Download and install DOSBox 0.74

I already am running that version. It was one of the first things I tried.

where have you got dosbox from?
what are your PC specifications?

post content of "DOSBox Status Window" (in Windows: right click on its title bar -> edit)
enclose your dosbox's config file

1) Sourceforge is where I dl'ed it from (this site is linked to from the main dos box site).
2)Specs:
-Core i5 430M
-4 GBs RAM
-NVIDIA GT 325M/Intel HD integrated. These are both present and utilize NVIDIA's optimus software which is supposed to switch from the intel to the NVIDIA when I need more gpu power. (maybe this is causing issues?)
-Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit

If you want to get all the exact mumbo jumbo, its an Asus N61JV-X2.

3)
DOSBox version 0.74
Copyright 2002-2010 DOSBox Team, published under GNU GPL.
---
CONFIG:Loading primary settings from config file C:\Users\mynamehere\AppData\Local\DOSBox\dosbox-0.74.conf
MIDI:Opened device:win32

4)I attached the .conf file from the #3's location so that the post doesn't become horrifically long.

Thanks for your help. Perhaps I need to add a command to the shortcut to make it work..? Thanks much.

Since you have an Nvidia card you may need to change "output=" in dosbox.conf to a different value.

Ah. It seems to work when output=opengl. I tested a game to double check and it appears to run correctly now.
Unless there's a better output= setting I should use (or other changes to dosbox.conf to make it run better), I think that's it. Thanks much.

Could you post your NVIDIA driver version as well please?

8.16.11.8942
Should be the latest one off of their site.

this version looks to be very very old
so update it and try again

Huh. Strange..
8.16.11.8964 is where its at now. Updated it via device manager this time. I had updated it via NVIDIA's site but apparently something messed up somewhere.
And yes, now I can change output= back to surface (as opposed to opengl) and it works fine. Thank you, yet again!

that driver still looks like 2 years old. I don't know what you are doing but updating drivers looks this way:
- find the latest drivers
- download them
- install them

Hi. Sorry for the slow-ish response. I took time yesterday and tried to sort all the issues with optimus which was acting up on other programs, so here is where I am at (and where I am staying since it works!):
GT 325M driver:
4/26/2010
8.16.11.8979

I also updated the Intel HD driver and the optimus drivers but that isn't what we were discussing :p
The reason I was so...confused, I suppose, is that on Asus's website they provided one gpu driver for my laptop while NVIDIA provided another. The one listed above is the one from NVIDIA and *should* be the latest regardless.
Computers are so fickle. 😅

when i go to www.nvidia.com
Download Drivers
Beta and Archived Drivers
and choose your card i get only these:
Verde Notebook Release 256 BETA, Version: 257.15, Release Date: May 24, 2010
Verde Notebook Release 197 WHQL, Version: 197.16, Release Date: March 29, 2010

Yours are version: 189.79 so they have to be older. How do you acquired them?

http://yfrog.com/6b61477397p
All I can say are that I have installed the latest from the NVIDIA site (see picture of two .exe's above). It appears as though device manager is picking to display the driver numbers from the Optimus software (189.79) even though I have installed the latest NVIDIA (197.16) as well. The picture shows what I have installed. The top folder (189.42) is the old driver that I need to get rid of still.[/url]

this means drivers were not installed correctly. you have to unistall completely optimus drivers first i guess. install standard vga drivers, and install nvidia later

The problem was solved, why do you keep picking 😉