New in This Version

1. Notable New Features

• Directory support on Virtual Drive Z: and major cleanups on this drive

  The internal virtual drive Z: now supports directories so there is no need to put all files/programs on the root directory of Z drive any more (although one-level directories are currently supported). The Z drive has been cleaned up accordingly as well by categorizing files into directories, with additional programs appearing in some directories.

• Support for changing current floppy or CD images when running guest systems

  You can now change the active floppy disk and/or CD images while DOS/Windows 9x guest systems are currently running. There are now menu options “Change current floppy image…” and “Change current CD image…” to change the currently active floppy disk image(s) on drive A:/B: and ISO/CUE image(s) on CD drives.

• Support for START command on non-Windows platforms to launch host system programs

  The START command designed to launch host system programs to run outside DOSBox-X has been extended to non-Windows platforms including Linux and macOS. This feature is disabled by default but can be enabled by setting config option “startcmd” to “true” or with the -hostrun command-line option. Type START /? for more information about this command.

• Significantly improved multi-language support including UTF-8 language file support

  Multi-language support has been improved significantly in this version, especially for the drop-down menus. Language files encoded with UTF-8 are now supported (and will be automatically saved so) in addition to those encoded with DOS code pages. The welcome banner messages etc have been cleaned up for easier language translations too.

• Full support for Chinese/Japanese/Korean code pages and displaying CJK characters in TTF output

  There are huge improvements for Chinese/Japanese/Korean language support in this version. With a CJK code page (932: Japanese, 936: Simplified Chinese, 949: Korean; 950: Traditional Chinese) files/directories with CJK characters can be loaded and mounted properly, and when using the TrueType font (TTF) output and a suitable TTF font (e.g. GNU Unifont), CJK characters can be displayed directly in DOSBox-X without any helper programs, with auto-detection of box-drawing characters and the ability to switch between DBCS and SBCS modes. Even printing is supported (see below). Chinese (Simplified) language file and Japanese language file are added as well.

• Improved printing features including DBCS support for CJK languages

  The printing features have been once again improved, including menu option to print the current DOS text screen, and for TTF output the current TrueType font will be used for printing as well by default. Also, support for printing Chinese/Japanese/Korean DBCS (double-byte) characters (when these code pages are active) is added, and you can see the new “printdbcs” config option in [printer] section for more information.

• Improved TTF word processor support

  Support for a new TTF word processor type “FE” (for FastEdit, new DOS text editor with functions to view and change text styles) has been added, and for this word processor type all style combinations of bold, italics, underline, and strikeout are supported. Also added “ttf.wpfg” config option to optionally specify a foreground color (0-7) for the TTF output.

• Improved CONFIG command for configuration

  The CONFIG command has been improved in various ways, including added special properties such as “hostos”, “programdir”, “workdir”, “configdir”, and “userconfigdir” (for example, “CONFIG -GET hostos” will get the host system OS). The command “CONFIG -wl” will show the name of language file being written to and “CONFIG -ln” will show the name of the current language (if any). If a config option can only be changed at run-time, “CONFIG -set” will now show such a message (“CONFIG -setf” will bypass but the change won’t take effect in the current session).

• Improved SETCOLOR command for changing text-mode color schemes in all outputs

  The SETCOLOR command can now change the text-mode color schemes in all outputs in VGA mode, not just the TrueType font (TTF) output. Type SETCOLOR to view the current text-mode color schemes, or type SETCOLOR /? for more information about this command. If you want to change the text-mode foreground and background colors, use the COLOR command instead.

• Improved debugging functions including enhanced menu options

  There is now a top-level “Debug” menu in all debug builds, with additional debug options appearing in this menu. For the DOSBox-X debugger, you can now set the run mode when the debugger starts, including “debugger”, “normal”, and “watch”, either from the drop-down menu or in the config file. You can also change this dynamically from the menu when the debugger is running. Debugger interface also accepts the ‘0’ key as a command to single-step in case F11 isn’t an option.

