DOSbox running under Win9x, WinNT, Win3x

[Torinde]

Question

Per the DOSBox-X website it requires as a minimum for 32-bit WinXP and for 64-bit Vista. Here is what happened when I tried 0.84.0 on earlier OS versions (hosted in VirtualBox, all systems have normal sound in Windows; DLLs are listed in the order of appearing and the last one shown is the one I couldn't solve):

• Windows XP x64: DOSBox-X win32 VS SDL1 works (also #2235)
• ReactOS 32-bit: DOSBox-X works, but sound very low (also #1269)
• Windows 2000: -- DOSBox-X mingw-lowend works, but no sound (also #582) -- DOSBox 0.74-3 works with sound
• Win NT4 SP6a: -- DOSBox-X error messages - first about IMM32.DLL (resolved by placing it in the DOSbox-X folder), then user32.dll (couldn't resolve) -- DOSBox 0.74-3 error message about shell32.dll, works after installing IE4SP2, but sound mediocre and delayed
• Win NT3.51: -- DOSBox-X: error messages DSound.dll, MSVCRT.dll, IMM32.dll, user32.dll -- DOSBox 0.74-3 error messages: MSVCRT.dll, OPENGL32.DLL, SHELL32.DLL (IE4SP2 / IE5 for Win3.x/NT3.x is 16-bit and doesn't have Active desktop shell32.dll)
• Win ME: -- DOSBox-X: error message KERNEL32.DLL -- DOSBox 0.74-3 works with sound
• Win 98 First edition: -- DOSBox-X: error message KERNEL32.DLL, wasn't resolved by KernelEx, although maybe there is a way? -- DOSBox 0.74-3 works, but no sound
• Win 95 RTM + Winsock2 + OpenGL95 + IE4SP2 + DirectX: -- DOSBox-X: error message IPHLPAPI.DLL, DHCPCSVC.DLL, NTDLL.DLL (resolved by replacing the one in WINDOWS\SYSTEM), KERNEL32.DLL -- DOSBox 0.74-3 works, but sound very choppy
• Win NT3.5, NT3.1 - not tested after stuck at NT3.51
• Win 3.1x with Win32S (and WinG, Video for Windows, etc.) has an early version of SHELL32.DLL - not tested after stuck at NT3.51
• OS/2: not tested, but there is a DOSBox 0.74-3 port

I'm just sharing that info for the curious out there. Don't know if some of the blocks can be resolved "quickly" / is it worth it (actually WinXP x64 seems OK already).

A related question - has anyone tried to run the ARM32 release on Windows 10 Mobile? Or does it run only on WinRT?

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[rderooy]

I suspect for WinXP x64, that the issue is rather that it is rather rare. And while it works today, does not mean some change could not break it tomorrow. And if you add it to the supported list, you should also be able to test if it works.

As to supporting older Windows (or OS/2) versions for running dosbox-x, again, there is a maintenance cost. It also means that you are stuck having to support old compilers to target those platforms. TBH, I personally don't think it is worthwhile, and think the focus should be on more modern systems. Even supporting WinXP x32 or Vista to me is not worth the effort, if it means not being able to use newer compilers and/or newer C++ versions.

[driver1998]

The ARM32 version is still a desktop application, which only runs on Windows RT or later version of Windows on ARM.

Also dynarec is disabled on Windows RT 8.x. DOSBox-X currently does not have a ARMv7 Thumb-2 JIT, instead it cheats a little bit and generates ARM code instead, which is not allowed in RT 8.x, but works on Win10+.

[Torinde]

At #582 is written that HX DOS version runs under Win98. I tried 0.84.0 under Win98 First Edition - complains about SHELL32.DLL. Under WinME - it works (in kind of full screen mode).

But I couldn't mount anything. From the menu - I click, no dialog box appears. From the DOSbox prompt - mount says drive is mounted, I got to C: and dir gives empty disk.

[crazii]

By default SDL (win32) will check audio drivers in such order: dsound, waveout. if under Windows 2000 has no sound, maybe you can try "set SDL_AUDIODRIVER=waveout" before running it, or add it to system env vars. I found this solution with my win98 fork on my p3 laptop with a crappy vxd sound driver.

[crazii]

At #582 is written that HX DOS version runs under Win98. I tried 0.84.0 under Win98 First Edition - complains about SHELL32.DLL. Under WinME - it works (in kind of full screen mode).

But I couldn't mount anything. From the menu - I click, no dialog box appears. From the DOSbox prompt - mount says drive is mounted, I got to C: and dir gives empty disk.

I checked HX DOS version few days ago on my P3 PC, it just quit quietly.

