DOSBox v0.58

Usage:
======

With the new internal shell We've changed the command line a bit, so let's just give some 
examples of what you can do now.

dosbox 
  With nothing on the command line you'll end up on the internal drive and from there you
  can mount directories as drives.
dosbox [filename/directory]
  If dosbox detects a directory it'll mount that as c:\ and then start the shell.
  If dosbox doesn't detect a directory it'll assume you mean an executable this can be 
  .bat .com .exe. Doesn't need to have extension included. Then it'll strip the directory
  from the filename and mount that as c:\ and then run the file.

dosbox -fullscreen
    starts dosbox in fullscreen mode.
dosbox -conf file
    loads file as a configfile.
dosbox -lang file
    loads file as a languagefile.

You can also add commands to be executed before the main program starts. Or you can use them
to start the program. 
To add commands use the -c command line switch.
For example
dosbox c:\atlantis\atlantis.exe -c "MOUNT D C:\SAVES" "SET TEST=blah"
  This would mount c:\atlanis as c:\ and run atlantis.exe from that directory but before it 
  does that it would first mount C:\SAVES as the D drive and set the environment variable test to blah.

Dragging files or directories onto the DOSBox executable should also work.


Internal Programs:
==================

MOUNT 
Program to mount local directories as drives inside DOSBox. 
The option -t specifies the media: dir = harddisk, floppy = floppy drive, cdrom = cdrom drive.
The option -size specifies the size.
The option -aspi forces to use aspi driver (only valid if mounting a cdrom and on Win2000/XP/NT systems).
For example to mount c:\floppy as a floppy : mount a c:\floppy -t floppy
For example to mount system cdrom drive e as cdrom drive d in dosbox : mount d e:\ -t cdrom
- In Win 95/98/ME you need latest ASPI driver to get cdrom audio support.
- In Win 2000/XP/NT you have the option to use an ASPI driver (add -aspi) at the end of the mount command. 
It is even possible to mount a directory as cdrom, but you have some limited support for it then.


MEM
Program to display the amount of free memory

CONFIG
Utility for generating a configfile with the current settings and for generating the languagefile.
The option -writeconf filename is used to write the current config settings. 
The option -writelang filename is used to write the current language strings.

To get more information about how to use one these programs use the the /? command line switch.

The Configfile:
===============
A configfile can be generated by CONFIG.COM. You can edit it to customize DOSBox.
The file is divided in several sections (the names got [] around it). Some sections have options which you can set.
# and % indicate commentlines. 
The generated configfile contains the current settings. You can alter them and
start dosbox with the -conf switch to load the file and use these settings. 
For example in the section sblaster you can change the irq of the soundblaster and disable/enable the
adlib emulation. 

The Languagefile:
=================
A languagefile can be generated by CONFIG.COM. If you read it you will understand how to change it.
Start Dosbox with -lang switch to use your language file or enter the location of the languagefile
in the configfile.(section:[dosbox] language=full path to languagefile.) 

Special Keys:
=============

ALT-ENTER       Go full screen and back.
CTRL-F5	        Save a screenshot
CTRL-F7		Decrease frameskip
CTRL-F8	        Increase frameskip
CTRL-F9         Go full screen and back.
CTRL-F10        Capture/Release the mouse.
CTRL-F11        Slowdown emulation.
CTRL-F12        Speedup emulation.

System requirements:
====================

Fast machine my guess would be pentium-2 400+ to get decent emulation
of games written for an 286 machine.

FAQ:
====

1.Q: I've got a Z instead of a C at the prompt.
  A: In DOSBox you can mount directories as drives
     in win32: mount c D:\ would give you an C in DOSBox which points
     at D:\ in win32
     in linux: mount c /home/username would give you and C in DOSBox
     which points at /home/username in Linux

2.Q: The window is too small.
  A: When you mouse touches the edges of the DOSBox screen you can click and drag it to 
     the size you prefer.

3.Q: The mouse(cursor) acts weird. (eg only updated when you press the mousebutton)
  A: Lock the mouse with ctrl-F10. It should then behave the way you expect it to do.

4. Check the site/forum.


To run resource-demanding games: 
===============================

DOSBox emulates at the CPU, the sound and graphic cards, and some other
stuff, all at the same time. You can overclock DOSBox by using CTRL+F12, but
you'll be limited by the power of your actual CPU. You can see how much free
time your true CPU has by looking at the Task Manager in Windows 2000/XP and
the System Monitor in Windows 95/98/ME. Once 100% of your real CPU time is
used there is no further way to speed up DOSBox unless you reduce the load
generated by the non-CPU parts of DOSBox. 

So: 

Close every program but DOSBox 

Overclock DOSBox until 100% of your CPU is used (use the utilities above to
check) 

Since VGA emulation is the most demanding part of DOSBox in terms of actual
CPU usage, we'll start here. Increase the number of frames skipped (in
increments of one) by pressing CRTL+F8. Your CPU usage should decrease.
Go back one step and repeat this until the game runs fast enough for you.
Please note that this is a trade off: you lose in fluidity of video what you
gain in speed 

You can also try to disable the sound through the setup utility of the game
to further reduce load on your CPU. 


Building your own Version DOSBox:
=================================

Dowload the source.
Check the INSTALL in the source distribution.

Special Thanks:
===============

Vlad R. of the vdmsound project for excellent sound blaster info.
Tatsuyuki Satoh of the Mame Team for making an excellent FM emulator.
The Bochs and DOSemu projects which I used for information.
Freedos for ideas in making my shell.
The Beta Testers.

Contact:
========

Harekiet harekiet@zophar.net
http://dosbox.zophar.net