New in This Version

1. Notable New Features

• Implemented direct UNC network path browsing on Windows systems

  The network redirector function has been enhanced, so that you can access or browse UNC network paths in the form \\COMPUTER\FOLDER directly on Windows systems, including listing, opening, writing, copying, and executing files on UNC network paths directly without having to mount them as DOS drives first.

• Implemented DOS/V emulations for native Chinese/Japanese/Korean support

  Support for native DOS/V services has been implemented in this version, including emulation modes for Japanese, Chinese (both Simplified and Traditional), and Korean languages. There is now a new section named [dosv] in the config file with various DOS/V-related options, including the “dosv” option, which you can set to “jp”, “chs” (or “cn”), “cht” (or “tw”), or “ko” for different CJK languages. When using a DOS/V emulation mode Chinese/Japanese/Korean characters can be displayed without the need of any external fonts, although you can also optionally specify fonts to use via options like “fontxsbcs” and “fontxdbcs” in the section.

• Implemented new JEGA (AX) machine type for improved Japanese support

  Support for Japanese EGA mode on AX architecture has been implmented and can be enabled by setting “machine” to “jega”. Japanese characters are supported in this mode without any external fonts, but you can also optionally specify Japanese fonts to use. In this mode you can also toggle between half-width Kana and alphanumeric characters with the right Ctrl key. TrueType font (TTF) output is also supported for this mode.

• Support for special DOS functions to communicate with DOSBox-X

  There are now special DOS functions for DOSBox-X so that your program can check for example whether DOSBox-X is running and the current DOSBox-X version or machine type. It is located at Int21h/AH=2Bh/CX=0x4442h(‘DB’)/DX=0x2D58h(‘-X’), with subfunctions AL=0h (DOSBox-X installation check), AL=1h (SDL version check), AL=2h (platform check), AL=3h (machine type check), and AL=4h (DOSBox-X version check).

• Support for SDL video driver selection with new DirectX driver in Windows SDL1 builds

  You can now explicitly set a video driver for SDL (either SDL1 or SDL2) library to use, instead of always relying on the default SDL video driver. Some SDL video drivers may work differently from the default ones, including “dummy” for not showing the DOSBox-X window at all. For the Windows platform, support for the DirectX/DirectDraw driver has been added in this version and you can set “videodriver=directx” to use it.

• Support for inputting DBCS characters via system IMEs in Windows SDL1 builds

  Support for inputting Chinese/Japanese/Korean characters using system input method (IME) has been implemented in Windows SDL1 builds. Chinese (Simplified and Traditional) IMEs may work with the default SDL video driver and a Chinese code page or Chinese DOS/V mode. Japanese and Korean IMEs may require DirectX mode for the SDL1 library (set option “videodriver=directx” for this). There is a new config option “ime” in [dosbox] section to control whether to enable IME support, and with the default “auto” setting it is enabled for Windows SDL1 builds only if DOSBox-X is started with a CJK code page or in PC-98, JEGA or DOS/V mode.

• Fully translatable drop-down menus for both SBCS and DBCS languages

  The DOSBox-X drop-down menus of all types (including SDL-drawn menu in Windows SDL2 and Linux builds in addition to Windows SDL1 and macOS menus) are now translatable, and text in all supported code pages (including both standard SBCS code pages and DBCS code pages used by Chinese/Japanese/Korean languages) should display correctly in the drop-down menus in all platforms.

• Ability to translate text in the Configuration Tool and Mapper Editor

  It is now also possible to translate text for the graphical Configuration Tool and Mapper Editor interfaces, including all supported codepages (both SBCS and DBCS code pages). The sizes and positions of some buttons in these interfaces are adjusted accordingly to make the text look better. As a result, all types of user interfaces in DOSBox-X are now translatable, and all language files in the repository have been updated to translate these interfaces.

• Ability to auto-convert paths when launching host system applications when enabled

  When launching DOS programs to run on the host system, DOSBox-X now allows to automatically translate all paths in command-line to host system paths. You can either enable this via a config option (set “starttranspath=true”) or toggle it dynamically from the drop-down menu (“DOS” => “Host system applications” => “Translate paths to host system paths”).

