Crimson Skies: Error Message: Sorry, Crimson Skies Requires a Sound Card Compatible with DirectX 7.0 or Later (316974)

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to start Crimson Skies, you may receive an error message similar to the following:

Sorry, Crimson Skies requires a sound card compatible with DirectX 7.0 or later. Your sound card does not appear to be compatible. Obtaining the latest drivers from the sound card manufacturer and installing them may resolve this.

CAUSE

This behavior occurs when any of the following conditions are true:

Your sound card is not compatible with Microsoft DirectX 7.0.
Your sound card drivers are outdated.
You do not have your sound card set as the preferred device to playback sounds.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this behavior, use the following methods in the order in which they are presented.

Update Sound Card Drivers

To update your sound card driver, contact the manufacturer of your sound card to inquire about how to obtain and install the latest version of the sound card driver.

For information about how to contact the manufacturer of your sound card, click the appropriate article number in the following list to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

65416 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, A-K

60781 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, L-P

60782 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, Q-Z

Set Sound Card As Preferred Device

If updating the sound card drivers does not resolve the issue, follow these steps:

Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
Double-click Multimedia.
On the Audio tab, point to the arrow in the Preferred device box, and then click your sound card.
Click to select the Use only preferred devices check box.
Click Apply, and then click OK.
Quit Control Panel, and then restart the computer.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about solutions to sound problems in Crimson Skies, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

274836 Crimson Skies: Game Sounds Are Not Played Correctly