   I have a virus......called Windows
  Ive been using SDL for a while now and i finally decide to try either DirectX or OpenGL. Well i flipped a coin and i decided on directX. So i download the SDK from the microsoft site, get a couple of tutorials and then install directx. Everything goes fine and then i get to the screen that says restart now or later i choose now because i want to check it out. My computer reboots and then instead of the desktop goes to this screen that says windows shutdown to protect my computer..blah blah blah... or something like that. So i restart put it in safe mode and unistall directx it should fix the problem right thats what messed up... Well it doesnt so i decide i have to reinstall Windows. I choose the the repair option it takes about an hour and here comes windows. Well now it says i have to activate it. Well on that computer i dont have internet (howd i get directx, downloaded and made a disk) so i have to call takes 10 minutes and it finally works. Now im afraid to install directX. I think im going with OpenGL. Easiest OpenGL/DirectX decision ever. But im curious, anybody know how i messed up? It was DirectX9 on a fairly new computer, windows XPSorry for the description had to vent. 
YOUR ERROR: Putting Windows in Safe Mode. NEVER do that.   R.I.P. Mark OsbackSolo Pa Mi GenteVG-ForceEkim Gram Productions;  1st error) The install messed up. I''ve never had this happen to me...2nd error) Removing the "sdk". I''m guessing you also removed the runtime, and Windows is built heavily on DirectX. When it couldn''t launch it, it freaked out. ;quote:Original post by Ekim_Gram  YOUR ERROR:   Putting Windows in Safe Mode. NEVER do that.   R.I.P. Mark OsbackSolo Pa Mi GenteVG-ForceEkim Gram Productions Why?  That has saved my ass more than once.;  Are you kidding me PlayGGY? All safe mode has done for me is cause problems (mostly on Win98 and ME though). I''ve never gone into Safe Mode under XP.   R.I.P. Mark OsbackSolo Pa Mi GenteVG-ForceEkim Gram Productions;  I agree with PlayGGY. Safemode is good. ;  also, yeah, you can''t install directX.  once you install it, it places permanent changes in windows.  if you uninstalled it before the install completed it probably deleted things that it had made permanent calls to.  So yeah, don''t uninstall directx like that. what version of windows do you have? this sounds like a win95 or 98 kind of issue...-me ;  << I agree with PlayGGY. Safemode is good. >>Sometimes Safemode is required as that is the only way Windows will boot up, right? At least on Win98 on my old AMD at home. But you never want to install/remove programs while in Safemode, correct? I''m not that intimately familiar with Windows. I''m sticking with DX 6.1 SDK for a while Phil P ;  I had a similar problem when I installed DirectX 9 runtime and SDK under WinXP Pro. For some reason the installation was corrupted to the point were I could not play games nor reliably view DirectX graphics.I had to do the very dangerous thing of uninstalling and reinstalling all of DirectX via a DirectX uninstaller off of the web.This is a risky activity but I had no choice. Luckily it worked for me.Oh yes, and safe mode is a lifesaver! ;  I think you got the blaster. Download the patch from microsoft''s site (if you can do that before your computer shuts down again...   My Site