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Usually, once the download and installation wraps up, DiRT 3 Complete Edition should run smoothly every time people launch it. That being said, reports of DiRT 3 Complete Edition not launching still pop up every now and then.Have a hard time getting DiRT 3 Complete Edition to launch on your PC? Then check out this article and learn what must be done when DiRT 3 Complete Edition won’t launch.
DiRT 3 Complete Edition Won’t Launch: Advice
Open The Game In Full Screen
Playing DiRT 3 Complete Edition in windowed mode might interfere with the performance of some features. If you usually play the game windowed mode, press Alt and Enter to open the game on the full screen.
Download OpenAL
OpenAL is an abbreviation for Open Audio Library and DiRT 3 Complete Edition needs it to run. If your DiRT 3 Complete Edition won’t launch, it’s strongly recommended that you install
Note: If you already have OpenAL installed but still Dirt 3 Complete Edition won’t launch, check on the software’s location. If it is in C:\Windows\System32, copy and paste it to this location: C:\Windows\SysWOW64 folder.
Update Graphics Card Drivers
All in all, graphics card drivers support the communication between computers and graphics cards. Usually, Windows will automatically keep drivers up-to-date by downloading updates from time to time. However, if DiRT 3 Complete Edition won’t launch on your computer, you should consider updating graphics card drivers.
To update your graphics card drivers, press Windows + R to open Run, type devmgmt.msc and hit Enter to open Device Manager. Next, right-click your graphics card then choose Update driver.
Note: You recently upgraded your OS from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10? Then there is a chance that the upgrade is responsible for the launching issues of DiRT 3. Things would return to normal once you downgrade the Windows 10 beta video driver instead of the entire OS to the Windows 8.1 drivers version.
Repair With C++ Redistributable
- Step 1: Navigate to the game folder on your PC (C:/Program Files x86/Steam/Steam Apps/Common/DIRT3 Complete Edition).
- Step 2: Find a folder named “vcredist”, open it and enter “2010” folder.
- Step 3: Click the x86 version of C++ Redistributable, choose Repair and run the game again.
Uninstall And Reinstall
Installing the apps and drivers might not work. If this happens to you, you will have to uninstall and reinstall the game. However, you will not have to reinstall the entire game.
- Step 1: Go to the games folder, cut “audio” “tracks” and “cars” folders and paste them to a temporary location.
- Step 2: Following the move of such folders, uninstall the game via Steam. Next, move the three folders back into the “DiRT 3 Complete Edition” folder. (Tramadol)
- Step 3: Reinstall the game via Steam.
Lessons
- Do not use Steam or any of its passwords on untrusted websites. You can tell that you are logging in to the official Steam by checking on your browser’s address bar when logging in to the website. The bar should have “Valve Corp” and a padlock icon displayed in green color.
- After installing a program like DiRT 3 Complete Edition, consider performing a clean reboot. This will eliminate conflicts that are likely to occur after installing new software.
How Can I Report A Bug In Dirt 3 Complete Edition?
Steam has a special forum for reporting bugs for DiRT 3 Complete Edition. The forum is there to assist the players: the admins promise a fast response to fix buges. When reporting a bug, use a clear and descriptive title then indicate your system spec. Afterward, state the steps you went through when the issue appeared. Finally, consider stating about the version of the game you are using, whether you have ever used the old version, and if you have uninstalled it or not.
Is It Worth Keeping OpenAL?
OpenAL might appear to be useless, but in a real sense, it is essential software for some applications. For instance, OpenAL is helpful in offering 3D realism in DiRT 3 Complete Edition. It also comes with an audio card great for boosting your game’s audio capabilities.
Chris started playing PC games in the 1980s, started writing about them in the early 2000s, and (finally) started getting paid to write about them in the late 2000s.
Following a few years as a regular freelancer, PC Gamer hired him in 2014, probably so he’d stop emailing them asking for more work. Since 2019, he started providing game reviews & tips for Grateful Dead Game. Chris has a love-hate relationship with survival games and an unhealthy fascination with the inner lives of NPCs. He’s also a fan of offbeat simulation games, mods, and ignoring storylines in RPGs so he can make up his own.