Make sure you installed DirectX 9.0c manually first.

1. Download DirectX 9.0c redistributable from June 2010 from the Microsoft official website.
2. Run directx_Jun2010_redist.exe.
3. Follow the instructions on the screen. This setup will extract the necessary files to the folder of your choosing.
4. Once the setup closes, open the folder to which you extracted the files.
5. Run DXSETUP.exe as administrator and follow the instructions on the screen.
6. Restart your computer.
7. (Optional) Remove the folder with the extracted installation files if you wish to conserve space. This is perfectly harmless, as the files have been installed in the proper system folders.

thanks but that didnt fix it

I'm having the same issue with both this and the steam version but I used to be able to play a couple of months ago.

Are you using FOC, or just the base game? I've found that the base game is incredibly slow, while FoC works just fine.