Fix all DiRT Showdown crashes, errors, xlive.dll missing, openal32.dll error, GFWL problems, DX11 Crash, “profile creation failed”, “application could not be closed error”, freezing, lag, framerate issues, no sound, and more with this list of user-contributed solutions. Be sure to thoroughly read through our compilation of fixes to make sure you find the proper solution for your DiRT Showdown game problems.

Fixing DiRT Showdown Crashes, Errors, Xlive.dll Missing, openal32.dll, GFWL problems, DX11 crash, Poor framerate, Application Error, No Sound

First things first, make sure your PC system meets the minimum requirements for DiRT Showdown. If you’re not sure of your PC specs, check this guide on how to check your PC specs.

DiRT Showdown Minimum System Requirements

• OS: Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7
• CPU: AMD Athlon 64 x2 or Intel Pentium D @3.4Ghz
• RAM: 2 GB
• HDD: 15 GB free disk space
• Graphics: 256 MB Graphics Memory
• Sound Card: DirectX 9 Compatible
• DirectX: Version 9

DiRT Showdown Recommended System Requirements

• OS: Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7
• CPU: AMD Bulldozer or Intel Core i7
• RAM: 4 GB
• HDD: 15 GB free disk space
• Graphics: 512 MB Graphics Memory
• Sound Card: DirectX 9 Compatible
• DirectX: Version 11

DiRT Showdown Supported Graphics Cards:

• ATI Radeon HD2000 Series, HD3000 Series, HD4000 Series, HD5000 Series, HD6000 Series, HD7000 Series
• Nvidia GeForce 8000 Series, 9000 Series, GTX200 Series, GTX400 Series, GTX500 Series

DiRT Showdown Crash Fix and Fixes to Errors, openal32.dll, Freezing, Lagging, CTD, Poor FPS, Black screen, No Sound

Problem #1 DiRT Showdown Crash Fix – Crash to Desktop upon Launch / Startup

If DiRT Showdown randomly crashes upon launching the game, ensure or try the following:

1. Update your nVidia / ATI graphics drivers. Check our Technical References page for proper and official download links.
2. Turn off SLI / Crossfire then start the game. See if it stabilizes DiRT Showdown performance.
3. Turn off your anti-virus software before launching the DiRT Showdown, but make sure you turn it back on after playing. Make sure Windows Defender is also disabled.
4. Try using only one GPU first (turn the other one off via your nVidia / ATI graphics control panel)
5. Try running the game in Windowed Mode (frequently works for low-end PCs)
6. Disable anti-aliasing and filtering, restart DiRT Showdown
7. Disable V-sync, restart DiRT Showdown
8. Disable background apps, and turn off your anti-virus software
9. In Windows 7 right-click the DiRT Showdown exe file, go to the ‘Compatibility Mode’ tab and check ‘Disable Desktop Composition’
10. Run through our list of general fixes, which will most likely resolve your DiRT Showdown crash problems

Problem #2 DiRT Showdown Crash Fix – DiRT Showdown Crashes right after pressing the ‘Play’ button

In Windows 7 go the DiRT Showdown installation folder, right-click the DiRT Showdown exe file, go to the ‘Compatibility Mode’ tab and check ‘Disable Desktop Composition.’ Then try running DiRT Showdown once more.

Problem #3 DiRT Showdown Launch Crash Fix – DiRT Showdown “Could not load image”

Go to the DiRT Showdown installation folder and look for the DiRT Showdown .exe file and run it directly from there, rather than using the shortcut or client link.

Problem #4 DiRT Showdown Crash Fix – DiRT Showdown Crashes on Intel HD Graphics Card

Simply do a clean uninstall and reinstall of your Intel Graphics Driver. Check our Technical References page for proper and official downloads.

Problem #5 DiRT Showdown Texture Fix – Bad Textures, Texture Breaks, Texture Glitch on gaming laptop

This is only for gaming laptops, but could work for some PCs. Note that this is an advanced solution, and only try this if other basic solutions such as disabling anti-aliasing and filtering failed for you. If your BIOS has the option, disable ‘Switchable Graphics’. This will remove your laptop PC’s ability to automatically switch between the onboard intel graphics card and the nVidia / ATI graphics chip, thus smoothening out gameplay.

Problem #6 DiRT Showdown Crash Fix – For Quad Core and Multi-Core PCs

If you’re on Quad Core, try this fix to address any crash issues:

1. Start the game
2. Alt+Tab Out of the game
3. Open Task Manager

1. Right click on DiRT Showdown.exe
2. Set Affinity
3. Select core 0 and 1 only. You need to run the game on two CPU’s basically, so to avoid the crash to desktop.