The common dialog uses Unicode function (e.g. GetOpenFileNameW) which is not originally supported on Win9x, it just fails silently with no error code. The empty C disk is the same, it internally calls wstat/FindFirstFileW. That's why the opencow lib is used: to translate Unicode functions to ANSI, I'll update more details in my PR.

[Torinde]

tests for 2023.10.06 - MinGW-lowend, XP, 9x, HX - in VirtualBox

ReactOS 32-bit 0.4.14

• MinGW-lowend, XP, 9x - works, sound is not low (so, 2023.10.06 is improved in comparison with 0.84)
• HX - doesn't work (error message with OK and Debug buttons)
• Vista+ - doesn't work

Windows 2000

• MinGW-lowend doesn't work
• 9x works
• XP and HX - doesn't work

Win NT4 SP6a

• 9x - first error about IMM32.DLL (resolved by placing it in the DOSbox-X folder), then user32.dll (couldn't resolve)

Win ME

• 9x - works (although some functions don't work like clipboard, drive mount menu, files copied in drivez don't appear on Z:, only surface/TTF output works, but surface has to be selected manually, because the default is OpenGL and that gives blank screen)
• HX under Windows - 2023.10.06 doesn't run (cursor becomes hourglas for few seconds and then nothing happens, as if I haven't clicked on the EXE)
• HX under Windows - 0.84 works in kind of full screen, menus work with the mouse (but not the mount menu), there is sound

Win 98 First edition

• 9x - works as in WinME, sound maybe a little bit worse/hissing/delayed
• HX under Windows - 2023.10.06 same as under WinME
• HX under Windows - 0.84 complains about SHELL32.DLL

Win 95 RTM + Winsock2 + OpenGL95 + IE4SP2 + DirectX

• 9x - error message IPHLPAPI.DLL (resolved by taking it from WinME), DHCPCSVC.DLL (resolved by taking it from WinME), NTDLL.DLL (resolved by replacing the one in WINDOWS\SYSTEM with one from WinME), KERNEL32.DLL (Windows can't boot if the file is replaced with the one from WinME)

HX DOS 2023.10.06 when booting to DOS (from Win95/98) in VirtualBox

• Works, but no sound - what soundcards are supported on the host side?
• I don't know how to get to the DOSbox-X menus - which key to use?
• in 2023.10.06 there was some issue with the keyboard layout (I got ~ instead of :, so I could run only files I placed in drivez) - in 0.84 keyboard works OK.
• What's the extension for .conf files?
• no debugger

# Under all above Windowses (but not ReactOS) - all 2023.10.06 dosbox-x.exe icons have black background when file is not selected (which looks wrong - 0.84 doesn't have it and looks correct) - and appear correct only when selected.

Ctrl+C in DIGGER.EXE

• under (almost?) all of the above DOSBox variants - doesn't work. - anybody else having that?
• under MS-DOS - stops the game and goes back to DOS prompt.

[Torinde]

Win 95 OSR2.5 + IE4SP2

• same result as Win 95 RTM

[Torinde]

tests with the second 9x beta:

Win NT4:

• 9x works - sound is a little delayed
• HX complains about KERNEL32.DLL

Win 95 RTM + Winsock2 + OpenGL95 + IE4SP2 + DirectX:

• 9x works (with the OpenGL95 DLLs in the exe folder) - sound is a little noisy/hissy/choppy
• HX under Windows - 2023.10.06 same as under WinME

ReactOS 64-bit 0.4.15 2023-11-30

• OS unstable

Win NT 3.51

• HX - error about KERNEL32.DLL

• 9x - error about IMM32.DLL, USER32.DLL

Ctrl+C problem I mentioned in a previous comment - when selecting "Send Ctrl+Break" from the menu - it works.

[Torinde]

WfW 3.11 + Win32s 1.30c + VfW 1.1e + WinG

• 9x: IMM32.DLL, MSVCRT.DLL, OPENGL32.DLL, GLU32.DLL, DCIMAN32.DLL, OLE32.DLL After replacing OLE32.DLL in WINDOWS\SYSTEM\WIN32S\ with the one from Win95 - I got two errors:

• HX under Windows: MSVCRT.DLL for Win32, not compatible with Win32s After replacing MSVCRT.DLL with the one that "passed" when testing 9x (I think the DLL is from Win2K SP4) - error:

HX build when booting to DOS 6.22: "DPMILD32: C:\HX\DOSBOX-X.EXE: out of memory" - I'm running it with 64MB HIMEM.SYS and 604K free conventional. Per DPMILD32.TXT - "out of memory": allocating memory for PE binary failed. Please note that DPMILD32 cannot commit stack memory dynamically by setting a GUARD page, it has to be fully allocated at load time." Should I use JEMM or EMM386 instead?