• Improved code page conversions for files on virtual and FAT drives and DBCS awareness

  Support for codepage conversions of custom files that will appear on the Virtual Drive Z: and also files on FAT disk images has been added, so that they will appear properly on these drives according to the code pages set in DOSBox-X. Awareness for DBCS characters (such as “" and “

  ” symbols) has also been implemented on all types of drives.

• Improved clipboard copy and pasting for Chinese/Japanese/Korean characters

  The handling for DBCS characters in the clipboard copy/paste feature has been noticeably improved in this version, including support for the new DOS/V and JEGA modes, and improved handling of DBCS characters in existing modes. In general copy and pasting text should work with all machine types.

• Built-in features such as Slirp and FluidSynth for macOS builds

  The standard macOS builds (both SDL1 and SDL2 binaries) now include features such as Slirp and FluidSynth by default and bundle libraries required for these features. You can also run the alternative macOS builds designed for running on macOS High Sierra (10.13) or later which do not include any of these libraries (or features).

2. Notable Usability Improvements

• New [TTF] section for TrueType font (TTF) related options

  There is a now a new [ttf] section in the config file, and TrueType font (TTF)-related config options are moved/renamed from [render] section to this section (with the “ttf.” prefix dropped). Several TTF-related config options are now common config options instead of advanced ones. Windows installer will also automatically transfer previous TTF options to the new [ttf] section.

• Built-in NE2000 packet driver for NE2000 networking support

  When the NE2000 networking feature is enabled (either PCap or Slirp backends), the packet driver for the NE2000 network card (NE2000.COM) will appear on the Z drive (in the Z:\SYSTEM directory) so that users can load the packet driver directly for the NE2000 networking feature.

• Auto-expand %PATH% environemnt variables for subdirectories on Z drive

  DOSBox-X will now automatically expand %PATH% environment variable to include the subdirectories on the Z drive by default when only the Z:\ path is specified for compatibility purposes (so that executable in these subdirectories can all be searched). This behavior can be disabled with the “drive z expand path” config option.

• MOUNT command to to show status for specific drive(s)

  You can now see the current status of a specific drive by using MOUNT command followed only by a drive letter. It also allows you to do some customizations of the outputs, such as making message shorter with the -q option, and filtering out non-local drives with “-o local” option.

• TRUENAME command option to return full file names on host system

  You can now get the full filenames for specified files or directories on mounted local drives by using the /H option of TRUENAME command. The TRUENAME /H command will return nothing if the specified file or directory cannot be found.

• CONFIG command to list the global DOSBox-X config file

  The previous DOSBox-X version added support for global config files. The “CONFIG -L” command will now list them if available in addition to other (non-global) config files.

• Advanced config option names to be listed in common config files

  The names of advanced config options will now be listed in the common config reference file (dosbox-x.reference.conf) and will written to standard dosbox-x.conf files too, so that users will know of their existence even when looking at common config files. Several previously advanced options now become common options.

• Option to enable Turbo (Fast Forward) mode at start or from command-line

  There is now a config option “turbo” (in [cpu] section) to enable Turbo (Fast Forward) mode at start, and you can also change it at run-time from the command-line via CONFIG command (e.g. “config -set turbo=true”).

• Option to log only DOS console output to log files

  You can now only log DOS console outputs to the DOSBox-X log files, so that they will contain exactly the outputs of DOSBox-X’s DOS shell. You can do so by setting the config option “log console” to “quiet”. Support for DOS/V console output is also added.

• Ability to auto-select keyboard layout for PC-98 mode

  DOSBox-X now decides whether to use the Japanese keyboard layout or the U.S. keyboard layout for the PC-98 emulation based on its detection of user’s keyboard layout. Config option “pc-98 force ibm keyboard layout” now defaults to “auto”, which implies “true” if a U.S. keyboard layout is detected and implies “false” otherwise. Also fixed some input keys for the PC-98 mode.

• Ability to run PC-98 emulations without requiring external fonts

  External font files are no longer required for the PC-98 mode to display Japanese text, as the Japanese DOS/V fonts and pre-generated SBCS fonts from FREECG98.BMP will be used in case both FONT.ROM and FREECG98.BMP cannot be found, although users if either FONT.ROM or FREECG98.BMP is found then they will be used for the PC-98 emulation.

