DirectDraw Initialization Failed on Windows PC

While running a program or game on Windows PC, if you get an Initialization Failed error for DirectDraw, here are some working solutions you may follow. Although DirectDraw is deprecated, you may get this problem if you haven’t changed anything on your PC for a very long time.

Stand-alone DirectDraw is deprecated. It is now is a subset of DirectX. DirectX contains Direct3D which is the primary graphics handling portion of DirectX. It is associated with DirectX API, and it helps to render 2D graphics in any program on a Windows computer. However, if there is an issue with the DirectDraw, your PC may fail to open the program or crash frequently, showing the error mentioned above. That is why you need to follow this article to fix the issue permanently.

DirectDraw Initialization Failed on Windows PC

To fix DirectDraw initialization failed on Windows PC, follow these steps:

Update DirectX
Update the graphics driver
Change Compatibility settings

To learn more about these steps, continue reading.

1] Update DirectX

As DirectDraw is directly linked with DirectX, you must have the latest version of DirectX to fix the issue. Since DirectDraw is deprecated, you might get rid of this problem by updating the DirectX version on your computer. Before doing that, you must know the DirectX version installed on your computer.

For that, you can press Win+R to open the Run prompt, type dxdiag and press the Enter button. It opens up the DirectX Diagnostic Tool on your screen. Here you can find the DirectX Version.

If you are using DirectX 12, you do not need to follow this guide. However, if you are using an old version, follow this step-by-step tutorial to update DirectX.

2] Update the graphics driver

If you have an old edition of your graphics driver, there is a chance of getting this error while opening an app or game on your PC. Drivers help you establish a connection between your hardware and software. However, if you have a faulty driver, you may come across this problem. That is why you need to update the graphics driver on your computer.

If you do not have a graphics card installed on your computer, you may need to open the Device Manager to get the job done. However, if you have a graphics card, you can also contact the manufacturer for the same.

3] Change Compatibility settings

At times, you may need to lower the screen resolution to run an old game or app on your new computer. Instead of changing the resolution of your entire computer, you can use the Compatibility setting to do the same for the app you are getting problems with. To do that, right-click on the app or game, and select the Properties option.

Then, switch to the Compatibility tab, and tick the Run in 640 x 480 screen resolution checkbox.

Click the OK button to save the change. Then, you can try running the app on your computer.

How to fix Failed to initialize DirectDraw in Windows?

To fix the Failed to initialize DirectDraw error in Windows, you need to update the graphics driver and install the latest version of DirectX. Make sure that you have DirectX 12 installed on your computer. If not, it is recommended to get the newest version no matter whether you are using a graphics card or not.

How to fix Failed initializing DirectDraw while opening WinKawaks?

If you get Failed initializing DirectDraw while opening WinKawaks on Windows, you need to open this arcade game in low screen resolution. For that, you need to use the Compatibility mode/setting that your computer already has. Other than that, you can try updating the latest version of DirectX and update the graphics driver on your computer.

Hope this tutorial helped you fix the DirectDraw Initialization Failed error on your Windows PC.

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