ATI won't play them well, then I won't be getting another ATI card when the time comes - I'll be switching back to Nvidia.

But that won't happen until I get another new computer. Which is some ways off. That's why I wanted to try out this DirectX9 driver. It's compatible with the ATI 9800, which is what I have. And even if there are 'glitches' it will be worth it if this driver doesn't make my system shut off randomly like the NON-DirectX9 driver does.

I must say, I've been very disappointed with DirectX-only games. OpenGL always seemed smoother and more stable. But as DirectX is made by Microsoft, perhaps I should not be surprised. DirectX is much like Microsoft itself - much ballyhooed, very big, very 'conventional'. But in the end, ponderous, slow, buggy and faulty - but used simply because everyone else is using it. A self-perpetuating failure.

Sorry to go on like that - thanks for giving me the file anyway. This way I can at least PROVE if it stinks on my system....

In that vein, where do I put it? The UT2004/System folder? Or someplace else? (Still need that info)

Slyrr

 

[hal]

It's not the card.. what are your system specs?

CPU, PSU, MOBO, RAM, DRIVES, PCI CARDS, ETC.

 

[Slyrr77]

This info pulled from "My Computer", and also from what I know as I built the system myself and remember what I bought....

WinXP home edition
Version 2002
Service Pack 2

AMD Athlon 65 Processor (3200+)
2.00 GHz, 1.00 GB of RAM
AGP8x motherboard

ATI Raedon 9800 Pro - AGP 8x
Audigy GAMER card (PCI)
SONY 32x RW-CD rom Drive

2 HDs - 1 primary (containing the OS & games) and 1 secondary for design apps/general storage

And please don't say "just make sure your OS, video card and games have all the latest patches". If patching would have fixed it, it would have been fixed a hundred times over.

Keep in mind, these random shut downs have pursued me through 2 entirely new hard drives, operating systems and computer systems. It happened with an INTEL chip - and it happens with the AMD chip. The only time I have gotten them is after I got an ATI video card and all the time I've had the ATI card. If you say it's not the card, I'll believe you - but I'll need some convincing proof. All the evidence points to the card and the game engine just being flat out incompatible. Why else would the crashes happen only with this card, and only with games using the UT2 engine?

 

[Seyiji]

Follow the instruction in the first post

Nothing has changed

As far as the system instability maybe with all them new fangled parts you could have a power issue or you could be overheating.

What are your UT2k4 settings? If they are on the high side which they probably are since your rig can more than handle the higher setting you may be pushing your system too hard.....try lowering the settings

 

[Slyrr77]

Whoops - shudda read more carefully - thanx

Hmm - looks like it isn't compatible with my system at all, unelss I did something wrong. I changed the user files as indicated (having done similar stuff before to try the GL extensions). But when I try to start the game, it gets to the loading screen, then goes back to the desktop with this critical error text:

UT2004 Build UT2004_Build_[2004-11-11_10.48]

OS: Windows XP 5.1 (Build: 2600)
CPU: AuthenticAMD Unknown processor @ 2004 MHz with 1022MB RAM
Video: RADEON 9800 PRO (6497)

General protection fault!

History: UGameEngine::Init <- InitEngine <- FMallocWindows::Free <- FMallocWindows::Free

Did I err?

 

[OO7MIKE]

I know this thread is old but I wanted to point out that the D3D9.dll performs way better than the D3D.dll. The standard one pauses, hitches, and plays irratic. D3D9 fixed all that on both my gf4 4200 and my 6800.

Yeah the D3D9.dll has issues, quite a bit, but I can live with them. No sprite animation on some things. No menu animation, Power node fields dont animate, background and tires do not rotate in AS-convoy, The highest scored player board doesnt animate and displays off center in DM-Morpheus3.

Seriously, they should update this baby. I'm suprised people can stand to put up with the standard .dll.

 

[TomWithTheWeather]

There is no reason to use it. Other than a few bugs, there is absolutely no difference when using this file. It doesn't unlock any DX9 specific features. There are no visual changes or performance improvements. As a matter of fact, I've heard this file is actually slightly slower than the DX8 version. Using this file with a DX9 based video card won't get you any improvements in any aspect. At least that's what I seem to remember hearing a few people at Epic say...

 

[Slyrr77]

Oh, I'm not looking for IMPROVEMENTS. Just "don't shut off my computer" would be nice - or even "shut off my computer less often". Granted, the shutdowns only happen like maybe once out of every three times I play the game, but that's still often enough to make one wonder why they should bother playing at all.

Any thoughts on why I'm getting this error window when trying to use the d3d 9 dll? Anyone have it happen to them?

