read the documentation

Yeah Thanks, I did.

I figured it out now but I really think the documentation written about DOSBOX is very unspecific and not really all that helpful.
Maybe that's why this message board is flooded with the same questions. A lot of people are just confused and some perhaps have never even used DOS before so I think the people who write that stuff forget how things that may seem obvious to them may be incredible difficult for others.

Still, DOSBOX is free so I can't really complain.

Thanks.

A User wrote:

Yeah Thanks, I did.

I figured it out now but I really think the documentation written about DOSBOX is very unspecific and not really all that helpful.

I do not disagree with you, guest, but there is an explanation for the "unspecificness".

Game developers in the DOS era had to tackle the same kind of "unspecificness" of weird hardware/software combinations, and had to devote several pages in their manuals explaining what to add/remove in CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT to get the game to work.

DOSBox's aim in life is to emulate a "DOS environment", that is the combination of basic PC-hardware and Microsoft DOS. It is a testimony to the skills of the people behind DOSBox, that they have managed to create a very flexible piece of software that does not cast "in stone" how the resulting emulated hardware+DOS can be configured - perfectly emulating the same "unspecificness" that the original DOS environment presented to the game developers.

A User wrote:

Maybe that's why this message board is flooded with the same questions. A lot of people are just confused and some perhaps have never even used DOS before so I think the people who write that stuff forget how things that may seem obvious to them may be incredible difficult for others.

Again, there is (I think) an explanation (or several explanations) for this.

When you buy a car, do you also expect to receive a video instructing you in trafic regulations and how to drive? Do you expect a full-blown repair shap manual?

Or do you expect to receive a guide with instructions specific for that particular car? Where is the switch for turning the wipers on/off, how to open the trunk, how to adjust the chairs?

Similarly, can you reasonable expect DOSBox to come with documentation on how to operate in (an emulated) DOS? Or is it reasonable to expect the users to go ask Microsoft (or their local library) about how to use MS-DOS?

Okay - I will admit, that the DOSBox documentation can be improved - and in particular the DOSBox installer can be vastly improved for people who has no knowledge of DOS and who just want to play a game. In some sense, this is remiscent of the situation with Linux 10 years ago. Back then, it was very much a do-it-yourself project. Then various users/groups started to create tailored, improved, packaged Linux distributions, with their own installers. This was a big step forward for many potential users, users that really didn't care about boot floppies, multi-boot, compiling and installing from source, etc, etc. They would gladly sacrifice the "unspecificness" of a self-made install for the comfort of a standardised Distro. Perhaps DOSBox will be there some day?

A User wrote:

I think the people who write that stuff forget how things that may seem obvious to them may be incredible difficult for others.

Still, DOSBOX is free so I can't really complain.

Thanks.

That's the spirit 😎

One thing you can do - with the fresh experience of setting of DOSBox for the first time, is to add to the DOSBox Wiki. It is the ultimate in work-in-progress documetation. If you know something, learn something, etc, go to the wiki, find a place where you think it belongs, and start writing. The important thing is - just start writing. Once it is in there, it is much easier to get others to add to it. And even if you don't think you can contribute, go visit the wiki - perhaps you see something that is wrong? If so, correct it - it is simple!

HaY! Thanks for that informative reply.

Perhaps if I get to be a bit of an expert myself with this program I might write a user guide for all those suffering newbies out there.

Thanks. 😉

check "DOSBox Guides"