Provided by: dosbox_0.74-3ubuntu1_amd64 bug

NAME

       dosbox - an x86/DOS emulator with sound/graphics

SYNOPSIS

       dosbox  [-fullscreen]  [-startmapper]  [-noautoexec]  [-securemode]  [-userconf]  [-scaler
       scaler] [-forcescaler scaler] [-conf configfile]  [-lang  langfile]  [file]  [-c  command]
       [-exit] [-machine machinetype]

       dosbox -version

       dosbox -editconf program

       dosbox -opencaptures program

       dosbox -printconf

       dosbox -eraseconf

       dosbox -resetconf

       dosbox -erasemapper

       dosbox -resetmapper

DESCRIPTION

       This manual page briefly documents dosbox, an x86/DOS emulator.

       The  optional  file  argument  should  be  a DOS executable or a directory. If it is a dos
       executable (.com .exe .bat) the program will run automatically. If it is  a  directory,  a
       DOS session will run with the directory mounted as C:\.

       For an introduction type INTRO inside dosbox.

OPTIONS

       A summary of options is included below.

       -fullscreen
              Start dosbox in fullscreen mode.

       -startmapper
              Start  the  internal  keymapper  on startup of dosbox. You can use it to change the
              keys dosbox uses.

       -noautoexec
              Skips the [autoexec] section of the loaded configuration file.

       -securemode
              Same as -noautoexec, but adds config.com  -securemode at the  end  of  AUTOEXEC.BAT
              (which in turn disables any changes to how the drives are mounted inside dosbox)

       -userconf
              Load  the  configuration  file located in ~/.dosbox. Can be combined with the -conf
              option.

       -scaler scaler
              Uses the graphical scaler specified by scaler. See the configuration file  for  the
              available scalers

       -forcescaler scaler
              Similar  to the -scaler parameter, but tries to force usage of the specified scaler
              even if it might not fit.

       -c command
              Runs  the  specified  command  before  running  file.   Multiple  commands  can  be
              specified.  Each command should start with -c though. A command can be: an Internal
              Program, a DOS command or an executable on a mounted drive.

       -conf configfile
              Start dosbox with the options specified in configfile. This file has a  section  in
              which you can put commands you wish to execute on startup. Multiple configfiles can
              be present at the commandline.

       -lang langfile
              Start dosbox with the language specified in langfile.

       -exit  dosbox will close itself when the DOS program specified by file ends.

       -machine machinetype
              Setup dosbox to emulate a specific type of machine.  Valid choices  are:  hercules,
              cga,   tandy,  pcjr,  ega,  vgaonly,  svga_s3(default),  svga_et3000,  svga_et4000,
              svga_paradise, vesa_nolfb, vesa_oldvbe.  The machinetype has influence on both  the
              videocard and the available soundcards.

       -version
              Output version information and exit. Useful for frontends.

       -editconf program
              calls program with as first parameter the configuration file.  You can specify this
              command more than once. In this case it will  move to second program if  the  first
              one fails to start.

       -opencaptures program
              calls program with as  first parameter the location of the captures folder.

       -printconf
              prints the location of the default configuration file.

       -eraseconf, -resetconf
              removes the default configuration file.

       -erasemapper, -resetmapper
              removes the mapperfile configured in the clean default configuration file.

INTERNAL COMMANDS

       dosbox  supports most of the DOS commands found in command.com. In addition, the following
       extra commands are available:

       MOUNT [-t type] [-size size] driveletter sourcedirectory [-ioctl] [-usecd number]  [-label
              drivelabel] [-freesize freesize]

       MOUNT -cd

       MOUNT -u driveletter

       Program to mount local directories as drives inside dosbox.

              driveletter
                     The driveletter inside dosbox (eg. C).

              sourcedirectory
                     The local directory you want to have inside dosbox.

              -t type
                     Type of the mounted directory. Supported are: dir (standard), floppy, cdrom.

              -size drivesize
                     Sets the size of the drive. See the examples in the README for details.

              -freesize size_in_mb
                     Sets  the  amount of free space available on a drive in MB's. This is a more
                     simple version of -size.

              -label drivelabel
                     Sets the name of the drive to drivelabel. Needed on some systems if  the  cd
                     label  isn't  read correctly. Useful when a program can't find its cdrom. If
                     you don't specify a label and no lowlevel  support  is  selected  (-usecd  #
                     and/or -ioctl/aspi):

                     For win32: label is extracted from "Real Drive".

                     For Linux: label is set to NO_LABEL.

                     If you do specify a label this label will be kept as long as the drive
                            is mounted. It will not be updated !!

              -ioctl Forces to use ioctl commands.

              -usecd number
                     Forces  to  use  SDL cdrom support for drive number.  Number can be found by
                     -cd.

              -cd    Displays all detected cdrom drives and their numbers. Use with -usecd.

              -u     Unmounts a mounted drive. Doesn't work on virtual Drives (like Z:\)

       Example:

       To mount your /home/dos/dosgames directory as C drive in dosbox:
              mount c /home/dos/dosgames

       MEM

       Display the amount of free memory

       CONFIG [-writeconf] [-writelang] file

       CONFIG -securemode

       Write the current configuration or language settings to file,  which  is  located  on  the
       local filesystem. Not a mounted drive in dosbox.

