[SOLUTION] shaderapidx9.dll related crashes on Vista
I've seen plenty of posts around here asking for help with games crashing on Windows Vista and shaderapidx9.dll being cited as the cause. I had the same problems myself, and none of the fixes i found worked (Steam's FAQ page, the resolution tricks, etc).
So I went around and googled. The problem has to do with a WMI problem in Vista. It seems to be caused after installing certain versions of AIM and other IM programs from what I've seen. This happened to me after I installed the newest "classic" version of AIM.
It seems that valve knows the problem has to do with WMI, but looking at their support page for it, they dont have the solution.
Anyway, I came up with this after looking on MS forums.
BEFORE you do this, make sure this is actually the problem. One easy way to tell is by trying to access the "Network and Sharing Center" or by looking at the network icon in your taskbar. If you cant get into the network center or if the network icon has a red X and youre sure you are connected to something, then you have a WMI problem.
Another way to check is by going into Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Computer Management > Services and Applications (on the left menu) > WMI Control > More Actions (on the right) > Properties.
If theres a WMI issue, you'll see some sort of error saying access denied.
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For users with Windows Vista Ultimate or Business editions:
(Credit goes to blueshot from MS forums)
>>Right click "Computer"
>>Click "Manage"
>>Double click "Users and Groups"
>>Click "Groups"
>>Right click "Administrators"
>>Click "Add to group..."
>>Click "Add"
>>Click "Advanced"
>>Click "Find Now"
>>Double click "Local Service"
>>Click "Ok"
>>"NT Authority\Local Service" should show up in the list now
>>Click "Ok"
>>Close Computer Management and reboot.
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For users with the Home editions of Vista:
(Credit goes to SWAndersen)
Go to the command prompt (hit run and type in cmd.exe)
and type this in:
net localgroup Administrators /add Local Service
(optional)
then you can type this in:
net localgroup Administrators
and if LOCAL NT AUTHORITY/SERVICE is listed, then it worked. Now go reboot.
