How to fix 256 color issues in Windows 7 \ VOGONS

How to fix 256 color issues in Windows 7

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First post, by mrguytodd

Posted on 2009-09-13, 03:58

mrguytodd Offline

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This was a problem that stumped me for a good while so when I discovered the fix I thought it would be a good idea to share it with people 😀

open the dosbox-0.xx.conf file (I'm using 0.73) with notepad under c:\Users\(yourusername)\AppData\Local\DOSBox (You'll have to show hidden files to see the AppData folder by clicking on Organize>"Folder and Search Options" and going to the view tab), and find the line "output = xxxx" (it's close to the top of the file), and put "opengl" where "xxxx" is.

It's a really simple fix and with Windows 7 coming up I'm sure there are going to be more people coming in with this issue.

😁

Reply 1 of 7, by IIGS_User

Posted on 2009-09-13, 06:02

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Are you sure the config file is a hidden file?

Klimawandel.

Reply 2 of 7, by collector

Posted on 2009-09-13, 07:04

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It is mostly a matter of an issue with "surface", not so much using "opengl" and it is a problem with more than Windows 7. The config file is not hidden by default and is easier to get at via the "Edit Configuration" in the DOSBox Start Menu.

Reply 3 of 7, by eL_PuSHeR

Posted on 2009-09-13, 07:52

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Does Win7 still supports ddraw or has it been superceded?

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Reply 4 of 7, by mrguytodd

Posted on 2009-09-13, 23:53

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IIGS_User: The config file itself isn't hidden, but the folder it's in is. I guess it doesn't matter anymore though, I wasn't aware you could get to it from the start menu.

eL_PuSHeR: ddraw still works and does not have the color issue.

Reply 5 of 7, by collector

Posted on 2009-09-14, 01:26

collector Offline

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Even though this is a known issue, perhaps it is time to change the default setting?

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Reply 6 of 7, by HunterZ

Posted on 2009-09-14, 20:24

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collector wrote:
Even though this is a known issue, perhaps it is time to change the default setting?

I second the suggestion/concern. output=surface is not the most compatible out-of-the-box option for win32 builds any more. We're going to see a lot more threads on this as WinXP fades out and Win7 becomes popular.

Reply 7 of 7, by DosFreak

Posted on 2009-09-14, 21:07

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It's being discussed. There are two issues:

DOSBox uses DirectX in SDL by default whereas for Vista+ it should be windib.

Also Explorer in Windows 7 corrupts the pallette of 8bit apps (so you have to kill explorer) (This is a video driver issue but it affects alot of video card/drivers). So for this cause the output has to be changed to opengl or DOSBox would have to be switched to 16bit rendering.

So likely a switch for dosbox.exe to set the variable and more output options for 16bit rendering.

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