Essential DOSBox Commands for Emulation

DOSBox is a powerful DOS emulator that allows you to run old DOS games and applications on modern operating systems. Mastering its command-line interface is crucial for effective use. This section outlines key DOSBox commands to help you start, configure, and manage your DOS emulation environment.

Starting DOSBox and Applications

The most basic command is simply launching DOSBox. You can also specify applications or scripts to run immediately upon startup.

# Start dosbox
dosbox

To start DOSBox in fullscreen mode, use the -fullscreen flag:

# Start in fullscreen mode
dosbox -fullscreen

You can execute a specific script or program directly:

# Start and execute the script "script.bat"
dosbox script.bat

To run a program and have DOSBox exit automatically afterward, use the -exit flag:

# Start and exit after running the program "doom.exe"
dosbox -exit doom.exe

Mounting Drives and Configuration

Mounting allows you to access your host system's directories from within DOSBox. The -c flag executes a command after startup.

# Mount C at "/home/user" right after startup
dosbox -c "mount C /home/user"

Mapper and Configuration File Management

DOSBox includes tools for managing key mappings and configuration files.

# Start in the internal keymapper, where you can change the keys dosbox uses
dosbox -startmapper

To edit the default configuration file using your system's default editor:

# Edit the default config file with the editor set in $EDITOR
dosbox -editconf $EDITOR

You can remove the default configuration file:

# Remove the default config file
dosbox -eraseconf

To reset all changes made in the internal keymapper:

# Remove all the changes made in the internal keymapper
dosbox -erasemapper

Using Custom Configuration Files

You can specify a particular configuration file to use when starting DOSBox.

# Start with the options specified in the config file "dosbox.conf"
dosbox -conf dosbox.conf

External Resources for DOSBox

• DOSBox Wiki: Command Line Usage
• DOSBox Wiki: Configuration
• Vogons DOSBox Forum