I have got a 800MHz P3, GABX2000 motherboard, 128MB RAM, Win98SE, and a TNT2 32MB video card (ancient but have to live with it). I decided to replace the TNT2 with a GeForce 2MX after a clean format and new install of Windows 98SE. Everything goes well and I can play DX7 games with DX7 installed. DxDiag7 reported that all was okay. Then, so I could play Max Payne with HT&L, I installed DX8. Big mistake. I can't run anything in DX8 or DX7 wuth the GeForce 2MX, but it should run! I think its a hardware fault, since DxDiag8 hangs at AGP Texturing...whatever that is. I've replaced the GeForce2 MX with the TNT2 again until I can get a soloution. What's going on?

DirectX7 is all that the GF2MX is capable of. If you want directX8...you'd have to upgrade.

TKS is correct. the GeForce2 MX display card is a DirectX 7 card - it doesn't have Hardware Transorm & Lighting!

But you should still be able to install DirectX8 or DirectX9, and run games. You will not be able to use all the features is all. Many games are 'scalable', which means that although they are DirectX 8 or DirectX 9 games, they can be run with the relevent features disabled. The fact that you cannot run DXDiag is rather strange, and you may have some system corruption, possibly as a result of attempts to install/uninstall drivers (or perhaps DirectX itself) that have not been fully successful.

By far the best way to clean up and repair any system corruption that may have occurred i to format and install fresh.