For those that "grew" up during the DOS era, we still have fond memories of our favorite DOS games and applications that often do not have an equivalent in Windows, Mac or Linux. Some later-DOS programs, that were developed to run effectively under Windows (98 and later), will still run in Windows's Command Prompt without any problems. However, many of the earlier DOS software titles, especially the games, were no longer working... until now...with the help of DOSBox.
"DOSBox is a DOS-emulator that uses the SDL-library which makes DOSBox very easy to port to different platforms. DOSBox has already been ported to many different platforms, such as Windows, BeOS, Linux, MacOS X...
DOSBox also emulates CPU:286/386 realmode/protected mode, Directory FileSystem/XMS/EMS, Tandy/Hercules/CGA/EGA/VGA/VESA graphics, a SoundBlaster/Gravis Ultra Sound card for excellent sound compatibility with older games...
You can "re-live" the good old days with the help of DOSBox, it can run plenty of the old classics that don't run on your new computer!" (Source: DOSBox)
And best of all, it's free!
My "kids" (now young adults) actually forced me to search for a solution so they could replay some of their favorite DOS games -- ones with intriguing story lines and interesting challenges that still hold up very well today, despite their technology limits. These include favorite classics, such as "Under A Killing Moon", "The 7th Guest", "Myst" and "Day of the Tentacle"; plus puzzles, sports, action and war games at all age levels.
I stumbled across DOSBox while searching for help on the Internet for ways to allow these programs to run properly in Windows XP. After downloading and quickly installing DOSBox, then making a few changes to the "dosbox.conf" configuration text file, I was up and running.
When you start up an interactive DOS program that has graphics and sound, most require you to go through a configuation step to define the sound drivers and settings (DOSBox has built in SoundBlaster driver emulation, as SoundBlaster devices were usually one of the standard configuation choices in DOS programs), and some allow you to adjust display size and other features. After that step, the program performs as it did in regular DOS.
I thought that our DOS software investment would be lost, but it looks like we can continue get a lot more use and enjoyment out of our classic favorites.
Click here for the DOSBox home page
For some help in using DOSBox to run legacy DOS game programs in Windows XP: Steve's XP Games Corner
BTW, according to DOSBox's forum, "Windows 3.1, 3.11 and Windows for Workgroups 3.11 run ok in Dosbox when running from a mounted folder".
And here's some CP/M (Z80) Emulator resources for you prioneers:
Emulator: http://www.cpm.z80.de/index.html
Emulator: http://www.z80.info/z80emu.htm
Emulator: http://www.viara.cn/en/j80.htm
Emulator: http://www.retroarchive.org/cpm/archive/unofficial/zrpm.html
Docs: http://www.seasip.demon.co.uk/Cpm
See also my previous blog article: Printing From DOS Legacy Programs In Windows
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