3. Bugfixes and Other Improvements

There are also many bugfixes and other improvements, such as fixing several issues that occurred on different platforms and adjustments of some default settings, along with other improvements to make DOSBox-X work better. Please see the full changelogs below for more information.

4. Full Changelog In This Version

• Enhanced the network redirector functions for the Windows platform, so that you can for example list, open, write, copy, and execute files in UNC network paths in the form \\COMPUTER\FOLDER directly when network redirector function is enabled and secure mode is disabled on Windows systems. (Wengier)
• MOUNT command followed by a drive letter only will show the current status of the drive, or show that the drive is not mounted if so. You can make the message shorter with the -q option, and filter out non-local drives with “-o local” option. (Wengier)
• Added NE2000.COM (packet driver for NE2000 network card) which will appear in Z:\SYSTEM directory when NE2000 networking feature is enabled. (Wengier)
• Added /H option to TRUENAME command to return the full filename on the host system for a specified file/directory on a mounted local drive. (Wengier)
• Added option “starttranspath” which if set to true will automatically translath all paths in command- line to host system paths when starting programs to run on the host system. You can also toggle this function dynamically from the drop-down menu (“DOS” => “Host system applications” => “Translate paths to host system paths”. (Wengier)
• Added option “drive z expand path” which when set to true (default) will automatically expand %PATH% environment variable to include the subdirectories on the Z drive when only the Z:\ path is specified for compatibility purposes. (Wengier)
• Added option “turbo” in [cpu] section to enable Turbo (Fast Forward) mode at start. You can also change it from the command-line via CONFIG command (e.g. “config -set turbo=true”). (Wengier)
• Added value “quiet” to “log console” config option to only log DOS console outputs. (Wengier)
• Added menu command to spawn a new instance of DOSBox-X to Mac OS X builds to work around the singular app instance model the Finder tends to prefer, so that users can run multiple instances if they wish. (joncampbell123)
• MacOS builds will once again have Fluidsynth, libslirp, and FFMPEG support from revised .app building code. For best results support is enabled at compile time only if Brew is installed along with Brew builds of those packages. (joncampbell123)
• MacOS coreaudio MIDI support will continue with the default soundfont rather than giving up if it cannot select the custom soundfont specified in the config file. (joncampbell123)
• Fixed MacOS bug where coremidi would attempt MIDI output even if no MIDI destinations are available, which is apparently the case on Big Sur. (joncampbell123)
• The names of advanced config options will now be listed in the common config reference file (i.e. dosbox-x.reference.conf) too. Several previously advanced options are now common options. (Wengier)
• Command “CONFIG -L” will now list the global config file for DOSBox-X (if any). (Wengier)
• There is now a special DOS function for DOSBox-X at Int21h/AH=2B/CX=0x4442h(‘DB’)/DX=0x2D58h(‘-X’), as follows: AL=0h (DOSBox-X installation check), AL=1h (SDL version check), AL=2h (platform check), AL=3h (machine type check), and AL=4h (DOSBox-X version check). For example, you can get installed DOSBox-X version by calling the function Int21h/AX=2B04h/CX= 0x4442h/DX=0x2D58h in your program - AL and AH will become 0, and BX will return the DOSBox-X version number after “0.” (e.g. BH=83, BL=15). (Wengier)
• It is now possible to translate text for graphical Configuration Tool and Mapper Editor interfaces. The sizes and/or positions of some buttons in these interfaces are adjusted accordingly too. (Wengier)
• Config option “usescancodes=auto” now implies false for PC-98 mode in SDL1 builds. (Wengier)
• Config option “pc-98 force ibm keyboard layout” now defaults to “auto”, which implies “true” if a U.S. keyboard layout is detected and implies “false” otherwise. Also fixed some input keys for the PC-98 mode. (Wengier & maron2000)
• For PC-98 mode, if both FONT.ROM and FREECG98.BMP are not found in the directory, then DOSBox-X will now use internal Japanese font (also used by DOS/V and JEGA systems) and the built-in 8x16 SBCS font pre-generated from FREECG98.BMP. (Wengier)