2. Notable Usability Improvements

• Allow to auto-maximize the DOSBox-X window at start

  There is now a “maximize” config option in [sdl] section which allows you to automatically maximize the DOSBox-X window at start, although it is available for all SDL2 builds and Windows SDL1 builds only. Use the full-screen mode for the TrueType font (TTF) output.

• Allow to auto-select a backend for the NE2000 networking feature

  With the existence of two backends (pcap and slirp) for the NE2000 networking feature, a default value “auto” is added to “backend” option in [ne2000] section of the configuration which will automatically select the slirp backend if available, then the pcap backend if available.

• Allow to auto-select a IRQ number for the Sound Blaster

  The IRQ option for the Sound Blaster now accepts a value of “0” to automatically select a IRQ number (either 5 or 7) based on the actual default IRQ number for the sound card type.

• Allow to use system mouse pointer for the DOS mouse cursor

  There is now a “usesystemcursor” config option (in [sdl] section) which when set to true will use host system mouse cursor instead of drawing a DOS mouse cursor when the mouse is not locked. Some people prefer the host system mouse cursor to the actual DOS mouse cursor.

• Restart DOSBox-X with specified config file from menu

  Under the “Main” menu there is now a menu option which allows you to restart DOSBox-X with the specified config file automatically. The specified config file can be completely different from the current one, such as loading a different machine type.

• Changing the refresh rate and A20 gate status from menu

  You can now change the video refresh rate and the A20 gate status from the drop-down menus, in addition to use commands. The “Refresh rate…” menu option under “Video” menu and the “Enable A20 gate” menu option under “DOS” menu allow you to achieve these.

• Specifying command shell located on mounted local drive

  You can now specify a command shell located on a mounted local drive (instead of Drive Z:) via SHELL= command in [config] section of config file after the drive is properly mounted via INSTALL= command.

• Optimized -silent and -fastlaunch command-line options

  Both the -silent and -fastlaunch command-line options have been optimized to potential make them even faster and quieter. For example, both options will suppress the possible folder selection dialog and any messages by the “automountall=true” option, and -silent option will disable all sound-related config option as well.

• More options to convert mouse wheel movements to keys

  Additional options are added to the “mouse_wheel_key” config option and the “Mouse wheel movements” menu group to allow conversion of mouse wheel movements into Ctrl+up/down arrow (option 4), Ctrl+left/right arrows (option 5), Ctrl+PgUp/PgDn keys (option 6), and Ctrl+W/Z as used by WordStar and EDIT (option 7).

3. Bugfixes and Other Improvements

There are also many bugfixes and other improvements, including fixes and improvements to some existing features (e.g. issues related to screen dimensions in TTF output in CGA/EGA modes since 0.83.12 and updated Windows installer to use the latest Inno Setup to allow features such as administrative install mode via /ALLUSERS option) and ported recent DOSBox SVN commits. Please see the full changelogs below for more information.

