Can one still build a reliable DOS based system?

[friday0164]

OK, I know some of you out there are snickering, and some outright laughing uncontrollably, but I have a bunch of fun (at least I think so) DOS games my grandkids (5yo + 6yo) might get a kick out of.

So, I have a copy of DOS 6.22, a copy of WIN95, Win 3.11 for WG and the games. I have a case, PSU, mouse and keyboard just lying around and was wondering if there are parts out there to put together a decent DOS machine that won't make these games go so fast as to make them unplayable.

Do you have suggestions as to what I need and where this stuff might exist: A low speed CPU, a compatable MB, memory, sound card and gpu, as well as maybe a copy of Quarterdeck's Q-Mem 386?

This really is not a joke posting. I really would like to build this simple, yet functional, DOS machine.

Please accept my thanks in advance...

 

[EXT64]

friday, I understand completely. Some of my favorites were DOS games. Good old Tie fighter...

Anyway, hardware incompatibilities and such rule out new stuff and old hardware is hard to come by.

Maybe there is a DOS emulator out there somewhere? I still have an old P1 166MHz I keep around for those old games, though I 'm not sure I remember how to use it.

 

[EXT64]

Maybe something like this? I have no idea how or if it works, but if you do try it and it dos, tell me. This would be awesome if it did.

http://www.dosbox.com/news.php?show_news=1

 

[oushi]

...but if you do try it and it dos, tell me...

Pun intended? :lol:

 

[friday0164]

OK...DOS Box...Checked it out, but can't quite figure how to slow clock rate down so games aren't all super hyper....Anyone have a clue?

 

[EXT64]

Actually oushi, I didn't write that on purpose. I caught it just after I posted, but I thought it was funny so I left it.

So wait, do the games run really fast? I won't get to try it till the summer (I don't have any DOS games here with me). It is a little old, but ithough that they claimed compatibility with newer systems?

 

[evongugg]

Get any budget computer (self-built), underclock the processor, memory and video card and it should be good to go.

 

[Mishra100]

run MS DOS 6.22 via Microsoft Virtual PC on Windows XP

 

[hairycat101]

run MS DOS 6.22 via Microsoft Virtual PC on Windows XP

good call. I would try that first.

 

[rodney_ws]

Anyone that knocks another user for trying to build a DOS box has never experienced the awesomeness of Ultima 7 (parts 1 & 2)

I was actually able to find some DOS 6.22 disks (it appeared to be a legal OEM copy) on eBay for around $10 shipped. I moved recently and managed to lose them before I attempted to build a system around it. I really miss the classics... new games just aren't the same.

 

[rodney_ws]

People keeping mentioning virtualization as an option... but I'm really not sure this is a good suggestion for what the OP is trying. The old games he's probably wanting to play probably require an ISA sound card that is SoundBlaster compatible. Can virtualization software mimic that? I'm sure that this would be fine for text based applications (Word Perfect 5 comes to mind) but for games... especially difficult to run ones like Ultima 7 and Falcon 3.0 (damn you 640k limit!)

 

[russki]

OK...DOS Box...Checked it out, but can't quite figure how to slow clock rate down so games aren't all super hyper....Anyone have a clue?

DOSBox rules! I had the other problem (too slow). I think you can type help in the main window and gives you some commands. I think speed up / slow down is Alt+F11 / Alt+F10, but I suggest you check.

Good luck.

Tie Fighter, the original Settlers, Betrayal at Krondor...

Some many great games...

 

[hairycat101]

rodney, you bring up an interesting point about sound.

I use a near-dos program. It was supposed to run on windows 95, but it doesn't use any registry stuff. It all runs out of the folder and I too have the 640 k limitation to it. I run mine through a P4 with windows 98 SE. Would this type of set up help the OP? I don't know, my software is an industrial application and doesn't use sound.

 

[rodney_ws]

In a perfect world the OP would have something in the range of a 486 DX4-75 up to maybe a Pentium 90. Those are fast enough to play the most intensive DOS games, but at the same time old enough to have ISA slots for the older sound cards. Because some really old games would run too fast on those, there are TSR applications (wow... haven't seen that acronym in a while) that would artificially slow the CPU to a more modest level. That was the type of setup I was aiming for. Motherboards of that age have to be dying left and right... and I imagine it's not getting any easier to find AT power supplies either.

