SADX Troubleshooting Guide

This guide is meant to help beginner players get SADX working with mods. It addresses some of the common problems and errors related to game and mod installation.

Common errors

Game doesn't start (no error message)

In Windows Explorer, right click sonic.exe and select Properties. In the Compatibility tab, click Change high DPI settings. Tick Override high DPI scaling behavior at the bottom and select Application in the dropdown.

To avoid this issue in the future, use the SADX Mod Installer, which patches the game to not require this workaround.

If the above fix doesn't help, see if you have the file dsound.dll in your SADX folder. This is a DirectSound wrapper used by the Sound Overhaul mod. Try renaming this file to something else.
If you have multiple monitors, try changing the Screen in SADX Mod Manager's Display tab.

"Windows Media Player 9 is not installed" error

SADX relies on Windows Media Player components, which are missing in some versions of Windows. To install Windows Media features on Windows 10, do the following:

In the Settings app, go to Apps, Apps & features, Optional features.

Click Add a feature, find Media Feature Pack and install it.
Restart your computer. The error should now be gone.

For older versions of Windows see this list for further instructions.

Missing music and/or character voices

Check if your game has music and voice files. There should be ADX files in:

Sonic Adventure DX\SoundData\BGM\wma and Sonic Adventure DX\SoundData\voice_us\wma

or WMA files in:

Sonic Adventure DX\system\sounddata\BGM\wma and Sonic Adventure DX\system\sounddata\voice_us\wma.

If you can't find them, use the SADX Mod Installer or install the ADX Audio mod manually.

Make sure music and voices are enabled in SADX Mod Manager. In the Sound tab, make sure Music Volume and Voice Volume are not 0 and Enable Music is checked. In the Codes tab, make sure Disable Music and Disable Voices are unchecked.
Click the volume icon in Windows' system tray and check if the sound is going through the correct output device. If you have multiple output devices and don't know which one is correct, try switching between them. For most cases, it should be Speakers or Headphones, or the model of your monitor if it has built-in speakers. Don't select S/PDIF or Optical if you aren't sure you're using it.

Missing sound effects

Check if your game has sound effect files. There should be DAT files in Sonic Adventure DX\SoundData\SE or in Sonic Adventure DX\system\sounddata\se. If they are missing, you need to reinstall the game or copy these files manually from the original game's CD 2. If you have the Steam version, reinstall it and use the SADX Mod Installer.
Click the volume icon in Windows' system tray and check if the sound is going through the correct output device. If you have multiple output devices and don't know which one is correct, try switching between them. For most cases, it should be Speakers or Headphones, or the model of your monitor if it has built-in speakers. Don't select S/PDIF or Optical if you aren't using it.
Look for the file dsound.dll in your SADX folder. Try renaming this file to something else and see if sound effects come back.

The game skips videos

Check if your game has video files. There should be MPG files in Sonic Adventure DX\system. The intro is called RE-US.mpg. If it is missing, you need to reinstall the game (and run the SADX Mod Installer if you have the Steam version).
Make sure the Disable Videos and Skip Intro codes are unchecked in SADX Mod Manager's Codes tab.
If you have any software that affects video playback, such as ffdshow, LAV, Smooth Video Project etc., you might need to disable or uninstall it.
See the steps for the "Windows Media Player 9 is not installed" error

"DLL error - The specified module could not be found" error on loading a mod

There are several things that can cause this error:

The required Visual C++ runtimes are missing. Most mods are compiled with Visual Studio 2015-2022, so you need this runtime to load them. Older mods may be compiled with Visual Studio 2013 or 2012. There is a list of runtimes with download links on this page. You need the x86 version of each runtime.
DirectX 9.0c end-user runtime is missing. You can download it here.
The mod is missing the DLL file. In SADX Mod Manager, right click the mod and select Verify integrity. If any errors are detected, let the Mod Manager repair the mod and try again. If no errors are found, contact the mod developer.
The DLL file was compiled in Debug mode. If you have all the runtimes installed, the mod DLL file exists and you are still getting the error, contact the mod developer.

"Direct3D Reset Failed: D3DERR_INVALIDCALL" error during gameplay

This error occurs when the Direct3D device handle used by the game becomes invalid. This can happen when other 3D programs or games take control of the Direct3D device, or when User Account Control (UAC) dims the desktop. To avoid this issue, you can do the following:

Avoid running other programs (especially those that require elevation) while the game is running.
Enable "Resizable Window" in SADX Mod Manager's Graphics settings.

Ingame issues

Can't rebind keyboard keys

Keyboard binds from the Steam version won't work on the modded game because the modded game is based on an old version of SADX that doesn't support custom keybinds. However, you can rebind keys with the Input mod and a configuration tool that is included in the SADX Mod Installer. After using the installer, select Configure Sonic Adventure DX on Steam or run AppLauncher.exe in the SADX folder, and you will be able to change keys in the Controls tab.

Input issues: Controller isn't detected, spinning camera, button layout is wrong etc.

Make sure the Input Mod is enabled in SADX Mod Manager.
Make sure your controller is detected and configured in SADX Launcher's Controls tab. If you don't have SADX Launcher, you can get it with the SADX Mod Installer or download it manually here. Extract the archive into your SADX folder and run AppLauncher.exe.
If you are using Steam Input, try disabling it.

Issues with Sony DualShock or Nintendo Switch Pro controllers

Install ds4windows and use it in X360 emulation mode.
Run SADX Launcher and configure the axes and buttons as usual. The visual representations will not match but the bindings will work fine.