If you have a dosbox.conf inside the DOSBox directory, it will take priority over the one in "Documents and Settings" and DOSBox will use it instead.

If you have a dosbox.conf inside the DOSBox directory, it will take priority over the one in "Documents and Settings" and DOSBox will use it instead.
Reply : if this was the case, i would have detected it maybe 5 years ago, now that i investigated dosbox 0.74 since new unacceptible scummvm 1.7, 0.74 completely ignores the DOSBox directory priority. this was why i was not able to get it to run ver 0.74 with 0.72 batch settings.

Case A:
CD W:\DOSBOX
DOSBOX.EXE W:\ZZZ1\DUNE1\DUNE1.EXE -c "mount c W:\ZZZ1\DUNE1" -fullscreen -EXIT

Case B:
W:\DOSBOX\DOSBOX.EXE W:\ZZZ1\DUNE2\DUNE2.EXE -c "mount c W:\ZZZ1\DUNE2" -fullscreen -EXIT

case A: Case b: are from version v0.72 and they read DIFFERENT dosbox.conf settings from different directories. this was very basic old DOS way and was DOS-like, In other words, dosbox.conf from case A: and dosbox.conf from case b: are completely different.

0.74 completely ignore case A: and CASE b: and
0.74 only reads "C:\Documents and Settings\SSSS\Local Settings\Application Data\DOSBox\dosbox-0.74.conf" and no other. The multiple setting capability is gone in 0.74. besides if you look at it closely case a: and case b:
this line "CD W:\DOSBOX: acts as "start in" in windows shortcut property and pif property. And DOS bacth script command is 1 septilion times more flexible than any windows shortcut propertiesy you can throw at me,
please DOSBOX be more like DOS.

DOS can not understand long names 100% clearly when the name is like
C:\TRUEBASIC1>
C:\TRUEBASIC2>
C:\TRUEBASIC3>
C:\TRUEBASIC4>

DOS reads it all as C:\TRUEBA~1 and it takes the setting from whatever the directory it likes.

Sincerely

PS.
minor problem
CASE AA: DOSBOX.EXE YW\ZZZ1\CIV\CIV.EXE -c "mount c W:\ZZZ1\CIV\" -fullscreen -EXIT --> doesn't work under 0.74 but works in 0.72 like old DOS way
CASE BB: DOSBOX.EXE W:\ZZZ1\CIV\CIV.EXE -c "mount c W:\ZZZ1\CIV" -fullscreen -EXIT --> works under 0.74

* 0.74 must not have \ at the end of directoy and but to me
to me, by putting \ or allowing \ at the end of directory makes me quickly recognize that CIV is a directory and not a file.

curvedline wrote:

I need multiple dosbox settings for multiple dos programs

" -conf configfilelocation
Start DOSBox with the options specified in "configfilelocation".
Multiple -conf options may be present."

dosbox.exe -conf c:\dir\my.conf

also may be useful
" -c command
Runs the specified command before running "name". Multiple commands
can be specified. Each command should start with "-c" though.
A command can be: an Internal Program, a DOS command or an executable
on a mounted drive."

rtfm

Inside DOSBox run you may change some its settings too.

Dosbox NEVER was a Dos program. It HAS to follow modern OS ways. You can still do everything you could with Dosbox 0.72.
You NEED to read the manual.

If you can't rwad and adjust your ways, just keep on using Dosbox 0.72...

curvedline wrote:

0.74 only reads "C:\Documents and Settings\SSSS\Local Settings\Application Data\DOSBox\dosbox-0.74.conf" and no other.

This is provably (as in "definitely") false. I know this to be false, because I've been running DOSBox 0.74 for years myself.

However, I must correct myself. DOSBox will first look for dosbox.conf, not in the program directory, but in the current directory (the one you run it from, or "Start in" directory if you want to talk in Windows shortcut language).

I've begun using 2 config files with DOSBox when needed. If a game requires some special DOSBox settings I put only those settings in a config file in the game directory and still use the one in %Appdata% for the other settings:
"C:\Program Files (x86)\DOSBox-0.74\DOSBox.exe" -userconf -conf "D:\DOS_C\BLOOD\dosbox-blood.conf"

However, I must correct myself. DOSBox will first look for dosbox.conf, not in the program directory, but in the current directory (the one you run it from, or "Start in" directory if you want to talk in Windows shortcut language).
Reply : Without a specific path setting like -userconf -conf "D:\DOS_C\BLOOD\dosbox-blood.conf",
DOSbox must not first look for dosbox.conf, not in the program directory, because there may be always one dosbox.conf there as a default. DOSbox should first look for dosbox.conf from "start in" directory as in v0.72, because the names of "start in" directory can be anything, this was how i was managing DOS programs in group or other programs in general. I also often change the names of "start in" directories.
when i change the names of "start in" directory, or navigate to other directories, i am always and already in that "start in" directory, DOSbox 0.72 was independant of "start in" directory path names, which means i didnt need to feed the names of "start in" directory names for "-userconf"and "-conf" in batch script files for 0.72. It was very convenient.

after using
-userconf -conf "D:\DOS_C\BLOOD\dosbox-blood.conf"
-userconf -conf "C:\Documents and Settings\SSSS\Local Settings\Application Data\DOSBox\dosbox-0.74-mine.conf" etc

this makes somewhat path dependant batch script, and a longer command line, but it is not an end of world. I will consider this way when time comes.
I am getting old and both my shoulders rotator cuffs were ruptured, i can not type well, i have to type briefly

thanks for your help
sincerely