i had the same problem.. on my asrock ion ht
A new install of win 7 (32bit) - and install of MC17 - gave me the same error message when starting
A google search brought me to microsoft site
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Diagnosing-basic-problems-with-DirectXThe info i got :
Some applications and games require DirectX 9. However, Windows 7 is installed with a more recent version of DirectX. If you install an application or game that requires DirectX 9, you might receive an error message, such as: "The program can't start because d3dx9_35.dll is missing from your computer. Try reinstalling the program to fix this problem." The last two digits of the file name might vary. If you receive the same error message after reinstalling the application or game, go to the DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer webpage and follow the instructions to install DirectX 9 and receive updates to DirectX 9 and previous versions of DirectX.
.. well i followed the instructions.. and now MC17 works in Theater View !!
btw .. mc17 is a great piece of sw
just my 2c