DM4 & DirectX 9

After countless hours searching all over the internet, I'm finally breaking down to ask for help. I'm trying to help a friend with his dm4. A game that we are trying to run crashes when we try to force DirectX 9. We have installed Microsoft's DirectX 9c offline installer, so I know we actually have dx9 installed on the machine, but I'm out of reasons why it still insists on crashing. I am able to force DirectX 9 on my personal computer (Nvidea 9500gt), so I know the game can run in dx9. What am I missing? Do I need anything beyond what is contained in the installer? Also, this friend and I have been looking all over for an exact model name of his onboard gpu, but all we can come up with is Intel GMA. Is there a more specific # that associates with the gpu?

 

The integrated GPU's name is simply Intel GMA HD. Some sites call it GMA 5700MHD, though I don't think that's really official.

As for your main issue, I'm really stumped. Perhaps the game has a specific version it needs to install somewhere in it's files?

 

I forgot to mention both of our systems are running Windows 7. I don't think he's run windows update since he's installed dx9. I'll verify with him soon. Is it likely that Microsoft hasn't packed the latest version of dx9 in their installer, and we're maybe missing some libraries? Also, what about WindowsXP mode for Windows7, might that help?