[SOLVED] DirectX Encountered an Unrecoverable Error

Developed by Microsoft, DirectX is an Application Programming Interface (API) that allows any software to use resources from the Graphic Processing Unit. It handles tasks related to 3D image generation, multimedia, or game programming on the Microsoft platform. 

Since DirectX is crucial for applications that use graphical memory excessively, any error or complication when using the DirectX file may abruptly close the entire application. Or sometimes, the application may not even start. This will result in the application giving you an error message saying, “DirectX encountered an unrecoverable error.”

No matter the cause, there are several solutions you can perform that might fix the error. This article explains a few simple solutions you need to perform to fix the issue.

What Causes DirectX Encountered Unrecoverable Error?

Although the issue is most likely with the system running a lower version of DirectX, there are cases where a faulty memory or outdated display adapter driver causes the issue.

How to Fix DirectX Encountered Unrecoverable Error?

Before we jump into the solutions, make sure that your system satisfies the application’s minimum system requirement. If the DirectX version on your system is lower than the one mentioned in the system requirement, the application will run into “DirectX encountered an unrecoverable error.”

To compare your DirectX version,

1. Press the Windows + R key to open Run.
2. Type dxdiag, and press enter to open DirectX Diagnostic tool.
3. In the System tab, under System Information, check the DirectX version.
   
4. Now check the DirectX version on the application’s minimum system requirement.

If your system does not satisfy the minimum system requirement condition of the DirectX, you need to upgrade your graphics card or update DirectX to increase your DirectX version.

However, if your DirectX version is equal to or more than the system’s requirement recommended version, try performing the solutions mentioned below.

Disable Overclock

Although overclocking the system will improve your system’s performance, if done incorrectly, it may make your entire system unstable. To be specific, overclocking your GPU may also cause graphics memory management issues. This, in turn, may affect the DirectX in your system.

You can check if this is causing the issue by disabling any overclock settings in your system. You can reset your BIOS settings to disable any overclock done in the system.

1. Enter the BIOS by pressing the BIOS key repeatedly during startup. The BIOS key could be any of the function keys or the Delete key. 
2. Once in the BIOS, check for settings named Reset, Load Default, or Load Default Settings. This indication may vary depending on the laptop you use.
   
3. Save and exit the BIOS. The system will restart and reset all your previous settings from the BIOS.

Since this is a graphics-related issue, make sure you revert overclock settings in the graphics card.

If you have overclocked GPU using overclocking software, the system will overclock components once the OS boots. To fix this, you need to turn down any overclock performed in an overclocking application.

If turning down the overclock does not fix the unrecoverable issue, you can try removing the overclock software from the PC.

1. Press the Windows + R key to open Run.
2. Type appwiz.cpl and press Enter to open Program and features.
3. Click on the application you want to remove and select Uninstall.
   
4. Restart your PC and run the application causing the issue to check if the problem is fixed.

Turn Off Overlay

Users on many Q&A forums have reported that turning on overlay on certain applications triggers a “DirectX encountered an unrecoverable error.” Disabling overlay from certain applications should fix unrecoverable errors in DirectX.

Here are some common applications that might be installed on your system that displays overlay functionality.

• Discord
• MSI Afterburner
• Riva Stats Server
• Razer Cortex
• GeForce Experience

The list mentioned above is only some of the common and most used applications. Depending on your system, other applications on your PC might support on-screen displays. Make sure you disable overlay on them all.

Check Event Viewer

The event viewer keeps a record of all the events in your system. If the above two fixes do not work, you can check the event viewer to see if it records a specific error. And using this, you can try to fix the issue.

1. Press the Windows + R key to open Run.
2. Type eventvwr to open Event Viewer.
3. On the left panel, go to Windows Logs > Application.
4. In the middle pane, check for records near the time of the actual error message. 
   
5. Once you find the error in the event viewer, double-click on it.
6. In the general tab, you can see the source of error, Event ID etc.. 

There may be a multitude of things that may be causing the error message. Depending on the source of the issue, you can refer to the internet to search for specific cases and ways to fix them.

Edit Registry Settings

The registry contains the database of all your Windows settings. On running major Windows operations, the OS constantly references the registry. Wrong settings in the registry will make your system unstable and may even force-stop an application. 

Once specific settings, you can try changing in the registry is one of the values in PROTOCOLS key. Resetting this value should fix the issue with DirectX.

Before changing the registry values, make sure you back up the entire registry.

1. Press the Windows + R key to open Run.
2. Type regedit and press enter to open Registry Editor.
3. Paste Computer\HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\PROTOCOLS\Filter\text/xml in the registry’s address bar and press Enter.
4. On the left panel, right-click on text/xml and select Delete.
   
5. Once you delete this file, restart your PC to save the changes made to the registry.

Update Display Adapter Drivers

Outdated drivers will have many bugs and errors that may hamper its device performance. Since DirectX is a link between the application and the GPU, an outdated display driver may also be causing the DirectX unrecoverable error. 

Therefore, you must ensure all your drivers are up to date.

If you are using an iGPU, 

1. Press the Windows + X key to open Device Manager.
2. Expand Display adapters.
3. Double-click on the device listed in the Display adapters.
4. Click on Drivers tab and select Update Driver.
   

You will need to download the latest driver from the internet if you are using a dedicated GPU.

If you are using an NVIDIA driver, you need to download the latest driver from NVIDIA’s official driver download center. If you are using an AMD driver, you can download its driver from AMD’s official download center.

Once the download process is complete, run the file to install the latest driver.

Repair Game Files

Sometimes, an incomplete or interrupted download may cause the OS to download partial game files. Furthermore, these files may get corrupted or infected with malware. This may be why the application displays a “DirectX encountered an unrecoverable error” message.

To fix this, you can try repairing your game files. Depending on the client you are using, there are several ways you can repair your game files. Usually, the option to repair game files is located in your game setting that you can access from its client. 

Reconfigure Display Resolution

Scale and display resolution may affect if you use an application on a full screen, especially games. DirectX may face complications when switching between the two resolutions when the application and the OS run on a different resolution. 

You need to make sure that both the game and your OS run on the default monitor resolution.

1. Press the Windows + I key to open Settings.
2. Go to System > Display.
3. Select Scale and Display resolution to the Recommended one.