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The thing with XP is that it is based on the Windows NT kernel, which started out being shitty for direct-hardware access and 3d acceleration and games. You had to patch Windows NT just to have Direct X 3. Windows 2000 improved, and I think allows up to DX6 or maybe even 7 (I know Diablo 2 runs on Windows 2000). But it's taken them this long to get this far, but XP should be fine for installing the latest versions of Direct X. It even has the "compatability mode" for older Windows-based games. But you shouldn't be hurt by at least TRYING to install DirectX. Windows XP has much research behind it from previous Windows NT versions, and should be okay with games and DirectX any version actually. I just haven't tested it thoroughly because I don't own it, yet.
The thing is, when the decided to eliminate the 9x kernel altogether from the public in putting out Windows XP (because the NT kernel *IS* so damn stable)...they realized they had to fix up the NT kernel to work better with games and other forms of newer direct hardware access...or else home users wouldn't want it because they couldn't use alot of newer devices and such. So Windows XP should be okay with most things, but it can't be guaranteed perfect because it's trying to "emulate" alot of things so it can keep it's stability. It's a price you pay to have a MS operating system that DOESN'T crash every day.
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