How To Play Dos Games On Windows 10

New versions of Windows don't fully support classic DOS games and other old applications — this is where DOSBox comes in. Information technology provides a full DOS surroundings that runs aboriginal DOS apps on modern operating systems.

We've written almost using the D-Fend Reloaded front-end for DOSBox in the past, merely what if yous just desire to utilise DOSBox itself? We'll evidence you to how to mount directories, use DOSBox's internal commands, execute programs and use DOSBox's keyboard shortcuts like a pro.

Getting Started

DOSBox is bachelor as a complimentary download from the DOSBox website. It's not only for Windows — installers are available for Mac Bone X, Linux and other UNIX-similar systems. If you're using Ubuntu, you'll notice DOSBox available in the Ubuntu Software Heart.

You'll also need the game or application you want to run. If you take an one-time floppy disk, information technology'southward time to pull it out. If the game was bachelor as shareware, yous're in luck — you should be able to notice information technology online. Most DOS games are fully compatible, only DOSBox'due south homepage hosts a compatibility list so you tin check your favorite game'due south compatibility.

Mounting Directories

Once information technology's installed, you can fire DOSBox upwardly from your desktop or Start menu. You lot'll become two windows — a status window and the main DOSBox window. You tin can ignore the status window.

(Every bit readers have noted, you lot can also run a program by dragging and dropping its EXE file onto DOSBox's application icon, so experience free to give that a try.)

Before you run a game, you'll have to mountain its directory. DOSBox's environment is separate from your computer'due south file system. In other words, the C: bulldoze in DOSBox is completely dissever from the C: drive on your computer.

Hither's an example mountain command:

mount c c:\games\

This command mounts the C:\Games directory on your figurer as the C: drive in DOSBox. Replace c:\games with the location of the games directory on your calculator.

Add the -t cdrom switch if you're mounting a CD-ROM. For case, the following command takes the CD-ROM bulldoze at D: on your computer and mounts information technology as the C: drive in DOSBox:

mountain c D:\ -t cdrom

Navigating Around and Running Applications

Once you've got your game files mounted, y'all tin can blazon C: and printing Enter to switch to DOSBox's C: drive.

Utilize the dir command to list the contents of the current directory and the cd command, followed by the name of a directory, to alter to a directory. Utilize the cd .. control to get up a directory.

Type the name of an EXE file in the electric current folder to execute that program. You may take to run an install program earlier playing your game or running your awarding.

If you do, install the game like you would on a normal DOS organisation.

Once it's installed, you can navigate to the game's EXE file and run it by typing its name.

At this bespeak, you're ready to play. You'll have to repeat the mount procedure each time you lot restart DOSBox, although you'll simply have to install and configure the game once.

Keyboard Shortcuts

DOSBox has a variety of keyboard shortcuts. Here are the almost essential ones:

Alt-Enter switches between total-screen and windowed modes.

If a game runs too fast, you can slow it down by pressing Ctrl-F11. Likewise, you can speed up wearisome games past pressing Ctrl-F12. DOSBox's emulated CPU speed, displayed in its title bar, will change each fourth dimension you press these keys.

Blazon the intro special command to encounter a full list of DOSBox's shortcut keys.

DOSBox can also run DOS programs that aren't games — including the Windows 3.i operating system itself — but games are its main use case. The DOS programs people used to rely on have been replaced, but classic games tin never exist replaced.