Problem #7 DiRT Showdown Controller Fix – Xbox 360 or Other Controller Doesn’t Work

There are two known possible solutions as of writing for this controller bug:

1. Manually download and install any DiRT Showdown game patch from the official source instead rather than automatically updating via Steam or any similar game client.
2. If you haven’t yet, go to your Windows Control Panel and ensure that the Xbox 360 Controller is enabled. Then, in-game, go to Options > Controls > Customize Controls (or similar menu path) and ensure that the proper controller is selected.

Problem #8 DiRT Showdown Install Error: “DiRT Showdown Install Fails, Cannot Install”

This is a Microsoft C++ bug so the quick fix is to uninstall your C++ files. If you see 2 instances of Microsoft C++, uninstall both of them; and don’t worry, they are easy to reinstall. There are also a couple workarounds online if you don’t want to uninstall them.

Problem #9 DiRT Showdown Game Freeze Fix – Game Freezes during the Intro Video

If you’re using Steam, a quick solution is to verify the integrity of your Steam game cache to resolve the problem. If it persists, ensure that both your graphics drivers and DirectX are updated. Doing both will mostly reduce the occurrences of DiRT Showdown freezing.

Problem #10 DiRT Showdown Crash Fix – Game crashes when launching / upon launch

This is a typical DirectX problem. Just update to the latest DirectX version and voila. If that doesn’t work, reinstall DirectX completely.

Problem #11 DiRT Showdown DirectX Fix – Cannot Install Direct X / Stuck at Direct X Installation

More often than not, this has been caused by other software drivers such as those from Logitech, Razer, Microsoft, etc, which normally control other minor peripherals such as your webcam, special programs, and sometimes your mouse. Simply shut them off and disable them, and try updating/installing Direct X again.

Problem #12 DiRT Showdown Crash Fix – Possible Crash Fix for nVidia users only

Go to Nvidia control panel by right clicking the icon in the taskbar, then manage 3d settings and set ‘Threaded Optimization’ to on.

Problem #13 DiRT Showdown Crash Fix – Possible Crash Fix for ATI/AMD users only

Uninstall Catalyst Control Center (CCC) and try running DiRT Showdown again. For some reason, CCC may at times interfere with the performance of Radeon cards.

Problem #14 DiRT Showdown Graphics Fix – Cannot see main menu, Menu crashes, Dual monitor problems

A common problem when playing on multiple screens. For now, the solution is to unplug other monitors and play on single screen. If that doesn’t work, try playing in windowed mode.

Problem #15 DiRT Showdown Crash Fix – nVidia Optimus Crashes the Game

If you’re using a newer laptop that’s using an nVidia Optimus card, try checking your Optimus settings.

1. Open the “nVidia Control Panel” from your start menu.
2. On the lefthand side, under “Select a task…”
3. Open the “3D Settings” tree, and select “Manage 3D Settings”
4. On the righthand panel, click the “Program Settings” tab.
5. Under “1. Select a program…”, click “Add”, navigate to your installation folder and navigate to the application / exe file.
6. Under “2. Select the preferred graphics…”, choose “High-performance NVIDIA processor”
7. Then (VERY IMPORTANT!) click “Apply” in the bottom right.
8. Launch the game.

Problem # DiRT Showdown Launch Fix – Cannot launch the Game

A common fix is clicking on the DiRT Showdown exe file straight from the installation folder rather than from any launcher/client.

Problem #16 DiRT Showdown Sound / Audio Fix – No sound or weak sound

For Windows 7 and Vista users:

First of all, update your sound card drivers. If doing that doesn’t clear up the problem, make sure you have volume set to max for DiRT Showdown in the volume mixer (click on the little speaker icon in the bottom-right of your screen in the system tray). If you’re in-game, just alt+tab out of the game and check if DiRT Showdown is set to max in the volume mixer.

Another tip you could try is to go to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Sound > Communications Tab then select the “Do Nothing” radio button to permanently fix this issue.

For Windows XP users:

Reduce hardware acceleration, or set your speakers to Stereo.

Problem #17 DiRT Showdown Mouse Fix – Reverse / weird mouse acceleration problem

To quickly fix this, try shutting off your mouse-specific software from Logitech, Microsoft, Razer, and

the like. Also try a lower polling rate, sometimes this is switchable on the bottom-side of the gaming mouse.

