I'm either having a deja vu, or a post with the exact same wording and/or topic was already made some time ago. Couldn't find it now though, I don't know how to use the search function properly (Ahem...).

Anyway, DOSBox definitely didn't mess up anything. That's utter nonsense. Tens or even hundreds of thousands of people have installed DOSBox, and it certainly didn't mess up their computers.

The possibilites are:
a) you messed up your computer yourself
b) some other program messed up your computer
c) you computer and/or OS was messed up to begin with

Experience suggests that a) is most likely the case. You've failed to supply any useful information (like for example which OS you're using, which DOSBox version, etc.), but my amazing powers of deduction tell me that you're probably on some incarnation of Windows. It looks like you've told Windows to open all either .exe (unlikely) or .lnk (more likely) files with DOSBox. That was a mistake, obviously. Can't remember how to fix that now, though. If you fiddle with the forum search you'll probably be able to find the solution.

Maybe try running CCleaner's registry cleaner.

ADDiCT: Sounded familiar to me too, like something that had come up a couple years ago maybe.

I think you right clicked on an exe and selected run with dosbox.
This comes up on our email every month or so.
This is NOT how you should use dosbox, nor do we say so in our documentation.

Search for (in google) exe association fix
or something similar. Good luck

Here's the old thread: Dosbox screwed up my computer - need help!!

Edit:
and here: <resolved> Dosbox replaced default .exe association

nothing is working here, i can get into the registry in safe mode but so far everything ive tried hasnt done anything. The "open with" box pops up when i click on anything

As QBix said this is NOT caused by installing DOSBox but by the user force-associating
executables with some program (in this case DOSBox).
So search the web for "what do i do if i've told windows to open executables
with a different program" if the posted links above don't help.

Just google "open with dosbox" and you will see the cause of this issue.

Thanks HunterZ, those were the threads I was looking for! One day I will understand how to use the search function properly.

Hmmm... Would it make sense to add a "Don't do this!"-line about associating DOSBox with .exe files in the DOSBox manual? The issue obviously doesn't crop up very often compared to others, but we could maybe save other users from making the same mistake (and wrongly accusing DOSBox of being the source of the problem).

if they read the manual, they would never have done that in the first place...

Qbix wrote:

if they read the manual, they would never have done that in the first place...

Not without an explicit warning... Saying that you can/should do something one way is not necessarily the same thing as saying that you can't/shouldn't to do it another.

Does photoshop have this warning in the help file?

That question is irrelevant on so many levels.

That means no, and guess this was the result of the adobe guys talking about
whether they should care about people who set PS as default application for executables.

- Noone would ever be inclined to do that because PS doesn't process executables. I'll bet that people *do* bug them all the time about how to undo association of image files with PS, though!

- Should people start doing that en-masse for some reason, Adobe *would* likely address it on a wide level because they have to care about making money from the reputation of their product.

Case in point: http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/315/315812.html

Should people start doing that en-masse for some reason

I don't see a lot people doing that with dosbox.

So then you won't mind politely fielding the question when it comes up every few months here on the forums.

Yeah. Everything's already been said in the referenced threads.

I guess your original response in this thread was pretty congenial compared to the average wd post 😉

RobertCaseyDavis wrote:

None of you even tried to answer the question, you only mocked the person who asked. I registered an account on this forum just to tell you all you're worthless and can go to Hell.

Nice thread necro for a thread whose last post was 9 years ago.

And the answers did tell the poster what they needed to do to get the information to fix it.