Utilities
Some DOS programs have compatibility issues on newer operating systems and hardware. Utilities have been arranged into categories to help you play DOS games on almost any computer.
If you're still using DOS (or a version of Windows that has a DOS Mode), the only compatibility issue may be older games running too fast. The earliest DOS programs don't adjust their own speed because the IBM XT only came in one clock speed (4.77 MHz), so they will attempt to run as quickly as possible regardless of the speed of your CPU. Later programs calculated the CPU's clock speed so that they would run at the same speed on any computer, but some programs reserved too little space for the result of the calculation, resulting in an overflow on CPUs faster than 200 MHz. Slowdown utilities can be used to reduce the speed that program instructions are executed until they run at the correct speed.
Windows XP can play some DOS games, though SoundBlaster music and effects are sometimes missing. A SoundBlaster emulator is sometimes all that's needed to run games perfectly in Windows XP. Some games just won't play properly in Windows XP, and Windows Vista and non-Windows operating systems won't play DOS games at all, so DOS must either be emulated, or a real copy of DOS must be loaded in a virtual environment. Emulation/Virtualization software can be used to play DOS games on almost any modern computer.
Some DOS games have had their source code released, so I'm including programming languages that some of those games were written in.
Slowdown Utilities
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Cpukiller
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| User rating: No rating |
Shareware |
Slowdown Utility |
| Published by Robyrobo |
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Cpukiller is a slowdown utility for Windows that can slow your computer by up to 98%. It basically ties up your system resources to slow down your games, which means that everything, including background tasks you may want to run, can come to a screeching halt. It will even adapt to HyperThreading and multiprocessing to slow down a computer with multiple virtual or physical CPUs. A slider and graphical interface make adjusting the slowdown very convenient. Probably not the best way to do it, but it's recommended in the download section of Apogee's website.
Downloads
Cpukiller3 v1.0.5 Shareware (732k)
Availability
Cpukiller is sold for $29.50 for a single user, and volume discounts are available.
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Mo'Slo
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| User rating: 4 |
Freeware |
Slowdown Utility |
| Published by Dr.David's Super Crispy Software |
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Mo'Slo is a slowdown utility that can run in native DOS on any 32 or 64-bit x86 CPU (80386 or higher), even with frequencies above 1.0 THz. It can emulate a 4.77 MHz PC/XT by default, or be adjusted to any other speed in 0.01% increments to resolve issues like the 200 MHz limitation of some games. The End User License makes this utility free to use for non-commercial use. A commercial version, Mo'Slo Deluxe, adds even more accurate emulation by creating slowdown via the RealTime Clock or the Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller, and can provide "perfect" (clock for clock) emulation by disabling the CPU's L1 cache. Mo'Slo Deluxe is best for DOS through Windows Me, but is less effective in versions of Windows that don't have a DOS mode. Mo'Slo 4BIZ allows DOS and Windows programs to be slowed down without slowing down the rest of the system, so that it can be run while multi-tasking in Windows. Compatible with Windows 95 through Windows Vista, it can even let you assign which CPU to use in multi-core and hyperthreaded systems. Mo'Slo 4BIZ requires at least an 80486 processor, and runs best on a 200 MHz or faster computer.
Downloads
Mo'Slo v1.5.1 Freeware (11k)
Availability
Mo'Slo Deluxe is sold for $23, and Mo'Slo 4BIZ is sold for $25, for a single user, and volume discounts are available.
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Emulation/Virtualization
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Bochs
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| User rating: No rating |
Freeware |
Emulation/Virtualization |
| Published by Bochs Crew |
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Bochs emulates a PC with a 32-bit x86 processor. Like a virtualization suite such as Virtual PC or VMWare, it allows you to run a real copy of DOS, Windows, Linux, and other PC operating systems. The significant difference is that a virtualization suite simply allows a guest operating system to run on your PC, whereas Bochs emulates a PC, so you can run PC operating systems on non-PC computers. Unlike DOSBox, you will need a copy of DOS to play DOS games, but unlike DOSBox, Bochs was designed to run other operating systems as well, which can be anywhere from difficult to impossible with DOSBox. Written in C++, Bochs can compile on many platforms. Please see the Bochs homepage for other versions.
Downloads
| Bochs v2.4.2 Freeware (3679k) |
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12 November 2009 |
Availability
This project is still actively being developed.
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DOSBox
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| User rating: 9.9 |
Freeware |
Emulation/Virtualization |
| Published by DOSBox Crew |
| Screenshot |
DOSBox emulates a DOS environment on a number of operating systems. Like other "slowdown" programs, it can slow your computer down to a playable speed for older games, but it can also emulate older computers, graphics and sound cards, which is especially important with modern sound cards which no longer include SB16 emulation. An all-in-one solution if you don't have DOS. There are also ports to a number of Linux distributions, so I recommend visiting the home page if the version for your operating system isn't listed below.
Downloads
DOSBox for BeOS v0.63 Freeware (758k)
DOSBox for FreeBSD v0.72 Freeware (636k)
DOSBox for Mac OS X v0.73 Freeware (4938k)
DOSBox for OS/2 v0.70 Freeware (2500k)
DOSBox for Windows v0.73 Freeware (1426k)
Availability
This project is still actively being developed.
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FIX8X14
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| User rating: No rating |
Freeware |
Emulation/Virtualization |
| Published by BTTR Software |
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On 16 September 1998, the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) strongly recommended that graphics card vendors remove BIOS support for the 8×14 font in their products to create space for VBE 3.0 implementations, and most graphics cards have followed the recommendation. This causes games and applications that use that font type to display garbage when run without an emulator like DOSBox. BTTR Software has created a free TSR (Terminate and Stay Resident) program that can be run before you play your games to restore support for 8×14 fonts. Modern graphics cards require FIX8X14 for the following games from this site: Alpha Man, Blind Wars, Crusher, Isle Wars, Numlo, SimCity, and Tribolo.
