Legacy Update: Get back online, activate, and install updates on your legacy Windows PC

Tap into the fun on your computer with this update to the multimedia system services for Microsoft(r) Windows(r).

Microsoft DirectX(r) 8.1 delivers fast performance for DirectX-enabled games and other rich media software. DirectX 8.1 also provides support for the latest generation of 3-D graphics acceleration hardware.

Files

Status: Deleted This download is no longer available on microsoft.com. The downloads below are archives provided by the Internet Archive Wayback Machine from the Microsoft Download Center prior to July 2012.

No files found

File sizes and hashes are retrieved from the Wayback Machine’s indexes. They may not match the latest versions of files hosted on Microsoft servers.

Supported operating systems: Windows 2000

Note: The Windows XP operating system already includes DirectX 8.1. If you use Windows XP, you do not need to install DirectX 8.1.

The DirectX installation process requires approximately 35 megabytes (MB) of free space on your hard drive. After installation, the DirectX download takes 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.

To copy the download to your computer:

1. Click Save to copy the program to any directory on your computer. (Or, you can start the installation immediately by clicking Run, although this option is not recommended).
2. Run the DirectX 8.1 download package.
3. Review the license agreement. If you accept it, you can continue.
4. Restart your computer by clicking Yes at the reboot prompt.