DirectX 8.1 Runtime for Windows 98 and Windows Me
Brief Description
Tap into the fun on your computer with this update to the multimedia system services for Microsoft Windows. Microsoft DirectX 8.1 delivers fast performance for DirectX-enabled games and other rich media software.
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Quick Details
| File Name: | DX81eng.exe |
| Version: | 1 |
| Date Published: | 11/8/2001 |
| Language: | English |
| Download Size: | 11.6 MB |
| Estimated Download Time: | 29 min 56K |
Overview
Tap into the fun on your computer with this update to the multimedia system services for Microsoft Windows.
Microsoft DirectX 8.1 delivers fast performance for DirectX-enabled games and other rich media software. DirectX 8.1 also provides support for 3-D graphics acceleration hardware. 
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System Requirements
- Supported Operating Systems: Windows 98; Windows ME
- DirectX 8.1 will not run on Windows 95. The Windows XP operating system includes DirectX 8.1. If you use Windows XP, you do not need to install DirectX 8.1.
- The DirectX installation process requires approximately 55 megabytes (MB) of free space on your hard drive. Once installed, you can delete the installation files. The remaining DirectX files use approximately 15 MB of hard drive space. If you had an earlier version of DirectX installed on your computer, you will see little difference in used space on your hard drive. DirectX 8.1 will overwrite the earlier versions.
Note: After installation, the DirectX 8.1 runtime cannot be removed (uninstalled). The installation process changes core components and makes numerous registry changes within your operating system. Microsoft does not support uninstallation. Top of page
Instructions
- Click Save or Save this program to disk. (Or, you can click Open or Run this program from its current location, although this option is not recommended).
- Run the DirectX 8.1 download package.
- Review the license agreement. If you accept it, you can continue.
- When prompted, click Yes to restart your computer.
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Additional Information
What DirectX Does and How
Simply put, DirectX is a Windows technology that enables higher performance in graphics and sound when you’re playing games or watching video on your PC.
At the core of DirectX are its application programming interfaces, or APIs. The APIs act as a kind of bridge for the hardware and the software to "talk" to each other. The DirectX APIs give multimedia applications access to the advanced features of high-performance hardware such as three-dimensional (3-D) graphics acceleration chips and sound cards. They control low-level functions, including two-dimensional (2-D) graphics acceleration; support for input devices such as joysticks, keyboards, and mice; and control of sound mixing and sound output. Because of DirectX, what you experience with your computer is better 3-D graphics and immersive music and audio effects.
Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, Windows Millennium Edition (Windows Me), and Windows 2000 support DirectX 8.1; the latest version that Windows 95 can support is DirectX 8.0a Top of page
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