Also, what are HX DOSbox-X requirements for CPU and memory?

[joncampbell123]

DOSBox-X has a lot to unpack for it's emulation that most systems only page in on demand. In an environment where there is no paging whatsoever you'll need about 256MB or more to run DOSBox-X in HX-DOS.

Maybe if HDPMI offered the swap file paging that CWSDPMI does it would only need half that on average.

[Torinde]

HX DOS build tests:

• VirtualBox 256MB RAM, DOS6.22, WfW3.11, HIMEM.SYS from Win98 - mem says ~64MB present, ~4MB used, ~64MB free (e.g. old MEM.EXE is confused - to be tested in MS-DOS 7.10), Windows About shows ~256MB free -- pure DOS: HX dosbox-x - black screen with big mouse cursor in top left. Waited a few seconds - nothing (maybe I should wait more?) -- DOS prompt in Windows - if run with XMS/EMS limits "-1" mem gives XMS free 32MB, EMS free 64MB; HX dosbox-x results in VirtualBox stop (gracious, "Guru mediator", OK/Debug buttons, then closes)

• DOSbox-X 2023-10-27 MinGW64 SDL2, 512MB RAM - HX dosbox-x - gets the big mouse cursor, menus appear for a second, then text begins to quickly fill the screen: "IBM ROM BASIC NOT IMPLEMENTED" I don't see ROM BASIC path added in the .conf file (of "host" DOSbox-X), but maybe some other setting there is modified, to be tested with fresh config. Or actually I have to check the .conf of the "guest" HX-DOSbox-X? But it has only reference files in the folder... which is the HX .conf file?

[crazii]

It is possible that a minimal win32 version is built and use PESTUB to make it running under HX?

EDIT: I ran a fast test and the PESTUB succeeded on lowend9x, but get errors when running dosbox-x in VirutalBox: DPMILD32: import not found: RegLoadKeyA DPMILD32: import not found: RegReplaceKeyA DPMILD32: import not found: RegUnloadKeyA DPMILD32: file ADVAPI32.dll DPMILD32: dkrnl32.dll: cannot resolve imports

[Torinde]

at DOSBox Compilation Guides there are instructions from DosFreak for building NT3.50 and NT3.51 DOSbox SVN (and the resulting binaries as well) and for building for Pentium (e.g. without CMOV, MMX, SSE):

Official DOSBox (0.74-2 and current SVN) supports 95 and NT4 with Active Desktop. My builds support NT 3.50, NT 3.51, 95 and NT without Active Desktop.

Compiled DOSBox SVN for <Pentium Pro for Windows 95/NT4 w/Active Desktop

Lowest SDL 1.2.13 supports is 95 (original) (unknown about betas) and NT 3.50 (Have to disable fullscreen support and use 3.51 joystick dll.)

In addition here is mentioned that DOSbox SVN can run on 486 with 64MB (for dynamic core).

The official version of DOSBox can run on a 486 but for dynamic core you'll need bare minimum of 64mb, but really 128mb

My testing: NT3.51 build on NT3.51 - crashes the VM NT3.50 build on NT3.51 - crashes the VM

As for going further to the last two remaining: NT3.1 and Windows 3.1 with Win32s - I can't find information which version (if any) of SDL supports those (SDL 2004 website FAQ What Platforms are Supported is not archived) - does anybody know?

• SDL 1.2 working on Windows 3.1 with Win32s and WinG: https://github.com/ccawley2011/SDL-1.2/tree/win32s (from this discussion)

[Torinde]

Can DOSbox-X be compiled for 486DX (no CMPXCHG8B), 486SX (no FPU), 386 (no CMPXCHG/BSWAP/XADD/etc.)?

• no CMPXCHG8B and other P5 instructions?
• no FPU - seems to be supported, but not advisable?
• no CMPXCHG/BSWAP/XADD and other 486 instructions?

If using core=normal or simple, will less than 64MB RAM be sufficient?

Lowest memory usage I can get with DOSbox-X current build: 92MB dynamic_nodhfpu 91MB dynamic 80MB full 79MB normal 79MB simple

64MB DOSbox SVN dynamic - per here 52MB DOSbox SVN normal - substracting current X normal/dynamic difference from the above

Expanded memory maximum seems to be 32MB? Thus even the enhanced 186 models with 24-bit addresses max out at 16MB+32MB. The only way to get such RAM with something less than 386 seems to be C&T 186 supporting 26-bit addresses/64MB? But DOSbox is a protected mode executable and can't be made to run there?