ok i finally got my system going today.... but i have no sound card and a really crappy vid card..( nothing compatible with 2000 ).... and im trying to run a game off the net...Tibia... and it says error 7.. cant initiate direct x.. install directx 5.0 or later..... so i installed directx 9.0... and still the same thing..why

When I've had problems with direct X, I've found that trying different versions helps. I.e. go for version 7 or 8 first.

I don't think you can do that now however as DX won't let you install an older version over a newer version (it just tells you that the installed version is more up-to-date and installation is aborted).
I think there is a way to get round this though!

Your "crappy" video card may not be compatible with DX 9, thats just a guess though!! What is your video card?

Cheers!