 

[4745454b]

First, there is nothing wrong with dos. I still use my commodore64 emulator, and thats even older. (MULE, Firefighter, Lords of Conquest, Pitstop (don't forget to change those tires!)

I also use dosbox. Defender of the crown and Nuclear war are the games I play on it. Doing some digging, I came up with this. (the dosbox website sends you to their wiki when you click on help.)

http://www.dosbox.com/wiki/Special_Keys

According to this, to speed up or slow down emulation, click on Ctrl F11-F12. In your case, Press Ctrl F11. Keep working on it, this is very possible to do.

 

[boonality]

The dosbox is a good idea, also you could see if you can get them in an emulator, most do exist... there are thousands out there. And those just run with a computer inside the emulator software.

 

[Wolfshadw]

Also with DosBox is the dosbox.conf file. It's a text configuration file where you can manually adjust the settings. These settings are then implemented each time you start up DosBox.

I'd look under the [CPU] section of the dosbox.conf file.

For those concerned about sound there is also a section for SB16 emulation.

-Wolf sends

 

[inglburt]

I have a bunch of old computers out in the shop, you are more than welcome to come get one free of charge..

 

[rodney_ws]

I have a bunch of old computers out in the shop, you are more than welcome to come get one free of charge..

Damn if you only lived in Georgia I'd be there now rummaging through the pile trying to piece together a DOS gaming rig.

 

[EXT64]

I downloaded DOSBox along with Aces of the Deep, Tie Fighter, and Odell Down Under (all super classics, by the way, which I own). I've only tried Aces so far and it ran decently. Go in the config, there are tons of options to mess around with. If I find anything else out I'll post it.

 

[friday0164]

WOW, did I miss a bunch, OK, need time to digest all of it, but just wanted y'all to know I was still around....

Edit: Read 'em all since my last post...I loved Ultima Underworld, Cutthroat, 1086 A.D., as well as the DOOMs and the QUAKEs....I appreciate all your posts and will try them....And I will keep checking here as long as it doesn't get hijacked.... :lol: :lol:

 

[4745454b]

If you want even older blasts from the past, check out CCS64. Bad graphics, square people, whats not to love?

 

[caqde]

run MS DOS 6.22 via Microsoft Virtual PC on Windows XP

Ughh... God no... Virtual PC is the worst Virtual Machine software I have ever used... So slow. My recommendation would be to use VMware's Workstation if you could afford it. You can also try it from their webpage for 30days. It is so much better than Virtual PC it is not even funny. Especially if you want to run OS's like Linux from your windows machine . But it should work fine for things like DOS etc just fine. I got Windows 98 working in one of my Workstations and it has internet access and sound Although I haven't tried to run old games on it yet.

 

[mitch074]

DOSBox is the best solution to run DOS era games and softwares reliably:
- it emulates a VESA 2.0 video card, a Soundblaster 16, and PC-DOS 5 with 16 Mb of RAM (note: DOS 5, not 6.22 as 6.22 didn' t bring much apart from userspace utilities, configurable boot menus and ynamic drive remapping for hard disk compression)
- it emulates the CPU in a lower clock mode, in 16-bit mode with possibility to start 32-bit mode through those 32-bit DOS extenders like DOS4GW etc. (you can run 16-bit apps in a 64-bit OS), like it was done at the time.
- keyboard is locally remapped to US keyboard layout (you can use keyb to change it)

Changing clock slowdown can be done with a key sequence, or with parameters to be set in its config file (yes, it's all text file based); if you always set up the same virtual C: drive, that can be saved too. Some wrappers allow you to use DOSbox with a GUI, look them up.

In my case, it worked perfectly on a Sempron64 2600+ under Linux 64-bit to run Terminal Velocity, Raptor Call o the Shadow, and several others (such as DOS demos from the demoscene).

 

[jalek]

I used moslow and dosbox for a while, but never seemed to get them right.

You can probably find an old machine around, I see them occasionally at garage sales and in the free section of craigslist. I know some school districts still have those machines, but those usually go to "recyclers".

If you find the parts, QEMM and other old, mostly abandoned utilities are just a Google search away.