Downloads
FIX8X14 v1.0.8 Freeware (19k)
Availability
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ScummVM
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| User rating: No rating |
Freeware (always) |
Emulation/Virtualization |
| Published by ScummVM Team |
| Screenshot |
The Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion Virtual Machine is a collection of interpreters that run the data files of many classic point-and-click adventure games on a number of platforms. ScummVM can play the following games from this site: Beneath a Steel Sky, Gobliiins, Goblins 2: The Prince Buffoon, Goblins Quest 3, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Loom, Lure of the Temptress, and The Secret of Monkey Island. There are ports to almost every operating system, console, and handheld computer imaginable, so visit their homepage if the version you want isn't listed here.
Downloads
ScummVM for BeOS v1.0.0 Freeware (5485k)
ScummVM for Mac OS X v1.0.0 Freeware (9132k)
ScummVM for OS/2 v0.13.1 Freeware (5028k)
ScummVM for Windows v1.0.0 Freeware (3135k)
Availability
This project is still actively being developed.
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VDMSound
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| User rating: 3 |
Freeware |
Emulation/Virtualization |
| Published by Vlad Romascanu |
| Screenshot |
VDMSound provides SoundBlaster 16 emulation on 32-bit Windows operating systems. Most modern sound cards don't include SB16 emulation any more, which is often the only thing that prevents a DOS game from playing properly in Windows. Once installed, right-click on any DOS game and select "Run with VDMS".
Downloads
| VDMSound v2.1.0 Freeware (1775k) |
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28 August 2007 |
Availability
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VirtualBox
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| User rating: 5 |
Freeware |
Emulation/Virtualization |
| Published by Oracle |
| Screenshot |
VirtualBox is an extremely easy to use virtualization package that allows almost any PC operating system to be run in a window on PCs running Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, OS/2, and Solaris, with virtually no loss of performance (as long as you have enough RAM to spare for the guest operating system). You can run a real copy of DOS (with or without Win16) or Win9x, to play games from this site and be able to switch back and forth between the host and guest operating system without rebooting. VirtualBox is a virtualization environment, not an operating system emulator, so you will have to install your own copy of DOS or Windows. VirtualBox emulates a SoundBlaster 16, which is great for DOS and Win16, and it supports 2D and 3D acceleration and has experimental DirectX support, which is great for Win9x and newer operating systems. Shared folders can be created to transfer files to and from the guest operating system. There are ports for a number of Linux distributions, so I recommend visiting the home page if the version for your operating system isn't listed below.
Downloads
| VirtualBox v3.1.4 for Windows (73 523k) |
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12 February 2010 |
| VirtualBox v3.1.4 for Mac OS X for Intel Macs (67 031k) |
12 February 2010 |
Availability
This project is still actively being developed.
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Virtual PC
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| User rating: 4.5 |
Freeware |
Emulation/Virtualization |
| Published by Microsoft |
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Virtual PC allows almost any PC operating system to be run in Windows with virtually no loss of performance. You can run a real copy of DOS, and switch back and forth between Windows and DOS without rebooting. Virtual PC is a virtualization environment, not an operating system emulator, so you will have to install your own copy of DOS. Virtual PC 2007 requires Windows XP, 2003 or Vista, while Virtual PC 2004 can also be run on Windows 2000.
Downloads
Virtual PC 2007 SP1 64-bit Freeware (32 599k)
Virtual PC 2007 SP1 32-bit Freeware (32 481k)
Virtual PC 2004 SP1 Freeware (18 612k)
Availability
Microsoft generously released these versions of Virtual PC as freeware.
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Programming Languages
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Turbo C
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| User rating: No rating |
Freeware (former commercial) |
Programming Language |
| Published by Borland Software |
| Screenshot |
C is a powerful programming language that quickly became the most popular language in the world. Borland Turbo C adds an excellent IDE (Integrated Development Environment) which made it incredibly easy to compile C code into an executable file. The source code releases for Kiloblaster and Xargo are written in Turbo C, and other C source code releases may have been developed with Turbo C as well.
Downloads
| Turbo C v2.01 Freeware (1075k) |
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11 May 1989 |
Availability
Borland generously released this version of Turbo C as freeware in their online museum on 15 February 2000.
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Turbo C++
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| User rating: No rating |
Freeware (former commercial) |
Programming Language |
| Published by Borland Software |
| Screenshot |
C++ is an object-oriented successor to the C programming language which has largely replaced it. Borland Turbo C++ adds an excellent IDE (Integrated Development Environment). The source code release for Mines was developed with Turbo C++, and other C++ source code releases may have been developed with Turbo C++ as well.
Downloads
| Turbo C++ v1.01 Freeware (2696k) |
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28 February 1991 |
Availability
Borland generously released this version of Turbo C++ as freeware in their online museum on 14 April 2000.
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Turbo Pascal
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| User rating: 8 |
Freeware (former commercial) |
Programming Language |
| Published by Borland Software |
| Screenshot |
Pascal is a powerful programming language and a great learning tool. Borland Turbo Pascal adds an excellent IDE (Integrated Development Environment), and quickly became the most popular Pascal product. The source code releases for Chopper Commando and Jumpman Lives! were developed with Turbo Pascal, and I hope to have source code for other Pascal games in the future. It may be safest to use the version that is closest to the one the source code you're working with was written in, but backwards compatibility is usually maintained in programming languages.
Downloads
Availability
Borland generously released these versions of Turbo Pascal as freeware in their online museum between 1 February 2000 and 21 February 2002.
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