 

[Seyiji]

Whoops - shudda read more carefully - thanx

Hmm - looks like it isn't compatible with my system at all, unelss I did something wrong. I changed the user files as indicated (having done similar stuff before to try the GL extensions). But when I try to start the game, it gets to the loading screen, then goes back to the desktop with this critical error text:

UT2004 Build UT2004_Build_[2004-11-11_10.48]

OS: Windows XP 5.1 (Build: 2600)
CPU: AuthenticAMD Unknown processor @ 2004 MHz with 1022MB RAM
Video: RADEON 9800 PRO (6497)

General protection fault!

History: UGameEngine::Init <- InitEngine <- FMallocWindows::Free <- FMallocWindows::Free

Did I err?

Heh it doesn't work for me either....

I guess I should have tried it before I put up the link.

My bad the only thing I can tell ya is to download the patch that has the D3D9Drv.dll file in it

 

[TomWithTheWeather]

That error message is probably caused by the fact that you are using an unsupported, buggy file that was never meant for public release anyway. It's not fully compatible with the current version of UT2k4.

I'd go back to the DX8 version if I were you. You'll have far less problems in the long run. That random shutdown bug is most likely something totally different. I've had it happen to me a couple of times.

 

[hyrulian]

If I remember correctly, the Direct3d 9 driver stopped working since the patch after the one patch that removed it.

 

[Loibisch]

As twtw said, the file was never meant to be released and only accidentaly slipped into one of the patches (I think the first). It stopped working two patches later.

Plus it never really helped with anything in the first place...the game ran and looked exactly the same even when using the "new" D3D9 renderer

 

[Deathmaker]

Slyrr, what is your AGP voltage set to and what PSU are you using?

 

[Slyrr77]

as to that, I don't really know. Where would I look to find out, and does PSU stand for? (While I did build my own system, I'm still no expert in all things computer related, and don't know all the acronyms)

Slyrr

 

[Deathmaker]

You should be able to check/adjust the AGP voltage in the bios. I've fixed a few machines with a similar problem (mine included) by upping the voltage to 1.6/1.7v.

Sorry, PSU = Power Supply Unit. One of the typical issues with an underpowered supply is random reboots under heavy stress, though, it can be down to quite a few other causes (bad ram, overheating, etc) too.

 

[Slyrr77]

Hmm - Can't be bad ram beause I jsut bought new chips beginning last year, and had a diagnostic in fall last year, in which the techies swore on a stack of bibles that "everything was OK".
It can't be overheating because the temperature tracking software I have installed always has everything in the green, and sometimes the crashes happen just after starting a map, and this just after freshly booting up when everything is still cool. Plus, I keep the side panel off my system all the time, so there's plenty of cool air going in.

As written on the receipts, this is what I have:

It's an ANTEC tower, ATX, with 350W P/4amd case
AMD 64 3200+ socket 754 processor
ASUS K8V-DX socket 754 V/A chipset
512 mb PC3200 400mhz 2:5:3DDR ram - (with a duplicate added later to make 1 gig)

I'll try the AGP voltage in bios as you suggest - but what if it's already at 1.7v? And if it's a voltage problem with the AGP, then why does it ONLY happen with Unreal engine2 games? It never happend with Doom3, and while I've gotten lockups in HL2, it's nothing compared to the frequency it happens with in UT2003/4 and RvS...

Edit: Just tried going in to BIOS - I don't see any tabs or setting for changing the voltage that goes to AGP, even in the POWER tabs. Where should I look?
Slyrr

 

[Deathmaker]

Looks like you've already ruled out quite a few things, but that still leaves the psu as a suspect. If it's an Antec supply it could be borderline, especially once you start adding hdd's, optical drives, fans, etc on top of an A64, a gig of ram and a raddy98. If it's a generic jobby, that could well be your problem.

If your agp voltage is already at 1.7v then that's another possible cause ruled out, the Raddy is a hungy card but 1.7v is more than sufficient® As for why it only happens in UT2k4, I have no idea. The same happened with my machine (with ut2k3 though, when I 1st got the raddy about two years ago) and another rig i was upgrading.

 

[Slyrr77]

I just found the setting in BIOS - it was at 1.5. The only other option was 1.7, which is what it's at now. I'll play a few games to see if it crashes again.

BTW - this isnt' the kind of 'overclocking' that could cause overheating/meltdowns/short circuits will it? I don't like overclocking because it wears out your system faster, and if setting the AGP voltage higher will wear out my computer in any way, I'd rather not do it....

Thanks for the advice, and keep it coming

Slyrr