TrashPanda wrote on 2023-01-03, 11:06:
I cant remember exactly when MS started their silly mini redistributable DX versions, it may have been mid 9.0c when every damn game on steam had its own version of the D3d 9.0c Dll.
I'm not aware of any redist packages, downloadable or included with games (EDIT: retail ones; I haven't checked how steam does it), that are missing older DX files, EXCEPT for the last one, June 2010.
June 2010 only contains the files to update the existing DX files, so if you don't have the base 9.0c and older installed (if they don't come with Windows itself, that is), you won't get them. That's probably why the minimum system req for the June 2010 redist is XP SP3 (although it can be installed on SP2, since it already has 9.0c).
All pre-June 2010 redists should include all the DX files. (EDIT 2: To clarify, redists after Dec 2006 do not include base DX files for Windows 9x anymore; only Windows 2000 and higher.)
EDIT:
I just tested installing the June 2010 redist on XP SP1 in a VM and it doesn't, throws an incompatibility error. Feb 2010 installs fine.