DOSBox

DOSBox allows DOS programs, including games, to be run on Windows 2000 and later.

DOSBox works by simulating a DOS environment in a window on your computer, and allowing you to type commands, run programs and so on almost identically to a true DOS machine. Of course, being that it's on modern hardware, a DOSBox operating environment is much faster than the DOS of yesteryear, and works in tandem with your Windows operating system. To mount a hard drive, for example, you create a folder in Windows, then specify it and its size with a command in DOSBox.

Installing DOSBox is easy, and using the program is easy if you're already familiar with MS-DOS. If you're not, it can be somewhat difficult. Although the commands unique to DOSBox, such as those needed to mount a hard drive from Windows, are given each time you launch the program, all sorts of DOS commands are still used (and needed) to run DOS programs. For someone looking to run a single game, it shouldn't take more than a few minutes of research, but some DOS games make installation and running a little more complex.

In the worst case scenarios, a DOSBox user will need to reconfigure their operating environment to run programs. DOSBox cannot run every game by default, and although there are useful hotkeys to fix the most common problems (such as CPU cycles being too high or low, causing games to run too fast or slow), some problems will require a little finesse to resolve. Still, there really aren't many better options for running DOS games the way DOSBox does. If you're interested in harkening back to the past, DOSBox is for you!

Pros

• Incorporates almost all MS-DOS features
• Responsive
• Very configurable

Cons

• Requires DOS familiarity; lack of familiarity can even be damaging