4. Full Changelog In This Version

• Added support for directories on the Z drive, so there is no need to put all files/programs on the root directory of Z drive any more. Only one-level directories are currently supported. There are now six directories on the Z drive by default, namely 4DOS, BIN, DEBUG, DOS, SYSTEM, TEXTUTIL. Most files that previously appeared on the root directory of Z drive are now categorized into directories, with addition of some files/programs, such as additional 4DOS files, text utilities in TEXTUTIL directory and TITLE command to change window title. (Wengier)
• You can now specify a command shell located on a mounted local drive via SHELL= command in [config] section of config file after the drive is properly mounted via INSTALL= command. (Wengier)
• Extended START command to Linux and macOS systems. It’s disabled by default just like on Windows host systems, but can be enabled by setting “startcmd” to “true” or with the -hostrun command-line option (replacing -winrun command-line option). (Wengier)
• CHCP command in the TrueType font (TTF) output now allows code page 932, 936, 949, and 950 to display Chinese, Japanese and Korean characters and file names with DBCS support enabled in non-PC98 mode. By default DOSBox-X will enable DBCS characters and auto-detection for box-drawing characters in these code pages, and these can be disabled by setting new options “ttf.autodbcs” and “ttf.autoboxdraw” to “false”. There is also option “ttf.halfwidthkana” to enable half-width Katakana in Japanese non-PC98 machines. KEYB command (and “keyboardlayout” config option) also accept “jp”, “ko”, “cn”, “tw”, “hk”, “zh” as key layout names for code pages. (Wengier)
• Added support for printing Chinese/Japanese/Korean DBCS (double-byte) characters when these code pages are active, which by default (“auto”) is enabled for the TTF output, but can be enable or disabled for all outputs by setting option “printdbcs” to “true” or “false” in [printer] section. (Wengier)
• Added ability to toggle between Shift-JIS (or Kanji) and graphical modes using Ctrl+F4 key (or ESC )3 and ESC )0 escape sequences) in the PC-98 mode. There is now also an indication of graphical mode in the function row. (nmlgc)
• Added the “usesystemcursor” config option (in [sdl] section) which when set to true will use host system mouse cursor instead of drawing a DOS mouse cursor when the mouse is not locked. (Wengier)
• When opening “Save…” or “Save Language File…” dialogs in the Configuration Tool, the new dialogs will now automatically be in focus. For the language file, the name of the current language file will be filled and modifiable. Pressing ENTER key saves the config or language file, and pressing ESC key will close these dialog boxes. (Wengier)
• Command “CONFIG -wl” will show the name of language file being written to (if there is a language file loaded then “CONFIG -wl” alone will write to it), and command “CONFIG -ln” will show current language name (if any), or you can use command “CONFIG -ln -wl " to specify a language name when writting to a language file. (Wengier)
• Added special properties to CONFIG command such as “hostos”, “programdir”, “workdir”, “configdir”, and “userconfigdir” so that commands like “CONFIG -GET hostos” and “CONFIG -GET workdir” will get the host system OS and DOSBox-X working directory. (Wengier)
• If a config option can only be changed at run-time, “CONFIG -set” will now show such a message. You can use “CONFIG -setf” to bypass, but the setting won’t take effect in the current session. (Wengier)
• SETCOLOR command can now change the text-mode color schemes in outputs rather than the TrueType font output too (VGA mode only). (Wengier)
• Added support for new TTF word processor type “FE” for FastEdit, a new DOS text editor with functions to view and change text styles. (Wengier)
• Added “ttf.wpfg” config option in [render] section which can optionally specify a foreground color (0-7) for the TTF output, similar to “ttf.wpbg” for the background color in the TTF output. (Wengier)
• Added “ttf.printfont” config option in [render] section which when set to true (default) will force to use the current TrueType font (set via ttf.font) for printing too when using TTF output. (Wengier)
• Added additional options to the “mouse_wheel_key” config option to allow conversion of mouse wheel movements into Ctrl+up/down arrow (option 4), Ctrl+ left/right arrows (option 5), Ctrl+PgUp/PgDn keys (option 6), and Ctrl+W/Z as used by WordStar & EDIT (option 7) . More menu options are added to “Mouse wheel movements” menu group as well. (Wengier)
• Added menu option “Print text screen” (under “DOS”) to print current DOS text screen, if the printer feature has been enabled. (Wengier)