• Added DBCS awareness support for special characters “" and “|” in Chinese/Japanese/Korean code pages so that they will be treated properly as trailing bytes of double-byte characters. (Wengier)
• Improved handling of clipboard copy/paste involving DBCS characters with TrueType font (TTF) output in standard mode. The clipboard copy/paste feature is also supported in DOS/V and JEGA modes. (Wengier)
• The config option ttf.halfwidthkana (now in [ttf] section) will enable low ASCII boxing characters for the TrueType font (TTF) output too. This option is now enabled by default for JP mode, and printing these characters is also supported. (Wengier)
• Added support for showing Chinese/Japanese/Korean characters in the SDL-drawn menu (in addition to characters in different SBCS code pages) and the Configuration Tool interface (so e.g. DOS command help will show correctly for these languages). You can change the DBCS font used by Configuration Tool interface via fontxdbcs14 config option. (Wengier)
• Added support for inputing DBCS characters using system input method (IME) in Windows SDL1 build. Chinese (Simplified and Traditional) IMEs may work with the default video setting and a Chinese code page or Chinese DOS/V mode. Japanese & Korean IMEs may require DirectX mode for the SDL1 library (set option “videodriver” to “directx” in [sdl] section for this). There is a new config option “ime” in [dosbox] section to control it. When set to “auto” (default), it is enabled for Windows SDL1 builds only if DOSBox-X is started with a CJK code page or in PC-98, JEGA or DOS/V mode. (Wengier)
• Added support for Japanese EGA mode (machine=jega) by adopting code from DOSVAXJ3. As with DOS/V, you can optionally set the SBCS and DBCS fonts with fontxsbcs, fontxdbcs (and fontxsbcs19, fontxdbcs24, etc) options in [dosv] section of config file, or the default fonts will be used for them. (Wengier)
• Added support for DOS/V (Japanese mode) by adopting code from DOSVAXJ3. Also added support for Chinese and Korean DOS/V modes. Set option “dosv” to “jp”, “chs” (or “cn”), “cht” (or “tw”), or “ko” in [dosv] section of the config file to enable DOS/V mode for different CJK languages. There are now also various font-related (and V-text screen mode) options added in [dosv] section for the DOS/V support. For the Simplified Chinese (code page 936), you can also enable GBK extension of the standard GB2312 charset with “gbk” option for Simplified Chinese DOS/V and the TrueType font (TTF) output. (Wengier)
• Added support for codepage conversion of file names in “drivez” folder (for customization of Virtual Drive Z:) so that they will appear properly on this drive according to the code page set. (Wengier)
• Improved support for DBCS (double-byte) characters on mounted FAT drives with Chinese/Japanese/Korean codepages (932/936/949/950). (Wengier)
• The “Unexpected control character” error message which may appear when executing certain batch files is now a debug message (belong to the “misc” type) instead of showing to the DOS console output.
• Added “videodriver” config option in [sdl] section to force a video driver (such as windib/windows, x11, dummy) for the SDL library to use. The video driver “directx” has been enabled for Windows SDL1 builds (without certain functions). (Wengier)
• There is a now a [ttf] section in the config file, and TTF-related config options are moved/renamed from [render] section to this section (previous config options “ttf.*” in [render] section become
  • (with “ttf.” dropped) in [ttf] section). Windows installer will also automatically transfer previous TTF options to the new [ttf] section. (Wengier)
• When setting to “auto”, config option “allow lmsw to exit protected mode” will be active for Pentium+ CPUs instead of 486+ CPUs. (Wengier)
• Fixed a bug which may lead to crash when pasting text via the DOS clipboard API (e.g. the 4DOS CLIP: device) in non-Windows platforms. (Wengier)
• Fixed the possible freeze when output was switched from TrueType font (TTF) output and you tried to reset the virtual machine. (Wengier)
• Fixed non-representative filenames on local drives in current code page causing memory corruption for e.g. Windows 3.1 Setup on non-Windows platforms. These entries will no longer appear to DOS guest system in incompatible code pages. (Wengier)