              -securemode
                     Switchesdosbox  to  a  more  secure mode. In this mode the internal commands
                     MOUNT, IMGMOUNT and BOOT won´t work.  It´s not possible either to  create  a
                     new  configfile  or  languagefile  in this mode.  (Warning you can only undo
                     this mode by restarting dosbox.)

       The configuration file controls various settings of dosbox: The amount of emulated memory,
       the emulated soundcards and many more things. It further allows access to AUTOEXEC.BAT.

       The  language  file  controls all visible output of the internal commands and the internal
       dos.  See the section FILES for more information.

       LOADFIX [-size] [programname] [parameters]

       LOADFIX -f

       Program to reduce the amount of  memory available. Useful for  old  programs  which  don't
       expect much memory to be free.

              [programname]
                     The name of the program which is executed after loadfix eats up its memory.

              [parameters]
                     Parameters given to the programname executable.

              -size  The amount of memory to eat up (in kb). Example -32, -64 or -128

              -f     Frees all memory eaten up by loadfix.

       RESCAN

       Make  dosbox  reread the directory structure. Useful if you changed something on a mounted
       drive outside dosbox.(CTRL-F4 does this as well!)

       IMGMOUNT

       A utility to mount disk images and CD‐ROM images in dosbox.

       Read the README of dosbox for the full and correct syntax.

       BOOT

       Boot will start floppy images or hard disk images  independent  of  the  operating  system
       emulation offered by dosbox.  This will allow you to play booter floppies or boot to other
       operating systems inside dosbox.

       Read the README of dosbox for the full and correct syntax.

       IPX

       You need to enable IPX networking in the configuration file of dosbox.   All  of  the  IPX
       networking  is  managed  through  the  internal dosbox program IPXNET. For help on the IPX
       networking from inside dosbox, type IPXNET HELP and the program will list out the commands
       and relevant documentation.

       Read the README of dosbox for the full and correct syntax.

       KEYB

       Keyb can change the keyboardlayout and the codepage used inside dosbox.

       Read the README of dosbox for the full and correct syntax.

FILES

       Configuration  and  language  files  use  a  format  similar to Windows .ini files.  If no
       configfile is specified at the commandline, a file named dosbox.conf (if  present  in  the
       current  directory)  will  be  loaded  automatically.  If a configfile is specified at the
       commandline that one will be used instead. If no configfile is specified or found  in  the
       current directory  then dosbox will load one from ~/.dosbox/. It will try to create one if
       there is none.

SPECIAL KEYS

       ALT-ENTER   Go full screen and back.

       ALT-PAUSE   Pause emulation.

       CTRL-F1     Start the keymapper.

       CTRL-ALT-F5 Start/Stop creating a movie of the screen.

       CTRL-F4     Swap mounted disk‐image (Only used with imgmount). Update directory cache  for
                   all drives!

       CTRL-F5     Save a screenshot.(png)

       CTRL-F6     Start/Stop recording sound output to a wave file.

       CTRL-ALT-F7 Start/Stop recording of OPL commands.

       CTRL-ALT-F8 Start/Stop the recording of raw MIDI commands.

       CTRL-F7     Decrease frameskip.

       CTRL-F8     Increase frameskip.

       CTRL-F9     Kill dosbox.

       CTRL-F10    Capture/Release the mouse.

       CTRL-F11    Slow down emulation (Increase dosbox Cycles).

       CTRL-F12    Speed up emulation (Decrease dosbox Cycles).

       ALT-F12     Unlock speed (turbo button).

       These are the default keybindings. They can be changed in the keymapper.

       Saved/recorded  files  can  be  found  in current_directory/capture (can be changed in the
       configfile).  The directory has to exist  prior  to  starting  dosbox  else  nothing  gets
       saved/recorded !

       Note:  Once  you  increase  your dosbox cycles beyond your computer's maximum capacity, it
       will produce the same effect as slowing down the emulation.  This maximum will  vary  from
       computer to computer, there is no standard.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

       Fast  machine.  My  guess would be Pentium-2 400+ to get decent emulation of games written
       for an 286 machine.  For protected mode games a 1 Ghz machine  is  recommended  and  don't
       expect  them  to  run fast though!! Be sure to read the next section on how to speed it up
       somewhat.

   To run resource-demanding games
       dosbox emulates 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  various  utils
       (top).  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.(CTRL-F12)

       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
       CTRL-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.

NOTES

       While we hope that, one day, dosbox will run virtually all  programs  ever  made  for  the
       PC...   we  are not there yet. At present, dosbox run on a 1.7 Gigahertz PC is roughly the
       equivalent of a 25MHz 386 PC.  While the 0.60 release has  added  support  for  "protected
       mode"  allowing  for more complex and recent programs, but note that this support is early
       in development and nowhere near as complete as the support for  386  real-mode  games  (or
       earlier).  Also note that "protected mode" games need substantially more resources and may
       require a much faster processor for you to run it properly in dosbox.

BUGS

       Not all DOS programs work  properly.   dosbox  will  exit  without  warning  if  an  error
       occurred.

SEE ALSO

       The README in /usr/share/doc/dosbox

AUTHOR

       This  manual  page  was  written by Peter Veenstra <H.P.Veenstra@student.rug.nl> and James
       Oakley <jfunk@funktronics.ca>, for the Debian system (but may be used by others).

                                           Feb 26, 2010                                 DOSBOX(1)