• Added menu options “Display TTF blinking cursor”, “CJK: Switch DBCS/SBCS mode”, “CJK: Auto-detect box-drawing characters” and “CJK: Allow half-width Japanese Katahana” under “Video” => “TTF options” menu group to toggle the TTF options ttf.blinkc, ttf.autodbcs, ttf.autoboxdraw and ttf.halfwidthkana in [render] section of the config file. (Wengier)
• Support for UTF-8 encoded language files. Specify a DOS code page with “country” option in [config] section of the config file. Windows SDL1 menu and macOS menu are now also compatible with Unicode language files and characters. Also improved code page compatibility for text in the SDL drawn menu and the Configuration Tool. (Wengier)
• Cleaned up the welcome banner messages and other messages involving boxdrawing characters for easier translations into certain languages. (Wengier)
• Command-line option -silent now implies -nomenu, SDL_AUDIODRIVER=dummy and will disable all sound- related config option as well. (Wengier)
• Command-line option -fastlaunch will now suppress messages by “automountall=true” option. Also added value “quiet” to “automountall” config option to auto-mount all Windows drives quietly. (Wengier)
• Added default value “auto” to “backend” option in [ne2000] section of the configuration which will automatically select slirp backend if available, then pcap backend if available. (Wengier)
• Improved handling of Ctrl+C/Ctrl+Break for shell- based DOS programs. (Wengier)
• Setting “irq” to “0” in [sblaster] section of the config file will use the default IRQ number for the sound card type. Also fixed “irq=-1”, “dma=-1” and “hdma=-1” not working as desired. (Wengier)
• Option “dpi aware=auto” now defaults to “true” when full-screen mode is requested when DOSBox-X starts in Windows SDL1 builds. (Wengier)
• The return value of AL in Int21/AX=0Eh is no longer fixed. The game Jurassic Park may run after moving Z drive to a different letter (e.g. E:). (Wengier)
• Added “Change current floppy image…” and “Change current CD image…” menu options to change the currently active floppy disk image(s) on drive A: & B: and ISO/CUE image(s) on CD drives respectively. This makes it possible to change the active floppy disk and/or CD images while a guest system (e.g. Windows 9x) is currently running. (Wengier)
• Added “Restart DOSBox-X with config file…” menu option to start DOSBox-X with the specified config file automatically from the menu. (Wengier)
• Added “Refresh rate…” menu option (under “Video”) to set the video refresh rate. (Wengier)
• Added “Enable A20 gate” menu option (under “DOS”) to enable or disable the A20 gate. (Wengier)
• Added “maximize” config option in [sdl] section to automatically maximize the DOSBox-X window at start (SDL2 and Windows SDL1 builds only). (Wengier)
• Added “allow lmsw to exit protected mode” config option in [cpu] section to control whether the LMSW instruction allows the guest to clear the PE bit (leave protected mode).
• Added “debuggerrun” config option in [log] section to set the run mode when DOSBox-X Debugger starts. You can now also switch them from the menu (“Debug” => “Debugger option: …”), including “debugger”, “normal” and “watch”, the later two corresponding to debugger commands “RUN” and “RUNWATCH”. Also, the built-in DEBUGBOX command without a parameter will start the DOSBox-X debugger. (Wengier)
• Debugger interface now accepts the ‘0’ key as a command to single-step in case F11 isn’t an option. If you are using XFCE’s Terminal emulator, this is helpful because Terminal app takes F11 for itself.
• “Debug” menu is now a top-level menu for debugging builds (for non-debugging builds there is “Logging console” menu group under “Help”). Also added more debug options including “Generate NMI interrupt” and “Hook INT 2Fh calls” under this menu. (Wengier)
• Fixed /S and /F option (date/time-synchronization ON/OFF) of DATE command not working. (Wengier)
• Fixed aspect=true not working properly for some screen modes such as machine=ega. (Wengier)
• Fixed the mouse not automatically captured when DOSBox-X starts with the settings fullscreen=true and autolock=true. (Wengier)
• Fixed inputs in the Configuration Tool when the Configuration Tool is scaled. (Wengier)
• Fixed keys may not work after loading a saved state for the game Buck Rogers. (Wengier)
• Fixed Windows detection for the game “Tex Murphy: Under a Killing Moon”. (Wengier)
• Fixed serial ports 5-9 may not be usable with real serial ports (directserial). (vkbaf & Wengier)
• Fixed issues related to screen dimensions in TTF output in CGA/EGA modes since 0.83.12. (Wengier)
• Added alternative Windows installer for administrative install mode on Windows Vista or later. (Wengier)
• Integrated SVN commits (Allofich)
  • r4443: Improve detection of Paradise SVGA in some installers with additional signature.
  • r4453: Improve bittest instructions to wrap more correctly.
  • r4454: Enable A20 routines in BIOS.
  • r4456: The numeric keypad can now be used to navigate the debugger when Num Lock is off.