DOSBox/Using DOSBox

DOSBox can also be used without a frontend. Having some basic experience with MS-DOS will help a lot because the commands and concepts are much the same as under a real DOS environment.

Starting DOSBox
Launch DOSBox (on Windows you'll find it under Start>All Programs>DOSBox>DOSBox). You will see a log window followed by a simple black-and-white display with a bit of introductory text and a blinking text cursor. This is known as the command prompt.

Launch parameters
In addition to launching DOSBox normally you can also choose a variety of launch switches by creating a shortcut and appending these to the run path. By default, DOSBox shortcuts will point to something like this: "C:\Program Files\DOSBox\dosbox.exe"

With some switches, the run path might be arranged like this: "C:\Program Files\DOSBox\dosbox.exe" C:\Games\EWJim\JIM.EXE -fullscreen

The recognised switches are as follows: dosbox [name] [-exit] [-c command] [-fullscreen] [-conf congfigfile] [-lang languagefile] [-machine machinetype] [-noconsole]
 *  : if the path is to a directory, DOSBox will mount this as the C:\ drive. If the path is to an executable, DOSBox will mount its containing folder as the C:\ drive and will begin emulating that executable. If the path has spaces in it, put it in quotation marks (e.g. ).
 * -exit: DOSBox will quit automatically when has been closed (only works if it was an executable).
 * -c : runs a command before executing . Multiple commands can be used, but each must start with its own.
 * fullscreen: start DOSBox in fullscreen mode (rather than in a 640×480 window).
 * -conf : start DOSBox using the specified configuration file ( must be a full path).
 * -lang : start DOSBox using an alternate language file.
 * -noconsole: Windows only. Starts DOSBox without the console window. Output messages are instead logged to stdout.txt and stderr.txt, both located in the main DOSBox folder. If a game crashes the moment you load it, the information stored here may hold some clues.
 * -machine : start DOSBox emulating a particular machine type, rather than the default of VGA. Valid choices are:,  ,  , and.

Mounting a game
First, you have to make your Games folder the virtual C:\ drive of DOSBox. To do this, type: MOUNT C C:\Games The first part of this command tells DOSBox to "mount" that directory as a virtual hard drive. The letter "C" is the drive letter to be assigned to this virtual hard drive (C is the standard letter; while many games will be run from other letters, some games insist upon the C:\ drive). The third part is the full path of where your DOS games folder is located. Note that if you are using a non-Windows operating system the folder addresses may be written in a slightly different format, so you will need to rewrite this accordingly.

Alter the line accordingly for what you called your directory. If there are spaces in the folder name you chose you must wrap it in quotation marks, e.g.: MOUNT C "C:\Old Games" When the line is correct, hit Enter. All going well, you will be told "Drive C is mounted as local directory C:\Games\".

DOSBox will now act as if C:\Games (or C:\Old Games, or whatever) is in fact C:\. You can now run games by going into their individual directories.

Navigating directories
One easy way to look at the games you have in there is with the DIR command. Simply type  in the prompt and hit Enter. You will now see a list of all the game folders you have in that folder. To run a game simply type  followed by a space and its folder name, like this: CD coolgame Then hit Enter. You will now be in that folder. Typing  again will show you this game's files

Game installation/configuration
Once you are looking at the folder contents you can see what files the game uses. If it has an installer and/or setup program (often called something like SETUP.EXE or INSTALL.BAT) you should run the installer (if there is one) followed by the configuration program. Many games won't have sound until you complete the setup process, and many others won't run at all until you have completed the setup process.

The installer may ask about the directory (which you should set to be a subfolder of your virtual hard drive). Games will commonly ask about your sound hardware; unless you have set DOSBox differently, select the Sound Blaster 16 and accept the default address locations for the sound card. If the setup program has no Sound Blaster 16 option choose the next best Sound Blaster option (Sound Blaster Pro, Sound Blaster Compatible, etc.) to ensure you get proper sound quality.

Running games
When you have finished the setup and/or installation, close the setup/installer. Its quit message may tell you what to type to run the game. If it does not, simply type  again, type in the name of the EXE or BAT launcher, and hit Enter. You do not need to type the file extension—if the game is run through GAME.EXE you just need to use.

All going well, DOSBox should now load your game. DOSBox emulates many games perfectly, but some won't run correctly or at all; look up your games in the compatibility database if you have any problems. Games with bars reaching completely or nearly to the right-hand "supported" side will play with few or no problems, games veering towards "playable" will have some issues, and those near "runable" may be barely playable at all. The description pages often explain what the problem was; sometimes the solution is as simple as modifying dosbox.cfg, but in many cases it is because some aspect used by the game is not fully emulated yet.