Errr, DOSBox 0.62 is really old. The current official version is 0.63 and there are many more recent CVS builds available . Try them first. (To find a CVS build, check out the sticky thread on the "DOSBox Development" forum).

thank you... now... there are a lot... hope I will find the fitting cvs... any tips which cvs would work for me?
thanks i.a.

btw: I use both dosbox0.62 and 0.63, but I saw here that someone (Mirir) has run TV Sports Boxing with 0.62... so I tried it first...

Try the latest version. I think ykhwong created one just 2 days ago.

ok thank you... I did... but... now it says: "Exit to error: Illegal option" 😒

please help!

I just tried with the free version of TV Sports Boxing available from Underdogs and it does indeed crash. Also note that the games list specifies it as being "runable" with a very low score attached. That's nowhere near "playable". The game is evidently still a long way from being supported or even starting properly. It should probably be listed as "broken".

oh... ok... that's too bad... 🙄 😢

Greetings everyone.

I downloaded it from the creators web (www.cinemaware.com) and it is exactly the same version Underdogs has. 🙁

Now the good news. I HAVE HAD A FUCKING BAD TIME REMOVING THE COPYLOCK KEYDISK protection, but it now works perfectly even under WinXP NTVDM.

This game seems freeware now. What I cannot understand is why Cinemaware is giving it away for free with KEYDISK PROTECTION included (more a nuissance than anything).

Breaking protections is a delicate matter (and it's illegal), so I would like to ASK PERMISSION for posting the cracked version here (works now). Is it okay to do it or is it still illegal to do so (even if the game is freeware now?). I JUST WANT TO BE SURE. Thanks.

cool... well... I think in this case it's legal... because the game is for free... but... if the game would be for sale it would be illegal... so I guess you can post your stuff... if I was not sure... I would contact cinemaware for further info or permission... thanks

eL_PuSHeR wrote:

G What I cannot understand is why Cinemaware is giving it away for free with KEYDISK PROTECTION included (more a nuissance than anything).

Well I guess they just didn't bother to remove the protection. They would've needed someone to look into the sources and that costs money 😀.

Anyway I don't think anyone cares if you distribute the patched version. It's a freeware game now anyway.

Perhaps you could distribute just the patch. Or PM it to me, and I'll release a patch.

The game IS already cracked, but they use some int13
hooking which does not work under dosbox/xp (odd enough
the same when using a disk image).

Why is this "int13 hooking" not supported by DOSBox?

I guess this means it's okay to release the fix/patch.

why should it be. Please use a different tone HunterZ. You sound like a spoiled child only wanting more and more.

dosbox doesn't use bios functions to read files. (it doesn't need to) the game hooks the bios as it assumes that the builtin dos uses the bios to read the files from the disk (using int 13). This doesn't work under dosbox. Might work when using a diskimage and a booted dos (but wd tested that).
I assume XP doesn't use the ancient int 13 either when reading files.

It depends a bit on where the game hacks the executable.
As there was one game before which did something like this as well. So maybe we might reroute one of the dos calls (was thinking only of execute) to call int 13 (to allow hooked programs to modify the diskbuffer)

But I think it will be a mess to do it for every call.

Sorry, I didn't intend for it to come off that way (guess I was a little too direct). It was just a request for information (which you just provided) as it seemed to break this game, and I remember seeing it discussed previously but couldn't find the relevant thread(s) by searching.

Qbix wrote:

So maybe we might reroute one of the dos calls (was thinking only of execute) to call int 13 (to allow hooked programs to modify the diskbuffer)

Ok... and how do I do that? (sorry for my "Unknowledge")

Qbix wrote:

But I think it will be a mess to do it for every call.

I don't care... it was my first pc game ever and I would do anything to make it run again... 🤣... almost everything... 😉

Steve7810, what Qbix is referring to is modifying the actual source code to DOSBox itself. Not something you can do by changing config files or something. Unless you are intimately familiar with the internal workings of DOSBox, as only Qbix, Harekiet, wd and maybe vasyl are, I doubt you could do it. I know I can't...

After reading all your replies I thought: "would it be illegal to distribute a cracked executable for an already cracked version? (remember: the freeware version downloadable from Cinemaware itself also has a crack (vbox.com)

For me it would be okay, but still, I NEED DIRECT CONFIRMATION/ALLOWANCE before doing it.

PS1 - Yes, what QBix was refering to it's called LOW-LEVEL or Direct disk access (achieved via int13h bios calls). These types of disk calls were commonly used for disk-based protections at the ms-dos era and usually they heavily rely on hardware itself at low-level (meaning that running them on other OS than pure ms-dos was a nuissance). That's why modern Operating Systems do disk access in a more abstract way and no-so-direct, because being that way is more adaptative.

PS2 - I have not played the game itself, because I don't even care (I don't like sports games - I removed the already cracked protection to be able to run it under DOSBox, which was my main goal). Other than that, I have tested the demo with Internal Speaker, AdLib and Roland. It works flawlessly under DOSBox. 😎

Whoah, another person that doesn't like sports games. Another mutant like me.... 😉

I doubt you're the only ones. I don't like sports games either. Don't like sports at all, not even watching it on the telly. I got to be in IT because I want to grow fat sitting on my behind all day while I work. The growing fat part isn't working out unfortunately (I'm waaay too thin), but otherwise it's great.