Problem #18 DiRT Showdown FPS Fix – DiRT Showdown Lags, freezes, or has poor FPS performance

Try these possible solutions:

1. Usually you can prevent DiRT Showdown from lagging or freezing by disabling vsync and antialiasing on the DiRT Showdown’s exe file via the AMD Vision Engine Control Center (AMD/ATI) or Nvidia Control Panel (nVidia)
2. Alternatively you can stop DiRT Showdown from lagging via your PC task manager. In Windows 7, press CTRL + ALT + DELETE and click on Task Manager, go to Processes, then right-click on DiRT Showdown’s respective exe file and set priority above normal or higher. You must do this every time you play the game.
3. In addition, your anti-virus may be the problem here. There are certain anti-virus software that are not ideal for gaming so, check our Technical References page for some suggestions.
4. If you’re still using Windows XP, upgrade to Windows 7. Honestly, a lot of users have attested this to be the fastest solution they’ve tried.
5. For more advanced users, try enabling/forcing tripple buffering and V-sync using the D3DOverrider software. Check our Technical References page to download D3DOverrirder / RivaTuner.
6. Finally make sure that your Internet connection is stable. This is a commonly overlooked problem especially for online modes / multiplayer games.

Problem #20 DiRT Showdown – Cannot Install DiRT Showdown

Reinstall the game, but please ensure that you’ve fully uninstalled DiRT Showdown from your PC, before trying to install again. In some cases, you may have to manually delete the DiRT Showdown installation folder from the PC in case files remain after uninstalling.

Problem #21 DiRT Showdown – Profile Creation Failed

The following message is received when first logging into the game: “Profile Creation Failed – You must be signed into Live to create a new save for your profile”.

Whenever you create a new profile in the game – which will allow you to save your progress – you must be logged into Windows Live. It is not possible to create a new profile in the game if using an offline profile. The first time you create a profile you will be asked for the Windows Live Key that comes with your game.

Problem #22 How to Setup a Controller in DiRT Showdown

Firstly make sure that your controller is plugged in and functioning correctly in Windows and that you have downloaded and installed the latest drivers for the device from the manufacturer’s website.

You should also ensure that no schemes or profiles are running for your controller. If you are using a steering wheel, we recommend that you set the pedal axes to “separate” rather than combined. This can be done using the software for the wheel itself (e.g. Logitech’s Wingman software).

1. From the game’s main menu, select options – controls.
2. Here you can choose between automatic and manual transmission and choose your Advanced Wheel Settings if using a wheel.
3. If you have one of the officially supported controllers (see notes below) you can choose to load a preset configuration for this device, or for the keyboard, or
4. If you wish to create your own custom settings or setup an un-recognized controller, scroll down to each function you want to re-define and press enter, then move your controller or press the button you wish to use. The new function should now appear in the list.
5. Do this for all of the functions you wish to change and, when you are happy with the settings, press escape.
6. If you wish to adjust your force or vibration settings, you can do this from the Vibration and Feedback menu.

Additional Notes:

In the Advanced Wheel

Settings, Dead Zone is the amount you can steer the wheel (or press a pedal) before it has any effect. Saturation is the amount you can steer the wheel before it reaches full lock.

The officially tested and supported controllers are as follows:

• Xbox 360 Controller for Windows
• Logitech Rumblepad 2
• Thrustmaster Run’n’Drive
• Run’n’ Drive Rumble Force
• Thrustmaster T-Mini 3-In-1
• Dual Trigger 3-In-1
• Thrustmaster Dual Analog 3 (ensure official Thrustmaster drivers are installed)
• Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel
• Logitech G25 Wheel
• Logitech G27 Wheel
• Logitech Formula Force EX Force Feedback Wheel
• Thrustmaster T500RS Racing Wheel
• Thrustmaster Ferrari 430 Force Feedback Racing Wheel
• Thrustmaster RGT F/F Pro

Problem #23 DiRT Showdown – Application Should be Closed

The following error is received when installing the game: “The following applications should be closed before continuing the install: DiRT Showdown?.

If you press “retry” after a short while the installation will continue. Otherwise if you click on the DiRT Showdown Window on your task bar and select Finish, this will also complete the installation.

