After installing Parallels with my Boot Camp partition I've noticed that now when I run dxdiag and look at my DirectX files it says that ddraw.dll, d3d8.dll, and d3d9.dll are old versions and to reinstall DirectX to get the latest versions. The dates on these files correspond with my installation of Parallels. (all the others list 2004) I can confirm that these was not the case prior to installation of Parallels. Can anyone explain why this is?
Also, the DirectDraw test in dxdiag does not work, the first test does not display. Does this test work for others?
I get the same result from dxdiag. I tried re-installing DirectX, but nothing changed. I'm guessing that the three files are not replaced by the installer because they are newer, not older, and the error message is confused because it doesn't recognise the version numbers, or something. But, basically, I think we have to wait for Parallels to get a better DirectX implementation than the current WINE dll translators from DirectX to OpenGL.
I too am interested in hearing Parallel's response to this question. Dxdiag had me confused too, before and after my forcing a DirectX 9.0c reinstall.
I suppose. if you want to live dangerously, you could try deleting those three files before running the DirectX installer. I guess they might then be replaced by the Microsoft ones. But I assume Parallels put those ones there for a purpose, so I've no idea what that would do to your Windows installation.
Please do not delete thses older files.... Those 'older' files are partly DirectX 8.1 files (which is what Parallels is trying to support) and partly WINE files, which are being used by Parallels to convert DirectX calls into OpenGL calls that the Mac knows how to deal with. Do not install DirectX 9 on them, and dont delete them, unless you want what little directx support you have to stop working.
Right now they are using WINE to make DirectX work, and WINE does not have DirectDraw working correctly.... I would bug the WINE people