The Most Frustrating Problem EverFollow

I'm a first time poster and I honestly signed up for an account so I could seek help with my personal FFXI problem - though I would love to have a reason to get back on here!

My main problem is this: when I get through the POL process and go to launch FFXI I (after my first ever install of FFXI on this laptop, I haven't played in years) get the dreaded Direct3D error.
Here's a screenshot of the exact message: http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee74/BretTtucker/Untitled.png
(In case that link doesn't work for someone, it says 'Terminated as error occurred in FINAL FANTASY XI. Failed to initialize Direct3D. Please check that this computer has required specifications to run FINAL FANTASYXI.(-1))

So, instant reaction was to run the DirectX Diagnostics Tool (dxdiag) only to see that my Direct3D is, in fact, working. Here's a screenshot of exactly what I see when I use this tool: http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee74/BretTtucker/Untitled1.png
Confused as to how FFXI could think it wasn't working, I proceeded to pour my heart and soul over the internet, desperately searching for the answer to my delimna.

So, the point I've come to is this: I honestly cannot figure this out and seek guidance.
Things I have tried:
-Editing the registry, with instructions, to set the resolution properly (due to the fact that FFXI Config window comes up blank with only Default (D) - Help (H) - Okay buttons available. I've read that this is a common issue with the recent version of FFXI but who knows how legitimate that claim is?)
-Uninstalling (completely) FFXI and all of its data and reinstalling it (by that I mean I've had to redownload all of the patches and everything).
-Downloading and attempting to use a certain third-party utility to run FFXI which produced the same results.
-Uninstalling my graphics cards and reinstalling the latest possible drivers for them.
-Updating DirectX, which had no use due to the fact that I have the latest version (DirectX11).
-Simply rebooting my PC.
-And now I post for help seeing as how this issue has no foreseeable resolution.

I've read every single thread on every forum that has anything to do with FFXI issues for like 10 pages on Google (no kidding) and the all say the same thing: that its a "resolution setting" issue and must be fixed (via the registry in my experience), that I need to redownload drivers for my graphics card, that I need to try to uninstall and reinstall FFXI and everything inbetween.

It seems to me that no one really has exactly the same issue as me or has not received a real resolution for their problem and has probably abandoned all hope. So, I beg of you, my fellow lovers of Final Fantasy, please assist me - and possibly others - in resolving this issue and getting me in the world of Vana'diel!


As an addendum, my PC specs are as follows:

HP Pavillion dv6 LM720AV
Windows 7 (64-bit)
Intel(R) Core i7-2630QM CPU @ 2.00GHz, 2001 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processors
Graphics Cards (Switchable, one is a simple Intel HD) - AMD Radeon HD 6400M (6450M I believe) with 4GB memory
6GB RAM
750BG HDD, which has plenty of room for the 12GB possible from FFXI.
If I have forgotten any necessary specs, please let me know so I can relay them to you.

Another screenshot that might be helpful is the "System" tab of my dxdiag tool: http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee74/BretTtucker/Untitled2.png

Thanks so much in advance for your help, I'm sorry that this post is so painfully long but I did not want to skimp on the details. This is killing me, I just wanna play some FFXI!

Edited, Apr 27th 2012 10:42pm by brettxtucker

Thanks so much for your speedy reply TybudX and I apologize for taking so long to see this. I'm gonna try it now and hopefully it's the answer I've been waiting for, fingers crossed!

I just remember when I bought a new laptop last year the video card used DirectX 10, and 9.0c wasn't part of the deal. I had to install the package separately. It just worked for me, I don't know where you would look to see if it is installed. Your situation sounded similar to mine with what looks like a new laptop and all, I figured even if it doesn't work you'll still want 9.0c installed. Sorry I can't help more.

edit - I do remember that the install took quite some time. Not like an hour or anything, but it wasn't very quick.

Edited, Apr 27th 2012 11:14pm by TybudX

To add to all of this, I've read more than should be allowed about this problem but it seems to be a problem rooted in DirectX. I've downloaded every possible DirectX file from 8 to 11. I've noticed that in the Steam/SteamApps/ffxi/directx folder there are files pertaining to DirectX (ps: I forgot to mention that I downloaded this from Steam). I tried deleting everything in there and putting only DirectX 9 files in their place. Didn't work, of course because that was a dumb idea, but I'm thinking that if I do a complete whipe of everything FFXI and reinstall overnight tonight it might pick up every possible DirectX file and solve my problem. I hope so, it only makes sense that his issue is based off DirectX seeing that the error message mentions Direct3D. Wish me luck! And thanks for your help so far!

Yeah, I've got it all set up, like I have a new POL ID and everything and I have a Content ID. When I install it from Steam I just put the launcher on the desktop and run it from there, though the same problem appears when I load the game from Steam. I've never been on blugartr, I'm looking for the files but I can't seem to navigate it correctly. I'll try the reinstall method I've thought about and if it doesn't work I can try to just download the files from a different source. Thanks a lot!

I'll give it a shot, thanks! I'm still doing the updates since I uninstalled last night but if this doesn't work I'll try your suggestion. Thanks DomfranciscoOfIfrit

I had this error once on windows Vista. My solution was to disable windows UAC and Aero, then re-install as an administrator account (not "run as administrator") but literally install from an admin account all together. The problem is that FFXI installs as different executables, so while your initial installer is getting administrative permissions, the following pieces are not. You sound like you are using steam to do an install, so it should go very smooth, but otherwise, make sure you have the vista/win7 POL installer as well.

I'm going to try putting any of the DirectX files that aren't in the ffxi folder in there if it doesn't work again. I figured doing so will show the program that I do have the files I need. If not then maybe my issue is much more complicated than I can actually see?

By the way, what is the best way to move DirectX files to the ffxi folder if I need to do so? Drag them from the System32 folder? And how do I figure out which ones belong to DirectX 8 and 9? Thanks!

The problem first is narrowing down the problem. People tend to be running into some strange issues with Steam installs these days. Make sure you do everything as Admin when you install (right-click, run as Admin), also when launching (again, right-click)--just to rule that out as a potential issue. Also, update everything in Steam thorugh it's interface to make sure all that is up to snuff as well.

Also, what is the specific message you are getting? Is it saying it can't find a D3D file, or is it saying it failed to Init D3D? These are two very different issues. If it is simply failing to init D3D, it could very well be that it just doesn't like the resolutions you are trying to use. Go through the FFXI config and set standard resolutions from the menus and try again. This often comes up because someone manually edited the registry keys and it doesn't like the settings, or there are null values set. If you get errors using FFXI Config when trying to write to teh registry, then there is a bigger issue to be addressed.

The missing DLL problem usually comes from files not being properly registered. If the re-install doesn't fix it, you usually wind up having to manually register them through DOS prompt and regsvr32 commands to register each file. Many just opted to copy the missing DLL into the directory of te programs's executables instead, an old way of fixing things back in the old days as some programs would need specific DLL's to function properly. If you wanted to try that route, you would be COPYING them (right-click) and pasting them into the folder. This only resolves an issue if the program is unable to find the DLL, even when it exists in the System32 folder.

The message I'm getting says that it has failed to initialize Direct3D. I have tried to use the FFXI Config tool (yes, the US version) though it just comes up blank with buttons at the bottom that don't do anything. The registry has not been messed with since I have reinstalled FFXI but I had the same error message before I even attempted to look at the registry.

Copying the dll files into my FFXI directory didn't help. Any other suggestions?

Not even this little application will work, haha. It stops unexpectedly.