Problem #24 DiRT Showdown – xlive.dll is Missing

The following error message is received: “The program can’t start because xlive.dll is missing from your computer”. If you receive this error immediately after installing the game, you may just need to wait for the Windows Live installation to complete in the background. If you still get the error after waiting for 5 minutes or so, please do as follows:

1. Uninstall Microsoft Games for Windows Live from the Windows control panel.
2. Delete the following folder: C:Program FilesMicrosoft Games for Windows – LIVE
3. Now re-download the latest GfWL client from here.
4. Reinstall this new client.
5. Try the game again.

Problem #25 DiRT Showdown Won’t Run

Make sure you install the DirectX that comes with the installation. Especially, the game won’t run if you don’t have Games For Windows Live installed properly.

Problem #26 DiRT Showdown Controls are Not Saving – Profile Saving Fix

If you are using any controller connected to your PC for the game, use any button on it to start the game. Don’t press any keyboard button when the menu that says ‘Press Start Button’ comes, wait for the game to react to your controller and once it does, you will have to use the same button to start the game everytime. That’s your start button basically, from there onward, the controls will save.

Problem #27 DiRT Showdown Hardware Sound

DiRT Showdown by default has the Hardware Sound option removed. So, it would be better to keep it this way since the game doesn’t really support the feature.

Problem #28 Stuck in Windowed Mode

If you are stuck in windowed mode, hold Alt and press Enter to return back to full screen.

Problem #29 DiRT Showdown – Can’t Log in to Games For Windows Live

When presented with the ‘Sign In to Windows Live’ dialogue, you can type into the ID box, but not into the password box, so the log-in fails.
Cancel out of that screen and get into the game in “Offline Mode”. Once at the main menu, you’ll see an option for LIVE, login from there.

Problem #30 DiRT Showdown DirectX 11 Crashes

Playing the game on DirectX 11 ? crashing randomly ? delete ‘hardware_settings_config’. You can find the file in:
My Documents / My Games / DiRT Showdown / Hardware Settings and restart your computer to fix this issue. If it still doesn’t resolve the issue, try playing the game in windowed, it’s not really a fix but a workaround till developers patch the game.

Problem #31 DiRT Showdown – Youtube Blocked Connection Restricted

If you have very restrictive profile in GFWL, you may want to tweak it a bit to allow youtube upload.

Problem #32 DiRT Showdown Green/ Black Screen Fix

If you experience the black or green screen issue with DiRT Showdown, delete your config file and when you reconfigure, put your anti aliasing to max 8x.

Problem #33 DiRT Showdown Data Execution Prevention

Make sure you have installed and update your Windows OS required for the game. Check minimum settings for the game before you attempt to play.

Problem #34 DiRT Showdown – Can’t Download Free Car Pack

Try download it from from marketplace client.

Problem #35 DiRT Showdown – Driving Wheel Dead Zone Fix

Figuring out, will let you know when I find anything. If you have found anything, share.

Problem #36 DiRT Showdown – Crashes at Loading Screen

If you experience loading screen crashes or random crashes while playing the game, try disabling all the inactive audio devices from your

computer. Leave only the one you use.

Problem #37 DiRT Showdown – Random Crashes Fix

If you are experiencing random DiRT Showdown crashes while loading the races or playing the game. Run the game in Direct X 9 instead of using DirectX 11 to render the game.

You can change it in ‘hardware_settings_config.xml’ which can be found in /My Games/DiRT Showdown.

Problem #38 DiRT Showdown Framerate Drop Cockpit View

If your FPS drop consistently while in cockpit view, make sure you have disabled Vsync and have 4x AA with latest drivers.

Problem #39 DiRT Showdown Driving Force GT Wheel: Fixed

You get no response from the wheel while trying to play the game with it. Do the following steps in order to resolve the issue.

Steps to resolve this problem:

1. Uninstall the Logitech Gaming Software.
2. Removed the wheel from your computer then go to start menu and typed ‘regedit’ in run.
3. This will bring up the registry editor and from there click ‘Computer’ at the top to make sure you’d search the entire registry. Now press F3 to bring up the search function.
4. Type ‘Driving Force’ in to the search box and Press Enter, now it’ll search the registry for any matches. Once it found one, click Del on the keyboard and enter to delete it. Delete all entries you find, don’t worry if you can’t delete few.
5. Plug-in the Logitech DFGT back into the computer. Once it is detected, install the latest drivers you downloaded in the first step.

Problem #X Yours! Post your DiRT Showdown game issues in the comments section below.

That’s all the DiRT Showdown crash fixes we have for now, but we’ll post more as soon as we get more information — Let us know if you’re encountering other DiRT Showdown problems and we can help you out by participating in the comments / forum section below.

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